Interpretation Of Interpretations Of A Good Man Is Hard...

Andrew Long Mr. Tarango English 110 10 January 2015 Interpretation of Interpretations In â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†, Flannery O’Conner demonstrates her short story so most readers can comprehend it in a plethora of ways. â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† may appear to be a simple read and one could be content with the literal meaning from it. Yet it gives the reader the opportunity to go even further. To go beyond what was written and to think critically or in depth. The story is open to many different interpretations and many people had. In â€Å"Mystery and Manners† by Flannery O’Connor, she goes into depth about â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find†. Since O’Connor comes from a religious background, she has the points of view of a Christian, in†¦show more content†¦Given that in â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† the grandmother, faced at the end of the road and certain demise by the hands of the misfit she was able to â€Å"return to reality and prepared to accept her moment of grace†. Her approach to â€Å"a Good Man is Hard to Find† could be classified as one that deals with the authorial intention, in a sense that she taught us what she believed and what the readers should have focused on taken out from the story. The purpose of this type of approach is that in places its values on the message that Flannery was trying to send to the reader. The only problem with using an approach such as this is that the author may not accomplish what they were trying to teach without confusion or lack of understanding from the audience. In â€Å"What’s so Funny about Flannery O’Connor† Rebecca R. Butler focuses on the comedy in the stories written by O’Connor. Rebecca Points out that most people do not realize the comedic appeal in O’Connor’s writing. Most only see the religious or psychological dimensions and ignore the comedy. She even goes to say how â€Å"disappointing† it is that critics were unappreciative of the use of comedy and that she expects that from her own students. Rebecca is trying to show how O’Connor uses subtle ways to portray comedy, describing it as a checklist. In that checklist on how O’Connor portrays comedy includes the things most

William Shakespeare s Othello As A Fair Warrior - 1610 Words

Shakespeare portrays Desdemona from Othello as a â€Å"fair warrior† while August Wilson, the author of Fences, characterizes Rose as a motherly figure at the beginning of each work. They contrast each other with their character development through their actions after being betrayed by the love of their lives. Desdemona from Othello becomes more of a passive character after her first fight with Othello where she obediently recedes and then continuously takes the blame for Othello’s wrongdoings. On the other hand, Rose from Fences becomes more of a strong warrior after Troy’s betrayal when she seeks her own wants and desires. Although Desdemona and Rose develop in contrasting ways, both share common characteristics of being loyal, caring, and†¦show more content†¦She says â€Å"A moth of peace, and he go to the war The rites for which I love him are bereft me And I a heavy interim shall support By his dear absence. Let me go with him.† Her bold ch aracter is revealed by the way she defends herself while simultaneously announcing her sexual desire. Her brazen character is clearly shown because she is in front of a crowd of men in a military meeting openly sharing her love and desire for Othello. Not only was she being extremely forward and honest to a crowd of people that she didn’t know, the crowd consisted of only men. The things she revealed were private topics that are usually discussed during girl talk with other women not to men that were strangers. These multiple instances showcase Desdemona’s character as an assertive confident woman. As the play progresses, Desdemona slowly becomes weaker and passive. First she makes up excuses for Othello treating her badly. Then during her first fight with Othello, she lies about losing her handkerchief because she thinks it will make him mad. This shows that she was afraid to anger him. She was not afraid of her father’s anger when she married Othello. She wasn’t afraid of her father because she had decided to put her love for Othello first. When it came to Othello, she was so afraid of disappointing him that she became a powerless woman. This was completely out of her original character and was the turning point for her downward spiral. After their first fight, she endured his anger,Show MoreRelatedWilliam Shakespeare s Works Of Shakespeare1126 Words   |  5 Pages Before I start right off in this essay, I believe it s only fair you should know a little back story of the author himself; William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was born April 26, 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, which is located in the United Kingdom. Even though his goals were to become an actor, he fell into writing and become one of the most well-known writers in his life. There s a lot of controversy surrounding Shakespeare and there s many people who believe that he, himself did not write his famousRead MoreEnglish Feature article on Shakespears Macbeth with reference to both play and Polanskis adaptation. Title: Windows changed through time.1199 Words   |  5 Pageschanged through time. A way to see the world through different eyes... In late 1606 or early 1607, The last of Shakespeare s four great tragedies was written. Macbeth has been said by many to be Shakespeare s darkest work, A Reflection through Shakespeare s mind giving us a window into Elizabethan ways of politics, Human violence and Human nature. Quiet relevantly Shakespeare would never have guessed that over 400 years later the basic morals and characteristics that were used to shapeRead MoreThe Heroic Women Of Othello1928 Words   |  8 PagesWomen of Othello A hero is â€Å"a man or woman distinguished by the performance of courageous or noble actions (Oxford English Dictionary).† In a male dominated society, such as the one displayed in the play Othello, many of the heroic attributes of the female characters are overlooked, and they are labeled as either weak or insignificant. However, some of the female roles within this play are more important and heroic than their male counterparts. The particularly important women in Othello are theRead MoreImagery in Othello1781 Words   |  8 PagesThe function of imagery in the mid-sixteenth century play Othello by William Shakespeare is to aid characterisation and define meaning in the play. The antagonist Iago is defined through many different images, Some being the use of poison and soporifics, sleeping agents, to show his true evil and sadistic nature. Othellos character is also shaped by much imagery such as the animalistic, black and white, and horse images which indicates his lust ful, sexual nature. Characterisation of women is heavilyRead MoreMacbeth, By William Shakespeare2060 Words   |  9 PagesNeptune s ocean wash this blood clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather the multitudinous seas incarnadine, making the green one red Macbeth Quote (Act II, Sc. II). Out, out, brief candle! Life s but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Macbeth Quote (Act V, Scene V). These quotes have been taken from play Macbeth written by William ShakespeareRead More The Manipulation of Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Othello Essay4756 Words   |  20 PagesThe Manipulation of Gender Roles in Shakespeare’s Othello Of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, the story of the rise and fall of the Moor of Venice arguably elicits the most intensely personal and emotional responses from its English-speaking audiences over the centuries. Treating the subject of personal human relationships, the tragedy which should have been a love story speaks to both reading and viewing audiences by exploring the archetypal dramatic values of love and betrayal. The final sourceRead MoreEssay on William Shakespeares Hamlet2393 Words   |  10 PagesWilliam Shakespeares Hamlet There are enough conceptions, and thus misconceptions, about the melancholy Dane to fill volumes. However, while none of them has proved entirely acceptable, some of them, such as the diagnoses that Hamlet simply â€Å"procrastinates† or â€Å"cannot make up his mind† prove utterly unsatisfactory under careful scrutiny of the play and, perhaps more importantly, Hamlet himself. Indeed, it appears as if there are certain points in the play in which Hamlet comes to reversalsRead MorePlay Macbeth11979 Words   |  48 Pages unaware that King Duncan has bestowed upon him the title thane of Cawdor, appears to be startled by these prophesies. As soon as the witches finish addressing Macbeth, Banquo asks him, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair? (I.iii.51-52). The witches vanish after telling Banquo that he will father kings. Shortly thereafter, Rosse and Angus arrive to tell Macbeth that the title of thane of Cawdor has been transferred to him. U pon hearing this, he says to himself thatRead MorePlay Macbeth11985 Words   |  48 Pages unaware that King Duncan has bestowed upon him the title thane of Cawdor, appears to be startled by these prophesies. As soon as the witches finish addressing Macbeth, Banquo asks him, why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair? (I.iii.51-52). The witches vanish after telling Banquo that he will father kings. Shortly thereafter, Rosse and Angus arrive to tell Macbeth that the title of thane of Cawdor has been transferred to him. Upon hearing this, he says to himself that

Pica Essay Example For Students

Pica Essay PICAThis report is on the disease called Pica, it is a eating disorder , it can ucuarr at any time to anyone , this is a serious disease . It causes the woman to have cravings for such things as playdoe or sand . Pica is a serious eating disorder that can cuase you to need surgery . It can also cuase you to need dental work , phosphors intoxication cuased by the match heads , or enviormental poising from the led or mercury . Some of the cravings that you get from this disorder are clay , dirt , cornstarch , laundary starch , baking soda , chalk , buttons ice , paper , dried paint , ciggerette buts , burnt matches , ashes , sand , soap , toothpaste , oyster shells , or ven broken crockery . The woman who get this disease craves 6 out of the 18 things that are craved with this disease . They named this disease after the latin word magpie , magpie is a bird , they named it after the bird becuase they have a wierd eating habit . It also craves the substances that the Pica patients do . The most common time for the disease to acuarr is while a woman is pregnant or nursing . This disease can cuase iron deficiecny . Starch is also linked to iron deficiency becuase it lacks minerals . The eating of clay and dirt has been known to relieve nausea , control diarrhea , increase salivation , remove toxins , and alter odor or taste perception . Some docters say it is a responce to stress , or a habit disorder . Some of the other symptoms that arent as obvious are fatigue , lightheadedness , or shortness of breath . If Pica is detected you might have iron deficiency , spooning of the nails , which is the nail getting thinner , and the edges start rising . You also might experence flatting of the papillae , which are the taste buds .

Jean’s Crash to Realization A Psycho-Therapeutic Evaluation Essay Example

Jean’s Crash to Realization: A Psycho-Therapeutic Evaluation Paper Living in a multi-ethnic society does not come in as easy. Often, we have heard or maybe encountered ourselves some prejudice with regards to people that has not the same color of our skin. In television and in movies, there are clashes in cultures. Unknown prejudice caused mainly by people’s refusal to accept reality as it is. As a film that tackles the iniquities of racism, Paul Haggis’ Crash (2005) is a multi-layered commentary about the realities occurring in a cross-cultural Los Angeles urban life. More than an interwoven stories of people, it involves no direct good or bad people. These are people interconnected to each other in vestiges of crime, racism, corruption, obligation, indignation and chance over a two-day period. The storyline superimposes the complexity of the multifaceted narratives of their lives entwined under the numerous social and psychological issues usually hidden inside the closet of the American consciousness. Although briefly showcased, Sandra Bullock portrays one of the more interesting characters in the film. In Crash, she is Jean, a heavily repressed and unhappy upper class wife of LA’s district attorney. Early in the film, she was traumatized when two black men held her at gunpoint with her husband Richard (Brendan Fraser), as they were taking away their car. After the incident, she begins her paranoia about her safety and people around her. She hyperventilated that she wants her locks at home re-done, after she had seen the Latino locksmith’s tattoos. Clearly, the incident had bolstered her pre-conceived biases and discrimination to colored people around her, and she did not bat an eyelash that her maid, her husband’s assistants and the locksmith overheard her racial slurs. We will write a custom essay sample on Jean’s Crash to Realization: A Psycho-Therapeutic Evaluation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jean’s Crash to Realization: A Psycho-Therapeutic Evaluation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jean’s Crash to Realization: A Psycho-Therapeutic Evaluation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer She said that she was angry why she deserved to experience such violence. Her only fault, according to her, was when she saw the two black guys, she looked and turned away from them and then they attacked her: â€Å"That makes me a racist! † As such, we realize that discrimination and perceptions of discrimination continue to be dominant forces in the lives of people in the United States. Jean’s discrimination toward people of color has become more intense. This manifested of being too sensitive about things around her, as simple as scolding her maid because she did not put the plates in the drawers after dishwashing them. What manifests in Bullock’s character in the film is termed as â€Å"aversive racism†. Because of the current cultural values, most whites have strong convictions concerning fairness, justice, and racial equality. However, because of a range of normal cognitive, motivational, and socio-cultural processes that promote racial biases, most whites also develop some negative feelings toward or beliefs about blacks, of which they are unaware or which they try to dissociate from their non-prejudiced self-images. Because an aversive racist does not discriminate with conscious intention and is not aware that he or she is discriminating on the basis of race, an aversive racist will be quick to deny evidence of personal prejudice. An aversive racists denial of intentional discrimination, although genuine, may then intensify racial conflict and distrust (Dovidio Gaetner, 2004). Thus, Jean’s negative feelings toward blacks, or colored people, do not just reflect open hostility or hatred, but her reactions involved discomfort, uneasiness, disgust, and sometimes fear. However, when her character said, I am upset but its not because of the carjack. I wake up feeling like this every morning. I am angry but I dont know why. She begins to reflect about her irrational reactions. This reflection was substantiated when she falls off the stairs shortly after. Irony has hit her because it was her Mexican maid who helped her from the accident because her white friend (for ten years) was busy â€Å"getting a massage. † She was very thankful to the maid that she hugged her as she arrived at the realization about the people and things that matter most. This erased all her unknown fears about some people who are not inherently bad. As a mirror of the archetypes that persist in American society, Crash presented a consciousness about the interconnectedness of people and the situations that made them come up with their own realizations, which was sort of therapeutic for them to rid off their biases. As such, the film invites its viewers to come up with their own realizations about the contemporary cross-section of American society and provide a space about perspectives on how to deal with their own prejudices. References Dovidio, J. F. and Gaetner, S. L. (2004). Aversive Racism. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, vol. 36.

Free Essays on The Gun Powder Plot

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a result of the inconsistent policies of King James I toward English Catholics. An attempt to increase toleration for, if not completely convert England back to the Catholic faith, the Gunpowder Plot was a well planned, well funded, but miserable catastrophe for the Catholic Church. The plot, which was intended to help with the advancement of Catholicism, set the church back dramatically and established distrust between the state and the Catholic Church that was virtually irreparable. The aftermath of the plot was devastating to the church. King James made existing laws against Catholics more severe and passed several new laws immediately after the Gunpowder Act was revealed. The plot also increased the national hatred of â€Å"popery†. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 proved to be a major setback to the status of the Catholic’s in England. The final years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign brought troubled times for Catholics all over England. During her reign, the penalties for practicing Catholicism dramatically increased, making life for Catholics much harder and more expensive. Mass in England could not be practiced publicly or privately. If a Catholic priest were discovered, he would be jailed, and if charged with treason, often executed. English subjects who did not attend the Catholic Church were taxed greatly, making life for wealthy Catholics more difficult, and life for poor Catholics close to impossible. Many Catholics simply hid their religion. Jesuit priests were banned completely from England and had to hide in the home of courageous Catholic women. Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603 was considered a relief for some Catholics because it signified the end of a reign that has brought much complication and suffering into the lives of many Catholics. When King James I of England succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603, Catholics were hopeful that he would help re-establish Catholicism in England an... Free Essays on The Gun Powder Plot Free Essays on The Gun Powder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was a result of the inconsistent policies of King James I toward English Catholics. An attempt to increase toleration for, if not completely convert England back to the Catholic faith, the Gunpowder Plot was a well planned, well funded, but miserable catastrophe for the Catholic Church. The plot, which was intended to help with the advancement of Catholicism, set the church back dramatically and established distrust between the state and the Catholic Church that was virtually irreparable. The aftermath of the plot was devastating to the church. King James made existing laws against Catholics more severe and passed several new laws immediately after the Gunpowder Act was revealed. The plot also increased the national hatred of â€Å"popery†. The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 proved to be a major setback to the status of the Catholic’s in England. The final years of Queen Elizabeth’s reign brought troubled times for Catholics all over England. During her reign, the penalties for practicing Catholicism dramatically increased, making life for Catholics much harder and more expensive. Mass in England could not be practiced publicly or privately. If a Catholic priest were discovered, he would be jailed, and if charged with treason, often executed. English subjects who did not attend the Catholic Church were taxed greatly, making life for wealthy Catholics more difficult, and life for poor Catholics close to impossible. Many Catholics simply hid their religion. Jesuit priests were banned completely from England and had to hide in the home of courageous Catholic women. Queen Elizabeth’s death in 1603 was considered a relief for some Catholics because it signified the end of a reign that has brought much complication and suffering into the lives of many Catholics. When King James I of England succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603, Catholics were hopeful that he would help re-establish Catholicism in England an...

Defining the Meissner Effect in Quantum Physics

Defining the Meissner Effect in Quantum Physics The Meissner effect is a phenomenon in quantum physics in which a superconductor negates all magnetic fields inside of the superconducting material. It does this by creating small currents along the surface of the superconductor, which has the effect of canceling out all magnetic fields that would come in contact with the material. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Meissner effect is that it allows for a process that has come to be called quantum levitation. Origin The Meissner effect was discovered in 1933 by German physicists Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld. They were measuring the magnetic field intensity surrounding certain materials and found that, when the materials were cooled to the point that they became superconducting, the magnetic field intensity dropped to nearly zero. The reason for this is that in a superconductor, electrons are able to flow with virtually no resistance. This makes it very easy for small currents to form on the surface of the material. When the magnetic field comes near to the surface, it causes the electrons to begin flowing. Small currents are then created on the surface of the material, and these currents have the effect of canceling out the magnetic field.

Teachers Strategy in a Class Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teachers Strategy in a Class Management - Essay Example Remaining in control in the classroom is essential for a teacher. If one is not calm and firm then the students will get the signal that the teacher is not able to handle the pressure and they will always try to get away of it or enjoy the teacher’s weakness. When a stern look is sufficient one should avoid yelling. Students won’t get afraid instead will make fun at one’s back. A teacher can also follow the following guideline to manage the class. According to Leaman (2005), â€Å"positive encouragement and praise is the easiest and most powerful way to reward an individual: notice your students working quietly/being helpful/listening well/sitting still, as much as you notice them misbehaving. Draw attention to this and make them feel good about themselves.† (p. 17-18) The students will undergo a positive change and look forward to the teacher’s class to gain the opportunity to be praised in front of the entire class. Keeping the pupil in control do es not mean pin drop silence always. During any group activity, the pupil should be able to participate actively. If it’s not the case then the teacher should work upon this aspect too. It has been rightly pointed out in NASUWT website â€Å"class control is not an end in itself. It is the creation of a learning environment that is important. In different circumstances, the learning environment may be a totally silent classroom or the busy, bustling group activity session.†(para.3) During a lecture, it is often found that the backbenchers are busy exchanging glances or whispering to each other. This is quite disturbing for the teacher.

Marine Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Marine Organisation - Essay Example Management has to deal with many matters keeping external environment in mind. Its main concern is Bulk Carrier design and safety and this means that the importance attached to the safety of the ships is the main theme of the organisation. It has a technical committee called CASTEC, which meets twice a year to discuss technical matters, and deal with other connected issues. Bulk carrier design and safety had been of paramount importance and in late 1980s after some of them were lost and immediate programme had to be adapted with changes in the SOLAS Regulations and IACS rules. The main difference came with the introduction of new hull that would avoid considerable amount of damage and survive maximum amount of impact. IMO initiated a number of safety assessment studies, and the findings also had a number of recommendations and potential rules by December 2002, the SOLAS amendments were accepted by IMO, including the introduction of Double Skin Bulk carriers. Intercargo always works with close contact with IACS and the target had been designing and executing useful, safe, efficient and environmentally friendly sleek streamlined bulk carriers. It continues to monitor, research and understand the reasons of carrier losses and had been collecting all the statistics from 1990, and reports in its Bulk Carrier Casualty Report with analysis and pertinent answers to many hitherto unanswered questions. Number of cargo carriers and the lives of people employed in them, and the cargo are comparatively safer now. They have to make amenable rules so that the Port State Control’s rules and regulations are not flouted, as they are governed by the international conventions like SOLAS, STCW AND MARPOL that form the set of rules for the security, safety of the cargo ships. Pollution control in the high seas has become a matter of absolute concern for the shipping industry. We see many

Child Language Acquisition Essay Example for Free

Child Language Acquisition Essay Linguistically, both of these infants are at different stages of their language development. The lexical choices made by each child can show what stage they are at in developing their language and applying it to situations and conversations. Sophies use of the word Bissie, meaning biscuit shows that she hasnt quite been able to pronounce the sound therefore makes an alternative word up that sounds similar, that is understandable by the childs carer/parent, but is easier to say than biscuit. Other lexical choices Sophie uses, tend to be commanding words, such as me want No. As the child is young, she realises to get what she wants; she has to ask for it and by using the commanding words, she is airing the fact that she wants something to her parent/carer. According to Hallidays functions, this language is regulatory, as well as being instrumental. She is controlling the behaviour of others (telling Fran that she doesnt want to tidy the dolls house) and she is obtaining material needs (wanting a biscuit). Katharine has grasped the concept of pronouns. She uses the personal pronoun I to refer to herself Now Ill do Jason, and she can even use we as the collective term for her and her mum together We do Jason again shall we? Sophies sentences have basic structure to them, as she voices what she needs to say, in the simplest way to say it. They are quite short, and to the point. Her language acquisition is at the stage where she knows how to communicate, speak and use words in a simple sentence to voice what she wants. Mary come me, meaning Can Mary come and play with me, is a very simple form of the sentence, but still communicates to her mum what she wants to do. She uses me instead of I to refer to herself. This confusion of pronoun usage is common among young children. Some of the words she uses, she omits the prefixes of the sounds, such as nother instead of another. This makes it easier to say, and shortens what she says. Katharine on the other hand, who is involved in an activity, is communicating with her mum using more structured sentences. Her mum is constantly questioning what she is doing (Skinners theory of reinforcement and imitation (response)) Wheres his body? then Katharine replies; Deres his legs, touching his mouf. The pronunciation of the words isnt as important as the fact that she is constructing sentences and answering questions herself. A word such as there has a consonant cluster at the beginning which is hard to say for young children, therefore they change the pronunciation, so it still sounds like there but is easier to pronounce. She understood the question her mum was asking, and actually understood it was a question, maybe because of the intonation her mum wouldve had in her voice. This shows that she is capable enough with language to turn take, in a small conversation with her mum, talking about a subject/activity. This shows that her language acquisition is slightly more advanced than Sophies, as Sophie doesnt turn take, she doesnt answer questions either, she asks them and is at the stage of using why as a questioning word. Sophies conversation with her mum doesnt flow like Katharines, it is full of statements and commands rather than a question answer structure. Turn taking is apparent in both these conversations as the parents are initiating the conversation and getting the children to talk, causing no interruptions. Sophies utterance lengths are longer than Katharines on average, but the fact that Katharine is involved in an activity has an affect on her utterances, due to concentration. Comparing the utterance lengths, Katharines are more advanced with the syntax structure, as her sentences make more grammatical sense than Sophies. This doesnt make Sophie incorrect in her structure, she is just at a different stage of language acquisition than Katharine, and she is in the middle of developing her sentences. Age isnt a factor in language development, as every child is different. Katharines mother uses tag questions, such as; isnt it? This encourages Katharine to answer her mum. Katharine does also use tag questions herself, to get a response from her mum, shall we. She has probably learnt how to use tag questions from listening to the way her mum speaks. This is quite advanced for a child as it shows they use a different way of getting a response, rather than just saying why or using commands. She also uses encouraging sounds, which is back channel behaviour; uhuh and mmhu, to show she is listening and taking in what Katharine is saying. Sophies carer/parent however doesnt use tag questions and neither does Sophie. The conversation between the child and parent/carer is very simple and uses statements rather than questions, encouraging Sophie to talk. It is just a short conversation, with Sophie controlling it, rather then the parent/carer trying to encourage her to talk and say things. Of course, the pragmatics behind the conversations are for the parents/carers to get the children to speak and further their knowledge and understanding of the language. It is merely to get them to practice speaking, so they acquire language. There is a large difference between the two conversations, as they are in different environments (the contexts are different), with the children taking part in different situations. This is a factor which affects their language use and the way they use it in the context. After considering all of the factors to do with both conversations, I have come to the conclusion that Katharine is more linguistically developed and seems to be at a more advanced stage of language acquisition than Sophie. Katharine has a wider knowledge of the language and applies it to a conversation better than Sophie, as her sentences are constructed better and flow well.

Reducing Juvenile Delinquency Essay examples -- Papers Teen Crime Essa

The current statistics of juvenile delinquency are astounding. I will look at the most recent statistics and a few of the programs implemented to reduce or prevent delinquency. Before delving too deep into juvenile delinquency, it is important to consider the definitions of "juvenile" and "delinquent". The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives two definitions of "juvenile": 1. Showing incomplete development, and 2. A young person; one below the legally established age of adulthood (1997). Merriam-Webster defines "delinquent" as: offending by neglect or violation of duty or law (1997). As a complete definition of juvenile delinquent it is safe to repeat "a person below the established age of adulthood that offends by neglect or violation of duty or law (1997)". The history of juvenile delinquency had harsh beginnings. Children were viewed as non-persons until the 1700's(Rice 1995). They did not receive special treatment or recognition. Discipline then is what we now call abuse. It was believed that life was hard, and you had to be hard to survive. The people of that time in history did not have the conveniences that we take for granted. For example, the medical practices of that day were primitive in comparison to present-day medicine. Marriages were more for convenience, rather than for childbearing or romance. The infant and child mortality rate was also very high. It did not make sense to the parents in those days to create an emotional bond with children when there was a strong chance that the children would not survive until adulthood (1995). At the end of the 18th century, "The Enlightenment" appeared as a new cultural transition. People began to see children as flowers, who needed nurturing in order to ... ...s. Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon. Galaway, B., et al. (1995). Specialized foster family care for delinquent youth. Federal Probation 59 (March): 19-27. Greenwood, P., & Turner, S. (1993). Evaluation of the Paint Creek Youth Center: a residential program for serious delinquents. Criminology 31 (May): 19-27. Haghighi, B., & Lopez, A. (1993). Success/Failure of group home treatment Programs for juveniles. Federal Probation 57 (Sept): 53-58. McNeece, C., & Roberts, A. (1997). Policy & Practice in the Justice System. Chicago: Nelson-Hall Publishers. Mish, F. (Ed.). (1997). Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Massachusetts: Merriam- Webster Incorporated. Wilber, S. (1998) Can Prevention Programs Stem the Tide of Delinquency? 3 (3), pp. 3. Retrieved March 5, 2000 from EBSCO database (MUONLINE) on the World Wide Web: http://www.ebsco.com

Trend in Transport: the Role of Intermodal Transport in the International Logistics

Globalization and the consequently expansion of the geographical firm’s borders led an increase of the international transport’s demand, promoting the develop of transport’s sector. In fact, the growth of the amount of freight being traded, as well as, a great variety of origins and destinations promotes the importance of international transportation as a fundamental element supporting the global economy. In particular, since the trading distances involved are often considerable, there has been an increase of demands on the maritime shipping industry and on port activities. In this process China had an important role, in fact, as its industrial and manufacturing activities developed, it started to import growing quantities of raw materials and energy and export growing quantities of manufactured goods, fostering a surge in demands for long distance international transportation. International transportation system have been under increasing pressures to support additional demands in freights volume and distance at which this freight is been carried. This couldn’t have occurred without considerable technical improvements permitting to transport larger quantities of goods, and this more quickly and more efficiently. Container played, of course, a crucial role, promoting, furthermore, the development of the intermodal transport. Intermodal transport modes recover an important role in international transportation, in fact, because of the involved geographical scale, most international freights movements involve several modes, especially when origins and destinations are far apart. Among the numerous transport modes, two are specifically concerned with international trade: ?Ports and maritime shipping ?Airports and air transports Maritime transportation is very important in international trades, in fact in terms of tonnage it handles about 90% of the global trade. Although in terms of tonnage air transportation carries an insignificant amount of freight(0. 2% of total tonnage) compared with maritime transportation, its importance in term of the total value is much more significant:15% of the value of global trade 70 times more valuable than its maritime counterpart) . This is due to the fact that air transportation, being more expansive, is used mostly to carry rich freights. Road and railway modes tend to occupy a more marginal portion of international transportation since they are above all modes for national or regional transport services. Their importance is focused on their role in the first and the last part of the door to door transportation chain. For this reason they result anyway an important factor that should be considered by a firm in the logistics planning of the distribution of freight to the customer. As said before the driver of intermodal transportation has been the container, which permits easy handling between modal systems, in fact it is designed to be moved with common handling equipment enabling high-speed intermodal transfers in economically large units between ships, railcars, truck chassis, and barges using a minimum labor. The container, therefore, serves as the load unit rather than the cargo contained therein, making it the foremost expression of intermodal transportation. The usage of containers shows the complementarity between freight transportation modes by offering a higher fluidity to movements and a standardization of loads. For logistics managers intermodal transportation offers significant advantages over single mode alternatives. First, intermodal transportation minimizes handling and total transit time, expediting the entire transportation process and thus shortening the customer’s order cycle time. Second intermodal transportation allows to take advantage of the best characteristics of all modes, permitting to offer the most efficient transport service at the lowest possible price to the customer. Third intermodal movement cuts down on theft, loss and transport costs in general by eliminating virtually all handling of individual goods. Another important factor is that intermodal transport uses container and this makes easier tracking the freight during all the transportation process. This is possible thanks to a new technology called RFID (radio frequency ID) a firm (but also a customer) is able to know what assets it has and where they are at every hour. In fact this relatively new technology, that promises to change the way inventories are managed, consists in an RFID device that transmits a signal when it is activated by an RFID receiver. Depending on the device, this signal can have a range as short as 6 feet or as great as 90 feet. The data transmitted can include various product identifiers of value to the manufacturer, shipper or purchaser. So the signal emitted by an RFID device can help company tracking the location and quantity of their inventory . The use of RFID in logistics application is one of the pre-eminent fields where the technology can shine. Products can be tracked from points of manufacturer (and even earlier if source components are tracked using RFID) all the way through the distribution chain, and down to the retail level. This new technology has helped many organization solve the main challenge at every node in their supply chains: the lack of visibility of logistics data. RFID technology is a powerful solution to improves asset visibility, data quality, inventory management, and interoperability in an end-to-end integrated supply chain. In addition the use of this technology allows to reduce costs as replacement costs as well as avoiding shrinkage. It also helps to reduce capital costs, increase customer satisfaction, as well as ensuring the assets are in the correct place at the right time, recovering an important function in the logistics process of a firm. An added advantage is the reusability of these tags, so company, which want greater control over assets and their management, have opted to use RFID and logistics management techniques . Using RFID and logistics management strategies will serve to improve capital utilization, lower the total operational costs as well as improve the availability of assets. The use of these asset management techniques has improved customer retention significantly. This technique will help improve visibility of assets in transit, availability management of much needed assets and transportation management The use of RFID and logistics management techniques are especially useful for manufacturers, where parts bins feed parts in an automated plant, since the placement of the right part in the right place is critical. The company can use these techniques in areas where they have expertise whereas professional help can be sought for areas where they lack control such as transportation, delivery, pick up etc. Companies should consider implementing RFID and logistics management techniques, as they will greatly benefit from it. It will reduce cost, increase control and availability, decrease chances of loss of assets due to various factors as well as prove to be very economical. In conclusion we can affirm that transport is one component of the logistic mix that is undergoing a great deal of change. Intermodal transport is a reflection of the changing nature of transport in general, signifying as it does the logistics managers ability to combine the advantages of two or more modes of transport into one seamless shipment that reaches the customer faster and with less damage than a mode-by-mode routing could providing. Therefore to better control the delivery process of the goods, being able to provide value added to the customer, could be useful for a firm develop a tracking system of the freight from the factory to the final customer. This could be seen as value added logistics service useful to satisfy the customer saving costs at the same time.

How Does Charles Dickens Create Sympathy In Great Expectations? Essay

Dickens uses many ways to create sympathy for his characters in great expectations this is very useful in a successful novel as it will help to sell and not only that more people will want to buy it. Charles Dickens uses many ways to achieve sympathy for his characters such as the use of vivid descriptions with powerful adjectives, the setting is also used very well to great effect as it is a great way to create sympathy â€Å"The small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry was Pip† this is just one way that Dickens uses to create sympathy for his characters in Great Expectations. Dickens also uses many other ways to create sympathy for his characters such as the use of adjectives. The adjective ‘overgrown’ shows an unloved place of which no one cares how it looks, also it could be full of weeds and plants this adds to the impression created by the mind. Dickens also uses the setting to enhance the feeling of sympathy ‘bleak place overgrown with nettles was the church yard’ in this the adjective ‘bleak’ gives on impression of an exposed barren also cold and damp place. The whole sentence creates an impression of a dismal place. This enhances the sense of sympathy. For his characters I am going to focus on three main characters theses are; Pip, Magwitch and Miss Havisham. I am going to use some character of less importance these are; Estella, Joe and Pip’s sister. In addition, I am going to use two main texts and these are; pip in the churchyard and the meeting of Miss Havisham also, I am going to add elements of the novel I think there are other points that creates sympathy for pip than these two texts. When we first meet Pip, he is sitting in an isolated village churchyard staring at his parents’ tombstones. The village churchyard is described as a â€Å"†¦ Bleak place overgrown with nettles† giving the setting an image of dismal place unloved and uncared for. The adjective â€Å"bleak† aids the description as it means bare or desolated and also it often means wind swept this helps aid the description of the church yard as this describe it well because a church yard is often very sombre or a very upsetting place . Pip was in the churchyard where his parents were buried, along with his five brothers instantly we feel sorry for him as he has no living relatives except for his older sister . â€Å"†¦ Five little stone lozenges each about a foot and a half long† from this we know his brothers have died and have been buried in a row. Pip’s brothers would have most probably have died or stop trying to earn a living. Pips younger brothers would not have gone to school, as there was no education for those who could not afford it. At this time, many people were poor and could not afford it. Additionally, there was no NHS service but also there was some medical service but you would have to be rich enough to afford it. From the text we know both his parents had died by;† I never saw my father or mother† this gives us a sense of sympathy and loneliness also â€Å"†¦ I never saw any likeliness of them†. Pip never saw his parents or what they look like later on in the text we realise that the only impression of his parents are derived from there grave stones and more so from the lettering . Pip probably saw no reference to what his parent looked like as at this time there were no camera’s to take a photo of the times they spent together as this is why he saw no likeness of them also his parents probably died because the were mo medicine or you had to be rich to get some. Also later on in the novel his only living relative beats pip up.

Hong Kong Essays

Hong Kong Essays Hong Kong Essay Hong Kong Essay Essay Topic: Siddhartha Tao Te Ching Hong Kong covers a total area of 2 916 square kilometres of which only 1 061 kilometres of it is land the rest being surrounded by water. Rugged mountains and rolling hills cover much of beautiful Hong Kong. Some mountains rise more than 910 meters above sea level and 554 metres in other places. The rocky, indented coastlines of Hong Kongs islands and mainland provide many small harbours for fishing villages. Parts of Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong have been filled in with earth to create new land. Barren mountains separate the business districts of the Kowloon Peninsula from the farmland in the New Territories. Its estimated that around only 10 per cent of the land in Hong Kong is suitable for farming. Rice paddies and vegetable and flower fields are seen throughout the New Territories, crowded between areas of poor vegetation and rocky hillsides. An undersized river called the Sham Chun forms the border between Hong Kong and China. The land that is Hong Kong possesses a semitropical climate. The summers of the location are hot and humid, with temperatures reaching over 35 C. Hong Kong receives about 224 centimetres of rainfall each year with more than 75 per cent of the rain falling in summer. Rain in summer is a major cause to floods and unpredictable mudslides in Hong Kong. Winters are cool and dry, with the temperature scarcely ever falls below 4 C. Insufficient rainfall during the winter and other factors cause water shortages, resulting in Hong Kong buying millions of gallons of water from China each year. The temperature in Autumn occurring between September to December in Hong Kong reach just around  C with the humidity rising to 73%. Spring in March to May have an estimated temperature of 20i C with a humidity of 84% Hong Kong receives its tourists mainly in Autumn as its not too hot and not too cold. Flag When Hong Kong was handed back to China, Hong Kong then made their own flag instead of the Union Jack, now it has red background with the Bauhinia-flower on it. The Hong Kong flag is sometimes accompanied with the China flag, which also with a red background with one big yellow star and four other small yellow stars on it. Hong Kong flag China flag Population: The population of Hong Kong is around 6. 3 million people. Kowloon is home to 2. 2 million people, and Hong Kong Island is home to 1. 3 million people, and with the remaining 2. 8 million people living in the New Territories. Around 90% of people residing are Chinese. Most are immigrants from southern China or descendants of immigrants from that region. The relatively few non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong come from such places as Australia, Britain, India, Japan, America and Vietnam. Some people in China decide to immigrate to Hong Kong as they see it as a land of opportunity, with better careers, lifestyles and living conditions. The residents from other countries might come to Hong Kong for business and in result of this have started a family. Flora and Fauna: In Hong Kong there are very few fauna living in Hong Kong. Probably the most common fauna that you would be able to see in Hong Kong are cats and dogs. Another animal that you might see is monkeys that are from Monkey Hill coming out to look for food. The only other place that you would be able to see other animals is at the zoo. Fauna in Hong Kong are mostly trees and flowers. Trees and flowers include mangroves, fern trees, eucalyptus, Bauhinia-flower (which is on the Hong Kong flag) Bauhinia Blakeana, Bauhinia Variegata, Bauhinia Purpurea, Cassia Surattensis, Cassia Siamea, Cassia Fistula, Delonix Regia, Peltophorum Pterocarpum, Lagerstroemia Speciosa, Lagerstroemia Indica, Melaleuca Leucadendron, Callistemon Rigidus, Callistemon Uiminalis, Sweet Gum, Short Flowered Machilus and many more. Language: The official languages are Cantonese, Mandarin and English. English became an official language when Hong Kong was governed by the British during 1898 to 1997. Cantonese and Mandarin became official languages when China took back Hong Kong from the British. The shopkeepers in Hong Kong know English because of the tourists that are going to Hong Kong. In Hong Kong if you know English and you can speak English fluently it is considered to be a good thing as it would help you find a job there. Cantonese is the most widely spoken language in Hong Kong. Religion: The main religion in Hong Kong is Buddhism. But there are other religions such as Taoism, Christianity and many more. Buddhism was founded in the 6th or 7th century BC by the Sakyamunia Buddha who was born as Prince Siddhartha. Buddhism was originated in India and was brought into China. Taoism is the oldest religion in China, it was founded by Lao Tzu in 604BC. His teachings are contained in a book called Tao Te Ching. Taoism is based on a transcendence of worldly things, stressing harmony with, not dominance over, nature. In Hong Kong there are many Christians so there are many churches and cathedrals. The services are conducted in English or Chinese. Christianity was brought into Hong Kong by the early missionaries who used the port as a base for missions into China. Other religions include Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and Jews. Daily Life: (School, Shopping, Foods, Games, the Arts, Entertainment, Leisure Activates, Celebrations and Festivals). School: In Hong Kong, all children are to go to school or they commit an offence, because it is part of the law that all children have to go to school. Children attending primary schools can choose to attend school in the morning or afternoon sessions. There are public schools, private schools, district schools, international schools, religious schools and catholic schools. In high school they go to school for the whole day just like us. Kindergarten is for children from 3-6 year old and they go there for 3 years. Primary school is for children from 6-12 year old and they go there for 6 years. High school is for children from 12-19 year old and they go there for 7 years. Hong Kongs most famous universities are the University of Hong Kong, founded in 1911 and has about 5 000 students attending. The other university is The Chinese University, founded in 1963 and has about 4 700 students attending. Shopping: Hong Kong is often seen as a shopping paradise where tourists and residents alike enjoy the purchasing of local and international labels at their fingertips. Numerous street markets line the roads of the city for cheap purchases of many different items. Some of the products that are offered on street markets include clothing items, ornaments, jewellery, watches, games and many more. One of the most popular street markets in Hong Kong is Temple Street Night Market. This street market is opened when the stars come out until late into the night. The Temple Street Night Market covers over three streets, splitting into three sections. . The things sold there are a mixture of cultural items such as Chinese style clothing to casual t- shirts. Games, toys, CDs, DVDs, electronics, paintings, sports gear and a lot of other things are included in the market. Food stalls are also set up near the market, attracting many hungry customers. The stalls there are mainly traditional Chinese style cuisines including that of fried rice, noodles, seafood and buns, just to name a few. One section of the Night Street Market is used for Chinese Opera, with singers singing old Chinese songs while acting. Its like theatre on the street. Just the sound of music playing attracts audience to sit and gather around to listen. Another well known place for shopping is Ladies Street Market which unlike the name suggests, sells a mixture of things. An assortment of clothing items, stuffed toys, beauty products, souvenirs, games, CDs, bags and many others. Many shoppers are seen bargaining for products to a reasonable price with the shop owners in this street market. In the Jade Market tourist are often attracted to the lovely jade that are there for sale. Central and Admiralty are famous for luxury shopping, bustling with designer labels and mega malls such as Time Square, The Landmark and Pacific Place. Designer stores such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Dior have franchise stores in both Central and Admiralty as well as in the mega malls.

How to Cancel Your SAT Registration and Test

How to Cancel Your SAT Registration and Test SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You registered for the SAT, but as test day draws near, you find that you don’t want to take the test anymore! You may want to take the ACT instead, or maybe you decided to opt out of the SAT altogether and apply to colleges that don’t require you to report SAT scores. But what can you do? Well, first, don't panic! We at PrepScholar noticed how hard it was to find this information online, so we put it all together for you in one place. Here are some things you need to consider: Can you cancel the SAT test? Can you get your money back? Will this go on your permanent record? Do you need to cancel your SAT to change your test date? Canceling Your SAT Without a Refund If you don't want to take the test on a certain day and you don't want to reschedule, then to cancel the test, all you need to do is not show up on test day. The College Board emphatically states that it is not necessary to notify them of this. And they also note that no score reports will be sent out as a result. Your no-show will not show up on your record. Because the College Board will count it as a missed test, which could happen for any number of reasons, they do not keep records of who misses their tests. The way they see it, you paid the fees already, and if you miss the test, then that's on you. This is good, because it means there's only one thing you have to do to cancel your SAT. Just don’t show up for the test. However, if you do this, you won't get a refund for the test you missed. If you're interested in getting some of your money back, keep reading. Canceling Your SAT With a Partial Refund Unfortunately, no matter how early you cancel your SAT registration, you won't get a full refund. Therefore, it's best to hold off on actually completing the online registration in the first place until you’re absolutely sure you want to take the test on that date. Once you've registered, at best, you'll only get a small part of your money back. How Do You Get the Refund? The College Board states that students who don't want to transfer their registration to another test date or location should contact Customer Service. We’ve included the Customer Service information below for your convenience. If you call Customer Service, it’s possible you may receive a partial refund of up to $10. (The full price you paid for the SAT is $46, or $60 with the essay, so they refund you only about 1/5 of the total.) In order to get the refund, you must call at least five days before your exam date. After that, there's no chance of a refund. Remember, once you call and cancel, there is no going back - you will not be able to take the test on that test date and the College Board will not report the scores from this test date. Refunding Question and Answer Service If you ordered the Question and Answer Service but are now canceling your SAT registration, it's also possible to get that fee refunded. To get the refund, you must call Customer Service. Any additional score reports that you ordered are also refundable if you were absent the day of the test. Refunds are processed six weeks after the test date. Is There a Difference Between Canceling and Not Taking the Test? According to the College Board, there is no actual difference between calling and canceling your SAT and not taking the SAT on test day. In other words, whichever action you decide to take, their records of you will not show any difference. The only difference is monetary. If you call in to cancel at least five days before, you may get a partial refund ($10). Perhaps just as importantly, canceling means that you may get refunded for any additional services you paid for, like QAS. Changing Your SAT Exam Date Remember, you should only cancel your SAT if you don't ever plan on taking another SAT. If all you want to do is change the date of your SAT, you don't need to cancel your test to do that. However, there is a fee for rescheduling your SAT (although it's less than canceling your SAT and registering for a new test). It costs $29 to reschedule your SAT, and you can do this anytime, even after your original test date (as long as you didn't show up for it). We have an entire guide on how to reschedule your SAT, but below are the key steps to take: Sign in to your College Board account. On the â€Å"My SAT† page, you’ll see the tests you’re registered for. Click â€Å"Change Registration† under the test that you want to reschedule. You’ll next see a new page with your SAT admission ticket information on it. At the bottom of the page, click â€Å"Change my test date.† You’ll be brought to a new page where, under â€Å"Test Date†, you can see the new SAT date(s) you can change to. Select the one that works best for you. Next select your test center, confirm your personal information is correct, and pay the reschedule fee. When you’re finished, you’ll receive an email confirmation and a new admission ticket with your updated test date. How to Contact College Board Customer Service By online form: Contact CollegeBoard Online Here By telephone (the best and fastest way to get a response) Domestic: 866-756-7346 International: 212-713-7789 Services for students with disabilities: 212-713-8333 TTY (for deaf or hearing impaired) Domestic: 888-857-247 TTY (for deaf or hearing impaired) International: 609-882-48 Summary To go over your options once more, here's what you can do to cancel your SAT test. Canceling before the test: If you cancel up to 5 days before the test date, then it's possible to get a refund up to $10, plus the QAS or score reports refunded. Day of the test: If you simply do not show up to the test and cancel by default, then you do not get any test refund, but you can still cancel the QAS for your 'missed test'. After you take the test: If you want to cancel after taking the test, then you should look into How to Cancel Your SAT Scores. There is a strict deadline on this, so make sure you send them the cancellation before midnight, the Wednesday after your test. What’s Next? If you want to re-register for the SAT, then check out Step-by-Step Guide with Pictures SAT Registration. Needed to cancel because of the test location? Then check out How You Can Pick the Best SAT Test Locations. Maybe you’re not sure whether you want to take the SAT, but keep in mind Future Years’ SAT Test Dates, Schedules, and Deadlines Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

JPMorgan Chase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

JPMorgan Chase - Essay Example However, in some cases when there is massive fraud involved in the bank transactions or the investment decisions then the bank managers try to conceal the whole matter through different tactics. Similar thing happened with one of the biggest banks of United States of America i.e. JP Morgan Chase. In this case the bank had undergone a massive monetary loss. The Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at the bank declared a loss of 5.8 billion in summers of 2012. However, when the investigating agencies looked in to the matter then they were not provided with sufficient records or data related to different transactions and the overall investment decisions which JP Morgan Chase had made in the recent times. The Securities and Exchange Commission was basically responsible to investigate this case but they were provided with falsified information from the key executives and the chief investment officer. SEC and CFTC In the contemporary world economies are based upon the productivity and sound perf ormance of financial and banking sectors. However, these sectors are the most sensitive areas and prone to significant gambling due to the involvement of huge monetary amounts. There are several agencies primarily responsible to prevent financial sectors from possible gambling and their subsequent consequences. These include The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), The Commodities Future Training Commission (CFTC) etc. These agencies take the first line actions so as to protect the financial processes and also to investigate the cases of gambling such as the one which took place in JP Morgan Chase. Recently SEC and CFTC have developed a cooperative advisory committee in order to effectively and efficiently investigate the regulation issues and the fraud cases. First of all they are required to detect the rising regulatory risks, subsequently followed by evaluation and quantification of these risks and their broad impacts over the financial sector and the overall economy. Moreov er they are responsible to advocate investors and the major market players (CFTC-SEC Joint Advisory Committee, 2013). Valid Contract In broader terms contracts are defined as the legal obligation which is constructed between two parties so as to make their agreement associated with the law. In this way both of them are entitled to refrain from breach of contract law and also to pay penalties in case of frauds. Therefore parties willing to enter into a contract are required to fulfill the following requirements (Walston-Dunham, 2011): Involvement of two parties: The contracts are not made on individual basis hence there must be two parties involved in a valid contract. Legal capacity: This indicates the mental and physical abilities of both members to fulfill legal obligations i.e. their age and psychological state must be in accordance with the requirements. Individuals below 18 years of age cannot enter in to a valid contract while on the other hand mental patients are also ineligi ble. Offer: One of the two parties must make an offer to another party. This offer is regarding the nature of operations they both want to perform under the valid contract. Acceptance: The offer made by the first party must be accepted by the other party so as to prepare a legal contract. Intention: This indicates the real intention of both parties to legally bind their agreement. If either of them fails to represent a clear intention then the contract might not be made. Consideration: In order to verify

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Assignment

Analysis of the Agency's Policies, Procedures, and Plans Regarding Unions, privatization, Pensions , and Productivity, Part 4 - Assignment Example Workers have rights to impact wages work hours, benefits, health, safety and among others through unions. Agencies prefer not to have representation in the unions because, the workers influence the wages, and this may cause loss and workers lose their jobs. The reason being employees demands the agency to raise their salary, and if they do not do that, then they will end up losing workers and henceforth experience closure. Safety is another factor that they should consider; safety is the most important thing in companies. If t workers cannot feel safe where they work, most probably they are going to quit jobs and find other places where safety is in place. Privatization is whereby agencies move from being public and becomes private. Implementation of privatization gets control from a legal entity that that promotes initiative such as the Air Force. When the utility systems become old, obsolete and reliable, the Air Force began efforts to convey ownership of these service systems to the private sector through privatization efforts. The costs to upgrade these utilities are so costly whereby the government will cost the public more money and provide a lower level of service. Therefore, the independent private sectors ensure government initiatives meet their destined reliability and how it retorts to its utility systems. This effort helps to subside the need for the public to pay more taxes to the government. Instead, when the government receives support from the private sector, it is an opportunity for the air force. It will get more advanced utilities from the sponsors at large. It is a retirement plan usually tax exempt, whereby, an employee makes the contribution towards funds that is set aside for an employees future benefits. Plans represent an enormous future expense for companies. Companies, according to Frangakis, Hermann and Huffschmid (2010), review individual employee information held in the

Evaluating Decision Alternatives and Assessing Risk Essay

Evaluating Decision Alternatives and Assessing Risk - Essay Example The chairman to the bank Kenneth Lewis admitted that the information he gave out was not accurate. The executive of the bank, therefore, made mistakes that were against the ethics required in corporations (Cohen, 2009). There are many decisions that the executive of the bank of America took that render them unethical. Among them includes the disguise by Merrill lynch on the risk involved. It was done by changing the â€Å"investment grade† to other investments referred to as the CDOs. The problem was further increased by the credit derivatives. It was because a person could trade the investments many times. It could only get understood by the professionals due to payments on mortgages being done in several years. The activities in the bank continued deteriorating in the prevailing days that loans begun defaulting (James et al., 2002). Merrill lynch as indicated was not able to trade billions of the CDOs as if it had traded them, the players in the market had a chance of discounting the CDOs. The workers in the Merrill had the intentions of earning high bonuses continuously; as a result, they did not trade the CDOs. The employees did not indicate losses and later escaped with the lies. The accountants in the Merrill lynch failed to perform their duties and obligations. The problem raised alarms to the non professionals, however, the management allowed Merrill to escape with the funds. The bank of America acquired the Merrill lynch in the year 2008. A month later it was known that Merrill had losses that summed up to $15 billion. It was in the fourth quarter of the year and BofA made claims that the losses got incurred in December (Cohen, 2009). The bank did not give information to the shareholders and moved on to putting $20 billion in TARP funds. SEC (Slumbering Esquires Club) filed another complaint against the Merrill failure to disclose information about the losses in the month of

Development of Heat Resistant Chocolate

Development of Heat Resistant Chocolate PRALINE The term ‘cocoa’ comes from the word ‘cacao’ that is taken directly from Mayan and  Aztec languages. Chocolate has been derived from cocoa beans, present in the centre to the fruit of cocoa tree, Theobroma cacao, which originated from the South American region.(Afoakwa 2010) Chocolate is one of the most popular products throughout the world. The fact that it is solid at room temperature but melts in the mouth, giving a smooth delicate taste, makes it one of the most yearned product. From a more technical point of view, chocolate is a complex food made of solid particles of cocoa powder, sugar and milk powder in a continuous fat phase. The production of chocolate consists of multiple steps among which tempering are one of the most important step. During this the temperature of the chocolate will be varied to get the right crystalline form of the fat. Chocolate pralines are a lot more complex product since they also contain a soft  filling which will interact with the chocolate shell. Migration can happen from the filling to the shell which can result in structural damages like cracking. Another effect can be fat bloom which is a grayish haze on the praline surface. This occurs due to the migration of the liquid fat through the shell to the surface and crystallizing. Cracking and fat bloom are two major issues that lead to reduced shelf life in chocolate  pralines. The main suggestions for crack formation are that cracks form due to moisture or  ethanol migration through the chocolate shell, or due to an unbalanced distribution of  moisture in the filling that causes some parts to shrink and other to expand. (SLETTENGREN 2010) Most of the fat inside chocolate must be cocoa butter. Cocoa butter consists of different triacylglycerols (triglycerides), each of which will solidify at a different temperature and at a different speed in correlation with time. To make it more complicated there are six different ways the crystals can pack together. If the fat is present is not right or if the chocolate has not been crystallized properly, then fat bloom occurs. All fats are made of mixtures of triglycerides i.e. they have three fatty acids attached to a glycerol backbone. In cocoa butter there are three main acids which account for over 95% of those present. Almost 35% is oleic acid (C18:0) and almost 26% is palmitic acid (C16:0). Since the cocoa butter has few main components that it melts rapidly over such a small range of temperature range i.e. between room and mouth temperatures. POSt molecules are palmitic acid (P) in position 1, oleic acid (O) in position 2 and stearic acid in position 3. If the stearic and oleic acids are inverted then this would become PStO, which is quite atypical even though the constituents are similar. The stearic and palmitic acids are saturated acids i.e. the hydrocarbon chain which makes up the fat does not have any double bonds. In unsaturated fats this chain has one or more double bonds, as is the case for oleic acid. About 80% of the cocoa butter has oleic acid as the middle acid. 1% to 2% of cocoa butter has saturated long chain trisaturatedtriglycerides (SSS) where the saturated fat is mainly palmitic or stearic and the melting point is high. From 5% to 20% on the other hand consists of two oleic acids and is mostly fluid at room temperature. When the above two have been combined then fat of the cocoa butter will be partially fluid at room temperature. If the temperature is raised fat will melt according to the proportions of the different types of fat present. The property of to crystallize every time differently is known as polymorphism. As the structure becomes denser and gets lowered in energy, it becomes more stable and harder to melt. Polymorphic forms are solid phases of the same chemical composition that differ among themselves in crystalline structure but yield identical liquid phases. Because of their shape the fat molecules fit together with other molecules like stacking chairs which can be done in two ways i.e. via double chain packing and triple chain packing. There are basically 3 polymorphs (ÃŽ ±,ÃŽ ²,ÃŽ ²Ã¢â‚¬â„¢) each with their own specific properties. The melting range and stability of the polymorphs are in the following range: ÃŽ ±Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The least stable polymorph will crystallize first and transform to a stable polymorph as a function of time. Cocoa butter has six polymorphs. However the chocolate industry numbered them as I to VI. Forms V and VI are the most stable and are triple chain packing whereas the other forms are double. Form V is good for confectionary products as it is responsible for the hardness with a good snap, glossy appearance and the resistance to bloom. (SLETTENGREN 2010) Mixing different fats (Fat eutectics) It is important that after mixing two or more fats the final product should sets at a suitable rate and has the correct texture and melting properties in the mouth. An unstable structure can form when other fats have been mixed with cocoa butter. Even though the fats are triglycerides it will be like fitting another size of chairs within the stacks. Disruption would be less if only a less amount of other fat is present. The actual hardness can be near to the expected one. When cocoa butter is mixed with vegetable or other fat in equal proportions then the softening effect is largest. The original vegetable fat made by Unilever and many other that are now in the market are known as cocoa butter equivalents. These are like cocoa butters and can be put in any proportion without causing any major softening or hardening effect. Other fats can be used only if almost all the cocoa butter is replaced and these are known as cocoa butter replacers. The vegetable fat should crystallise in the same way as cocoa butter (i.e. using the chair analogy, have the same size and shape chair) so that it can be added to the cocoa butter without causing eutectic effect. Cocoa butter contains palmitic (P), stearic (S) and oleic (O) on a glycerol backbone, with the majority of the molecules being POP, POSt, and StOSt. From nuts or seeds of fruits generally two types of fractionation are used to obtain the easy melting and the hardest melting fraction. In dry fractionation the fat is kept at a more predefined temperature and then by pressing and filtering the liquid part is separated from solid. In solvent fractionation the fat is dissolved in acetone or hexane. After this the higher melting triglycerides are crystallized and filtered out. The StOSt and the increased amounts of POSt are hard to obtain. By altering the proportions of StOSt it is possible to make the chocolate so that it will not melt until the temperature is several degrees higher than the normal cocoa butter, but cannot put behind the feeling of stickiness in the mouth. (SLETTENGREN 2010) Legislation: In June 2000, the European parliament agreed to permit the use of vegetable fat other than cocoa butter in chocolate. This directive came into force on August 2003 and for the first time, harmonised chocolate legislation across all the member states of Europe. A number of restrictions were placed on use of vegetable fat by the EU in terms of where oils should be sourced from, and what processing methods have to apply. To maintain miscibility and compatibility with cocoa butter (as is required by the EU Directive) it is necessary to use vegetable fats which contain a similarly high levels of these triglycerides. This means that a) these triglycerides would often need to be concentrated by fractionating the permitted base oils and b) the resulting fats would be needed to blend together to get an optimum mix of the three triglycerides. Even though the CBEs show equivalence with the cocoa butter at all compositions but they have been restricted to a maximum level of 5% of the total compo sition in EU chocolate.(Geoff Talbot 2008) Development of Heat Resistant Chocolate using high melting fat Chocolate generally melts at 33.8 °C when solid cocoa butter transitions to liquid and the crystals of cocoa butter are in stable form V. The development of heat resistant chocolate would allow it to be enjoyed in tropical and humid climates. Three main methods have been developed to make heat resistant chocolates: enhancement of the microstructure of the materials, addition of a polymer and increasing the melting point of the fat phase. The approach that is used for the development of heat resistant chocolates for this thesis is to incorporate fats with higher melting points. (Stortz and Marangoni 2011) (Stortz and Marangoni 2011) One specific example of this was done by Jeyarani and Reddy (1999) and focused on using mahua (Mahua Latifolia) and kokum (Garcinia indica) fats to increase the melting point of cocoa butter blend. The kernels found in the fruits of mahua trees consist of semi-solid fat. Conversely, kokum kernels contain a hard, brittle fat with a melting point 39-43 C. The oils are fractionated and then blended. After that these fats were evaluated for their ability to increase the melting temperature of and replace the fat phase in chocolate products. Fractionation were used to separate the stearin fraction from kokum and mahua fats because it was reported that addition of fats rich in 2-oleodistearins to cocoa butter can increase the solid fat content (SFC) , increase the melting point and decrease the tempering time of chocolate. The meted successfully produced a fat phase that achieved higher SFCs at elevated temperature than conventional chocolate. However, once the temperature reached 37.5 C the SFC of most of the blended fats was less than 20% indicating that the heat resistance of the chocolate would be lost at temperatures higher than this. Another attempt was done to improve the heat resistance via replacement of some cocoa butter with kokum fat. Kokum fat was refined but not fractionated. It was blended with cocoa butter at different levels. The chocolate had good sensorial properties. However, the heat resistance of the chocolate was not as desired considering the melting temperature is only 34.8C with 5% inclusion of kokum fat. Finally , the chocolate formulas exceeded some countries’ legal limits for inclusion of NCVF.(Stortz and Marangoni 2011) Gel Filling: Hydrocolloids: Hydrocolloids are a heterogeneous group of long chain polymers (polysaccharides and proteins) which are characterised by their property of forming viscous dispersions and/or gels when dispersed in water. Presence of large number of hydroxyl (-OH) groups increases their affinity for binding water molecules which results in hydrophilic compounds. Further, a dispersion is produced which is intermediate between a true solution and a suspension, and the properties exhibited are that of a colloid. Considering these two properties, they are aptly termed as hydrophilic colloids or hydrocolloids. The important reason behind the ample use of hydrocolloids in foods is their ability to modify the rheology of food system. This includes the two basic properties of food system namely, flow behaviour (viscosity) and mechanical solid property (texture). The modification of texture and/or viscosity of food system modify its sensory properties, and thus, hydrocolloids are used as important food additives to perform specific purposes. Hydrocolloids have a wide range of function. These include thickening, gelling, emulsifying, stabilisation, and controlling the crystal growth of ice and sugar through the basic properties for which hydrocolloids find extensive use as thickening and gelling. Hydrocolloids disperse in water to give a thickening or viscosity producing effect. This water thickening property is general for all hydrocolloids and is the primary reason for their overall use. Gel formation is the phenomenon that involves the association or cross linking of the polymer chains to form a three dimensional network that traps or immobilises the water within to form a rigid structure that is resistant to flow. In other words, it becomes visco-elastic showing both the characteristics of a liquid and a solid. The textural properties (e.g. elastic or brittle, long or spreadable, chewy or creamy) of a gel vary widely with the type of hydrocolloid used. The other sensory properties such as opacity, mouth feel and taste also depend on the hydrocolloid employed. (Saha and Bhattacharya 2010) Gels: Gels may be defined as a form of matter intermediate between solid and liquid and show mechanical rigidity. They consist of polymer molecules cross linked to form tangled and interconnected molecular network immersed in a liquid medium, which in food system is water. Food technologists use the word ‘gel’ for high moisture foods that are more or less retain their shape when released from their container. A gel is a visco elastic system with a storage modulus (G) larger than the loss modulus G†. Hydrocolloids form gels by physical association of their polymer chains through hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic association and cat ion mediated cross-linking and differ from synthetic polymer gels, which normally consisted of covalently cross-linked polymer chains. Hence hydrocolloid gels are often referred as â€Å"physical gel† The knowledge of the conditions required for gelling of particular hydrocolloid dispersion, the characteristics of the gel produced and the texture it confers are very important aspects to design a specific food formulation. The formation of gel involves the association of randomly dispersed polymer segments in dispersion in such a way so as to form a three-dimensional network that contains solvent in the interstices. The associated regions known as junction zones are formed by two or more polymer chains. The gelation process is mainly the formation of these junction zones. Hydrocolloid gelation can engage the hierarchy of structures, the most common of which is the aggregations of primary inter chain linkages into â€Å"junction zones†, which forms the basis for the three-dimensional network characteristics of a gel. The physical arrangement of these junction zones within the network can be affected by various parameters like temperature, presence of ions and inherent structure of hydrocolloid. For the gelation of hydrocolloids, the three main mechanisms proposed are ionotropic gelation, cold-set gelation and heat-set gelation. Ionotropic gelation occurs via cross-linking of hydrocolloid chain with ions, typically a cation mediated gelation process of negatively charged polysaccharides. Ionotropic gelation is carried out either by diffusion setting or internal gelation. In cold set gelation, hydrocolloid powders are dissolved in warm/boiling water to form a dispersion which on cooling results in enthalpically-stabilised inter-chain helix to form segments of individual chains leading to a three-dimensional network. Gelatine gel is formed by this mechanism. Gelatin: Gelatin is substantially pure protein food ingredient, obtained by the thermal denaturation of collagen, which are the structural mainstay and most common protein in the animal kingdom. Today gelatine is usually available in granular powder form. Ref: website Gelatin forms a thermo-reversible gels with water, and the gel melting temperature ( Various factors affect the gel formation by hydrocolloids which include concentration of the gelling agent, pH of the medium, molar mass/ degree of polymerisation, temperature, ionic composition and solvent quality. Rheological characteristics of gel involves characterizing a gel n the basis of various parameters like modulus of elasticity, yield stress, shear modulus, storage and loss modulus, complex viscosity , gel strength and compliance. These parameters are usually determined by conducting tests like compression test, dynamic oscillatory rheometry, creep and texture profile analysis, etc by employing instruments like universal texture measuring system, controlled shear rheometer. Addition of sucrose results in an increase of true rupture stress in all these gals. The gel sweetness is related with mechanical properties of gel like gel strength, rupture stress, rupture strain and particularly with the amount of deformation required to break the network and its resistance to deformation. Besides co-solutes like sucrose, concentration of hydrocolloid, shear rate and temperature are also important variables that influence the rheological status of hydrocolloid gels. The blending of different polysaccharides offers an alternative route to the development of new textures. The major interest lies in the development of synergistic mixtures with improved or induced gelation.(Saha and Bhattacharya 2010) References: . Afoakwa, E. (2010). chocolate science technology. Geoff Talbot, H. S. (2008). Cocoa butter equivalents and improvers Their use in chocolate and chocolate-coated confectionery. Focus on Chocolate vol 19 n 3(May/June 2008): 28,29. Saha, D. and S. Bhattacharya (2010). Hydrocolloids as thickening and gelling agents in food: a critical review. Journal of Food Science and Technology-Mysore 47(6): 587-597. SLETTENGREN, K. S. (2010). Crack formation in chocolate pralines. Stortz, T. A. and A. G. Marangoni (2011). Heat resistant chocolate. Trends in Food Science Technology 22(5): 201-214.

Affirmative Action: Giving Preferential Admissions to Minority Students

Should universities eliminate affirmative action polices that give preferential treatment in admissions to minority status? â€Å"Anyone interested in higher education should want to contemplate, on behalf of colleges and universities, students and faculty, alumni and paying parents, the fate of affirmative action(Chace, M William 20). The Oxford Dictionary states Affirmative Action is â€Å"an action or policy favoring those who tend to suffer from discrimination, especially in relation to employment or education; positive discrimination.† In 1961, John F. Kennedy signed an Executive Order calling for â€Å"affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.† This is now known today as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission(EEOC). Affirmative action policies would later be forced upon businesses and have also been instituted at many universities where minorities are given preferred admissions over non-minorities. An Example of this would be at the University of Mic higan where applicants who represented racial or ethnic minorities were given 20 points towards admission out of a 150 point system where only 100 points were needed to gain admission. Trying to put the 20 points in perspective, applicants with perfect SAT scores only received 12 points toward admission. This system was later struck down by the Supreme Court, but another similar policy was upheld at the University of Michigan Law School. With how diverse our society is currently compared to years ago, it seems to compliment that the policies have indeed worked. But now, the policies are questioned by many as whether or not they moral, constitutional, and/or... ...s Cited Charles, Camille Z., et al. "Affirmative-Action Programs for Minority Students: Right in Theory, Wrong in Practice." The Chronicle of Higher Education 55.29 (2009). Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. Selingo, Jeffrey. "New Study Questions Educational Benefits of Diversity." The Chronicle of Higher Education 49.29 (2003). Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Aug. 2011. Connerly, Ward. "My Fight Against Race Preferences: A Quest Toward `Creating Equal'." Chronicle of Higher Education 46.27 (2000): B6. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Aug. 2011. Chace, William M. "Affirmative Inaction: Opposition to affirmative action has drastically reduced minority enrollment at public universities; private institutions have the power and the responsibility to reverse the trend." American Scholar 80.1 (2011): 20-31. History Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 18 Aug. 2011.

10 Cloud Computing Companies To Watch. CA Technologies Essay

CA Technologies formerly known as CA, Inc is one of the largest and leading software enterprises in the world and it is headquartered at New York, USA. It is responsible for the creation of software that gives many companies an upper hand in the current application economy. CA software is designed to help companies and industries acquire productivity and growth through extensive and top notch CA software and solutions. History of the company The company was founded in 1976 by Charles Wang. Charles had been born in Shanghai but moved to the United States at the age of eight years old. He studied math and physics at Queens College. After graduating, he took up a trainee job as a computer programmer for a small computer service agency in New York. The agency was responsible for marketing software for the Swiss firm Computer Associates. The Swiss company wanted to expand its market in the USA and Wang saw an opportunity for a business enterprise with the Swiss company. Wang along with his friend and partner Russ Artzt created their own company. With only two partners, Wang opened up an office that marketed the Swiss products. The company did not do so well until when they developed CA-SORT. The program was designed to help computers sort through data quickly and economically. The program gave a similar IBM program stiff competition and majority of IBM clients later shifted to CA’s program. This was a great leap of success for the CA Company. The company expanded and started to recruit and hire more people. In 1980, Wang and partners bought out the Swiss parent company and then they made the company public in 1981. As from the moment the company went public it began to program and focus on expansion through acquisitions. It bought Capex Corporation, Stewart P. Orr Associates, Information Unlimited Software, Sorcim, Viking Data Systems, Uccel, Cullinet, On-Line Software International, Inc., CSMI (Computer Management Sciences, Inc.), Platinum Technology International, Layer 7 Technologies, Applied Data Research, Cheyenne Software, Johnson Systems, Arkay Computer, and many more. It also bought Top Secret, from CGA Computer, a program designed as a computer security system. It later on purchased Integrated System Software Corp. and Software International, both being application software. The later being responsible for financial application and the former for graphics softw are. Wang resigned as the CEO of the company on 2000 and his position was taken up by Sanjay Kumar. John Swainson was the next CEO in the company but retired at the end of the year 2009. CA technologies announced William E. McCracken as the chairman of the board and the chief executive officer on January 28, 2010. He was replaced by Michael P. Gregoire on January 7, 2013 who is the current chairman of the board and the chief executive officer at CA Technologies and Russell M. Artzt as the current Vice Chairman. Products and services CA Technologies have a number of products and services, mostly software, which is designed to transform businesses and enables customers to seize the opportunities of the application economy. Their main area of expertise lies on three major areas, Cloud, Mainframe, and Mobile. They have four main portfolios, the ca Securecenter. Ca Opscenter, ca Devcenter, and the ca Intellicenter. Its main services include project and portfolio management, application performance management, infrastructure management, security management, cloud services, data center automation and virtualization, and service management. These services are distinctively placed and categorized in the four main portfolios named above. The ca Securecenter portfolio enables and secures the open enterprise by authenticating and securing access for the right users on any device, anywhere while providing a superior customer experience. It has a number of featured products such as the CA Identity Manager SaaS, CA Single Sign-On, CA Sign-On SaaS, CA Advanced Authentication, CA API Gateway, CA API Developer Portal, CA Mobile API Gateway, CA Identity Manager, CA Identity Governance, and the CA Privileged Identity Manager. All these products are optimally designed to offer maximum security conveniently to their customers. CITATION CAI15 l 1033 (CA Securecenter) CA Opscenter portfolio provides tools that manage and monitor performance and availability, giving you the keys to ensuring your customers are up and running. Some of their products include CA Unified Infrastructure Management, CA 1 Tape Management, CA Allocate DASD Space and Placement, CA App Synthetic Monitor, CA Application Delivery Analysis, CA Capacity Managemen t, CA Bind Analyzer for DB2 for z/OS, CA Big Data Infrastructure Management, CA Automation Point, and the CA Application Performance, etc. CITATION CAO15 l 1033 (CA Opscenter) The ca Devcenter portfolio is designed to develop high quality applications faster by leveraging tools that create virtual integrations, enable parallel development and continuous testing. The ca Devcenter portfolio is designed deploy applications from development through production with automated orchestration. Some of the products it features are the CA Service Virtualization, CA 2E, CA Application Lifestyle Conductor, CA Application Test, CA Automation Suite for Clouds, CA Cloud Manager Powered by ServiceMesh, CA Test, CA Configuration Automation, CA Continuous Application Insight, CA Data Finder, and many more. These products are intended to deliver innovation to market faster with higher quality. CITATION CAD15 l 1033 (CA DevCenter) The ca Intellicenter portfolio has the software needed to make the right portfolio decisions and gain a holistic view of IT services and assets, enabling your business to manage the business of IT. Their featured products include; CA Cloud Service Management, CA Executive Playbook, CA Agile Planning, CA PPM, CA Service Desk Manager, CA Service Catalog, CA IT Assets Manager, CA Business Service Insight, CA On Demand Portal, and the Xtraction for CA Service Management. These products seek to drive productivity and provide a superior IT Serve Management experiences in the businesses that invest on them. CITATION CAI151 l 1033 (CA Intellicenter)Competition facing the company’s products A lot of software related companies have invested in cloud computing services including CA technologies. Their cloud computing, CA Cloud manager, faces competition from other platforms, such as Microsoft that offers Azure, Amazon that is offering the Amazon Web Services, AT&T that is offering Synaptic Hosting, Enomaly that is currently offering Enomaly’s Elastic Computing Platform (ECP) and Rackspace that offers Rackspace Cloud also referred to as â€Å"Mosso†. These services are mostly used by Web developers and software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers. CITATION Jon09 l 1033 (Brodkin, 2009) There are numerous suppliers of project and portfolio management (PPM) software. Companies like 4c Systems, Antura, Artemis, IBM, Oracle, BMC Software, Cambridge Systematics, Davies Consulting, etc offer different PPM software. The 4c System offers 4c Portfolio Intelligence, Antura offers Antura Projects, IBM offers Rational Focal Point, Oracle offers Crystal Ball, BMC offers IT Servi ce Management, Cambridge Systematics offers Prioritas and Davies Consulting offers AIS. All these companies offer this PPM software designs that are designed to assist companies in efficiently identifying and managing projects. CA technologies offers Clarity PPM which is successfully used by many corporations but also faces too much completion from other PPM providers. Infrastructure Management software (IM) is a system designed to manage essential operation components, such as policies, processes, equipment, data, human resource and external contacts for overall effectiveness. It has a number of vendors such as IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard and CA technologies. Some of the competing systems include SAP IT IM, Data Center IM, which offer major competition to CA Infrastructure Management. CITATION Mar07 l 1033 (Rouse, 2007) Application Performance Management (APM) is a system designed to monitor real time customer experience and goes ahead to compare the performance deprivation back to the system measures. CA technologies are responsible for CA PPM. There are various APM systems that offer stiff competition to the CA APM. Some of these APM systems vendors include; INETCO, AppNeta, Riverbed, Oracle, HP, Compuware and also CA. the various CA systems in the market that are currently competing with CA APM system are; New Relic, Foglight, Magic Quadran t, and SpyglassTools that is a Java Application Monitoring APM Competitors in the market Every company experiences competition, in one way or the other. The competition can be from within or from outside. Majority of the competition that most corporations face is from other rival organizations. CA Inc. like any normal corporation has its own competition in the existing market. Some of the top competitors include BMC Software, Inc., Compuware Corporation, Hewlett-Packard Company, International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) and VMware, Inc. Corporations in competition BMC Software, Inc. provides IT management solutions and services. It has a wide array of products and services that it offers on its portfolio. These services include remedy IT service management suite, big data management, Cloud computing software, data center automation services, IT operations services, ITSM consulting services, workload automation, and the process alignment service among others. BMC is headquartered in Houston, Texas, in the US. It caters to a wide range of customers such as banks, institutions of learning, government agencies, system integrators, hospitals, retailers, distributors, manufacturers, financial service providers, telecommunication companies, and resellers. Oracle Corporation is one of the leading corporations that provide enterprise software, computer hardware, products and services. The company offers various services such as Oracle database, middleware software, cloud infrastructure, application software, and hardware systems. The company provides its services to a wide variety of customers such as the healthcare industry, oil and gas professional services, life sciences, financial services industry, aerospace and defense industry, natural resources and chemicals industry. The company is headquartered in Redwood City in the U.S. the company mainly focuses on expanding through acquisition of companies, products, services and technologies. This way it would strengthen and widen its customer base and create and generate more innovations. Compuware Corporation provides services, software and practices for IT corporations globally. It also provides professional technical services in areas such as performance engineering, mobile application development and system modernization. Its headquarters are in Detroit, Michigan in the US. The company provides its services and products through segment. These segments include Application Performance Management, Mainframe, Uniface, Changepoint, Professional Service and Covisint Application Services. VMware, Inc. is a supplier of cloud infrastructure and virtualization. The group operates on three main and major product groups; Software-Defined Data Center, Hybrid Cloud computing and End-User Computing. The Software-Defined Data Center is a virtualization platform designed to enable the aggregation of e devices, multiple servers, storage devices and networks. The Hybrid Cloud enables clients to extend tools, skills, networking and security models across all grounds. The End-User Computing product is designed to fully secure access to applications and data from any given devices at any given locations. Its main headquarters are in Palo Alto, California in the US. The company also focuses on extending its margins through acquisition of other similar technology oriented companies. Case study on CA technologies The CA Technologies has provided its services extensively to different industries and corporations. Its services are used by banks, insurance companies, financial service providers, health care institutions, technology companies, and telecommunication providers. These different sectors use and maximize the CA resources and services to compete against other rival industries. Banks and other financial institutions and service providers are equipped with the security management applications designed by the company. This ensures safety of their clients’ information and valuables. If their data are hacked or accessed without authority and permission they may face the risk of losing their customers and will incur major losses in the long run. So as to avoid such majority of the banks and financial service providers such as insurance companies, utilize these security applications. The more advanced the security systems, the more clients and customers it attracts. For an organization to attract more clients and be able to provide extensive services, it ought to have a clear ad defined strategy. This is achieved through the use of a project portfolio management (PPM) system. This system assists companies in effectively planning and investing in the right projects. If the companies use an excellent and superior PPM system, it would have an upper hand advantage against rival and competing companies. With all the software and applications that CA technologies offer, it is easy to see why it is one of the leading technology industries in the world. References 1033 Brodkin, J. (2009, May 18). 10 Cloud Computing Companies To Watch. Retrieved March 05, 2015, from NETWORKWORLD: http://www.networkworld.com/article/2268033/virtualization/10-cloud-computing-companies-to-watch.html CA DevCenter. (n.d.). Retrieved MArch 05, 2015, from CA Technologies: http://www.ca.com/gb/devcenter.aspx CA Intellicenter. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2015, from CA Technologies: http://www.ca.com/gb/intellicenter.aspx CA Opscenter. (n.d.). Retrieved March 04, 2015, from CA Technologies: http://www.ca.com/gb/opscenter.aspx CA Securecenter. (n.d.). Retrieved March 05, 2015, from CA Technologies: http://www.ca.com/gb/securecenter.aspx Rouse, M. (2007, June). Infrastructure Management (IM). Retrieved March 05, 2015, from TechTarget: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/infrastructure-management Source document