Ray Douglas Bradbury is best known for his dystopi Essays - Fiction

Ray Douglas Bradbury is best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction and horror stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man, Bradbury was one of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers. Mr.Bradbury was an author that wrote American Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Fiction. He wrote and consulted on many screenplays and television scripts, including Moby Dick and most notably, It Came from Outer Space, and many of his works have been adapted into comic books, television shows, and films. Mr.Bradbury was born Aug. 22,1920 and passed Jun. 05,2012 at age 91. The parents of Mr.Bradbury were Leonard Spualding Bradbury and Esther Bradbury. Attended Los Angelos High School. In 1947 Mr. Bradbury was married to Marguerite McClure for 56 years but sadly she died on Nov. 24, 2003 Had four children with his wife,Bettina F. Bradbury,Ramona Bradbury,Alexandra Bradbury, and Susan Bradbury. Was awarded 5 major awards the first one in 1977 for World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, the second in 1984 for Prometheus Hall of Fame Award, the third in 1988 for Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement,the forth in 1989 for Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award and the final fith one in 1996 for First Fandom Hall Of Fame Award.

It Isnt So Simple Infrastructure Change at Royce Consulting

It Isnt So Simple Infrastructure Change at Royce Consulting Abstract Royce consulting is an international company that provides consulting services to other companies in different parts of the world most of them being large corporations. Royce consulting has over 165 offices in over 65 countries with staff running different assignments for their company as well as on behalf of clients. The firm has contracts with clients at different levels in terms of the duration of the contract.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on It Isnt So Simple: Infrastructure Change at Royce Consulting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The paper describes the Royce consulting case besides offering a detailed analysis of the case based on parameters like its strategies and goals, its external environment and responsiveness, and its structural design. It further gives appropriate recommendations on what Royce consulting firm can do to perform better. Description of the Case Royce consulting is a renowne d company that provides its consulting services to a good number of other companies. The company has almost 70 offices in various countries. Since Royce follows its traditional strategies of getting labor, it recruits its workers straight from college ready to train them. After five to six years, they are promoted to a managerial position each with an individual office. This arrangement has escalated Royce’s fixed and variable costs. It therefore has to be sorted in a way that will control the spiraling of costs thus calling for a need for infrastructural change. Analysis Royce’s organizational goals and strategies are clear. They have been used to guide in the organization’s decision-making. One of the goals was the need for Royce to constantly expand its operations beyond the current market. This successfully led it to recruit, train, and promote its workers continuously within a certain traditional framework model so that, at any moment, there are adequate pe rsonnel to work on different contracts in different countries (Mantere Henri, 2012, p. 174: Daft, 2006, p.540). A well-guided path to promotion has been formulated as a guarantee to workers. This can be seen as an incentive to spur its performance further. In its strategy to keep workers happy, Royce conducted interviews in its new proposal to change the office system to hoteling to find out the workers’ views and opinions on the same.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was a good move for Royce consulting, as it allowed the company to prepare its workers psychologically for the new changes by making them feel as part of the decision-making process. Hoteling system was a cost-cutting measure that would allow the company to restructure itself while at the same time cutting some of its fixed and variable costs (Venhor, 2007, p. 40: Daft, 2009, p.539). This strategy would enable it keep up with its goal of profit making in the future. The external environment for Royce, though a challenge, does not overwhelm it as an organization. Royce has prepared itself to tackle the ever-expanding market by continuously recruiting new workers straight from college. This has enhanced its human capital capacity by enabling it deploy staff to different assignments without over burdening them or putting them under a lot of pressure (Sofia, 2011, p. 238). This has enabled it secure the confidence of its clients in terms of service delivery besides beating off any prospective competition from its competitors. Due to the increasing costs of operation, Royce has taken a proactive nature in its planning. It has come up with a way of cutting internal costs to cover up the escalating external costs. It has also embraced technology by â€Å"employing the use of the compact portable computers and the use of proprietary software, as well as the use of elec tronic filing system† (Rene Agnes, 2012, p. 450). This has allowed workers to operate from virtual offices. The organization has acted as a leader in confronting external challenges by being on the forefront to introduce changes for sell to staff for the betterment of the organization, as well as simplification of operations by staff. Borrowing from the matrix organizational model, the structural flow at Royce can be described as a hybrid system because it borrows from other defined structures to suit its way of functioning. The firm has partners at the top, site managers, administrative staff, and then other lower-ranked staff.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on It Isnt So Simple: Infrastructure Change at Royce Consulting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As Daft (2009, p.539) points out, this structure, as adopted by Royce, is not consistent: it varies from site to site depending on the requirements of the given site or client. Therefore, in a way, it may distort the communication channel from the top going down ( Andy, Xiaolan Allan, 2012, p. 312). The structure seems to be working well since the highest level has associate partners who work in tandem with the top management. They also work with managers to staff different sites and projects. Therefore, there is a form of direct communication. The only problem with this structure is that it may take some time to collect an opinion from the different managers before a decision is made. This acts as an impediment to decision-making, which will later affect deadlines. Besides, the introduction of the hoteling system with new technology should take care of this problem. Action Plan/Recommendation My recommendations on the organizational goals and strategies are that the goals and strategies adopted by Royce so far are feasible in its pursuit of success and profitability. As an action plan, the goal to cut costs should be pursued as lon g as it is good for the firm. My recommendation to the effects of external pressure is that Royce should invest in research and development for it to be abreast with emerging trends. This holds because the external environment is fluidly dynamic. Only a robust research and development team will keep Royce in touch with the latest world. The structural organization adopted by Royce should be maintained because, so far, it has worked for the firm. However, there is the need to polish over time to fit with the emerging needs of the firm. Reference List Andy, C., Xiaolan, F., Allan, H. (2012). Organisation Structure and Innovation Performance in Different Environments. Small Business Economies, 39(2), 301- 317. Daft, R. (2009). Organizational Theory and Design. London: Cengage Publishing.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Mantere, S., Henri, S. (2012). Reversal of Strategic Change. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 173-196. Rene, T., Agnes, A. (2012). Effects of Managers Work Motivation and Networking Activity on their Reported Levels of External Red Tape. Journal of Public Administration and Research Theory, 22(3), 445-471. Sofia, A. (2011). The Effect of Business Strategy and External Environment on Management Control Systema. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2(13), 236-244. Venhor, B. (2007). Business Strategy: External environment. Journal of Business Management, 3(1), 39-42.

How to become luckier

How to become luckier Have you ever wondered what it takes to be lucky? Sometimes it seems like certain people are just born to be lucky, and good things just happen to them, while others struggle to find good fortune and avoid bad luck from hanging over them like a rain cloud. But there are ways you can bring good fortune closer to you. If you’d like to become a little luckier in life, then keep reading.Don’t doubt the power of positivity.There’s a certain truth in the notion that positivity attracts more positivity in life, which can help position us for good fortune and luck. Keeping an optimistic outlook attracts positive people to us and makes others want to help us be more happy and successful.Have you ever tried smiling, even if there’s nothing in particular to smile about? According to a Psychology Today article, the physical act of smiling can create a slew of positive physiological changes in us, affect how we react to the world and how others respond to us, and can e ven lengthen our life spans! The same is true of maintaining positivity through our daily activities- at first it may seem like an effort, but once your positive outlook is met with a warm reception by the world, that positivity may just be a natural reaction to the good luck that’s finally found you.Put yourself in new situations.The best way to escape a rain cloud is to move from where you’re standing. If you want to change your luck, try changing your situation- inviting new activities, new social endeavors, and new people in our lives can open doors to a wide array of new opportunities, along with the potential for good fortune.If this sounds daunting, start small- try walking a different path than you usually do, making a deal with yourself to do one new activity this week, or initiating contact with one new person you encounter during your day. Before long, these new situations might just bloom into new chances for the clouds of good fortune to find you.  Learn from luck- good and bad.Trial and error can be a powerful learning tool, and life is full of lessons that we would all be well served to pay attention to. When good things happen to us and to others around us, we should take some time to reflect on each situation- was this truly random good luck or was there some conscious effort involved that made things turn out the way they did? Do the same thing for when bad luck seems to rear its ugly head- was it truly unavoidable or could we have done things to prevent it from happening? Take what you learn and use it to help guide you moving forward- hopefully, this increases your chances of encountering more good luck than bad in life.Most of us experience a wide range of events in life- some of which we’d classify as good luck and some of which we’d chalk up to bad luck. Use the strategies and advice outlined here to become a little luckier in your life.

Strategic leadership in changing world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic leadership in changing world - Essay Example The paradox strategy is explained further by the porter’s assumptions about the significant of generic strategies and Raynor assumptions that these strategies have a higher risk of bankruptcy (Eldring 2009:17). Hamel assumes that strategy is a stretch that considers the essential paradox on the leadership that cannot be entirely planned and does not occur in the lack of a clearly spoken and widely shared aspiration. Organizations with hybrid strategies may not be successful in the industry, but they lower risk of running into financial crisis. This is the essence of the strategy paradox and complementation to Porter’s findings, who did not take the risk variable into account. Organizations with hybrid strategies are much less exposed to strategic uncertainty than the organizations with pure strategies. Porter argued that it is an unwillingness to make choice that organization choose for a hybrid strategy, but rather a diverse and risk averse approach can be risk in the organization (Porter, 2008:26). Meanwhile, market based view on the work of Michael porter will be discussed and it assumes that profitability is established mainly by the structure of the industry in which the company operates. The industry structure is evaluated based on the five-force framework. Consequently, the RBV strategy is associated with the works of Hamel that focuses on the competitive advantage in the organization, but use an inside out approach. Meanwhile, it is the starting point for organization’s internal environment and is viewed as the alternative perspective to Porters five forces framework that considered as the industry structure (Delfmann 2005: 226). PORTER (MBV) Porters argue that industry structures within organization are positioned against structure that determines how profitable individual firms should be. In the MBV framework, it is a critical task to analyze the industry structure to establish an ideal positioning and align value chain positionin g in the organization (Delfmann 2005: 226). Porter identified three generic strategies that include differentiation, cost leadership and concentration on selected areas to explain its positioning strategy. Thus, the significant critique of the MBV is based on its outside in perspective because it does not consider company internal aspect. Porters point out that the MBV has the significant impact on the strategic business unit level. He argues that this approach provides an efficient model of evaluating the nature of competition within an industry. Based on the MBV perspective, competitive advantage arises from an organizational dominance position within its industry. Thus, organizations can achieve a dominant position by employing a generic strategy (Weigl 2008: 90). The organizations with this dominant position produce monopoly rents since they thrived in restraining productive output. Porter argues that monopoly rents can be produced by intentionally restricting output in respect to competitive levels. Meanwhile, it can include the analysis of behavior and in respect to market position of competitors. The MBV helps the firm to position in its environment, create barriers for competitors, and protects its business. Therefore, the organization can exercise market power and earn monopoly rents. Meanwhile, Porter develops

Professional Development Plan&Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Professional Development Plan&Review - Essay Example The following description states the goals that I have set, these are the self goal of completing assignments in time, group goal of increased coordination and finally critically evaluating my writing skills. I furthermore explain the manner in which I have gone through the process of developing them and the results obtained. In my education, I have gone through many different problems and trying times. Some hindered me from achieving the best in university and thus I set several goals to ensure that they were eliminated. One of the problems that I had was the inability to complete my assignments in time. This was a major hindrance and in an effort to eliminate it, I set the goal of always preparing for my assignments early. This was effective as it offered me spare time that I went through the work to ensure perfection. There were a number of stages involved in the accomplishment of this. The first stage in this process was to ensure that I had an overview of the whole assignment so that I could divide it to ensure that I finish the parts in place. This was bound to help me break down the work and it made it seem simple. I was also be able to have my own self calendar to keep in mind the deadlines. In case of failure, I was supposed to accept it and work on all my mistakes to avoid them in future. The learning strategies for the perfection of the plan were to ensure that the project I was working on got ready three weeks due. The opportunities that I put into use were practicing on my own to identify my weak areas. Moreover, I was able to set my own study time and work with my friends as they added me knowledge that I did not have before and I offered them new knowledge (Cottrell, 2010, 71). To improve my motivation to start preparing for assignments in one month is important. I also had access to books and the internet as a source of my information and due to my consistency. My plan worked and the evidence that I was

Rig Veda Study Questions Essay Example for Free

Rig Veda Study Questions Essay Study Questions As you read the mantras in the Chapters Creation and Agni, consider these questions. Write down your thoughts and bring your notes to class on Thursday. We will meet in small groups to compare notes and help each other work out the meaning of the verses. 1. What is your initial response to the Creation Hymn? What parts of it make sense to you? What parts of it do you find confusing? As you read, make notes of these parts. 2. What is your interpretation of the line, â€Å"There was neither existence nor non-existence then?† 3. What is the role of water in creation? 4. What does the Creation Hymn say about desire? What is the role of desire in creation? 5. The Creation Hymn ends with an open question about the role of an ultimate creator. What is this question? What is the significance of this question? 6. What is the Golden Embryo? What is its role in creation? 7. In Purusha, Hymn of Man, why do the gods dismember Purusha? What is Purusha? What is the meaning of the sacrifice? What is the result of it? 8. In The Birth Of The Gods, only two gods are actually mentioned by name. Who are they? How were they â€Å"born?† Agni: 1. Agni is the god of what? What is his role? What benefits does he bring his worshippers? (note: the verses are a bit obscure and riddle-like. You may need to do some internet searching for this.) 2. Agni and The Gods, (Page 99 verses five through nine) describe the meaning of which important Hindu Ceremony? What is happening during this ceremony? What is meant by the statement that whether the sacrifice is offered to this god or that god, the oblation is always to Agni? 3. In The Birth Of Agni, what does the first verse mean in which it is said that the mother concealed the birth from the father? 4. In The Child Of The Waters, (a pseudonym for Agni), the god born in the water manifests as a fire that â€Å"burns without fuel† and â€Å"shines forever with undarkened flames.† Yet in the final verses, women bring him butter (ghee) as his food, and offer him oblation. What is meant here by Agni being both inexhaustible and yet also in need of being brought food?

Essay --

Jane Eyre-- Life at Lowood In â€Å"Jane Eyre†, a classic by Charlotte Bronte, the little girl Jane lost her parents and was adopted by her uncle Mr. Reed who also died soon after. Poor Jane was left to be taken care of by her selfish and cruel aunt who viewed her as a burdensome and wicked child. At Gateshead, none of her cousins were nice to her, and therefore getting bullied was usual. As a result of their conflicts Jane was sent to Lowood, an institution for orphan girls where they could receive strict education and be trained to become disciplined young women. The bad conditions there did not let Jane lose faith as she made a genuine friend whose name was Helen, and met a kind teacher called Mrs. Temple. They gave Jane love and hope in such a cold world, which made her harsh life endurable. By the end of the essay it will be proven that Jane’s life at Lowood has shaped her development as a young woman and bildungsroman. At first, Jane’s life at Lowood was no better than her life at Gateshead. According to the author, â€Å"Many a time I shared between two claimants the precious morsel of ...

Multi-generational plan

It is widely known that the clash between the baby boomers and the generation Xers goes way back especially in the work place. As a result certain jobs could get compromised because of these clashing attitudes. It was well known though that both these generations could actually present ideas that could help the business running. The main problem about these two generations is the fact that they seldom go along with each other. But who are the baby boomers and the generation Xers? The baby boomers were widely known to be the people born between 1946 to 1964 while the generation Xers were people born between 1965 to 1980. Baby boomers were known to have plenty of opinions when it comes to political issues and they usually believe in longer time for work while the generation Xers witnessed or lived the technological boom of the world and are more skeptic than any other generations (â€Å"Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues,†). The long term goal then is on how these two generations could come together for the benefit of the company or business. The main key to make these generations come together is to eliminate the tension between the two by helping each other understand the usual personality or outlook that each generation has. There could be a program that would lead to the understanding of the two generations. Although, those organizing these programs should be on alert on what they ought to do especially when this kind of program could easily lead to prejudice. A good suggestion of this program is to put the two generations in each others shoes. A group dynamic could be done and these activities/projects should reflect a certain aspect where both generations could be useful. Then the next step here is to render respect for each of the generations. The respect should come out genuine. If respect were done for the sake of respect then these people might not have really understood the plight of each generation. References: Workplace generation gap: Understand differences among colleagues. (July 6, 2005).  Ã‚   Retrieved August 1, 2007, from http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/WL/00045.html      

Public Human Resource Management Essay

Please respond to the following: * Analyze the topics discussed in Chapter 1, with the exception of the laws. Select two topics and discuss two positive effects and two challenges the topic poses for human resource departments in the public sector. Performance Managementfor human resource departments it is important; to utilize the skills, focus and provide incentives for employees that are based on performance to achieve the organization’s goal. Human resource departments need to provide training and programs that are accessible to help enhance members of the organization’s learning with constant changes in policies and procedures. Two challenges posed to human resource departments; the inability to provide essential information to access or evaluate an employee’s performance accurately, Failure to provide quality and satisfactory customers services to connect with a task group with the strategies and plans the organization has implemented. Improvement in Labor Managementfor human resource departments it mean networking and communicating with various industrials and labor force can be a way to improve relationships even though they may not agree on some issues. Implementing policies and strategic plans that will benefit the public and private globally as well as nationally is vital in society today. Challenges posed to human resource departments; a human resource department or union disputing and failing to negotiation and resolve an issue, Trends in the change or advancement of technology and the ability of human resource departments to deal with the change especially in a global labor market. The outsourcings of jobs and employees that perform their jobs without being in a traditional workplace can create challenges for human resource departments when there is less or no communication among staff. Two topics that have an effect for human resources are 1) Recruitment and 2) Training and development. Two positive effects for recruitment is that there is a need to  fill 300k positions annually, and their is a need to attract quality applicants. Two challenges for Recruitment are recruiting qualified applicants, and keeping up with the rapid pace to hire the most qualified applicants. Two positive effects for training and development is that it will allow employees to take advantage of gaining knowledge to increase their chances of getting promoted. It will also allow companies to attract the best employees. Two challenges would consist of the cost for setting up training and development, and the alloted time allowed for an employee to complete neccessary training. Week1-Dq2 â€Å"Public Human Resource Management in the News† Please respond to the following: * From the e-Activities, discuss the current event you reviewed from the selected agency and determine the cause of the issue, noting if the cause was due to neglected public bureaucracies from elected and appointed officials. Discuss at least two results of the issue. Using USA.gov, I chose to investigate the United States Postal Service (USPS) agency. I was aware that this group was in financial strain for some time, but I found it interesting to review some of the latest information regarding key problems and possible solutions. Currently, the USPS operates with about 650,000 unionized personnel. Employees sort, package, transport, and deliver the public mail. Although the organization charges for its services (postage rates, etc), as an agency, much of its budget is subsidized by public funds. In discussing the current situation, the Washington Post reported, â€Å"first-class mail volume [is] plummeting as Americans conduct more business and communications through the Internet.† Perhaps what is most important is the fact that this trend is continuing as the USPS reportedly lost $16 billion in the 2012 fiscal year. For this reason the USPS issue has been debated in Congress for years and has recently been one of several key debates for lawmakers during the â€Å"fiscal cliff† dilemma. In the past Congress has had difficulty deciding whether to adopt solutions such as suspending Saturday delivery and limiting other specialty services. Also, there is the question of how much public money should go to USPS employee retirement benefits and labor contracts. To many individuals, this is traditionally seen as a bureaucratic problem; however, personally I do not believe that the problem is purely the result of public  sector negligence. Like many government services, it is more likely that the answer lies in serious reform rather than complete suspension. Interestingly, I located an article about the nonprofit – National Academy of Public Administration – that suggested a kind of public/private hybrid approach to fix the USPS’s difficulties. The concept entails â€Å"farming out† much of the behind the scenes process while a federal letter carrier would still handle front-line delivery services. What is apparent is that there are several significant results from this issue including the continuing postal rate increases, the reduction of service (e.g. limited post office hours), and continued legislative debate of whether this public service is vital enough to continue to ask taxpayers to subsidize what seems to be a failing business formula. http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/us-postal-service.shtml http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/think-tank-to-study-privatizing-most-postal-service-operations/2013/01/03/2adc0b08-55ed-11e2-8b9e-dd8773594efc_story.html http://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/universal-service-postal-monopoly-history.pdf http://www.gao.gov/assets/210/203772.pdf wk2dq1 â€Å"Building HRM Capacity† Please respond to the following: * Imagine you are the consultant for the agency you selected in the Week 1 e-Activity (you may choose from one of the e-Activities). Assume the selected agency is large but poorly performing in a highly visible public program which did not have performance measures for employees. The public program serves over two million citizens across the 52 states. Propose and provide a rationale for two change strategies to address the agency’s performance. * Propose two methods of performance measures for the department to meet within six months. Provide a rationale for each method. * In week one I selected to analyze the United States Postal Service (USPS). Over the past decade this agency has been under increasing scrutiny regarding operation costs, procedures and personnel. Since last week’s discussion I took a few minutes to speak to my postal carrier in order to gain some perspective on internal communication within the agency. It was  surprising to learn that the departments within the organization are isolated in such a way that – with exception to â€Å"water cooler† talk – most USPS workers have about the same understanding of the agency’s problem as the general public. * * After reading the â€Å"Instructor’s Insight† supplemental article, I started to consider how the USPS personnel might benefit from a more constitutional administrative approach. Like many, I have noticed that customer service (or just simple pride in the job) is severely lacking with many USPS employees. Considering today’s job market, one would assume that individuals would take their work and team management very seriously. One might also say that it appears that some postal workers are immune from accountability. * * This said, one of the strategies that I would implement would be to reform the organizational culture. It should be a privilege to be employed by – and serve – the American people, while also being trusted to process citizens’ personal property. I agree with Newbold’s (2010) article, in that, public personnel members should pledge to uphold the U.S. Constitution through their service. I also feel that department management should be given the authority to make certain that this new attitude sustains. A simple professional attitude change within the organization can lead to greater productivity, and it could be measured in 6-months via public reaction (exit surveys, media reports, increase in sales, etc). * * After reading Chapter 2 in the Riccucci (2012) book, it also became apparent to me that the method in which recruiting and managing personnel could also benefit from change. In the section regarding â€Å"Strengthening Teaching† Klinger (2012) writes, â€Å"†¦transition includes ethical competencies: the ability to balance conflicting expectations like employee rights and organizational effectiveness†¦ (p22)† Balancing job productivity and employee needs is a challenge in almost every industry. Perhaps another solution might be to focus not only on hiring quality personnel, but continually reassessing employee qualities and how it might best serve the organization. * * Individuals can be motivated by compensation; however, exceptional performance tends to stem from passion. My recommendation would be that 21st-century HRM has to be focused on the individual’s strengths and weaknesses and not what the worker’s union requires. This in my opinion is currently a shortcoming of the USPS. Therefore, I would offer a 6-month challenge that involves department managers communicating with each staff members – every 2 to 4 weeks – and document at least one unique item that each staff person could offer that would benefit the USPS operation team. I believe that with a slow transition, personality can be infused into traditional staff procedure which will lead to empowerment and greater productivity.

English Longbow - Hundred Years War

English Longbow - Hundred Years' War Longbow - Origins: While bows have been used for hunting and warfare for thousands of years, few achieved the fame of the English Longbow. The weapon first rose to prominence when it was deployed by the Welsh during the Norman English invasions of Wales. Impressed by its range and accuracy, the English adopted it and began conscripting Welsh archers into military service. The longbow ranged in length from four feet to in excess of six. British sources usually require the weapon to be longer than five feet to qualify. Longbow - Construction: Traditional longbows were constructed from yew wood which was dried for one to two years, with it slowly being worked into shape over that time. In some cases, the process could take as long as four years. During the period of the longbows use, shortcuts were found, such as wetting the wood, to speed up the process. The bow stave was formed from half of a branch, with the heartwood on the inside and the sapwood to the outside. This approach was necessary as the heartwood was able to better resist compression, while the sapwood performed better in tension. The bow string was typically linen or hemp. Longbow - Accuracy: For its day the longbow possessed both long range and accuracy, though seldom both at once. Scholars estimate the longbows range at between 180 to 270 yards. It is unlikely however, that accuracy could be ensured beyond 75-80 yards. At longer ranges, the preferred tactic to unleash volleys of arrows at masses of enemy troops. During the 14th and 15th centuries, English archers were expected to shoot ten aimed shots per minute during battle. A skilled archer would be capable of around twenty shots. As the typical archer was provided with 60-72 arrows, this permitted three to six minutes of continuous fire. Longbow - Tactics: Though deadly from a distance, archers were vulnerable, particularly to cavalry, at close range as they lacked the armor and weapons of the infantry. As such, longbow equipped archers were frequently positioned behind field fortifications or physical barriers, such as swamps, which could afford protection against attack. On the battlefield, longbowmen were frequently found in an enfilade formation on the flanks of English armies. By massing their archers, the English would unleash a cloud of arrows on the enemy as they advanced which would strike down soldiers and unhorse armored knights. To make the weapon more effective, several specialized arrows were developed. These included arrows with heavy bodkin (chisel) heads which were designed to penetrate chain mail and other light armor. While less effective against plate armor, they generally were able to pierce the lighter armor on knights mount, unhorsing him and forcing him to fight on foot. To speed up their rate of fire in battle, archers would remove their arrows from their quiver and stick them in the ground at their feet. This permitted a smoother motion to reload after each arrow. Longbow - Training: Though an effective weapon, the longbow required extensive training to use effectively. To make sure that deep pool of archers always existed in England, the population, both rich and poor, were encouraged to hone their skills. This was furthered by the government through edicts such King Edward Is ban on sports on Sunday which was designed to ensure that his people practiced archery. As the draw force on the longbow was a hefty 160–180 lbf, archers in training worked their way up to the weapon. The level of training required to be an effective archer discouraged other nations from adopting the weapon. Longbow - Usage: Rising to prominence during the reign of King Edward I (r. 1272–1307), the longbow became a defining feature of English armies for the next three centuries. During this period, the weapon aided in winning victories on the Continent and in Scotland, such as Falkirk (1298). It was during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) that the longbow became legend after it played a key role in securing the great English victories at Crà ©cy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415). It was, however, the weakness of the archers, which cost the English when they were defeated at Patay in (1429). Beginning in the 1350s, England began to suffer a shortage of yew from which to make bow staves. After expanding the harvest, the Statute of Westminster was passed in 1470, which required each ship trading in English ports to pay four bow staves for each ton of goods imported. This was later expanded to ten bow staves per ton. During the 16th century, bows began to be replaced by firearms. While their rate of fire was slower, firearms required much less training and permitted leaders to quickly raise effective armies. Though the longbow was being phased out, it remained in service through the 1640s and was used by Royalist armies during the English Civil War. Its last use in battle is believed to have been at Bridgnorth in October 1642. While England was the only nation to employ the weapon in large numbers, longbow-equipped mercenary companies were used throughout Europe and saw extensive service in Italy.

How to Format Block Quotations

How to Format Block Quotations How to Format Block Quotations How to Format Block Quotations By Mark Nichol A block quotation is a distinct body of type set off from the default text (also called the running text), usually distinguished by insertion of line spaces above and below and formatting of a narrower margin (and sometimes even type of a different point size or a distinct font). When reproducing written text from another source, consider setting the quoted material off from the rest of the content in a block quotation if it is more than a hundred words long. consists of more than one paragraph. is made up of a number of shorter passages (so that it would resemble an indented list without numbers or bullets). constitutes a letter or other correspondence, complete with salutation, signature, and the like, or another type of templated form. requires any special formatting. However, determine whether it might be better to simply paraphrase a long quotation in one or more normal paragraphs with perhaps some partial quotations when phrases should be reproduced verbatim. When the first line of each paragraph in the running text is indented, block quotations of a single paragraph, and the first of multiple paragraphs, are not indented, but subsequent ones should be. When paragraphs in running text are distinguished not by indentation but by line spaces, follow the same format in block quotations. If the block quotation is inserted in a framing paragraph that continues after the quotation, do not indent the first line of the rest of the paragraph. If paragraphs are set off by line spaces, a new paragraph that immediately follows a block quotation should be separated from the quotation by two line spaces so that the new paragraph is not mistaken for a continuation of the paragraph in which the quotation is inserted. When a block quotation is the continuation of an introductory sentence, use punctuation or capitalization (or a lack thereof) accordingly. In this case, the quotation is a continuation of the introduction, so no punctuation or capitalization is necessary: â€Å"The writer described the apparition as a tall, thin wraith of diaphanous constitution, as if made of smoke . . . .† (Note also that a block quotation is not enclosed in quotation marks; it is assumed that such an excerpt is quoted material.) If the first word of the quoted material had originally been capitalized (â€Å"A tall, thin wraith . . .†), silently correct it, as above; it’s not necessary to call attention to the change, as is sometimes done in specialized contexts (â€Å"[a] tall, thin wraith . . .†). A lead-in line consisting of a complete clause, and the first word of the following quotation, should be treated otherwise: â€Å"The writer described the apparition as follows: It was a tall, thin wraith of diaphanous constitution, as if made of smoke . . . .† The same rules hold for run-in quotations (those that are assimilated into the running text): â€Å"The sage says that ‘a fool and his money are soon parted.’† (Though the adage, standing alone, would begin with an uppercase a, it is part of the framing sentence here and must be lowercased; alternatively, you could write, â€Å"The sage says, ‘A fool and his money are soon parted.’†) If the writer wishes to amend or comment on a quotation, several strategies are available: To clarify that a typographical error is in the original, insert sic (Latin for â€Å"thus,† or â€Å"so,† and meaning â€Å"as originally published†), italicized and in brackets, after the offense. Take care, however, not to employ this term as a textual smirk, and if the quotation is full of unconventional, outdated, or variant spelling, an explanatory note before the quotation is preferable to a quotation repeatedly interrupted by [sic]. When you don’t need the entire quotation to illustrate a point, you may delete irrelevant passages and indicate the elision with ellipsis points. However, it is not necessary to precede or follow a passage with ellipses to indicate that you are not reproducing the entire text from which the excerpt is derived; the reader will assume this. If you must make comment or clarify a point, enclose the note in brackets, but be as concise as possible, or provide a longer explanatory note outside the quotation. If you wish to emphasize one or more words or phrases, follow the quotation with the parenthesized note â€Å"Italics added† or â€Å"Emphasis mine,† or vice versa. But a quotation with extant italicization should be treated differently: Insert the comment in brackets immediately following your emphasis. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:16 Substitutes for â€Å"Because† or â€Å"Because Of†How to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsTitled versus Entitled

Paraphrase - Monte Carlo Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Paraphrase - Monte Carlo Simulation - Essay Example As a company decides on investing its present assets in an effective way while expecting cash flow of income over a period of years, the capital budgeting process could be explicated. These decisions are basically dwelt on acquisition and expansion. The foundation of capital budgeting is creation of opportunities because the opportunity as observed is not defined. Prior to capital budgeting for a company needs to assess and analyze the future. Capital budgeting is done through capital expenditure. This is the immense input as investments put in the company’s acquisition of new machinery, space, and other massive input. Many companies have to make decisions that involve budgeting. These decisions are often weighty and risky considering their capital intensity. The main aim of this study is to evaluate Conch Emirates investment opprotunities using techniques centered n capital budgeting. The other objective was to make recommendations founded on the Capital Budgeting Tools. Moreover, the study analyses strengths and weaknesses of venturing into a new product line. It aids in the measurement of future profitability and proper management of capital budgeting tools that lead to more positive results. Proper capital budgeting helps in keeping up with inflammatory changes and trends, projecting growth and checking if the company is achieving its objectives for future projections. Capital budgeting is important since it is used in decision making and the decisions are vital in the profitability and the financial health of a company. A company’s successful performance is attributed to proper capital budgeting. The decisions that pertain capital expenditure are nor easily reversible and may bring loss to the company. In making comparison between two investment opportunities, capital budgeting is an excellent tool. It aids in keeping debts in check therefore preventing losses that may arise in future. This study thereby allows proper capital