Thursday, October 31, 2019

Mexico Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Mexico - Term Paper Example Since 1920, the country went through various changes and reforms in social, agriculture, and political sectors that molded it into what it is now today. The country’s climate varies considerably from one region to another. While the southern region is mostly a tropical jungle, the northern region of the country is an arid desert. The central plateau is a colder region, particularly during winter. Its highest point is at 18,700 feet and -32 feet is its lowest point. The prevailing climate is tropical or desert. The highest average temperature registered in the capital city is 80˚F during April and every January, the temperature can reach as low as 42.4˚F. In the early 16th century, the country’s regions of advanced Amerindian civilizations became colonies of Spain until the beginning of the 19th century. These include underemployment, unequal distribution of income, and the huge economic gap between the rich and the poor. Further, powerful drug-trafficking organiza tions in Mexico are the country’s major cause of peace and order problems and crimes since 2007. In 2011, Mexico’s economy grew by 3.9%, but it is still susceptible to U.S. business cycle and euro zone crisis. That is when the U.S. suffers another economic downturn or the euro zone crisis spills over, Mexico’s economy will surely be dragged down. On the other hand, if the eurozone crisis is contained and the U.S. economy improves, Mexico will gain benefits from the dynamics of its export-based manufacturing sector.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Importance of Accounting Essay Example for Free

The Importance of Accounting Essay Accounting is an important means for an enterprise to implement efficient management, and the main basis to draft policies and plans. With the development of economy and the improvement of modern corporate system, the significance of accounting is becoming more and more obvious. This essay will discuss the main functions of accounting in business contest, thus prove that accounting is really essential and indispensable for an enterprise. Following this, it will explain why it is important for non-accounting professional and non-accounting students to have at least basic knowledge and understanding of accounting. The main functions of accounting in business contest There are many functions of accounting. The importance of accounting in business contest can be stated as follows: Firstly, accounting is an essential part of the whole enterprise management. There are many different departments in a company. The efficiency of the company’s management is not depended on the executives only, but the co-effect of all departments. Accounting is extensively, directly and continuously related to all departments and all business affairs in an enterprise. Therefore, accounting department is in the core position of the operation system. Only by making accounting one part of management, shall we improve the economic efficiency and expend our strength. Secondly, the information of accounting is the basis for decision making. The work of accounting is based on all kinds of information, such as National Economy and social development, and the result of their work should reflect the information. Generally speaking, the accuracy of the executives’ decision depends much on the accuracy of accounting information. The decision makers need accurate accounting information and overall analysis to ensure compatibility between production and sale, exploitation of the market, pricing, and investment of fund. Thirdly, accounting forecast is the foundation of business decision. When making business decisions, comprehending and foreseeing the change of the market is significant as well as mastering the present demand. The executives of an enterprise will foresee the potential demand and development of the market by making accounting analysis. On the other hand, they will analyze the past and present production and sale, and calculate the targeting ones of the future. By doing so, the decision made by the enterprise will be reliable and dependable. Fourthly, accounting analysis is an important guarantee for the business decision. Accounting analysis is not only the premise of planning, but also an important means to evaluate whether the plan is implemented appropriately and see some suggestions for improvement. Through the accounting analysis of the operation achievement, we can explore the potential approach of improving economic benefit and discover the weak segment of the management. Last but not least, the results of accounting are criteria to fix the accuracy of the business decision. Accounting results are quantitative display of the business results. They can reflect the state of business operating accurately. The necessity for non-accountings to have basic knowledge of accounting Accounting is closely connected with all business affairs in an enterprise. It is essential and indispensable for the executives to make all kinds of decision. Consequently, it is really very necessary for non-accounting professional especially the executives to have at least basic knowledge and understanding of accounting. As the leader of the company, they should realize the important function of accounting, strengthen the position of accounting and support the work of accounting mentally, materially and financially. In addition, basic knowledge and understanding of accounting is also very important for non-accounting students who want to be successful in business field in the future. As some of the experts said, accounting is the basic language of business (Yoshiaki, 1990). Therefore, understanding the basic language is the basic element for success. Conclusion Conclusively, accounting is important in a business context and it is important for non-accounting students and professional to have at least basic knowledge and understanding of accounting.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Operations and strategies of Bell Canada Enterprises

Operations and strategies of Bell Canada Enterprises BCE Inc. is Canadas largest telecommunications company for almost 25 years. It is established by Charles Fleefore Sise in 1880. This company provides wireline voice, wireless communications services, Internet access, data services and video services to residential and business customers. It headquartered in Quebec, Canada and employed 50,102 people. The subsidiaries included Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Telebec, and Northern Tel. (Company Profile, 2009) BCE Inc. operates in three segments: Bell Wireline, Bell Wireless and Bell Aliant. Bell Wireline provides telephone services mainly in Ontario and Quebec. They are included local telephone, long distance, internet access and information and communications technology (ICT) solutions and other communications services. Bell Wireless provides wireless voice and data communications products and services across Canada. Bell Aliant provides local telephone, long distance, Internet, data, video, wireless and other ICT services for customers in Canadas Atlantic Provinces, and in rural areas of Ontario and Quebec. BCE also provide telephone service to the customers in Alberta and British Columbia throung its Bell West unit and northern territories through Northwestel (Company, 2009). BCE provides high-speed Internet services to more than two million customers in Canada under the Bell Internet brand through digital subscriber line (DSL) technology. The company set a clear goal for themselves- for Bell to be recognized by customers as Canadas leading communications company and instituted a strategy to deliver a dramatically better customer experience, while attaining a competitive and cost -efficient operation structure. (Annual Report, 2009) Current Business Current Products, Services and Operations Bell Canada Enterprises (BCE, Bell) is the largest communications company in Canada providing a number of different services to people all across the country. BCE has three main segments in operation Bell Wireline, Bell Wireless, and Bell Aliant providing different services to people to make their life easier and more efficient. Bell provides wireline voice and wireless communications services, internet access, data services and video services to residential, business and wholesale customers (Reuters, n.d). The company has a number of other interests which include CTVglobalmedia incorporated, Skyterra Communications inc. and entities that operate the Montreal Canadians and the Bell Centre in Montreal. The company recently acquired The Source Electronics and the remaining part of Virgin Mobile Canada (Reuters, n.d). Bell continues to be an ever growing company that continues to lead the way in the field of communications in Canada by continuing to expand its products and services. Bell Wireline provides telephone, data and other communication services to residential and business customers in Ontario and Quebec but also offers services to businesses in Alberta and British Columbia. With the sale of local telephone, and long distance services under the Bell Home phone brand with internet service under the Ball Internet brand. The company also provides home television service to its customers under the Bell TV brand. Bell provides all necessary wireline services for any business or resident that decides to go with the company (Reuters, n.d). Bell Wireless provides wireless voice and mobile communication products to residents and businesses across Canada. With the sales of cell phone services being the biggest part of this segment of the company through the operations of Bell Mobility and Virgin Mobile Canada, along with wireless product sales from The Source (Reuters, n.d). BCE currently owns approximately 44.1% of Bell Aliant a segment of the company that provides local telephone, long distance, Internet, data, video, wireless, information technology (IT) services and products and other ICT services to residential and business customers in Canadas Atlantic provinces (Reuters, n.d). The company competes with a number of other providers to deliver services to Eastern Canada as it continues to grow the brand throughout Canada. Current Sales and Marketing Strategies Marketing, is a branch of the business where the company generates interest within the general public of their product. This area of business hooks, and latches on to the customers with the purpose of making the consumer a customer for life. Marketing is a vital component of the company and it is one of the main reasons companies can grow and expand. Bell Canada Enterprises owning one of Canadas largest telecommunications provider; competing with Rogers needs to have great marketing ploys to attract and keep customers. With the introduction of the internet companies are able to target a broad number of people with cost effective methods. A few examples of ways consumers are targeted over the internet are E-mail marketing, search engine marketing, online campaigns, online media planning placement and social media optimization. To keep customers another cost effective technique is mobile marketing. Everyone uses e-mail communication which is slowly edging out the pre-historic snail-mail (reference of using postal service). The e-mail is a great tool because it requires no cost to send; the message is sent instantaneously; and users can always keep their sent mail to refer back to. This provides company with a great way of communicating with current and potential customers. Bell Canada uses this to sell its product by e-mailing current customers on new products being offered, and emailing consumers on new products and promotions. It allows Bell to reach a mass amount of people without exercising major costs. Search engine marketing is another way a lot of companies advertise. Everyone who owns or has access to a computer uses a search engine at least once a day. This makes placing ads on these search engines a great opportunity to generate public interest and attract consumers. Placing ads on search engines can be expensive but the exposure the ads gain provides a good cost to benefit ratio. Bell also contacts consumers via telephone (home-phone). They use call-centers to call house-holds and market their products. Telemarketing however annoying it may seem when getting a call during dinner time is proven effective. With the recent boost in cellular usage a less annoying but as effective way to reach customers is via SMS messaging. SMS messaging is cheaper, because it cuts the costs of employing call centers . However the SMS can only be delivered to already existing customers. Which does not get the company new customers but it does help them promote packages and products. Social media presents a huge marketing opportunity for firms. Bell Canada uses this as aan opportunity to garner public attention of their products by having their own Facebook page. Also they run ads on facebook to broadcast themselves to the young and old who use facebook. Social media is not just limited to Faceook and MySpace it also includes Youtube. Youtube allows Bell to run ads for free; it is the single most cost effective way for Bell to gain consumer exposure of its products. It is limited to whoever searches for Bell on Youtube but the fact that its free to upload videos makes the cost to benefit ratio very appealing. Bell just doesnt post commercials on Youtube it also advertises on Youtube as-well. Marketing has evolved over the years. In the past it was just running ads on t.v, telemarketing, banners and flyers that got the job done. Today the internet has put those archaic methods to a limited use. Bell has changed its marketing techniques with the time and uses the internet to its full marketing potential. Current Finance and Accounting Strategies The management of BCE Inc. established a system of internal controls to assure the accuracy and completion in all material respects of the financial statements and the assets are properly accounted for and safeguarded. This is supported by an internal audit group that reports to the Audit Committee, and includes communication with employees about policies for ethical business conduct (Annual Report, 2009). The process of reporting financial statements is under the supervision of the President and Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer of BCE to provide assurance regarding the reliability and the accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for internal and external purposes. External auditing companies such as Deloitte Touche LLP, Independent Registered Chartered Accountants, have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, and the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, deficit and cash flows. They also conducted their audits in accordance with Canadian generally accepted auditing standards and the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The audits include examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation (Annual Report, 2009). Overall, BCE has effective internal control over financial reporting. Current Technological Strategy BCE is the largest communications entity in Canada, providing nationwide, reliable networking services to businesses and residents. To achieve this status, BCE has continued to push forward with leading edge technological advancements and strategies, covering a whole spectrum of services available, such as high speed and wireless internet communication, satellite television and local and long distance calling. A fundamental business step in attaining a successful company is first having a solid information and communications technology (ICT) strategy (BCE, 2010). Bell Canada Enterprise base their ICT strategies on being able to support government and enterprise establishments. They develop their products on connecting businesses to other businesses as well as customers. BCE also continues to upgrade internally, by investing 10% of their revenue into resources and development, to further their own effectiveness as well as recruit top talent to the company. They invest another roughly 3 billion dollars annually into their network, operating and business support systems. Another area incorporated in the technological strategy is Bell Canada Enterprise regularly works together with other leading technological companies to co-construct more innovative technologies which strengthen services the company provides, as well as increase productivity within. All enterprises today must be environmentally aware and continue to implement green issues in their technological strategy. Bell Canada Enterprise now bill customers through the internet, and by doing so they have eliminated 16.6 million pieces of paper and 468 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, values that continue to grow. BCE also donates one dollar to the Nature Conservancy of Canada for every new client registration (BCE, 2006). Bell Canada Enterprise continues to grow, helping businesses nation wide, and by upgrading their own resources, they are further capable of providing the services they offer. The next direction the company is beginning to take is investing and developing VoIP (voice over internet protocol), which is far from the final frontier of communication that BCE will develop and provide to the ever-growing business world. Bell Canada Enterprises Five Year Projections Heading into the future Bell Canada Enterprises wants to continue to be the largest communications provider in Canada. In order to accomplish this, a five part imperative strategy has been put into place that will help maximize subscribers and revenue while improving on the reliable, consistent services that are already being offered to its customers. The five parts of this strategy include: Improving customer service, Accelerate wireless, leverage wireline momentum, invest in broadband networks and services, and achieve a competitive cost structure. Improving customer service is BCEs top priority as in order for the company to remain competitive, delivering excellent reliable customer service is must. That is why the company is executing programs such as Same Day Next Day service which enables the company to try and fix any problems with its wireless or wired service from its office first. If that fails they will send someone to the location within 24 hours to solve the problem. The better training of call centre, field service and channel teams enables them to be more efficient when dealing with customers and help provide the customer with the answer they are looking for. Accelerating wireless is another top priority as there is expected to be a continued grow in data usage. That is why the company is investing heavily into state-of-the-art broadband networks, devices and services that can provide the fastest service offered on the market. This provides the leverage the company needs to attract businesses and residents to its services allowing the company to expand. However, speed and reliability dont provide all the necessary leverage as to achieve maximize subscribers and revenue the company must offer competitive prices. This is done by building the most cost-effective company possible and maximizing efficiency and productivity of everything that is done within the company. Corporate Strategies Globalization and Adaptation In todays business market, globalization is essential for an enterprise. For a company to turn maximum profit, it must be able to reach and appeal to a number of different clientele, as well as exchange resources and technology. As the top communications provider across Canada, there are few areas nationally that are not covered by BCE thus, BCE has currently begun to touch other areas of the world. Bell Canada Enterprise has grown to become the monopolistic communications provider throughout Canada by continuing to buy resource technology from smaller companies such as Northern Telecom, and joint-fund more research together (Canadian Journal of Communication, 1993). Through this purchasing of technology from other companies, or of the companies themselves as a whole (the purchasing of Virgin Mobile), then applying these resources and ideas within their own networks, BCE has been able to adapt to changes in technologies as they are discovered. As smart technology has been released by companies such as Apple and R.I.M, Bell has been able to make these phones compatible on their wireless and mobile networks. They have also continued to keep up with the television business, making their Bell Direct TV satellite frequency serviceable to advancements in high definition televisions. Building off the their ability to reach most of the nation through television, Bell Canada turned their eyes off of Canada, and to the entire world during the recent 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games. Bell retained the exclusive rights to be the partner of the Vancouver Olympics, built the network which broadcast every telecast of the games, making Bell the sole providers of every Olympic image seen on televisions throughout the world (Bell Canada Enterprise, 2010). Having completed projects and adapting to these changes, Bell can only continue to prepare to make new technologies compatible on their networks, and build off their success in delivering television signals to the entire world. With the demand for entertainment and convenience constantly growing in the economy, Bell will continue to globalize, in order to stay ahead of the game. Corporate Responsibility Adaptation and Projection Corporate responsibility have been a central element of Bells operation since the companys founding 130 years ago, and it remains a primary commitment of every member of the Bell Canada Enterprise team today (Corporate, 2009). Bell uses a diversity strategy to maintain a high standard of corporate responsibility. They comply with the employment equity requirements to aim for the four federally designated groups in recruiting, retaining and promoting (See Fig 1- Senior Management Positions BCE). The four federally designed group included women, visible minorities, aboriginals and people with disabilities. For the seventh consecutive year, BCE received a perfect 10/10 rating from Governance Metrics International in its 2009 global corporate governance study (Corporate, 2009) All employees must review the BCE Code of Business Conduct regularly and complete an online training course to ensure that they understand the contents. Moreover, BCE require all directors, officers and vice-presidents to declare annually that they obey principle and rules of the conduct code and support the standards (Corporate, 2009). Their objective for 2010 is to remain a leader in corporate governance and ethical business conduct by maintain best practices, transparency and accountability to their stake holders (Corporate, 2009) BCE is a very responsible and active company by making a significant investment in the local communities. Through the annual program of Walk for Kids Help Phone, they have raised more than $18 million in eight years. This funding are used for providing service, information and counseling to young people. In addition, employees and retirees collect school supplies for kids in need through the program of Backpacks for Kids. Since 2004, this program has contributed more than 17,000 backpacks to schools and community. In 2009, Bell Canada and Bell Aliant together contributed more $13 million in charitable donations. Employees and pensioners committed more than $2.1 million in charitable gifts and logged nearly 43,000 hours of volunteer time (Corporate, 2009). Their 2010 objective is to contribute to the well-being of society through their community investment programs. Business Strategies Technological Projection and Adaptation As technology continues to advance, BCE must continue to keep up with these developments to entice customers to their market. With demand for specific products changing day to day, Bell strives to stay the principal communications enterprise in Canada. Bell has recently released that they will be changing their internet service to the new Fiber to the Node-based (FTTN) broadband internet service, to provide a next generation internet experience. The fiber is driven to a node roughly 3,000 feet near the location, then a copper-based VDSL2 connection is used to connect the internet service to a customer. This idea will differ from the current fiber broadband service, in which the fiber is carried to the side of the customers home (Bell Sympatico, 2010). Bell currently runs on a 3G wireless network, but with the growing technology, BCE is upgrading to a HSPA (High Speed Packet Access) network, which will set the foundation for their eventual upgrade to the faster 4G LTE wireless network. The 4G network is the future of broadband mobile data speeds and multimedia for personal devices (BCE, 2010). Human Resources Projections and Adaptations Bell Canada Enterprise governs its business by putting into place strong policies and systems to guide the activities of the company in the right direction. This has been done by making sure that everyone within the company from the lowest level to the highest one maintains their ethical standards and practices while continuing to exceed the requirements and expectations of the public and the shareholders. This high standard is not limited to the employees of the company, but is also upheld for the people that do business with the company. The company seeks quality products and services from its suppliers while expecting them to act responsibly within the marketplace while also respecting the environment. The demand for high standards and the implementing of strong policies and practices has allowed the company to continue to grow through the years and will help lead the company into the future. Even with this high standard the company has maintained that a successful company is one when the employees are happy with where they work. Believing that work shouldnt just be a place to go every day but be more of a place you want to go and be actively involved in. This is done by creating a dynamic working environment by encouraging its employees to never stop learning and engaging in the decision making of the company. This creates a sense of company pride that is expected to show through in all work that is produced by the company whether it is with helping a customer to the improvement of broadband service. In doing this the company has scored a perfect 10/10 from rating agency GovernanceMetrics International in the global corporate governance study. Bell has also been a leading company in diversifying the work place with Bell Aliant leading the way in this department. With the hiring of a diverse workforce Bell Canada Enterprises has been able to connect to Canadas multi- cultural society. This has lead to Bell Aliant being recognized as one of Canadas Best Diversity Employers in 2009, as part of the Canadas Top 100 Employers project. Marketing and Advertising Projections and Adaptations As we have discussed earlier marketing is a key component of a companies growth. Bell Canada Enterprises which faces fierce competition from the likes of Rogers Communications, so it needs to keep energizing old and potential customers. In Chapter ____ we talked about current and sales marketing strategies. These strategies were mainly related to the internet and social media advertising. This trend will definitely continue in the future. The advertisement of future products and plans will greatly be induced in social media outlets. Companies are quickly realising the amount of useful information sites such as Facebook have. Facebook and Myspace as well as other social media sites contain a host of information on the users likes and dislikes; tastes in fashion, technology, and food. People on these sites often posts problems they are having with current corporations dealings. If one reads BCEs Facebook page it is full of complaints that current customers have with the companys telecommunications branch. Now this may seem like terrible a terrible publicity but one must consider that the only people who go on Bell Mobilitys Facebook page are current users. So this helps Bell realize what its doing wrong and fix it. BCE and other companies use crawlers to gather information from peoples profiles. They then use this information to send personalized ad campaigns to the consumer. SWOT Analysis Strengths One of BCEs biggest strength is the fact that it is already established itself as a major name in the telecommunications market. It is no up-start company vying for notoriety. Just about every Canadian citizen knows that Bell Canada is a telecommunications company. It is second largest in terms of subscribers for wireless operations and owns a majority of the network access lines in major residential areas. It is one of the nations leading digital television providers with 1.8 million subscribers. The number of internet subscribers are 2.1 million which is the most of any company. Bell holds a chokehold in telecommunications coverage in Toronto and Montreal which are major populous areas. BCE also owns a 44.2% stake in Bell Aliant which is the major telecommunications provider in Atlantic Canada. According to industry analysts, total wireless subscribers in Canada are supposed to increase to by 6million users by 2013. Overall the branding of BCE and its longevity thus far will keep B CE in a prominent position in the telecommunications market. Weaknesses We discussed how Bell is a major force in the Canadian telecommunications market which is also its biggest weakness. The figure of a growth of 6 million represents a total 29.5million people on cell phones by 2013. Canada only has a population of 33.3 million; this is not enough for major growth to occur within the company. Also the companys wireline segment has decreased. This accounts for about 55.8% of the companys revenue. If this segment decreases then profits will conversely decrease in the future. Opportunities BCE has invested its money in promising areas in order to capitalize on future opportunities. These future opportunities include in the broadband high-speed internet market which is rampantly growing. It is increasing rollout of its FTTN and pans to add a HPSA network alongside EVDO. The DTV market is also growing and Bell is already a strong player in this market. BCE owns a 100% stake in Virgin mobile expanding its coverage beyond Canada. It has also bought out the retailer The Source which sells electronic goods with over 750 high traffic locations across Canada. Threats BCE faces threats from all aspects of its business environment. Notable threats are from Rogers wireless and TELUS for wireless services and internet. Industry Analysis The wireless telecommunication industry is defined as an industry is including cellular (mobile) phones, pagers and any other wireless or cellular telecommunication service. Revenues are based on payments to operators of all of these services for subscriptions and usage (Industry, 2009). The Canadian telecommunication is an increasing industry with total revenue of $14.8 billion and a compound annual growth rate of 11.3% during 2005 to 2009 (See Fig 2). In addition, it generated a total economic value the total value of direct GDP contribution, output multiplier and consumer surplus of $39 billion for the Canadian economy (Industry, 2009). This is a very intensely competing industry due to the low level of service differentiation. Companies are competing each other through brand awareness, functionality and value pricing to attract more customers. Competition will increase as a result of new technologies and services in the future. Competition will also increase to the extent that n ew firms enter the market if additional radio spectrum is made available for commercial wireless services (Industry, 2009). The market will become more intense as it approaches higher saturation. Three leading companies in this industry are Rogers Communication, BCE Inc., and TELUS Corporation. Rogers accounts 37.2% and BCE Inc accounts 30.6% share of the market (Industry, 2009). Based on the financial ratios in 2009, BCE Inc. did not have great financial situation when compared to Rogers and TELUS. From the Fig 5 on Appendix A, Bell had pretty low profitability ratios, which means investors did not earn as much money in comparison with Rogers and TELUS. In addition, Bell had the lowest return of assets ratio among the two top competitors means that it earned less money per dollar of assets. Consequently, Bell did not utilize its assets to net income as effectively as its competitors. However, Bell had well control on its costs in the industry. It was able to convert its sales into actual profit effectively. Based on current ratio, Bell was unable to pay off its obligation on time. A current ratio with 0.69 means that for every dollar of current liability, Bell only had $0.69 of current assets (FP Infomart, 2009). In another word, Bell did not have the ability to turn its product into cash more easily. When compared with the industry, Bell had weak and unstable financial situation. The Price/Earnings ratio indicates that Bells shares were selling at a price that was 12.25 times its earnings per share. The P/E ratio is lower than the industry ratio, means that the investors are paying less for each unit of net income. However, Bell had a higher dividend yield than its competitors and the industry. Generally, big figures of dividend yield will attract more investors to invest in a company. Therefore, Bell has more investors than Rogers and TELUS, which means more capital, will be brought into the company and result higher revenue.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Christopher Marlowes Work and Style Essays -- Biography Biographies E

Christopher Marlowe's Work and Style Christopher Marlowe is a famous Elizabethan poet and playwright. Although often overshadowed by Shakespeare’s popularity, he nonetheless is deserving of attention. Not to dampen the masterpiece of his other works, I believe Marlowe’s unique style is best exemplified in his plays. Marlowe’s plays include Dido, Queen of Cathage, Tamburlaine the Great Parts One and Two, The Jew of Malta, The Massacre at Paris, Edward the II, and The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus. All of Marlowe’s works are unique and astounding in their own ways. Audiences loved the Jew of Malta, and it was performed thirty-six times over the course of four years. Keep in mind that was an amazing record in Marlowe’s time. However, more important to mention may be his great contributions to the art of drama. Marlowe donated two major gifts to drama. The first is the improvement of the blank verse. Some had shunned its use and claimed it was unscholarly. Others used it, but were unable to lift if above commonplace. In such work, it was constructed with isolated lines, one right after another, without grouping according to thought. All of the verses were made after one rhythmical pattern, with the same number of feet and â€Å"caesura† always in place. ( Hopkins 11). Marlowe’s first genius was, â€Å"the invention of numberless variations while still keeping the satisfying rhythm within a recurring pattern. Sometimes he left a redundant syllable, or left the line one syllable short, or moved the position of the caesura. He grouped his lines according to the thought and adapted his various rhythms to the ideas. Thus, the blank verse became a living organism, plastic, brilliant, and finished† (Cutts 19). His se... ...looked by the better-known Shakespeare. From his contributions to drama, which included his use of blank verse and heroic tragedy, to his great themes and characters we see a timeless collection of work and style. Works Cited Cartelli, Thomas. Marlowe, Shakespeare, and the Economy of Theatrical Experience. Philadelphia: U of Pennsylvania P, 1991. Cutts, John. The Left Hand of God. Haddonfield. New Jersey: Haddonfield House, 1973. - - -. Introduction. The Left Hand of God. Haddonfield, New Jersey: Haddonfield House, 1973. Hopkins, Lisa. â€Å"Characteristics of Marlowe’s Work.† A Short History of the Theatre. Ed. Martha Fletcher Bellinger. New York: Henry Holt, 1927 (221-222). Munson Deats, Sara. â€Å"The Subversion of Gender Hierarchies in Dido, Queen of Carthage.† Marlowe, History and Sexuality. Ed. Paul Whitfield White. New York: AMS Press, 1998.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving Essay

A popular theme in literature concerns the concept of ‘growing up’, a painful process by which a character achieves maturity, self-knowledge and confidence. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, the character of Owen Meany achieves this painful process. Owen Meany is introduced in the novel as a remarkable individual and throughout it can be observed how the brilliant child evolves into the memorable individual that he turns into. In the novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving, Owen Meany matures, gains self-knowledge and confidence to become the miracle that his character was. Owen Meany was obviously a brilliant child, but was still able to improve on his excellent character as he was growing. This can be seen through Owen’s maturity level. He was always remarkable advanced and mature for his age, but as he became older, he understood even more than before. His best friend was Johnny Wheelwright. In their friendship, Owen looked after Johnny. He gave him advice and even helped him out academically. When Johnny was bitter about his mother not revealing to him who his father was before she died, Owen came up with a mature response, â€Å"Of course, as Owen pointed out to me, I was only eleven when she died, and my mother was only thirty; she probably thought she had a lot of time left to tell me the story. She didn’t know she was going to die, as Owen Meany put it.† (Irving 10) In the face of irrationality, Owen found it easy to point out the logic. The easy way he comes up with intelligent responses to difficult questions are proof of this child’s brilliance. Later on his life, the reader sees that Owen has matured in regards to his perspective on Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy. Kennedy had been somewhat of a hero in Owen’s mind and he had felt betrayed by him. He is able to later recover from this viewpoint and analyze the situation differently. She’s just like our whole country – not quite young anymore. But not old either; a little breathless, very beautiful, maybe a little stupid, maybe a lot more smarter than she seemed. And she was looking for something – I think she wanted to be good. Look at the men in her life – Joe DiMaggio, Arthur Miller, maybe the Kennedys. Look at how good they seem! Look at how desirable she was! †¦ She was never quite happy †¦ She was just like our whole country †¦ Those famous powerful men – did they really love her? Did they take care of her? If she was ever with the Kennedys, they couldn’t have loved her – they were just using her †¦. People will do and say anything just to get the power; then they’ll use the power just to get a thrill †¦. The country is a sucker for powerful men who look good, we think they’re moralists and then they just use us. That’s what’s going to happen to you and me †¦ we’re going to be used.† (Irving 431) Owen Meany is very good at analysis, and he uses these talents to make conclusions on many things. It is an excellent example of his maturity. When Owen first discovered that JFK might be having an affair with Marilyn Monroe, he was shocked. Now, he is able to rationalize it and see JFK in a different light. He is able to come up with educated ideas concerning JFK and Marilyn Monroe. His metaphor of Marilyn Monroe and the United States is an excellent one. Both Marilyn Monroe and America have a great deal in common because of their mutual exploitation by the rich and powerful. Owen Meany learns a great deal about himself through the course of his life. He is convinced that there are reasons for all things. One of his strongest conviction stems from what his parents told him about him being born in the same way as Jesus. Due to this, Owen feels very convinced and assured of himself. He is a highly intelligent child: I know three things. I know that my voice doesn’t change, and I know when I’m going to die. I wish I knew why my voice never changes, I wish I knew how I was going to die; But God has allowed me to know more than most people know – so I’m not complaining. The third thing I know is that I am God’s instrument; I have faith that God will let me know what I’m supposed to do, and when I’m supposed to do it.† (Irving 366) Owen has complete faith that there are reasons for his being the way he is. This is an example of Owen’s self-knowledge. He knew these things with a complete certainty and accepted them. Few people will have blind faith in something. Owen had questions, but he still put his faith in God, bowing to his superiority. He knows who he is. He understands his purpose. He is told by many that he is crazy and insane for thinking that there is a plan for why he has the voice he has. He is also told that he should run far away from what he thinks his destiny is, but Owen is not most people. He knows what his destiny is and runs towards it. Owen’s self-awareness and knowledge is what allows him to feel that he is headed towards the right path. In the end, Owen was right. He is able to save the Vietnamese children, â€Å"It was not only because he spoke their language; it was his voice that compelled the children to listen to him – it was a voice like their voices. That was why they trusted him, why they listened. ‘DOONG SA,’ he said, and they stopped crying.† (Irving 612) In the end, Owen is to be admired for his self-knowledge. Johnny would now be wrong in thinking Owen to be strange for thinking that his odd voice had a purpose. It did have a purpose. Owen’s voice helped him save the Vietnamese children. Owen Meany has a great deal of confidence in himself. If he sets his mind to do something, he can do anything. Owen Meany desperately wanted to join the army and be able to fight so that he could fulfill his purpose that he discovered in his dream. â€Å"If there’s a war and I’m in the army, I want to be in the war †¦ I don’t want to spend the war at a desk. Look at it this way: we agree that Harry Hoyt is an idiot. Who’s going to keep the Harry Hoyts from getting their heads blown off?† (Irving 462) The way that Owen ended the statement, almost makes him sound cocky. In a way, he is, but another term to describe it would be that Owen is confident. He places total trust in God that what will happen will happen. He is confident that he is going to die, fulfill his purpose in life and be a hero. It is uncanny how unshakable Owen’s faith is. Most people are unable to practice what they preach, and Owen does what he thinks is right. He does live by his rules. It is unbelievable that he is willing to throw away his life because of his faith in God. He does not even have any proof of assurance that God does exist, but in his mind he does not need any. When Owen would be practicing his basketball shot with Johnny and it would get dark, he would ask Johnny if he could still see a statue of Mary Magdalene after it became completely dark. He would ask Johnny how he could be certain that she was still there, if he could not see her, â€Å"You absolutely know she isn’t there – even though you can’t see her?’ †¦ Well, now you know how I feel about God †¦ I can’t see Him – but I absolutely know he is there!† (Irving 451) Owen explains to Johnny that he just knows in his gut and instinctively that God exists. In the same way that people can understand and accept that other things exist without physical proof, Owen is convinced of the existence of God. His confidence is daunting. It is unusual for a person to be so rationally convinced about theology and at the same time be willing to go to extremes in the name of God. When he was getting closer to the day of his death, he had doubts, â€Å"I don’t know why he’s here – I just know he has to be here! But I don’t even ‘know’ that – not anymore. It doesn’t make sense! Where is Vietnam – in all of this? Where are those poor children? Was it all just a terrible dream? Am I simply crazy? Is tomorrow just another day?† (Irving 604) Owen is growing up. He is scared and confused. He doesn’t know why Johnny has to be there for his dream to come true. He doesn’t know if anything is going to happen. His doubts are the most important step to his growing up. In the end, he was right all along. The character, Owen Meany, was a miraculous one, due to his maturity, self-knowledge and confidence, in the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Owen was always mature for his age, but he was able to improve on it and make better judgements. He understood that although Kennedy was someone who had been a hero to him, that things are not always as you want them to be. He was able to open his mind to this, and eventually accept the possibility that Kennedy might have behaved inappropriately. Owen had an extreme amount of assurance in himself. He just knew some things and did not feel the need to question them too much. He knew that there was a reason for his voice and although, he wanted to know why, he did not feel daunted by this. He had faith in his ability to do things, even some that he did not manage to do, such as, going to war. Owen’s confidence is the last important point in his path to ‘growing up’. He had doubts and fear, but in the end his confidence in God and himself won out. Owen finally grew up, when he did what he was meant to do by God.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Nelson Mandela - A Biography

Nelson Mandela - A Biography Nelson Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa in 1994, following the first multiracial election in South Africas history. Mandela was imprisoned from 1962 to 1990 for his role in fighting apartheid policies established by the ruling white minority. Revered by his people as a national symbol of the struggle for equality, Mandela is considered one of the 20th centurys most influential political figures. He and South African Prime Minister F.W. de Klerk were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 for their role in dismantling the apartheid system. Dates: July 18, 1918- December 5, 2013 Also Known As: Rolihlahla Mandela, Madiba, Tata Famous quote:   I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. Childhood Nelson Rilihlahla Mandela was born in the village of Mveso, Transkei, South Africa on July 18, 1918 to Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa and Noqaphi Nosekeni, the third of Gadlas four wives. In Mandelas native language, Xhosa, Rolihlahla meant troublemaker. The surname Mandela came from one of his grandfathers. Mandelas father was a chief of the Thembu tribe in the Mvezo region, but served under the authority of the ruling British government. As a descendant of royalty, Mandela was expected to serve in his fathers role when he came of age. But when Mandela was only an infant, his father rebelled against the British government by refusing a mandatory appearance before the British magistrate. For this, he was stripped of his chieftaincy and his wealth, and forced to leave his home. Mandela and his three sisters moved with their mother back to her home village of Qunu. There, the family lived in more modest circumstances. The family lived in mud huts and survived on the crops they grew and the cattle and sheep they raised. Mandela, along with the other village boys, worked herding sheep and cattle. He later recalled this as one of the happiest periods in his life. Many evenings, villagers sat around the fire, telling the children stories passed down through generations, of what life had been like before the white man had arrived. From the mid-17th century, Europeans (first the Dutch and later the British) had arrived on South African soil and gradually taken control from the native South African tribes. The discovery of diamonds and gold in South Africa in the 19th century had only tightened the grip that Europeans had on the nation. By 1900, most of South Africa was under the control of Europeans. In 1910, the British colonies merged with the Boer (Dutch) republics to form the Union of South Africa, a part of the British Empire. Stripped of their homelands, many Africans were forced to work for white employers at low-paying jobs. Young Nelson Mandela, living in his small village, did not yet feel the impact of centuries of domination by the white minority. Mandelas Education Although themselves uneducated, Mandelas parents wanted their son to go to school. At the age of seven, Mandela was enrolled in the local mission school. On the first day of class, each child was given an English first name; Rolihlahla was given the name Nelson. When he was nine years old, Mandelas father died. According to his fathers last wishes, Mandela was sent to live in the Thembu capital, Mqhekezeweni, where he could continue his education under the guidance of another tribal chief, Jongintaba Dalindyebo. Upon first seeing the chiefs estate, Mandela marveled at his large home and beautiful gardens. In Mqhekezeweni, Mandela attended another mission school and became a devout Methodist during his years with the Dalindyebo family. Mandela also attended tribal meetings with the chief, who taught him how a leader should conduct himself. When Mandela was 16, he was sent to a boarding school in a town several hundred miles away. Upon his graduation in 1937 at the age of 19, Mandela enrolled in Healdtown, a Methodist college. An accomplished student, Mandela also became active in boxing, soccer, and long-distance running. In 1939, after earning his certificate, Mandela began his studies for a Bachelor of Arts at the prestigious Fort Hare College, with a plan to ultimately attend law school. But Mandela did not complete his studies at Fort Hare; instead, he was expelled after participating in a student protest. He returned to the home of Chief Dalindyebo, where he was met with anger and disappointment. Just weeks after his return home, Mandela received stunning news from the chief. Dalindyebo had arranged for both his son, Justice, and Nelson Mandela to marry women of his choosing. Neither young man would consent to an arranged marriage, so the two decided to flee to Johannesburg, the South African capital. Desperate for money to finance their trip, Mandela and Justice stole two of the chiefs oxen and sold them for train fare. Move to Johannesburg Arriving in Johannesburg in 1940, Mandela found the bustling city an exciting place. Soon, however, he was awakened to the injustice of the black mans life in South Africa. Prior to moving to the capital, Mandela had lived mainly among other blacks. But in Johannesburg, he saw the disparity between the races. Black residents lived in slum-like townships that had no electricity or running water; while whites lived grandly off the wealth of the gold mines. Mandela moved in with a cousin and quickly found a job as a security guard. He was soon fired when his employers learned about his theft of the oxen and his escape from his benefactor. Mandelas luck changed when he was introduced to Lazar Sidelsky, a liberal-minded white lawyer. After learning of Mandelas desire to become an attorney, Sidelsky, who ran a large law firm serving both blacks and whites, offered to let Mandela work for him as a law clerk. Mandela gratefully accepted and took on the job at the age of 23, even as he worked to finish his BA via correspondence course. Mandela rented a room in one of the local black townships. He studied by candlelight each night and often walked the six miles to work and back because he lacked bus fare. Sidelsky supplied him with an old suit, which Mandela patched up and wore nearly every day for five years. Committed to the Cause In 1942, Mandela finally completed his BA and enrolled at the University of Witwatersrand as a part-time law student. At Wits, he met several people who would work with him in the years to come for the cause of liberation. In 1943, Mandela joined the African National Congress (ANC),  an organization that worked to improve conditions for blacks in South Africa. That same year, Mandela marched in a successful bus boycott staged by thousands of residents of Johannesburg in protest of high bus fares. As he grew more infuriated by racial inequalities, Mandela deepened his commitment to the struggle for liberation. He helped to form the Youth League, which sought to recruit younger members and transform the ANC into a more militant organization, one that would fight for equal rights. Under laws of the time, Africans were forbidden from owning land or houses in the towns, their wages were five times lower than those of whites, and none could vote. In 1944, Mandela, 26, married nurse Evelyn Mase, 22, and they moved into a small rental home. The couple had a son, Madiba (Thembi), in February 1945, and a daughter, Makaziwe, in 1947. Their daughter died of meningitis as an infant. They welcomed another son, Makgatho, in 1950, and a second daughter, named Makaziwe after her late sister, in 1954. Following the general elections of 1948 in which the white National Party claimed victory, the partys first official act was to establish apartheid. With this act, the long-held, haphazard system of segregation in South Africa became a formal, institutionalized policy, supported by laws and regulations. The new policy would even determine, by race, which parts of town each group could live in. Blacks and whites were to be separated from each other in all aspects of life, including public transportation, in theaters and restaurants, and even on beaches. The Defiance Campaign Mandela completed his law studies in 1952 and, with partner Oliver Tambo, opened the first black law practice in Johannesburg. The practice was busy from the start. Clients included Africans who suffered the injustices of racism, such as seizure of property by whites and beatings by the police. Despite facing hostility from white judges and lawyers, Mandela was a successful attorney. He had a dramatic, impassioned style in the courtroom. During the 1950s, Mandela became more actively involved with the protest movement. He was elected president of the ANC Youth League in 1950. In June 1952, the ANC, along with Indians and colored (biracial) people- two other groups also targeted by discriminatory laws- began a period of nonviolent protest known as the Defiance Campaign. Mandela spearheaded the campaign by recruiting, training, and organizing volunteers. The campaign lasted six months, with cities and towns throughout South Africa participating. Volunteers defied the laws by entering areas meant for whites only. Several thousand were arrested in that six-month time, including Mandela and other ANC leaders. He and the other members of the group were found guilty of statutory communism and sentenced to nine months of hard labor, but the sentence was suspended. The publicity garnered during the Defiance Campaign helped membership in the ANC soar to 100,000. Arrested for Treason The government twice banned Mandela, meaning that he could not attend public meetings, or even family gatherings, because of his involvement in the ANC. His 1953 banning lasted two years. Mandela, along with others on the executive committee of the ANC, drew up the Freedom Charter in June 1955 and presented it during a special meeting called the Congress of the People. The charter called for equal rights for all, regardless of race, and the ability of all citizens to vote, own land, and hold decent-paying jobs. In essence, the charter called for a non-racial South Africa. Months after the charter was presented, police raided the homes of hundreds of members of the ANC and arrested them. Mandela and 155 others were charged with high treason. They were released to await a trial date. Mandelas marriage to Evelyn suffered from the strain of his long absences; they divorced in 1957 after 13 years of marriage. Through work, Mandela met Winnie Madikizela, a social worker who had sought his legal advice. They married in June 1958, just months before Mandelas trial began in August. Mandela was 39 years old, Winnie only 21. The trial would last three years; during that time, Winnie gave birth to two daughters, Zenani and Zindziswa. Sharpeville Massacre The trial, whose venue was changed to Pretoria, moved at a snails pace. The preliminary arraignment alone took a year; the actual trial didnt start until August 1959. Charges were dropped against all but 30 of the accused. Then, on March 21, 1960, the trial was interrupted by a national crisis. In early March, another anti-apartheid group, the Pan African Congress (PAC) had held large demonstrations protesting strict pass laws, which required Africans to carry identification papers with them at all times in order to be able to travel throughout the country. During one such protest in Sharpeville, police had opened fire on unarmed protestors, killing 69, and wounding more than 400. The shocking incident, which was universally condemned, was called the Sharpeville Massacre. Mandela and other ANC leaders called for a national day of mourning, along with a stay at home strike. Hundreds of thousands participated in a mostly peaceful demonstration, but some rioting erupted. The South African government declared a national state of emergency and martial law was enacted. Mandela and his co-defendants were moved into prison cells, and both the ANC and PAC were officially banned. The treason trial resumed on April 25, 1960 and lasted until March 29, 1961. To the surprise of many, the court dropped charges against all of the defendants, citing a lack of evidence proving that the defendants had planned to violently overthrow the government. For many, it was cause for celebration, but Nelson Mandela had no time to celebrate. He was about to enter into a new- and dangerous- chapter in his life. The Black Pimpernel Prior to the verdict, the banned ANC had held an illegal meeting and decided that if Mandela was acquitted, he would go underground after the trial. He would operate clandestinely to give speeches and gather support for the liberation movement. A new organization, the National Action Council (NAC), was formed and Mandela named as its leader. In accordance with the ANC plan, Mandela became a fugitive directly after the trial. He went into hiding at the first of several safe houses, most of them located in the Johannesburg area. Mandela stayed on the move, knowing that the police were looking everywhere for him. Venturing out only at night, when he felt safest, Mandela dressed in disguises, such as a chauffeur or a chef. He made unannounced appearances, giving speeches at places that were presumed safe, and also made radio broadcasts. The press took to calling him the Black Pimpernel, after the title character in the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel. In October 1961, Mandela moved to a farm in Rivonia, outside of Johannesburg. He was safe for a time there and could even enjoy visits from Winnie and their daughters. Spear of the Nation In response to the governments increasingly violent treatment of protestors, Mandela developed a new arm of the ANC- a military unit that he named Spear of the Nation, known also as MK. The MK would operate using a strategy of sabotage, targeting military installations, power facilities, and transportation links. Its goal was to damage property of the state, but not to harm individuals. The MKs first attack came in December 1961, when they bombed an electric power station and empty government offices in Johannesburg. Weeks later, another set of bombings were carried out. White South Africans were startled into the realization that they could no longer take their safety for granted. In January 1962, Mandela, who had never in his life been out of South Africa, was smuggled out of the country to attend a Pan-African conference. He hoped to get financial and military support from other African nations, but was not successful. In Ethiopia, Mandela received training in how to fire a gun and how to build small explosives. Captured After 16 months on the run, Mandela was captured on August 5, 1962, when the car he was driving was overtaken by police. He was arrested on charges of leaving the country illegally and inciting a strike. The trial began on October 15, 1962. Refusing counsel, Mandela spoke on his own behalf. He used his time in court to denounce the governments immoral, discriminatory policies. Despite his impassioned speech, he was sentenced to five years in prison. Mandela was 44 years old when he entered Pretoria Local Prison. Imprisoned in Pretoria for six months, Mandela was then taken to Robben Island, a bleak, isolated prison off the coast of Cape Town, in May 1963. After only a few weeks there, Mandela learned he was about to head back to court- this time on charges of sabotage. He would be charged along with several other members of MK, who had been arrested on the farm in Rivonia. During the trial, Mandela admitted his role in the formation of MK. He emphasized his belief that the protestors were only working toward what they deserved- equal political rights. Mandela concluded his statement by saying that he was prepared to die for his cause. Mandela and his seven co-defendants received guilty verdicts on June 11, 1964. They could have been sentenced to death for so serious a charge, but each was given life imprisonment. All of the men (except one white prisoner) were sent to Robben Island. Life at Robben Island At Robben Island, each prisoner had a small cell with a single light that stayed on 24 hours a day. Prisoners slept on the floor upon a thin mat. Meals consisted of cold porridge and an occasional vegetable or piece of meat (although Indian and Asian prisoners received more generous rations than their black counterparts.) As a reminder of their lower status, black prisoners wore short pants all year-round, whereas others were allowed to wear trousers. Inmates spent nearly ten hours a day at hard labor, digging out rocks from a limestone quarry. The hardships of prison life made it difficult to maintain ones dignity, but Mandela resolved not to be defeated by his imprisonment. He became the spokesperson and leader of the group, and was known by his clan name, Madiba. Over the years, Mandela led the prisoners in numerous protests- hunger strikes, food boycotts, and work slowdowns. He also demanded reading and study privileges. In most cases, the protests eventually yielded results. Mandela suffered personal losses during his imprisonment. His mother died in January 1968 and his 25-year-old son Thembi died in a car accident the following year. A heartbroken Mandela was not allowed to attend either funeral. In 1969, Mandela received word that his wife Winnie had been arrested on charges of communist activities. She spent 18 months in solitary confinement and was subjected to torture. The knowledge that Winnie had been imprisoned caused Mandela great distress. Free Mandela Campaign Throughout his imprisonment, Mandela remained the symbol of the anti-apartheid movement, still inspiring his countrymen. Following a Free Mandela campaign in 1980 that attracted global attention, the government capitulated somewhat. In April 1982, Mandela and four other Rivonia prisoners were transferred to Pollsmoor Prison on the mainland. Mandela was 62 years old and had been at Robben Island for 19 years. Conditions were much improved from those at Robben Island. Inmates were allowed to read newspapers, watch TV, and receive visitors. Mandela was given a lot of publicity, as the government wanted to prove to the world that he was being treated well. In an effort to stem the violence and repair the failing economy, Prime Minister P.W. Botha announced on January 31, 1985 that he would release Nelson Mandela if Mandela agreed to renounce violent demonstrations. But Mandela refused any offer that was not unconditional. In December 1988, Mandela was transferred to a private residence at the Victor Verster prison outside Cape Town and later brought in for secret negotiations with the government. Little was accomplished, however, until Botha resigned from his position in August 1989, forced out by his cabinet. His successor, F.W. de Klerk, was ready to negotiate for peace. He was willing to meet with Mandela. Freedom at Last At Mandelas urging, de Klerk released Mandelas fellow political prisoners without condition in October 1989. Mandela and de Klerk had long discussions about the illegal status of the ANC and other opposition groups, but came to no specific agreement. Then, on February 2, 1990, de Klerk made an announcement that stunned Mandela and all of South Africa. De Klerk enacted a number of sweeping reforms, lifting the bans on the ANC, the PAC, and the Communist Party, among others. He lifted the restrictions still in place from the 1986 state of emergency and ordered the release of all nonviolent political prisoners. On February 11, 1990, Nelson Mandela was given an unconditional release from prison. After 27 years in custody, he was a free man at the age of 71. Mandela was welcomed home by thousands of people cheering in the streets. Soon after his return home, Mandela learned that his wife Winnie had fallen in love with another man in his absence. The Mandelas separated in April 1992 and later divorced. Mandela knew that despite the impressive changes that had been made, there was still much work to be done. He returned immediately to working for the ANC, traveling across South Africa to speak with various groups and to serve as a negotiator for further reforms. In 1993, Mandela and de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their joint effort to bring about peace in South Africa. President Mandela On April 27, 1994, South Africa held its first election in which blacks were allowed to vote. The ANC won 63 percent of the votes, a majority in Parliament. Nelson Mandela- only four years after his release from prison- was elected the first black president of South Africa. Nearly three centuries of white domination had ended. Mandela visited many Western nations in an attempt to convince leaders to work with the new government in South Africa. He also made efforts to help bring about peace in several African nations, including Botswana, Uganda, and Libya. Mandela soon earned the admiration and respect of many outside of South Africa. During Mandelas term, he addressed the need for housing, running water, and electricity for all South Africans. The government also returned land to those it had been taken from, and made it legal again for blacks to own land. In 1998, Mandela married Graca Machel on his eightieth birthday. Machel, 52 years old, was the widow of a former president of Mozambique. Nelson Mandela did not seek re-election in 1999. He was replaced by his Deputy President, Thabo Mbeki. Mandela retired to his mothers village of Qunu, Transkei. Mandela became involved in raising funds for HIV/AIDS, an epidemic in Africa. He organized the AIDS benefit 46664 Concert in 2003, so named after his prison ID number. In 2005, Mandelas own son, Makgatho, died of AIDS at the age of 44. In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly designated July 18, Mandelas birthday, as Nelson Mandela International Day. Nelson Mandela died at his Johannesburg home on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95.

Monday, October 21, 2019

Women in American Colonies essays

Women in American Colonies essays For my first paper, I want to write about women in the American colonies. I want to give a picture how can they survive in a strange new world across the Atlantic far away from their own mother country. I also want answer the question: Did women have a greater freedom in the colonies than in their own country? I want to concentrate more especially in England who migrated to the America. The New England colonies started in 1620 because of the lack of religious freedom in England. In addition England had too many people. The population of the country was jumped from 4 to 4 million during the 16th century. The food production and employment had not keep pace with the increase. In the other hand, one could hope to own land when it was almost impossible for most people to do so in England. Because of the reasons above, on 14th May, 1607, just over 100 men and boys filed in the small ships Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery, onto what English adventurers came to call Jamestown Island in Virginia. That was only the first English settlement in the now world. Following, there were 13 more settlement in America, which was Massachusetts, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Between 1629 and 1640, some twenty-one men, women and children migrated to new world in search of a better life. Migration for most females meant that their new life would be perhaps no more full of joy than her old one had-nor any less. They find the life of a woman in this new world to be profoundly unlike what they had left behind - different and not always easier. However difficult English women found their first years in New England, other colonial settlements held harder lessons by far. Almost every woman who left England for Virginia or Maryland in the early seventeenth century would have expected to work hard from the moment she rea...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

11 Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests

Things You Must Avoid During ACT Practice Tests SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips If you’re using practice tests for your ACT prep, great job! That’s the best way to prepare for the ACT, but how do you make sure you’re learning from each ACT practice exam you take? How do you make sure you’re really prepared for the actual ACT? You must sit for each ACT practice exam with realistic testing conditions. What might you be doing (maybe on accident) that’s destroying your realistic testing conditions? #1: Not Using Accurate ACT Timing When taking ACT practice test, you need to use the exact timing from the real ACT.The ACT is extremely tough on time. It’s a very fast-paced test.If you’re not using the actual timing in your practice, you won’t be ready the day of your ACT test. Use the real ACT time on your practice test, so you have your pacing down when you take the real ACT.Think of ACT prep like marathon training. You wouldn’t show up to run a marathon without timing your practice runs and expect to win 1st place. Do you know the exact timing of the ACT?If not, you can find the time allowed for each ACT section listed on the first page of that section of the practice test. See below: If you’d like to know more about timing, read about the exact timing of the ACT. #2: Using Your Cell Phone Wait, Dora, didn’t you just say I need to time my ACT practice tests, and if I can’t use my cell phone, how do I do that?You need to use a watch.If you ignore my advice and use your cell phone to keep time, you’ll likely feel a little lost in timing when you’re not able to use your cell phone the day of the test. (NOTE: you can’t use your phone at all at your test center even during the test breaks). So don’t use your cell phone! Buy an inexpensive watch like this one which you could use when you take the real ACT.Buy the watch now so that you can start using it during practice tests, so you get familiar using it to pace yourself. But, Dora, what if I time myself with my cell phone in airplane mode?No!!!That’s better than using your cell phone in regular mode. However, you will still feel lost the day of the test when you can’t use it to time yourself the day of the test. Dora, what if I need to use my cell phone as a calculator?BAD!As I said, you won’t have access to your cell phone at all while at your test center, so buy yourself an approved calculator now if you don’t have one and use it during your practice on ACT Math. You can check Instagram when your practice test is over! #3: Using Your Calculator During the Entire ACT Practice Test While we’re talking about calculators, remember you can only use your calculator on the math section.Do not have your calculator on your desk for the Reading, Writing, Science, and the Essay.Only have your calculator during the one math section that allows you to use a calculator. #4: Watching TV, Listening to Music, and/or Wearing Ear Plugs Some students watch tv and/or listen to music while taking ACT practice tests, and it will be a distraction, decreasing their score because they can’t concentrate.Others watch tv and/or listen to music, and it helps them maintain their focus, artificially increasing their score.Whichever category you fall into, you should never have the TV or music playing while you take an ACT practice test.Familiarize yourself with taking the ACT in a quiet room. However, you cannot wear ear plugs during your practice tests.I understand many people like wearing ear plugs because it cuts out background noise and helps maintain focus.The ACT doesn’t allow you to wear ear plugs. Get used to hearing background noise as you take your practice tests because when you take the ACT, you’ll have to deal with background sounds of paper moving, pencils writing, erasers rubbing, and more. #5: Eating and/or Drinking At the real ACT, you cannot eat during the test.However, you’ll be able to eat and drink outside of your testing room during the breaks.Don’t eat/drink while taking your ACT practice tests (except during breaks). There are two important reasons not to:If you're attempting to eat/drink and take the test at the same time, you may be very distracted and reduce your score.Also, you get a boost of energy when you eat or drink.This boost may make the ACT seem â€Å"easier.†Then, on the real ACT, you might be surprised when the ACT seems â€Å"longer† and â€Å"more difficult† because you don’t have the artificial energy boost from food/drink. As I’ve said earlier, the ACT is like a marathon.Train for it with the same intensity.During your ACT practice, only have food/drink during the breaks. No food or drink! #6: Taking Extra Restroom Breaks You will not be allowed to leave your test to go to the restroom.You’ll be forced to wait to go to the restroom until the breaks.You need to get familiar with holding it until the break! Practice this during your ACT practice tests.You don’t want to be thinking about how badly you need to use the restroom while trying to concentrate on your ACT. I strongly suggest you use the bathroom right before the ACT begins (or you start your ACT practice test), so you start with an empty tank. #7: Not Sitting at a Desk Where you take your ACT practice test is significant, don’t take the test on your couch or in your bed!Take the ACT practice tests while sitting upright at a desk.If you ignore me and take your practice tests on the couch/bed, you might feel strange during the actual ACT when you’re forced to sit at a new, uncomfortable desk for four hours. Make sure your practice test environment is just like the actual ACT test environment.You should be sitting at empty desk or table with nothing other than your ACT practice test print out, pencils, erasers, and calculator (when allowed). Sit at a nice clean desk! #8: Splitting the ACT Practice Test Over a Few Days At the start, I said the ACT is like a marathon.Marathon runners aren’t permitted to split up a marathon over a few days.You must practice taking full-length ACTs.I understand if you don’t have 4 hours every day to take a full-length practice ACT, but you should take at least two full-length practice tests before taking the real ACT. On the days where you don’t have time for the whole practice test, you need to complete at least one full section of the ACT.For example, take the full 60-minute math section without any breaks.If you sit for just one section, the same rules mentioned in this article apply: no phone, no extra bathroom breaks, etc. #9: Not Filling Out the Scantron I know it’s tempting to forget about the scantron and just to circle the answers in your ACT practice test.Using a scantron can be tricky, so you don’t want your first time using one to be on the real ACT.While doing ACT practice tests, bubble in your answers as you work through each section. Practice bubbling in so that you don’t accidentally bubble in wrong answers the day of the real ACT.If you have some time at the end of the section, I recommend checking your scantron answers with your booklet answers to make sure you didn’t accidentally bubble any answers incorrectly. #10: Using Pen While practicing with the scantron, you also must use a pencil and eraser!You’re required to use a #2 pencil on the ACT (not even a mechanical pencil!).I suggest you have at least 3 sharpened #2 pencils when you take the ACT. Additionally, you should bring a basic pencil sharpener and a big eraser.Take your ACT practice tests with these items. On the real ACT, you want to feel confident and comfortable.To get that feeling, you need your ACT practice to be as similar as possible to the real testing environment!Get familiar having these supplies on your desk. Get comfortable sharpening a broken pencil with your hand sharpener! For many students, any small issue can be distracting during a big test (I know it did for me!).Practice with your pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener, so you don’t get flustered on the real ACT. Don't use any support! #: Using Any Support Material Finally, don’t use any additional material while taking ACT practice exams.As I said, on the real ACT, you won’t be allowed anything on your desk except for your test booklet, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpener, and your calculator (only during the math section).So don’t use anything other than those materials during your ACT practice! Don’t use a formula cheat sheet, and don’t use a dictionary to look up words!There will be not outside help during the real ACT, so don’t use outside help during your practice. If there are words you don’t understand while taking a practice test, try to figure out their meaning using context clues.Try to answer questions without looking up vocabulary.Circle the words you don’t know, so when you’ve finished, you can easily go back to those words and look them up in a dictionary. Summary: How to Get the Best ACT Practice All of the above can be summarized in one sentence: follow the rules of the ACT during your practice tests!Realistic practice will prepare you the best to excel on the ACT and is key to feeling prepared and relaxed on the day of the actual ACT. Do you still feel uncertain as to how to make your practice tests the ideal prep for test day? Check out our guide to getting realistic ACT practice. What’s Next? Not sure where you’d like to go to college? Figure out how to find your target school. Interested in attending a top college? Check out our guides to getting into Harvard and Stanford! Struggling with your college application? Learn how to write your personal statement and how to write about extracurriculars. Want to improve your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online ACT prep program. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your ACT score by 4 points or more. Our program is entirely online, and it customizes your prep program to your strengths and weaknesses. We also have expert instructors who can grade every one of your practice ACT essays, giving feedback on how to improve your score. Check out our 5-day free trial:

Saturday, October 19, 2019

One of the key questions managers may ask themselves is whether to Essay

One of the key questions managers may ask themselves is whether to make or buy their products and services. explain the relative - Essay Example As a result of this, the phenomenon of outsourcing emerged under which organizations decided to outsource some or all of their production and service functions in order to concentrate and focus on their core competencies. Most of companies either completely or partially outsourced their production and service function to other countries such as China and India in order to take advantage of cheap raw material and labor force. (Woodall et al, 2009) Opposite decision of outsourcing is the decision of insourcing wherein organizations attempt to produce themselves or provide the services through their own resources. Thus the decision to either outsource or insource depends upon different factors which combine together to allow organizations to decide as to which course of action to take. (Willcocks, 2010) This paper will provide the relative advantage of outsourcing as a viable alternative to the question of whether a firm should produce or make. Outsourcing Outsourcing is one of unique k ind of phenomenon and emerged as a result of the different needs of the international organizations. ... Under outsourcing, two organizations therefore come under the contractual agreement to agree upon the fact that assigned tasks will be performed by the second party to the contract according to the specific requirements of the organizations. Over the period of time, organizations therefore contracted out some or most of their functions to other organizations with better resources and capabilities. Initially the trend was to outsource only non-core operations of the organization however, the requirement to achieve better profitability and become more cost effective forced organizations to also outsource some of their core functions too. It is also important to note that the overall process of outsourcing was regional specific wherein organizations from developed country attempted to outsource their functions to the developing countries. The overall purpose was to achieve the organizational objectives and become more efficient. Insourcing is however, considered as an opposite of the ou tsourcing wherein organization often willing to maintain their control over their core operations. In order to achieve this objective, the resources are however, shifted to the departments which specialize in performing such business functions. By insourcing an organization however, can contract with other contractors to perform the job however, the performance of the function remains within the boundaries of the area where the organization operates. This also means that through insourcing a firm actually attempts to utilize the local resources to complete its operations rather than letting foreign vendors to perform the same. It is also important to note that the process of insourcing

Friday, October 18, 2019

Walmart - Good or bad for America Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Walmart - Good or bad for America - Assignment Example Even though this practice helps keep the prices at Wal-Mart low for the consumers, something Wal-Mart states as its primary purpose, on the other hand, such trade practices result in jobs being taken away from the Americans and being handed over to others like the Chinese, thus lowering the living standard of the average Americans. Without stable jobs, the average American consumer would not be able to buy most of the consumer products, even if they were to be offered at such low prices as Wal-Mart does. It is argued by some that American jobs are not lost – more are created in different spheres – as a consequence of this outsourcing. However, such jobs do not pay the some nor do they come with the same benefits as manufacturing jobs. This is what â€Å"Creative destruction† (pbs) is all about, I agree with the statement that, in essence, while Wal-Mart is doing its best to make products affordable for consumers, by doing so it is, simultaneously, destroying the local US manufacturing

The importance of the perception communication at work depending on Dissertation

The importance of the perception communication at work depending on the Generation X and Generation Y - Dissertation Example These diverse attitudes and principles translate differently in a workplace context, with both generations having unique values associated with what constitutes an effective and motivational business model. There are significant gaps in research literature describing what specific characteristics of a business model will motivate and inspire workers to achieve top quality performance in the job roles of Generation X and Generation Y. In most respects, knowledge on both generations tends to illustrate Generation X as an independent and headstrong generation with pre-established principles and values. In opposite accord, Generation Y is presented as more liberal, flexible, and success-minded in the organisational context. This sizeable gap in knowledge specifically includes knowledge of the importance of communications for both generations. ... 1.1 Research aims and objectives The aim of this research project is to determine the level of importance of communications in the workplace as it pertains to both generations. This is to determine if communications strategies can be an effective motivational model for both Generation X and Generation Y. This study maintains three specific objectives: Determine what actually motivates both Gen X and Gen Y in a workplace context Determine how both generations perceive communications as a motivational tool Identify proven models of motivation that have been effective in boosting performance for both Generation X and Generation Y. The study will consult with various secondary literature sources to paint a portrait of both generations, with special focus on attitudes, principles, experiences, and expectations for an organisational job role. Results of findings will be compared to a primary research project (which is described in this proposal’s methodology section) to determine wh ether communications can be considered a viable motivational model for both generations or for a single generation. The results of this study should assist in closing some of the gaps in literature that currently exists regarding motivational strategies for both generations and recommend a new model of motivation that could potentially improve business culture and strategic performance when applied to Gen X and Gen Y. The goal of the project is to create an innovation in knowledge about both generations that can provide new direction for managers in organisations that struggle with Gen X and Gen Y employees to gain top quality performance and dedication to meet strategic goals both short- and

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Discussion - Assignment Example It is also worth mentioning that both the knife and electric water pump require to be operated manually and the operator has to do some ‘work’. Thus, in this case, the issue of laziness doesn’t arise at all. According to the BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co. conducted in the first quarter of 2012, the average American spends slightly over 5 hours a day watching television. While on the surface he figure looks staggering, it is important to note that the figure takes into account people beyond retirement age who while away entire days in care centres glued to the screen of television. The bulk of he productive population would typically watch television only when having dinner and during weekends. To them, this is more like a hobby than a lifestyle. As with regards to the use of technology and it making us more lazy,nothing can be farther from the truth. It is a matter of perception, which has evolved over time. Fifty years ago the word â€Å"hardworking† was directly proportional to the muscle one possessed and the amount of sweat shed and effort spent in the process. Today, one could achieve much more using by far less energy. A housewife could use tools like washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner and make her house sparkling clean within a short period of time. Without these, the same housewife would take a whole day performing the same tasks, and probably wouldn’t do it as well as he machines would. To sum it all up, I’d like to remind us that machines are tools meant to assist us in performing tasks and making our lives more comfortable. They are here not to replace us or do our jobs for us, but as tools at our disposal. Life would not be as comfortable or well-advanced were I not for machines. Let us embrace them and appreciate their usefulness in our daily

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Leadership style and theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership style and theories - Essay Example When what needs to be accomplished is clear, it is more likely that it will be communicated to the other employees. I also determine which tasks would be best to particular employees as I understand my juniors very well. There is always a need to match responsibilities to the strengths of every person. Giving person roles that are new to him/her will be a recipe for chaos. As a leader, I must ensure that I give individuals projects that they will be more enthusiastic to do. Many modern-day organizations use participatory leadership as their management style. Delegating leadership style relates to participatory leadership because decisions are made with the participation of people affected by the decisions. Just like delegating leadership style, participatory leadership style adds a democratic dimension in leadership. Participative leadership ensures that it consults other people, especially the employees in the process of making decisions. Although participative leaders may eventuall y make decisions on their own, consulting other people demonstrates consideration and respect for other people. This approach of leadership is appreciated by followers who reciprocate by showing their loyalty and commitment. Just like delegating leadership style, participative leadership leads to the development of employees and builds support for the vision of the organization. Participative leaders empower other people to make decisions and take actions that are within defined boundaries. I believe that all leaders are made, not born.

The international space station. Major Components Essay

The international space station. Major Components - Essay Example With the space race both countries achieved success in some sectors. The US was successful in landing Apollo missions to the moon, whereas the Soviets were able to build Space Station Mir. The Mir Space Station was built gradually over time and modules were added to the basic structure. The US efforts started President Reagan authorizing the Space Station Freedom (Catchpole 1). The program dovetailed space efforts and programs of Japan, Europe and Canada. The program was shared among the nations and its design changed several times due to different input and ideas from all member states. Funding was collective and the program moved forward. The Soviet Union collapsed after Afghanistan invasion and had difficulty maintaining its Space Station Mir. It was decided by President Clinton to include Russia in the combine effort and the name of the program was therefore, changed to International Space Station. 2. General The International Space Station is the largest space project ever under taken. The project represents the collective effort of fifteen countries. These include eleven from the European Space program, US, Russia, Japan and Canada. The planned station will have a length of 108 meters and a weight of 450 tons after completion (â€Å"International Space Station Facts and Figures† 1). The station orbits the Earth at a height of 240 miles above the Earth’s surface. Because of the size of the space station it can be seen with the naked eye as it orbits the Earth. It is visible as a bright spot moving in the sky in particular at times when the sun light reflects the panels and the observing position is in the dark portion of the Earth. 3. Construction The space station was to be assembled in the orbit. Major parts were made by different countries and launched into space. They orbited in space and were collected together over time to change make the basic structure of the International Space Station. The first piece was launched by Russia in 1998 a nd was called the Zarya (Harland and Catchpole 203). These pieces are known as modules. The modules were equipped to orbit independently. They had solar panels for power and booster rockets for orbital movement. Before being assembled the modules were given rotation around their axis to ensure that energy from the Sun is distributed evenly across the body of the module. This was due to the fact that extended exposure of any part to the Sun could over heat the area and similarly the part unexposed faced possibility of freezing. Cameras were installed in the modules to assist in docking procedure. The modules were carefully checked for any leakages and were joined together to form the basic structure. The US module Unity was the second to reach the orbit. It was delivered by space shuttle mission as opposed to rocket delivery of Zarya. The modules were connected together with help of robots on shuttle missions. The two modules Zarya and Unity were joined by a third piece known as the Zvezda module. The module added facilities like communication, toilet, kitchen and improved communication facilities. The structure was added with support structures containing solar panels and other support systems called the Truss. 4. Major Components 4.1 Truss Structure The Truss holds together all the components and forms the center piece of the structure. Everything is attached to the Truss structure. The Truss was the fourth part that came in to join the three modules at the initial assembly of the station. The structure carries all the ports required to dock components to the station. It has different docking stations so that the structure is flexible and components can be changed as per design requirement.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 41

Discussion - Assignment Example It is also worth mentioning that both the knife and electric water pump require to be operated manually and the operator has to do some ‘work’. Thus, in this case, the issue of laziness doesn’t arise at all. According to the BLS American Time Use Survey, A.C. Nielsen Co. conducted in the first quarter of 2012, the average American spends slightly over 5 hours a day watching television. While on the surface he figure looks staggering, it is important to note that the figure takes into account people beyond retirement age who while away entire days in care centres glued to the screen of television. The bulk of he productive population would typically watch television only when having dinner and during weekends. To them, this is more like a hobby than a lifestyle. As with regards to the use of technology and it making us more lazy,nothing can be farther from the truth. It is a matter of perception, which has evolved over time. Fifty years ago the word â€Å"hardworking† was directly proportional to the muscle one possessed and the amount of sweat shed and effort spent in the process. Today, one could achieve much more using by far less energy. A housewife could use tools like washing machine, dishwasher and vacuum cleaner and make her house sparkling clean within a short period of time. Without these, the same housewife would take a whole day performing the same tasks, and probably wouldn’t do it as well as he machines would. To sum it all up, I’d like to remind us that machines are tools meant to assist us in performing tasks and making our lives more comfortable. They are here not to replace us or do our jobs for us, but as tools at our disposal. Life would not be as comfortable or well-advanced were I not for machines. Let us embrace them and appreciate their usefulness in our daily

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The international space station. Major Components Essay

The international space station. Major Components - Essay Example With the space race both countries achieved success in some sectors. The US was successful in landing Apollo missions to the moon, whereas the Soviets were able to build Space Station Mir. The Mir Space Station was built gradually over time and modules were added to the basic structure. The US efforts started President Reagan authorizing the Space Station Freedom (Catchpole 1). The program dovetailed space efforts and programs of Japan, Europe and Canada. The program was shared among the nations and its design changed several times due to different input and ideas from all member states. Funding was collective and the program moved forward. The Soviet Union collapsed after Afghanistan invasion and had difficulty maintaining its Space Station Mir. It was decided by President Clinton to include Russia in the combine effort and the name of the program was therefore, changed to International Space Station. 2. General The International Space Station is the largest space project ever under taken. The project represents the collective effort of fifteen countries. These include eleven from the European Space program, US, Russia, Japan and Canada. The planned station will have a length of 108 meters and a weight of 450 tons after completion (â€Å"International Space Station Facts and Figures† 1). The station orbits the Earth at a height of 240 miles above the Earth’s surface. Because of the size of the space station it can be seen with the naked eye as it orbits the Earth. It is visible as a bright spot moving in the sky in particular at times when the sun light reflects the panels and the observing position is in the dark portion of the Earth. 3. Construction The space station was to be assembled in the orbit. Major parts were made by different countries and launched into space. They orbited in space and were collected together over time to change make the basic structure of the International Space Station. The first piece was launched by Russia in 1998 a nd was called the Zarya (Harland and Catchpole 203). These pieces are known as modules. The modules were equipped to orbit independently. They had solar panels for power and booster rockets for orbital movement. Before being assembled the modules were given rotation around their axis to ensure that energy from the Sun is distributed evenly across the body of the module. This was due to the fact that extended exposure of any part to the Sun could over heat the area and similarly the part unexposed faced possibility of freezing. Cameras were installed in the modules to assist in docking procedure. The modules were carefully checked for any leakages and were joined together to form the basic structure. The US module Unity was the second to reach the orbit. It was delivered by space shuttle mission as opposed to rocket delivery of Zarya. The modules were connected together with help of robots on shuttle missions. The two modules Zarya and Unity were joined by a third piece known as the Zvezda module. The module added facilities like communication, toilet, kitchen and improved communication facilities. The structure was added with support structures containing solar panels and other support systems called the Truss. 4. Major Components 4.1 Truss Structure The Truss holds together all the components and forms the center piece of the structure. Everything is attached to the Truss structure. The Truss was the fourth part that came in to join the three modules at the initial assembly of the station. The structure carries all the ports required to dock components to the station. It has different docking stations so that the structure is flexible and components can be changed as per design requirement.