What Literacy Means to Me Essay Example for Free

What Literacy Means to Me Essay What literacy means for me and the impact that it has had on my life. Literacy refers to the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently, and think critically about the written word. The primary sense of literacy still represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from a critical interpretation of the written or printed text. Key to all literacy is reading development, a progression of skills that begins with the ability to understand spoken words and decode written words, and culminates in the deep understanding of text. Literacy is taught through parents by making reading to your child a regular part of your daily schedule, just as my mother did when I was younger. She would read both early readers and chapter books to me. When reading, she would point to the words as she said them and read slowly. This allowed me to read along with her. Once she noticed that I understood certain words, such as the word the, my mother would let me say that word a few times when it appears in the story. This method taught me to be quite an advanced reader by the age of 5 and was heading into kindergarten. The definition of literacy is a difficult one to answer. When the word literacy comes to mind I think of it first in basic terms of just being able to read, but I know it contains more elements of being just able to read. In my mind literacy as a whole defines the relationship that people have with literature. Just like the way my mother taught me the love of reading, which has continued to grow as Ive aged and encouraged me to develop a love for chapter books and the stories depicted in them. I find myself becoming engrossed in these stories and sometimes even comparing them to my own life experiences. Literacy as a whole means the relationship with different types of literature and how well people can comprehend them. There is the basic standard of literacy which would be reading. Then the next step would be how well the reader could comprehend what is being read. Understanding the words written and know most of their meaning. After that it would be how well the reader could analyze the text. The next step from there would be if the writer could then analyze the text well enough to point out anomalies, binaries, patterns, strands, and any repetition that the literature being read may have. After the interpretation of reading and understanding the literature one should be able to write about it. When writing on the literature the reader should be able to communicate clear decisive thoughts about the text that isn’t already spelled out in the literature. With a sharp focused analytical claim. This shows that the reader understood the literature and is capable of translating it to others without retelling the literature that has already been read. For me literacy is very important and has a really strong impact in my life. When I was a kid I remember my mother always telling me â€Å"the more you know the better it is†. I never really understood what she meant nor did I pay that much attention. Society has proven time and time again, it will reward those individuals who are competent and impede those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities or just on a social level. One needs look no further than their everyday activities in order to realize how important literacy is. Without adequate literary skills one may not be able to identify on a label the correct amount of medicine to give a child, or read and interpret a sign giving instructions on what to do in case of a fire. These two examples bring perspective to literacys importance. I discovered that I mainly use text or literacy to communicate with others for maintaining family connections or for work related information. I use text or literacy for entertainment as well, but I spend far less time using it for work than I do for entertainment. Overall, I think literacy is a very fluid concept—it is ever changing and evolving as we change and as our way of life changes. A generation or two ago, it was merely important to be able to read and write. Now, one must be able to read and write and use technology to be successful in the world. And for this necessary ability, I have my mother to thank for all her hard work teaching me these skills as a young child.

Recycling Aluminium into Alum Crystals

Recycling Aluminium into Alum Crystals This experiment was designed to recycle aluminium into alum crystals which have uses in industry. The aluminium was converted to alum by heating the metal samples with potassium hydroxide solution. The product was then reacted with sulphuric acid followed by crystallization. Overall, five trials were conducted with the only variable being the mass of aluminium used. The mass of crystals produced increased until the trial of 0.9g, when excess aluminium was observed. These different aluminium masses consisted of 0.3g, 0.5g, 0.7g and (2x) 0.9g. These particular research questions will be answered throughout this EEI: How the mass of the scrap aluminium related to the final mass of the alum crystal? How can stoichiometry of a sequence of chemical reactions be used to calculate the percentage yield of alum synthesized from aluminium scrap? How can scrap aluminium be chemically converted into a crystal? How does converting aluminium to alum make a worthy recycling process (make use in society, is it financially sustainable?). 2.0 Introduction 2.1 Background Information Alum is a salt that in chemistry is a combination of an alkali metal, such as sodium, potassium, or ammonium and a trivalent metal, such as aluminium, iron, or chromium. The most common form, potassium aluminium sulfate, or potash alum, is one form that has been used in food processing. Modern beverage containers are usually composed of aluminium, in the form of aluminium cans. Australians consumed over 3 billion aluminium cans in 2005. Additionally, approximately 300 million aluminium beverage cans are produced each day in the U.S. Recycling has the benefit of reducing litter from discarded cans and a number of states have passed laws requiring a deposit on aluminium cans to encourage recycling. In this experiment, instead of recycling scrap aluminium into new metal cans, a chemical process will be used that converts scrap aluminium into a useful chemical compound, potassium aluminium sulfate dodecahydrate, KAl(S04)2 à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ · 12H20, commonly called alum. Alum is widely used in the dyeing of fabrics, in the manufacture of pickles, in canning some foods, as a coagulant in water purification and waste-water treatment plants, as well as in the paper industry. In an aqueous solution of KAl(SO4)2 ,the K+, Al3+, and SO22- are surrounded by molecules of water (they are hydrated). These ions do not have an orderly arrangement in solution. When the compound is forced to crystallize, the ions must begin to join each other in their characteristic order. This process of nucleation may occur spontaneously when the ions of alum collide with appropriate orientation and with sufficiently low kinetic energy to permit them to stick to each other and prevent them from rebounding. Occasionally, some foreign solids (irregularity on the wall of the container, dust particles) will serve as nuclei (or starting points) for the formation of crystals. Once a tiny crystal has formed, ions in their random motion through the solution will hit the faces of the crystal, join the orderly array of ions, and make the crystal grow. There is ionic bonding, covalent bonding and intermolecular attractions, plus hydrogen bonding, which is the attraction between water molecul es. The only type of bonding not present in potash alum is metallic bonding.CAS_GIF_7784-24-9.gif Aluminium, like almost all metals exhibits metallic bonding. It can be oversimplified by saying that metallic bonding is like having positive metal ions in a sea of mobile electrons. The mobile electrons are the loosely held valence electrons that can easily move from atom to atom. In fact, metals behave more like atoms which share orbitals to form delocalized covalent bonds. Orbitals from adjacent metals atoms overlap side-to-side to form pi- bonds. For example, in this diagram, each iron atom, (and the same is true for aluminium) exhibits side to side overlap of the orbitals making pi bonds. Only one axis is shown in the diagram, but overlapping of the atoms in front of and behind this line also occurs. The beauty of this is that the electrons can move along the pi-bonds, from atom to atom, allowing the metal to conduct electricity. Potassium alum is hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate KAl(SO4)2*12H2O. Since all chemical bonds are essentially covalent in nature, then this compound contains covalent bonds as well. The potassium-sulfate bond is the most polar, and the most ionic-like of the bonds. The substance crystallizes in a face-centred cubic arrangement of hydrated K and Al atoms alternating with SO4 radicals. Despite being a vast oversimplification of a complex structure, there are ionic bonds between K and SO4 and Al and SO4, and there are covalent bonds within SO4. This allows an electrostatic attraction between the polar water molecules and the ions. Although aluminium is a reactive metal, it reacts only slowly with dilute acids because its surface is normally protected by a very thin, impenetrable coating of aluminium oxide; such metals are referred to as self-protecting or passivating metals. Alkaline solutions, or bases, (containing OH-) dissolve the oxide layer and then attack the metal: AL2O3(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 3H2O(l) > 2NaAl(OH)4(aq) 2AL(s) + 2NaOH(aq) + 6H2O(l) > 2NaAl(OH)4(aq) + 3H20(g) Thus, in aqueous alkaline medium, aluminium is oxidized to the tetrahydroxoaluminate anion which is stable only in basic solution. Aluminium is obtained from a raw material called bauxite predominantly in Latin and South America, Africa, and Australia. Recent technological improvements have seen the energy cost of producing one tonne of aluminium drop to 15,000 kW, but that is still a lot of energy on top of which must be added, the energy of transporting the metal obtained around the world. Therefore aluminium recycling is extremely important and very easy for everyone to do. Because of the energy used during extraction of aluminium from bauxite, aluminium is the only commonly used packaging material with a value that exceeds the financial costs of recycling it. To recycle an aluminium can, it costs only 5% of the energy used to create it in the first place. Additionally, aluminium can be recycled many times without any loss in quality. 2.2 Aim The aim is to investigate the effect of the amount of scrap aluminium on the amount of alum crystal produced when the amounts of potassium hydroxide and sulphuric acid used are kept constant. 2.3 Hypothesis It was hypothesized that if the weight of the scrap aluminium is increased or decreased then the amount of the alum crystal will adjust accordingly, when potassium hydroxide and sulphuric acid are kept the same. 3.0 Materials 3.1 Chemicals Potassium hydroxide, KOH, 1.0 M solution Sulphuric acid, H2SO4, 6 M solution 3.2 Apparatus Aluminium beverage can Sandpaper Scissors Ruler Beakers: 3x 50-100mL, 3x 250mL, 3x600mL Bunsen burner Buchner funnel Filter paper Stirring rod Spatula Graduated cylinder 4.0 Method 4.1 Variables 4.1.1 Independent Variables Independent Variables are those that are changed on purpose. The Independent Variables of this experiment are: The mass of the scrap aluminium 4.1.2 Dependent Variables The Dependent Variables are the factors that change according to the independent variables. The Dependent Variables of this experiment are: The amount of alum crystal produced The size of the alum crystals 4.1.3 Controlled Variables Controlled Variables are the variables that are kept constant during the entire experiment. The controlled variables of this experiment are: Amount of potassium hydroxide poured into the beaker Amount of sulphuric acid poured into the beaker Same size beakers for all five experiments 4.1.4 Uncontrolled Variables The uncontrolled Variables are those that cannot be kept regular and may affect the validity of the experiment. The uncontrolled variables of this experiment are: The impurity of the scrap aluminium 4.2 Procedure 4.2.1 Risk Factors Before the procedure can be commenced, certain safety precautions must be implemented prior to the beginning of the experiment. First of all Alum is non-toxic, although alum solutions can cause eye irritation (potassium hydroxide solutions are caustic). Therefore it is crucial to wear goggles or safety glasses when working with the solution. It is essential that the growing solutions are stored in a safe environment and not be disturbed. In the event of contact with skin or eyes (with any of the solutions especially sulphuric acid which is highly corrosive), the affected area must be washed immediately with lots of water. If necessary, medical assistance should be obtained. Sulphuric acid is corrosive. The aluminium metal may have sharp edges, so it must be handled with care. Before handling any beakers, they must be inspected for any chipped or sharp edges, which may cause injury. Bunsen burners can be very hazardous due to its roaring flame so it must be used with caution. The fla me must not be anywhere near the rubber hose because it can be easily melted. As long as all chemicals are kept distant from the human body, the Bunsen burner, and any other dangerously reactive materials, safety will be optimized. 4.2.2 Method A piece of aluminium was scraped with sandpaper to eliminate the strong, thin aluminium oxide layer. The mass of the clean piece of aluminium was carefully measured; 0.300g (+/- 0.001g). The aluminium piece was then cut into smaller pieces, allowing larger surface area for the following reaction.C:UsersGeorgioDesktopSchoolChemistryMaterials Assignment Yr 11Photos18052010030.jpg These smaller pieces of aluminium were then placed in a 250mL beaker, with an added 50mL of 1M KOH (potassium-hydroxide). A Bunsen-burner was then used to heat up the solution to boiling point, to completely dissolve the aluminium (a stirring rod is useful for enhancing the rate of reaction). Once the aluminium was completely dissolved, the solution was then filtered using filter paper, removing insoluble impurities. After being filtered, 20mL of 6M H2SO4 (sulphuric acid) was then added to the solution. Immediately white crystals began to form in the solution. The alum was removed from the liquid by filtration. The alum was then left for 24 hours to crystallize.C:UsersGeorgioDesktopSchoolChemistryMaterials Assignment Yr 11Photos18052010039.jpg The filtration paper was then placed under a heat lamp to rid any condensation or leftover moist on the paper. The weight of the final alum crystal was then able to be defined by subtracting the original weight of the filtration paper from the weight of the filtration paper with the alum. This resulted in a final given amount of produced alum crystal. REPEATED STEPS 1-13 (x4) with weights of scrap aluminium; 0.5g, 0.7g, 0.9g (2x) 5.0 Results 5.1 Tables Amount of alum produced: Beginning Amount of Aluminium Amount of Alum Crystal 0.3g 3.769g 0.5g 4.913g 0.7g 7.878g 0.9g 8.763g 0.9g 4.437g At temperature, 100 parts of water dissolve (g/100ml): Temperature Potash Alum 0oC 3.90 10oC 9.52 50oC 44.11 80oC 134.47 100oC 357.48 5.2 Graph Beginning weight of aluminium piece Amount of alum produced (g) Starting weight of aluminium Percentage Yield for alum experiments Solubility of potash alum in water: alum_solubility_chart.gif Amount of books containing alum:an17-4a.gif Consumption and Recycling of aluminium can beverages in the world: 5.3 Experiment Yield Theoretical Yield: 2Al(s) + 2KOH(aq) + 4H2SO4(aq) + 22H2O(l) > 2KAl(SO4)2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢12H2O(s) + 3H2(g) According to the chemical reaction, 2 moles of aluminium will react to form 2 moles of alum. Formulas: Theoretical yield = Mass of aluminium used = Mass of Alum obtained Molar mass of aluminium Molar mass of Alum Percent yield = Mass of alum obtained x 100 Theoretical yield of alum 0.3g Aluminium: 0.300 = X 3.769 x 100 = 71.6 27 474 5.26 = 5.266 The percentage yield is 71.6% 0.5g Aluminium: 0.500 = X 4.913 x 100 = 56% 27 474 8.77 = 8.77 The percentage yield is 56% 0.7g Aluminium: 0.700 = X 7.878 x 100 = 61.55 27 474 12.8 = 12.8 The percentage yield is 61.55% 0.9g Aluminium (trial 1): 0.900 = X 8.763 x 100 = 55.46 27 474 15.8 = 15.8 The percentage yield is 55.46% 0.9g Aluminium (trial 2): 0.900 = X 4.437 x 100 = 28.08 27 474 15.8 = 15.8 The percentage yield is 28.08% 6.0 Discussion From the results obtained, it can now be determined how the mass of aluminium affects the alum crystal mass and size. After making all recordings, different qualitative and quantitative results were questioned. As seen from the results obtained in 5.0 Results, there were two trials for the experiment with the mass of 0.9 grams of aluminium. This was decided because it was apparent that at around 0.9g of aluminium, it would begin to cause the solution to be saturated. Therefore the procedure for these two experiments differentiates in the following way; as with the other experiments, one was filtered after adding the sulphuric acid (creating the alum), and the other was left to crystallize with no further process. These both resulted in a successful and an unsuccessful result, which provided qualitative results. The one that was filtered had completely crystallized within 24 hours. The one that was left in a solution with aluminium was left to crystallize. The alum did not precipitate from this solution. This result was an anomaly for the experiment for it gave dissimilar results which were discarded. The same procedure was successful until 0.9g due to the fact that the aluminium was acting as the limiting reagent. At 0.9g the potassium hydroxide became the limiting reagent allowing the aluminium to serve as the excess reactant.C:UsersGeorgioDesktopSchoolChemistryMaterials Assignment Yr 11Photos19052010040.jpg These were all the chemical equations step by step during the procedure: When sulphuric acid is slowly added to an alkaline solution of this complex anion, initially, one hydroxide ion is removed from each tetrahydroxoaluminate anion causing the precipitation of white, gelatinous aluminium hydroxide, Al(OH)3 2K[Al(OH)4](aq) + H2SO4(aq) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2Al(OH)3(s) + K2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l) The excess potassium hydroxide is neutralized by some of the sulphuric acid to form potassium sulfate. 2KOH(aq) + H2SO4(aq) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ K2SO4(aq) + 2H2O(l) On addition of more sulphuric acid, the aluminium hydroxide dissolves forming the hydrated aluminium cation 2Al(OH)3(s) + 3H2SO4(aq) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Al2(SO4)3(aq) + 6H2O(l) Addition of alkali to the Al(OH)3 precipitate will also bring about dissolution by reforming [Al(OH)4]. A hydroxide, such as aluminium hydroxide, that can be dissolved by either acid or base is said to be amphoteric. When the acidified aluminium sulfate solution is cooled, potassium aluminium sulfate dodecahydrate (Alum) precipitates. Al2(SO4)3(aq) + K2SO4(aq) + 24H2O(l) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2K[Al(SO4)2]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢12H2O(s) The overall reaction that takes place is the sum of the previous reactions. 2Al(s) + 2KOH(aq) + 4H2SO4(aq) + 22H2O(l) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2KAl(SO4)2à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢12H2O(s) + 3H2(g) All of the filter papers that were to be used were weighed, and an average filter paper mass was recorded for later purposes. For each of the alum solutions that were produced, once filtered (excluding the one that wasnt filtered), were then given 24 hours to crystallize before data and measurements were recorded. It was apparent that in the beaker that contained the solution of the filtered alum, there were small crystal seeds that had formed. This was due to the saturated solution which still contained alum, therefore in the 24 hours it was able to grow into bigger alum seeds. The remaining liquid in all the beakers was decanted leaving only the crystals; they were placed under heat lamps for 10 minutes to evaporate any adhering water. Some final results from the measurements were now conductible. Knowing the beaker mass, the beaker mass with alum, the filter paper mass and the filtration paper mass with alum, the amount of alum produced was established. These final crystal masses were: 0.3g = 3.769g (+/- 0.004g) 0.5g = 4.913g (+/- 0.004g) 0.7g = 7.878g (+/- 0.004g) 0.9g = 8.763g (+/- 0.004g) (with filtration paper) 0.9g = 4.437g (+/- 0.002g) (without filtration paper) It is quite obvious to state that a trend in this experiment was recognized after noticing that (as stated in the hypothesis) when more aluminium is used, more alum crystal is produced, so long as the aluminium remains the limiting reagent. As the aluminium mass increases, the alum product remains at a fairly relative mass for all four scenarios. In reference to the results obtained from 5.3 Experiment Yields, it was found that the percentage yield for all experiments (excluding the non-filtered one) were relatively impressive, but predictable. In practice, getting 100% yield is incredibly difficult if not essentially impossible. Often reactants or products can be lost to the environment, not all of the reactants could react or other factors could impede the reaction. Although in this experiment, a different factor was the cause of the loss of yield percentage. The manufacturers of aluminium cans use an aluminium alloy when making the cans, therefore causing the aluminium to have impurities. This was also noticeable when the reaction of the aluminium with the potassium hydroxide took place; the black residue which was produced was the sign of impurity. A procedure which could have helped prevent this error would have been to soak the aluminium in NaOH (sodium hydroxide) which would get rid of the oxide layer that the aluminiu m contains and any other impurities. Another possible solution to increasing the percentage yield would be to immediately put the beaker in water and ice, straight after adding the sulphuric acid to the solution; allowing it to chill thoroughly for about 15 minutes. Considering this solubility data, some product will not precipitate from the solution. Considering this table and graph (shown in Results), an improved result would be obtained by precipitation in ice water. This would cool the solution down much faster allowing the crystals to grow at a much greater reaction rate. Whereas when it isnt iced, but filtered immediately, much of the alum saturated solution will fall through into the beaker losing some content. Furthermore, when the alum crystal was being handled (transport to filter paper from beaker, etc.) alum would have been eluded. The consequence of this would result in less alum. 7.0 Conclusion This experiment aimed to investigate the effect of the amount of scrap aluminium on the alum crystal, when potassium hydroxide and sulphuric acid were kept constant. Regarding the outcome of each trial, the results were supported by the theory stated in the hypothesis: It was hypothesized that if the weight of the scrap aluminium is increased or decreased then the amount of the alum crystal will adjust accordingly, when potassium hydroxide and sulphuric acid are kept the same. It was found that the aluminiums mass had a definite effect on the amount of alum produced. It can be concluded that when the potassium hydroxide is kept constant as well as the sulphuric acid, the outcome will be relatively similar and will adjust accordingly to the weight of the scrap aluminium. The crucial errors which were encountered in this experiment, which had a vast impact on the percentage yield, was the impurity of the scrap aluminium, the imprecision of handling the alum, and the improper cleaning procedure which was undertaken with each of the scrap aluminium pieces. The results obtained prove the hypothesis correct which stated that if the weight of the scrap aluminium is increased or decreased then the amount of the alum crystal will adjust accordingly. 8.0 Bibliography Alum Crystals. (n.d.). Retrieved May 21, 2010, from Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/alum-crystals.html Alum Synthesis. (2005, June). Retrieved April 29, 2010, from Chemistry 111 Laboratory: http://employees.oneonta.edu/kotzjc/LAB/Alum_Expt.pdf Aluminium Potassium Sulphate. (n.d.). Retrieved May 05, 2010, from Chemical Land: http://chemicalland21.com/industrialchem/inorganic/aluminum%20potassium%20sulfate.htm Aluminium Sulphate. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2010, from Bisley: http://www.bisley.com.au/industryzones/zonesub.asp?industry=5id=94 Bentor, Y. (2010, May 31). Periodic Table: Aluminium. Retrieved 14 May, 2010, from Chemical Elements: http://www.chemicalelements.com/elements/al.html Chemical of the Week. (n.d.). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from Science is Fun: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/CHEMWEEK/Aluminum/ALUMINUM.html Growing Crystals of ALum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2010, from Princeton University: http://www.princeton.edu/~pccm/outreach/scsp/mixturesandsolutions/activities/growingcrystals.htm Helmenstine, A. M. (n.d.). Aluminium or Aluminium Facts. Retrieved May 08, 2010, from About: http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/aluminum.htm Katz, D. A. (2000). Alum from Waste Aluminium Cans. Retrieved April 22, 2010, from chymist.com: http://www.chymist.com/alum.pdf Katz, D. A. (2000). Growing Alum Crystals. Retrieved May 12, 2010, from Chymist: http://www.chymist.com/alum%20crystals.pdf Potash Alum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 14, 2010, from Encyclopedia The Free Dictionary: http://encyclopedia.farlex.com/potash+alum Potassium Alum. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2010, from Pauls Lab: http://www.paulslab.com/crystals/potassium-alum.html POTASSIUM ALUMINIUM SULFATE. (n.d.). Retrieved May 25, 2010, from The Royal Australian Chemical Institute Incorporated: http://www.raci.org.au/sa/ChemEd/XAL/AlumMSDS.pdf Preparation of Alum. (n.d.). Retrieved May 11, 2010, from http://wwwchem.csustan.edu/archive/alum.htm Winter, M. (n.d.). Aluminium. Retrieved May 18, 2010, from Web Elements: http://www.webelements.com/aluminium/

The Seven-Years War :: American America History

The Seven-Years War The word "privateer" conjures a romantic image in the minds of most Americans. Tales of battle and bounty pervade the folklore of privateering, which has become a cherished, if often overlooked part of our shared heritage. Legends were forged during the battle for American independence, and these men were understandably glorified as part of the formation of our national identity. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these men were common opportunists, if noteworthy naval warriors. The profit motive was the driving force behind almost all of their expeditions, and a successful privateer could easily become quite wealthy. In times of peace, these men would be common pirates, pariahs of the maritime community. Commissioned in times of war, they were respected entrepreneurs, serving their purses and their country, if only incidentally the latter. However vulgar their motivation, the system of privateering arose because it provided a valuable service to thecountry, and inde ed the American Revolution might not have been won without their involvement. Many scholars agree that all war begins for economic reasons, and the privateers of the war for independence contributed by attacking the commercial livelihood of Great Britain's merchants. It is ironic that the entire notion of privateering began in Great Britain. In 1649 a frigate named Constant-Warwick was constructed in England for a privateer in the employ of the Earl of Warwick. Seeing how profitable this investment was, a great many of the English peerage commissioned their own privateers. The Seven-Years War saw the proliferation of privateering on both the English and French coasts as each attempted to disrupt their opponent's colonial trade. American investors quickly entered this battle, commissioning ships to prey upon cargo vessels coming to and from French colonial holdings in the Americas. Here began the American privateer heritage, and when the American Revolution began many of these same men viewed the opportunity to profit, and resumed their ventures. The American privateer vessel was a ship "armed and fitted out at private expense for the purpose of preying on the enemy's commerce to the profit of her owners". Not just anyone could be a privateer, however. What distinguished a privateer from a common pirate was a commission, or a letter of marque. These were granted by the government, and were quite easily obtained. The government's benefit was twofold. First, the revolutionary government took a share of the profits from the sale of any cargo captured by a commissioned privateer.

Wasteland by TS Eliot :: essays papers

Wasteland by T.S. Eliot The driving force of all life is procreation and re-birth. For mankind, vegetation, the animal kingdom, the survival of the species is the dominant factor and only the fittest survive. For millennia, different races have believed that the fertility of the land depended on the sexual potency of their ruler or favour of their gods. Pagan, Roman, Greek and other gods have been invented who were believed to control the fertility of the land, such as Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, on which the survival of their populations has been believed to have depended. Various superstitions and religions have further developed and become significant factors in the lives of billions of the world's population. The Waste Land takes these themes and portrays a dead land that lacks the fertility and sexual potency needed to sustain and progress life. A land void of what is needed for re-birth. The 4 life-giving elements: Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Earth is sterile; Air is turned to "brown fog"; Fire burns; Water drowns. The sexual imageries are unproductive: sex is present as a lustful functional device but lacking of the necessary fertility. Superstitions are turned to by the society in search of the answer in the form of Tarot cards and religion is a constant thread as evidenced by the recurring Biblical references and themes. In The Burial of the Dead we see that he gives us an image of the Earth as sterile, instead of being the foundation of vegetation. It is only a repository for the dead. Earth is the 1st. of the 4 natural elements. These 4 opening lines echo the "April", "root", "Lilac/flower", and "rain/shower" imagery of the 4 opening lines of The General Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. These lines are reflecting the image of life and death. Rain usually nurtures and strengthens plants and sustains them, but here we see that life even with water is slowly dying and wasting away. He later goes on to say that the trees will give no shelter and the crickets, no relief. This line comes from Ecclesiastes 12:5-7: "Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets. Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

UPS: Business Strategy

The United Parcel Service has been in business since 1907. Over 100 years of delivery services must be a result of a certain method of management and business that has allowed them such success over time. What type of structure do they use within the workplace to manage the flow of packages? What promotion system do they use and how does it affect employees' commitment to work? What type of organizational design does UPS use to manage its employees?These are all questions I would like to answer in terms of UPS' management structure to determine how they eve been successful for so long. Table of Contents 1. Title Page – Page 1 2. Abstract – Page 2 3. Table of Contents – Page 3 4. Section 1: UPS Enterprise – Page 4 5. Section 2: Management Functions – Page 6 6. Section 3: Analysis – Page 12 7. References – Page 13 8. References (Count. ) – Page 14 Section 1: UPS Enterprise Starting as a small messenger company in 1907, UPS, short for United Parcel Service, has grown into a massive publicly traded company today.Their management structure today consists of a management committee to oversee the entire company. The committee consists of the usual CEO, SCOFF, and COO (Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operating Officer). Beneath each of them is a tree of management. UPS employs a Human Relations department which deals with ethical decisions for the company and how employees will be treated. They also employ engineering department which determines the flow of packages every day (UPS, 2014). They determine what the manning needs to be for each building to run efficiently every night.They also determine how many packages each building needs to process every day in order to run efficiently and effectively. The operations management section is clearly the muscle of the operation. They are the ones who determine how they are going to get the plan set by the engineering department completed. Th e operations department has many tiers of management stretching all the way down to the front line of package handlers. UPS also practices hiring from within as many of UPS' Coo's have started all the way from the bottom of the company.Some logistics regarding the company begin with the fact that UPS employs approximately 407,000 people across the world, with 348,000 of them within the United States (Statistics Brain, 2014). UPS has grown to offer many different methods of package shipment. Today they offer services such as Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, Ground and even Sonic Air. Next Day Air being their primary source of revenue among the other methods of shipment. Sonic Air is a method not known to many because of its extremely high cost.Sonic Air allows you to ship to anywhere in the fastest time possible at an extremely high cost. UPS has gained a very large share of the market with approximately 7. 9 million customers using their services daily to ship over 15 million packages dai ly across the world. UPS has developed new improvements frequently with their $53. Billion revenue every year. UPS' world headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia, with many other regional headquarters around the world in each of the major continents (UPS, 2014). UPS has created a operational layout which resembles their management layout.They use major hubs across the world to process the majority of the packages, which are then loaded onto trucks and distributed to smaller hubs to be delivered to the communities. UPS and Feeds are strong competitors, both ruling the courier service industry. The companies do have their differences though, as Feeds is not a unionized company. UPS is a larger company, although Feeds does operate through the air far more than UPS, but UPS has a stronger ground presence. According to revenue statistics, UPS brings in about $53. 1 billion per year compared to Feeder's $42. Billion, which translates to $5. 9 and $3. 7 billion in profits respectively. Feeds a lso employs approximately 100,000 people less than UPS yearly, which factors into the profits. Overall, UPS has the higher market share, holding a 46%-50% share of the entire domestic market, compared to Feeder's 49% market share on express packages only. In essence, Feeds specializes in express shipments to make a profit, while UPS does everything to include ground and air shipments (Differ, 2013). UPS focuses heavily on businesses as primary clients.UPS actually has a program for all employees which allows workers to get contracts from any businesses around to use UPS' services. Gaining a contract makes UPS money and is an incentive for employees because UPS will pay them a portion of the contract. Overall, UPS is the most dominating force in the courier services industry in the world, making them a very successful business. Section 2: Management Planning is of the utmost importance at UPS, it is the difference between a failing company and success. The United Parcel Service emplo ys industrial engineers at every hub across the world.Their Job is the do all the behind the scenes work to maximize profit and create the most efficient workplace possible. They also incorporate other departments within the company which all account for certain aspects of the success the company has had. Departments such as Finance, Marketing, Industrial Engineering, Operations, and Human Resources are some of the primary reasons for the company's continued success. Financially, UPS is one of the more successful companies in America, and is the most successful in the courier services industry.Financial analysts with UPS have made the company very â€Å"liquid†, meaning they have high flexibility. They are gaining working capital and assets faster as they continue to pay off debt. This working capital goes towards the development of innovations to better the progress and efficiency of the company. From 2005 to 2010, UPS was gaining working capital at a gaining rate of 28% per year. According the financial model, UPS is running a system hat focuses on runs largely on existing equity and splitting the remaining capital on debt and liabilities.They continue to invest profits on working capital to better the company as a whole (Shah, 2010). UPS does focus on marketing in some regards, although they let their products do the marketing for them the majority of the time. UPS does more than Just ship packages, they also develop products such as Barbados scanning systems which get the UPS name out. They have made themselves accessible across almost any medium possible. You can reach UPS via phone, internet, in-person, through UPS drivers, at strutting centers, and retail locations. Having the company so readily accessible really promotes the use of the company for shipping needs.They price competitively, which gives them an advantage with consumers because they are so easily accessible compared to competitors (Shah, 2010). Industrial Engineering is the brain of the operational side of UPS. Millions and millions of packages come through UPS' hubs every day, without Industrial Engineers working behind the scenes it would be nothing more than a giant flow of packages. This department analyzes the intake of packages for each of their respective hubs. They allocate how many workers need to work on each shift for the hub to be efficient and come out positive based on how many expected packages.They also plan for the expected amount of packages for each shift. They have to take into account all of the factors in this determination. Holiday times are the toughest for this department. Often they have to hire â€Å"seasonal† employees to add additional man hours for the holiday flow, called â€Å"peak season†. In 2013, UPS had a major strategic planning failure during the holiday season due to lack of man power. The engineers at the head of he company failed to make correct predictions about the flow of packages that would be coming th rough the system that holiday season.UPS planned to hire an additional 55,000 employees that holiday season, while also leasing an additional 23 airplanes to accommodate next day air shipments in order to make â€Å"before Christmas day' delivery promises (Leonard, 2013). Clearly this was under planned as Christmas day rolled around and many packages were still stalled in the hubs across America forcing managers of the hubs to work hours on Christmas day and Christmas Eve, which are normally holidays for UPS employees (Banker, 2013).This goes to show how important the Industrial Engineers in UPS actually are to the company. They are paid to make the overall operations plan every day of the year, which are then carried out by the operations managers. The operations side of UPS is the muscle of the entire organization. This the department that has to perform in order for the company to be successful. These are the workers that consumers deal with on a daily basis. Planning for this d epartment is done mostly by the Industrial Engineering department, although they can deviate from the plan as necessary.One thing the operations depart works on with planning s how many managers they think they will need in order to get the most from their hourly work force. Integrating airline, ground, and warehouse operations is key to the success of the mission of UPS. Customer service is the greatest advertising tool that UPS has, and the operations department is in control of this as they are the ones out and about working on the front lines. Finally, UPS utilizes a Human Resources department for planning that deals with hiring employees.With UPS' vast network of employees, it is the HER department that is key to keeping these employees happy and satisfied enough to continue to work art for the company and keep the turnover rate low. Once the II department determines how many employees will need to be hired for peak seasons, it's the HER department that is in charge of hiring t hose employees in time for the season. Planning for the HER department is integral for the happiness and productivity of employees. Organization I think UPS has done a brilliant Job in the way they have designed the company to manage itself.Instead of having one large chain of command, UPS has one CEO, but many different departments and many different levels. UPS has its large hubs, which all compete against each other. Hubs like Chicago and Louisville are some of the largest. These hubs flow millions of packages through them every single day, but they wouldn't be able to do that if they didn't have smaller hubs throughout the country. The design allows for the packages to flow into the major hubs throughout the country, and then they distribute them by freight to the smaller hubs, which then load them on to package cars and deliver them out to houses.UPS also utilizes a Human Relations department which takes care of all their recruitment procedures as well as other areas such as sa fety. Finally, they use an engineering department which goes all the behind the scenes work for UPS (Drake, 2012). They project how many packages each building will receive that day and take all things into account such as holidays and what not. They also determine how many people need to be hired to maintain efficiency and effective working methods. These three departments work as their own entities, but collaborate to reach the main goal.When working with the design of the company managers need to consider the fluidity of their design. Because UPS focuses largely on timeliness, their organization for the company needs to also maintain a fluid design which allows for the packages o easily flow through the system. I think UPS has maintained this type of design through the departments which they have installed in the organization. All departments work together but separate, which allows them to do their own work but unloads some of the work from other areas and allows each area to pu t more focus into what they do.Knowing someone who used to work for UPS, I can tell you they are very precise and fluid with their design. He worked in the management side of operations. Every day the engineers would show up in the morning to plan the day for the afternoon shifts. High level managers for the afternoon shifts would come in after lunch and begin to put the plans into action. Following them, the lower level managers would come in to prepare for the day after being briefed by their managers. Hourly employees were given a specific â€Å"start time† for each day when they would show up to work.They also had a â€Å"downtime† which dictates when the building should be completely done sorting packages into their correct destinations. If everything worked correctly, the building would be efficient for that night. The fluid motions of the company are what keep them successful and efficient. One thing I thought was interesting is that the department who plans out the routes for the delivery drivers try to plan routes that use as many right turns as possible, eliminating the wait at stop lights as much as possible. This kind of planning and organization is key to the success of the company.Leadership UPS practices promotion from within to maintain motivated employees. One longstanding principal within UPS management is that promoting the workers that are already within your company is the way to keep the company in good standing. It always gives employees something to strive for and look forward to. The current CEO, Scott Davis, was originally absorbed by UPS when they bought out his previous company. He worked his way up to being a UPS CEO, although he did not start all the way at the bottom like many leaders within the company.One thing UPS does to push employees to stay with them is they offer health insurance to all part time employees who have been with them for over a year. In this day and age, something like that is extremely hard to come across. They also offer $1 5,000 in tuition assistance for part time employees, thus encouraging student to get their degree. All of this is the season they choose to promote from within. They invest a lot of time and money into their lower level employees so that they can get their education and begin to move up the UPS employment ladder.They strongly believe in filling gaps in upper management with employees who already know the system and have been at the level of those guys beneath them (UPS Earn & Learn, 2014). Motivating current employees to do better creates a sense of pride within the company, which in turn creates better leaders. Communication between the leaders of the company comes once again from the management committee that UPS uses. Orders start from the top of the organization and trickle down through the management structure until it reaches the front lines.One issue that UPS has with conflict resolution is that the company is highly unionized. UPS uses a syste m of â€Å"write-ups† for hourly employees. Safety has developed a set of rules that need to be followed by each employee while working, and if those rules are not followed, the manager of that employee must right the person up. The issue with this is that the union can almost always get that persons job back if they end up getting fired because of unsafe working. Directly from a UPS manager, I know that the only thing a person can be fired for and not brought back is fighting or stealing.Above this, disciplinary action becomes more regulated by UPS than unions. Managers are not part of the union and therefore cannot get their Job back if fired from misconduct or poor management. UPS and Teamsters consistently work out collective bargaining agreements for hourly employees which state the terms of raises and the guidelines of employment. For example, if an employee is fired by UPS management, they have 10 days to file a grievance with the union to get heir Job back or the term ination becomes final and there is nothing the union can do anymore.This type of disciplinary action for hourly employees can cause issues in the workplace, as many employees know they have a very slim chance of losing their job no matter their performance. Control Control is something that every department in the company has to be aware of because they all work separately but together as a whole. Human resources controls the morale of the employees, while operations looks to control the efficiency and work ethic of the work force. Some control tools which UPS utilizes is the advantage of am work. One department can take an issue and pass it on to another department to work on.This allows work to remain focused on the right topic rather than dealing with something that is not commonly dealt with in that specific department. Section Ill: Analysis In summary, UPS as a whole uses a structured departmentally system to govern their company. They believe in promoting leadership from withi n and encouraging new employees to better themselves so they can progress with the company. It seems that UPS has created a system that is concurrent with their massive success over time. I believe UPS will continue to stay in business for a long time if they continue to treat their employee's right and manage the way they do now.Keeping things separate but working together seems to be a working concept as each of the hubs function as their own entity in the big picture of things. I cannot think of any recommendations for the company to use at this time, as I believe they are doing things right. One thing that I do believe is an issue is the unionized workforce that can really lag their production because of employee's mindset. However, I know this is something that cannot be taken away by UPS management and cannot be fixed easily, so I think they have done a great Job of working around it.

Efas Analysis How-to

Synthesis of External Factors—EFAS After strategic managers have scanned the societal and task environments and identified a number of likely external factors for their particular corporation, they may want to refine their analysis of these factors using a form such as that given in Table 3. 4. The EFAS Table (External Factors Analysis Summary) is one way to organize the external factors into the generally accepted categories of opportunities and threats as well as to analyze how well a particular company’s management (rating) is responding to these specific factors in light of the perceived importance (weight) of these factors to the company. To generate an EFAS Table for the company being analyzed, complete the following steps: In Column 1 (External Factors), list the eight to ten most important opportunities and threats facing the company. In Column 2 (Weight), assign a weight to each factor from 1. 0 (Most Important) to 0. 0 (Not Important) based on that factor’s probable impact on a particular company’s current strategic position. The higher the weight, the more important is this factor to the current and future success of the company. (All weights must sum to 1. 0 regardless of the number of strategic factors. ) In Column 3 (Rating), assign a rating to each factor from 5 (Outstanding) to 1 (Poor) based on that particular company’s current response to that particular factor. Each rating is a judgment regarding how well the company is currently dealing with each external factor. 5 43 2 1 Â ¦_________________Â ¦_____________Â ¦_______________Â ¦_______________Â ¦ Out- Above Average BelowPoor standing Average Average In Column 4Â  (Weighted Score), multiply the weight in Column 2 for each factor times its rating in Column 3 to obtain that factor’s weighted score. This results in a weighted score for each factor ranging from 5. 0 (Outstanding) to 1. (Poor) with 3. 0 as average. In Column 5Â  (Comments), note why a particular factor was selected and how its weight and rating were estimated. Finally, add the weighted scores for all the external factors in Column 4 to determine the total weighted score for that particular company. The total weighted score indicates how well a particular company is responding to current and expected factors in its external environment. The score can be used to compare that firm to other firms in its industry. The total weighted score for an average firm in an industry is always 3. 0. As an example of this procedure, Table 3. 4 includes a number of external factors for Maytag Corporation with corresponding weights, ratings, and weighted scores provided. This table is appropriate for 1995 before Maytag sold its European and Australian operations. Note that Maytag’s total weight is 3. 15, meaning that the corporation is slightly above average in the major home appliance industry.

Borderline Personality Disorder A Literature Review Essay

The history of BPD can be traced back to 1938 when Adolph Stern first described the symptoms of the disorder as neither being psychotic nor psychoneurotic; hence, the term ‘borderline’ was introduced (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Then in 1960, Otto Kernberg coined the term ‘borderline personality organization’ to describe persistent patterns of behavior and functioning consisting of instability, and distressed psychological self-organization (National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health, 2009, p. 15). Research on BPD was first published by Roy Grinker and his colleges in 1968, which was then followed by a major article on the disorder; written by John Gunderson and Margaret Singer in 1975; their†¦show more content†¦(Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.) 2. A pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships characterized by alternating between extremes of idealization and devaluation. 3. Identity disturbance: markedly and persistently unstable self-image or sense of self. 4. Impulsivity in at least two areas that are potentially self-damaging (e.g., spending, sex, substance abuse, reckless driving, binge eating). (Note: Do not include suicidal or self-mutilating behavior covered in Criterion 5.) 5. Recurrent suicidal behavior, gestures, or threats, or self-mutilating behavior. 6. Affective instability due to a marked reactivity of mood (e.g., intense episodic dysphoria, irritability, or anxiety usually lasting a few hours and only rarely more than a few days). 7. Chronic feelings of emptiness. 8. Inappropriate, intense anger or difficulty controlling anger (e.g., frequent displays of temper, constant anger, recurrent physical fights). 9. Transient, stress-related paranoid ideation or severe dissociative symptoms. (Borderline Personality Disorder section, para.1) People with BPD also experience different co-occurring disorders depending on their genders. 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Japanese History and Culture