Mayhew

Mayhew Analysis Paper In the book, Congress: The Electoral Connection, David Mayhew addresses his opinion about the political system, and centralizes his argument on the assumption that the only intent a member of Congress has is reelection. The bulk of his argument is the behavior by the members of Congress involving advertising, credit claiming, and position taking, which we discussed in class. Mayhew believes that these actions by the incumbent congressmen illustrate that they are more worried about keeping their seat, than anything else.The first election activity mentioned in the book is advertising, which is defined by Mayhew as: â€Å"any effort to disseminate one’s name among constituents in such a fashion as to create a favorable image but having little or no issue content,† (49). By spending money on advertisement, the house incumbent has a sizeable advantage over their opponent. Mayhew’s distaste for this tactic comes from the sole purpose that most of it is done while the congressmen are in office.In my opinion, I feel that Mayhew thinks of congressional elections as more of a popularity contest based on this statement, â€Å"There are standard routines—frequent visits to the constituency, nonpolitical speeches to home audiences, the sending out of care booklets and letters of condolence and congratulation,† (50). Mayhew realizes this is an unprincipled manner to get reelected, but it will not stop and congressmen will continue to take advantage of advertising anyway possible.The second behavioral motive Mayhew discusses in the book is credit claiming. This allows the incumbent to take credit for government accomplishments and look good to the constituents. The credit claiming tactic allows for a member of Congress to stick out as an individual rather than affiliated with a particular party. In order to do so, like we discussed in class, the congressmen must provide assets to the constituents that they can take abs olute credit for.Mayhew argues that a congressman may take advantage of this due to little knowledge, â€Å"For typical voters Capitol Hill is a distant and mysterious place; few having anything like a working knowledge of its maneuverings,† (69). Therefore, constituents have no way of knowing if the credit claimed by their congressman is valid or not. This is why Mayhew argues that this tactic is flawed because it may look to the constituents that the congressmen is putting in hard work, when really it is redundant actions to that district to help them get reelected.However, like advertising, this is a very important reelection tool and the incumbent wants to appear loyal to the constituency. Mayhew discusses position taking, which is the third activity congressmen use in their pursuit for reelection. It is defined in the book as â€Å"the public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors,† (61). Mayhew argues here t hat most incumbent’s judgment involves speaking on the issue rather than acting on it. In class, we discussed what happens in a role call and the member must pick a side.Mayhew states that most congressmen will take the conservative route and take the position that got them their seat to begin with. This validates Mayhew’s argument that most congressmen are content with their position due to the prestige that comes with it and it pays well. So why would they want to leave? A congressman who has been reelected before knows what the constituents want, causing them to take familiar stance on issues like they have in the past. These three tactics by incumbents seeking reelection draw enough conclusive evidence to contradict the following statement: â€Å"The U.S. Congress is a representative institution that effectively responds to the preferences of a majority of Americans. † The words representative, institution, and effectively caught my eye. Yes, there is repres entation, but it deems insignificant in the fact that it is more on the congressmen’s mind to stay in seat for their sake, rather than really helping the constituents according to Mayhew. There is no institution, it is a group of individuals each trying to create a positive image to the constituency through advertising.In the United States Congress, congressmen do not need their party to win the nomination, â€Å"In America the underpinnings of ‘teamsmanship’ are weak or absent, making it possible for possible for politicians to triumph over parties,† (22-23). Mayhew uses the British Parliament as an example of strong party influence. The analysis and assessment of Mayhew’s argument on the reelection process allowed me to conclude that the accuracy of the statement above sounds true, but when broken down, it is not.Mayhew made very strong and valid points about the incumbent’s process in order to remain in Congress. Also, relating back to cla ss discussion, most members will vote in the direction that best suites them, which Mayhew talked about in part two of the book. It is apparent that with Mayhew’s argument that many congressmen put themselves ahead of their constituents, which is not appropriate representation. In conclusion, it is visible that the intent a member of congress has is reelection.Mayhew clearly shows with his argument that the election activities of advertising, credit claiming, and position taking are done merely for reelection purposes and not for the betterment of the constituency. These three tactics have very little to do with legislation and more so with publicity and appeasing the district by miniscule deeds and conservative voting that the incumbent has done in the past. However, these three strategies are assets to current congressmen and they will continue to take advantage of them.

Final Draft Execution Essay

Everyone has different thoughts on punishments for different crimes. There are currently thirty-three states that support the death penalty (Deathpeanltyinfo.org 1). Over the passing years punishment for crimes has gone soft. Whenever the words â€Å"death penalty† are said it raises such debate whether or not it is right or wrong. An eye for an eye my father told me when I was growing up. For that to be true in todays society we need the death penalty and much more. Today our â€Å"eye for an eye† system is weak. Seventeen states believe if a murder happens that person who does the crime does not need to be put to death (Death Penalty Information Center 1). In the poem â€Å"Punishment† by Seamus Heaney, it is about an execution for a crime of adultery, which would be a correct punishment for that crime in that time period. â€Å"When the Puritans came to this land, they left a country where the English treated adultery as largely a civil and personal matter. T he Puritans wanted to create a society where moral dictates were enforced by harsh corporal punishments† (Turley 1). The Puritans had it right, they believed that there needs to be consequences for all crimes petty or not. An issue that has continually created tension in today’s society is whether the death penalty serves as a justified and valid form of punishment. The death penalty can be the only way to justify a crime especially adultery. In the poem â€Å"Punishmentm,† Heaney paints a vivid picture of a dead girls corpse tortured and hung for punishment of a crime of adultery. Heaney uses great detail as if you were the one to find the corpse. â€Å"It blows her nipples / to amber beads, / it shakes the frail rigging / of her ribs† (lines 5-8). He goes on to explain the punishment that this girl indoored for her crime. It is a fitting crime for what she did. When it is thought about this girl ruined a life of another persons, a family’s life. â€Å"Her shaved head / like a stubble of black corn† (17-18). She deserved the embarrassment to be found naked. â€Å"Body in the bog† (9). Bog meaning like an unnourished vegetable, she has been on display for so long she as become  rotten just as she is on the inside when she did her crime of adultery. â€Å"To store / the memories of love. / little adulteress, / before they punished you† (21-24). The love she was after punished her ; she should of found love somewhere else then with a married man. Even Heaney seems to be getting some type of pleasure from his own writing. â€Å"I am the artful voyeur† (33). Heaney agrees with the scene of her punishment by using the word voyeur, he gets excited to see it, to imagine it. Society does not need to get excited about putting someone to death but society should be excited to punish someone for adultery by putting him or her to death. The death penalty persuasion in America has change dramatically overtimes, it is gaining support. The opinion of the death penalty in America is split. â€Å"Public opinion on the death penalty in America over the past fifty years has vacillated. Support decreased through the 1950s and until 1966, when only forty-seven percent of the American public voiced support; since 1982 about three quarters of the population favored capital punishment† (Radelet 44). As time goes on more and more people see that the only way to deal with punishments for certain crimes in execution or the death penalty. â€Å"We must punish offenders to discourage others from committing similar offenses; we punish past offenders to send a message to potential offenders† (Radelet 44). There is great wisdom behind that quote. Strike fear into the offenders to prevent further corruption of adultery. There may be a down side to the death penalty that most can admit, that innocent defendants will occasio nally be executed (Radelet 50). Not to say that in the thirty-three states that have the death penalty that some were innocent while being put to death. It makes no difference though; it is time to change the weak way of punishment for adultery. If a person can ruin someone’s life by committing adultery then the people should have the right to ruin there by ending it. Executions in the Untied States are not like they are in third world countries, where people get stoned to death. There are five different methods of execution today; lethal injection, electrocution, lethal gas, firing squad, and hanging. (â€Å"Methods of Execution† 1). Execution has evolved over years. â€Å"No states provide for lethal gas, hanging, or firing squad as  the sole method of execution.† (â€Å"Methods of Execution† 1). Obviously, these three execution styles are not used today but they are still in the books for use. Sixteen states authorize lethal injection as the sole method of execution and 20 other states provide lethal injection as the primary method but provide other methods for the criminal to pick the way he or she wishes to die. (â€Å"Methods of Execution† 5). The most common execution is lethal injection; which is the most humane way of the death penalty. The execution protocol for most jurisdictions authorizes the use of a com bination of three drugs. The first, sodium thiopental or sodium pentothal, is a barbiturate that renders the prisoner unconscious. The second, pancuronium bromide, is a muscle relaxant that paralyzes the diaphragm and lungs. The third, potassium chloride, causes cardiac arrest (â€Å"Methods of Execution† 5). With these three drugs injected into the criminal it is virtually painless for him or her. Nebraska is the only state, out of the thirty-three that have the death penalty, that the main method of execution is electrocution. (â€Å"Methods of Execution† 1). Execution has evolved from being stoned to death and being hung in public for everyone to see to a â€Å"private show† that in as many ways as possible is humane. We give the criminal a choice to witch execution he or she wants and all the choices that are given are the quickest. Execution has evolved significantly, the criminal does not need to be tortured to prove a point to the rest of society but if you commit adultery society needs to know that they will be put to death for it. The Military has strict rules and regulations on many laws but most importantly, adultery. It seems in todays society you can not Google enough to find the last punishment of adultery in the United States. It goes unnoticed, just gossip in the wind. At least the military has a decent punishment for adultery, not saying it is the best but at least the military is doing something about it. In the United Stares Military if convicted of adultery under the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice) you can be striped of rank or worse be dishonorable discharged (Rives 1). Being dishonorably discharged from any military branch will ruin you life. Try getting a job with a dishonorable discharge on your record, it won’t happen. The best job you can hope for with that on your record is working eight to five at your local McDonalds. â€Å"The military’s rules on fraternization and  adultery are neither out-of-date nor unnecessary† (Rives 2). The military personal are well-tr ained professionals, and are held to a higher stander then others (Rives 2). The people of America expect the military to be that â€Å"higher stander† so when they see in the news that a high-ranking officer cheated on his wife with a junior enlisted it makes the military look weak. If we think the military, the one thing protecting us from danger, looks weak because of adultery, it would be safe to say other countries think we look weak because people in our country commit adultery and go unpunished for it. More and more people are committing adultery. â€Å"A 1996 NORC study found that 22 percent of men and 15 percent of women admitted being unfaithful to their spouses at least once† (Kantrowitz 2). Eighteen years ago that was the percent of men and women that admitted to adultery. Think of the people who were too ashamed and embarrassed to admit, and think of how its 2012 now and that how badly those percentages have increased. With the punishment for adultery being the death penalty the percentages would drop astronomically. It would set an example for people that if they knowingly cheat on there spouse that they would know what would happen no questions asked. If you are unhappy with your spouse there are ways to work around that, marriage counseling and divorce are just two common ways. You may break someone’s heart by going through divorce but it is better then committing adultery and your spouse finding out and his or her heart is on the floor being stomped on by th e cheater. There is no other way to get people to believe that adultery is wrong, people have thick skulls and the only way of penetrating those skulls is by setting an example for all the others to see. America will become overwhelmed with adultery and that will never be okay. Even the people we look up to have committed such a horrific crime. If the headlines seem to tell us one thing about our culture, it is that we are living in the Age of Adultery. A steady line of prominent men have taken the walk of shame across our television screens and through our magazine and newspaper pages over the past decade or so; Bill Clinton (he says it wasn’t sex, but would even he deny it was adultery?), Newt Gingrich, Rudy Giuliani, the three Johns (Edwards, Ensignm and Gosselin), Jim Mcgreevey, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer, Tiger woods, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Anthony Weiner (Hymowitz  1). If all of these men that we idol in some way or another have committed adultery that sends a signal to the people saying that it is okay if he did it. Kids are watching these men on television looking up to them. Even celebrities should have to be held to the higher stander just like the military. If people, society, looks up to them they should have to face the same punishment. There are even websites that urge peoples to cheat. One of th e most famous is â€Å"AshleyMadison.com, cheekily urges, â€Å"life is short. Have an affair† (Hymowitz 2). If websites are advertising that it is okay that you have an affair because you only live once people are thinking that maybe it is true that people need to go out and have an affair. It is a great message to be sending to people in our society. You might as well be outside with a sign strapped to your chest saying I want to have an affair. The word â€Å"punishment† does not really let the person know what is ahead for them. Most people know when they hear the word â€Å"punishment† that what ever they did is deserving of the crime. Punishment is defined as a penalty imposed for wrongdoing. It is time that everyone takes a stand against adultery and broken hearts. Stop showing other countries we are weak with our punishments. Start setting an example for people who do the crime must face the punishment. It is time to put back in â€Å"an eye for an eye†. Stop living with compassion and start taking responsibilities for your actions like the girl in the poem had to. She committed adultery and had to face a much worse punishment that she would have to face today. Let society bring back the punishment that she had to endure. Works Cited Death Penalty Information Center. â€Å"Facts about the Death Penalty.† Death penalty information. DPIC, 19 July 2012. Web. 22 July 2012. Heaney, Seamus. â€Å"Punishment.† Making Literature Matter: A Text and Anthology for Writers. 4th ed. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford, 2009. 587- 95. Print. Hymowitz, Kay S. â€Å"The National Adultery Ritual.† Commentary 132.1 (2011): 40-44. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 July 2012. Kantrowitz, Barbara, and Karen Springen. â€Å"Those Cheatin’ Hearts.† Newsweek 16 June 1997: 38. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 July 2012. â€Å"Methods of Execution.† Methods of Execution. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 July 2012. Radelet, Michael L., and Marian J. Borg. â€Å"The changing Nature Of Death Penalty Debates.† Annual Review of Sociology 26.1 (2000): 43 Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 July 2012. Rives, Jack L. â€Å"It Works For us: A Guide to the Military’s Rules on Fraternization and Adultery.† Reporter Dec. 1997: 3. Academic Search Premier. Web. 19 July 2012. Turley, Jonathan. USA Today. Gannett, n.d. Web. 22 July 2012.

The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 14. DECLARATION

â€Å"YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS,† I SAID WEDNESDAY AFTERnoon. â€Å"You've completely lost your mind!† â€Å"Say whatever you like about me,† Alice answered. â€Å"The party is still on.† I stared at her, my eyes so wide with disbelief it felt like they might fall out and land on my lunch tray. â€Å"Oh, calm down, Bella! There's no reason not to go through with it. Besides, the invitations are already sent.† â€Å"But . . . the . . . you . . . I . . . insane!† I spluttered. â€Å"You've already bought my present,† she reminded me. â€Å"You don't have to do anything but show up.† I made an effort to calm myself. â€Å"With everything that is going on right now, a party is hardly appropriate.† â€Å"Graduation is what's going on right now, and a party is so appropriate it's almost pass.† â€Å"Alice!† She sighed, and tried to be serious. â€Å"There are a few things we need to get in order now, and that's going to take a little time. As long as we're sitting here waiting, we might as well commemorate the good stuff. You're only going to graduate from high school – for the first time – once. You don't get to be human again, Bella. This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot.† Edward, silent through our little argument, flashed her a warning look. She stuck out her tongue at him. She was right – her soft voice would never carry over the babble of the cafeteria. And no one would understand the meaning behind her words in any case. â€Å"What few things do we need to get in order?† I asked, refusing to be sidetracked. Edward answered in a low voice. â€Å"Jasper thinks we could use some help. Tanya's family isn't the only choice we have. Carlisle's trying to track down a few old friends, and Jasper is looking up Peter and Charlotte. He's considering talking to Maria . . . but no one really wants to involve the southerners.† Alice shuddered delicately. â€Å"It shouldn't be too hard to convince them to help,† he continued. â€Å"Nobody wants a visit from Italy.† â€Å"But these friends – they're not going to be . . . vegetarians, right?† I protested, using the Cullens' tongue-in-cheek nickname for themselves. â€Å"No,† Edward answered, suddenly expressionless. â€Å"Here? In Forks?† â€Å"They're friends,† Alice reassured me. â€Å"Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry. And then, Jasper has to teach us a few courses on newborn elimination. . . .† Edward's eyes brightened at that, and a brief smile flashed across his face. My stomach suddenly felt like it was full of sharp little splinters of ice. â€Å"When are you going?† I asked in a hollow voice. I couldn't stand this – the idea that someone might not come back. What if it was Emmett, so brave and thoughtless that he was never the least bit cautious? Or Esme, so sweet and motherly that I couldn't even imagine her in a fight? Or Alice, so tiny, so fragile-looking? Or . . . but I couldn't even think the name, consider the possibility. â€Å"A week,† Edward said casually. â€Å"That ought to give us enough time.† The icy splinters twisted uncomfortably in my stomach. I was suddenly nauseated. â€Å"You look kind of green, Bella,† Alice commented. Edward put his arm around me and pulled me tightly against his side. â€Å"It's going to be fine, Bella. Trust me.† Sure, I thought to myself. Trust him. He wasn't the one who was going to have to sit behind and wonder whether or not the core of his existence was going to come home. And then it occurred to me. Maybe I didn't need to sit behind. A week was more than enough time. â€Å"You're looking for help,† I said slowly. â€Å"Yes.† Alice's head cocked to the side as she processed the change in my tone. I looked only at her as I answered. My voice was just slightly louder than a whisper. â€Å"I could help.† Edward's body was suddenly rigid, his arm too tight around me. He exhaled, and the sound was a hiss. But it was Alice, still calm, who answered. â€Å"That really wouldn't be helpful.† â€Å"Why not?† I argued; I could hear the desperation in my voice. â€Å"Eight is better than seven. There's more than enough time.† â€Å"There's not enough time to make you helpful, Bella,† she disagreed coolly. â€Å"Do you remember how Jasper described the young ones? You'd be no good in a fight. You wouldn't be able to control your instincts, and that would make you an easy target. And then Edward would get hurt trying to protect you.† She folded her arms across her chest, pleased with her unassailable logic. And I knew she was right, when she put it like that. I slumped in my seat, my sudden hope defeated. Beside me, Edward relaxed. He whispered the reminder in my ear. â€Å"Not because you're afraid.† â€Å"Oh,† Alice said, and a blank look crossed her face. Then her expression became surly. â€Å"I hate last- minute cancellations. So that puts the party attendance list down to sixty-five. . . .† â€Å"Sixty-five!† My eyes bulged again. I didn't have that many friends. Did I even know that many people? â€Å"Who canceled?† Edward wondered, ignoring me. â€Å"Rene.† â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"She was going to surprise you for your graduation, but something went wrong. You'll have a message when you get home.† For a moment, I just let myself enjoy the relief. Whatever it was that went wrong for my mother, I was eternally grateful to it. If she had come to Forks now . . . I didn't want to think about it. My head would explode. The message light was flashing when I got home. My feeling of relief flared again as I listened to my mother describe Phil's accident on the ball field – while demonstrating a slide, he'd tangled up with the catcher and broken his thigh bone; he was entirely dependent on her, and there was no way she could leave him. My mom was still apologizing when the message cut off. â€Å"Well, that's one,† I sighed. â€Å"One what?† Edward asked. â€Å"One person I don't have to worry about getting killed this week.† He rolled his eyes. â€Å"Why won't you and Alice take this seriously?† I demanded. â€Å"This is serious.† He smiled. â€Å"Confidence.† â€Å"Wonderful,† I grumbled. I picked up the phone and dialed Rene's number. I knew it would be a long conversation, but I also knew that I wouldn't have to contribute much. I just listened, and reassured her every time I could get a word in: I wasn't disappointed, I wasn't mad, I wasn't hurt. She should concentrate on helping Phil get better. I passed on my â€Å"get well soon† to Phil, and promised to call her with every single detail from Forks High's generic graduation. Finally, I had to use my desperate need to study for finals to get off the phone. Edward's patience was endless. He waited politely through the whole conversation, just playing with my hair and smiling whenever I looked up. It was probably superficial to notice such things while I had so many more important things to think about, but his smile still knocked the breath out of me. He was so beautiful that it made it hard sometimes to think about anything else, hard to concentrate on Phil's troubles or Rene's apologies or hostile vampire armies. I was only human. As soon as I hung up, I stretched onto my tiptoes to kiss him. He put his hands around my waist and lifted me onto the kitchen counter, so I wouldn't have to reach as far. That worked for me. I locked my arms around his neck and melted against his cold chest. Too soon, as usual, he pulled away. I felt my face slip into a pout. He laughed at my expression as he extricated himself from my arms and legs. He leaned against the counter next to me and put one arm lightly around my shoulders. â€Å"I know you think that I have some kind of perfect, unyielding self-control, but that's not actually the case.† â€Å"I wish,† I sighed. And he sighed, too. â€Å"After school tomorrow,† he said, changing the subject, â€Å"I'm going hunting with Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie. Just for a few hours – we'll stay close. Alice, Jasper, and Emmett should be able to keep you safe.† â€Å"Ugh,† I grumbled. Tomorrow was the first day of finals, and it was only a half-day. I had Calculus and History – the only two challenges in my line-up – so I'd have almost the whole day without him, and nothing to do but worry. â€Å"I hate being babysat.† â€Å"It's temporary,† he promised. â€Å"Jasper will be bored. Emmett will make fun of me.† â€Å"They'll be on their best behavior.† â€Å"Right,† I grumbled. And then it occurred to me that I did have one option besides babysitters. â€Å"You know . . . I haven't been to La Push since the bonfire.† I watched his face carefully for any change in expression. His eyes tightened the tiniest bit. â€Å"I'd be safe enough there,† I reminded him. He thought about it for a few seconds. â€Å"You're probably right.† His face was calm, but just a little too smooth. I almost asked if he'd rather I stayed here, but then I thought of the ribbing Emmett would no doubt dish out, and I changed the subject. â€Å"Are you thirsty already?† I asked, reaching up to stroke the light shadow beneath his eye. His irises were still a deep gold. â€Å"Not really.† He seemed reluctant to answer, and that surprised me. I waited for an explanation. â€Å"We want to be as strong as possible,† he explained, still reluctant. â€Å"We'll probably hunt again on the way, looking for big game.† â€Å"That makes you stronger?† He searched my face for something, but there was nothing to find but curiosity. â€Å"Yes,† he finally said. â€Å"Human blood makes us the strongest, though only fractionally. Jasper's been thinking about cheating – adverse as he is to the idea, he's nothing if not practical – but he won't suggest it. He knows what Carlisle will say.† â€Å"Would that help?† I asked quietly. â€Å"It doesn't matter. We aren't going to change who we are.† I frowned. If something helped even the odds . . . and then I shuddered, realizing I was willing to have a stranger die to protect him. I was horrified at myself, but not entirely able to deny it, either. He changed the subject again. â€Å"That's why they're so strong, of course. The newborns are full of human blood – their own blood, reacting to the change. It lingers in the tissues and strengthens them. Their bodies use it up slowly, like Jasper said, the strength starting to wane after about a year.† â€Å"How strong will I be?† He grinned. â€Å"Stronger than I am.† â€Å"Stronger than Emmett?† The grin got bigger. â€Å"Yes. Do me a favor and challenge him to an arm-wrestling match. It would be a good experience for him.† I laughed. It sounded so ridiculous. Then I sighed and hopped down from the counter, because I really couldn't put it off any longer. I had to cram, and cram hard. Luckily I had Edward's help, and Edward was an excellent tutor – since he knew absolutely everything. I figured my biggest problem would be just focusing on the tests. If I didn't watch myself, I might end up writing my History essay on the vampire wars of the South. I took a break to call Jacob, and Edward seemed just as comfortable as he had when I was on the phone with Rene. He played with my hair again. Though it was the middle of the afternoon, my call woke Jacob up, and he was grouchy at first. He cheered right up when I asked if I could visit the next day. The Quileute school was already out for the summer, so he told me to come over as early as I could. I was pleased to have an option besides being babysat. There was a tiny bit more dignity in spending the day with Jacob. Some of that dignity was lost when Edward insisted again on delivering me to the border line like a child being exchanged by custodial guardians. â€Å"So how do you feel you did on your exams?† Edward asked on the way, making small talk. â€Å"History was easy, but I don't know about the Calculus. It seemed like it was making sense, so that probably means I failed.† He laughed. â€Å"I'm sure you did fine. Or, if you're really worried, I could bribe Mr. Varner to give you an A.† â€Å"Er, thanks, but no thanks.† He laughed again, but suddenly stopped when we turned the last bend and saw the red car waiting. He frowned in concentration, and then, as he parked the car, he sighed. â€Å"What's wrong?† I asked, my hand on the door. He shook his head. â€Å"Nothing.† His eyes were narrowed as he stared through the windshield toward the other car. I'd seen that look before. â€Å"You're not listening to Jacob, are you?† I accused. â€Å"It's not easy to ignore someone when he's shouting.† â€Å"Oh.† I thought about that for a second. â€Å"What's he shouting?† I whispered. â€Å"I'm absolutely certain he'll mention it himself,† Edward said in a wry tone. I would have pressed the issue, but then Jacob honked his horn – two quick impatient honks. â€Å"That's impolite,† Edward growled. â€Å"That's Jacob,† I sighed, and I hurried out before Jacob did something to really set Edward's teeth on edge. I waved to Edward before I got into the Rabbit and, from that distance, it looked like he was truly upset about the honking thing . . . or whatever Jacob was thinking about. But my eyes were weak and made mistakes all the time. I wanted Edward to come to me. I wanted to make both of them get out of their cars and shake hands and be friends – be Edward and Jacob rather than vampire and werewolf. It was as if I had those two stubborn magnets in my hands again, and I was holding them together, trying to force nature to reverse herself. . . . I sighed, and climbed in Jacob's car. â€Å"Hey, Bells.† Jake's tone was cheerful, but his voice dragged. I examined his face as he started down the road, driving a little faster than I did, but slower than Edward, on his way back to La Push. Jacob looked different, maybe even sick. His eyelids drooped and his face was drawn. His shaggy hair stuck out in random directions; it was almost to his chin in some places. â€Å"Are you all right, Jake?† â€Å"Just tired,† he managed to get out before he was overcome by a massive yawn. When he finished, he asked, â€Å"What do you want to do today?† I eyed him for a moment. â€Å"Let's just hang out at your place for now,† I suggested. He didn't look like he was up for much more than that. â€Å"We can ride our bikes later.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† he said, yawning again. Jacob's house was vacant, and that felt strange. I realized I thought of Billy as a nearly permanent fixture there. â€Å"Where's your dad?† â€Å"Over at the Clearwaters'. He's been hanging out there a lot since Harry died. Sue gets lonely.† Jacob sat down on the old couch that was no bigger than a loveseat and squished himself to the side to make room for me. â€Å"Oh. That's nice. Poor Sue.† â€Å"Yeah . . . she's having some trouble. . . .† He hesitated. â€Å"With her kids.† â€Å"Sure, it's got to be hard on Seth and Leah, losing their dad. . . .† â€Å"Uh-huh,† he agreed, lost in thought. He picked up the remote and flipped on the TV without seeming to think about it. He yawned. â€Å"What's with you, Jake? You're like a zombie.† â€Å"I got about two hours of sleep last night, and four the night before,† he told me. He stretched his long arms slowly, and I could hear the joints crack as he flexed. He settled his left arm along the back of the sofa behind me, and slumped back to rest his head against the wall. â€Å"I'm exhausted.† â€Å"Why aren't you sleeping?† I asked. He made a face. â€Å"Sam's being difficult. He doesn't trust your bloodsuckers. I've been running double shifts for two weeks and nobody's touched me yet, but he still doesn't buy it. So I'm on my own for now.† â€Å"Double shifts? Is this because you're trying to watch out for me? Jake, that's wrong! You need to sleep. I'll be fine.† â€Å"It's no big deal.† His eyes were abruptly more alert. â€Å"Hey, did you ever find out who was in your room? Is there anything new?† I ignored the second question. â€Å"No, we didn't find anything out about my, um, visitor.† â€Å"Then I'll be around,† he said as his eyes slid closed. â€Å"Jake . . . ,† I started to whine. â€Å"Hey, it's the least I can do – I offered eternal servitude, remember. I'm your slave for life.† â€Å"I don't want a slave!† His eyes didn't open. â€Å"What do you want, Bella?† â€Å"I want my friend Jacob – and I don't want him half-dead, hurting himself in some misguided attempt -â€Å" He cut me off. â€Å"Look at it this way – I'm hoping I can track down a vampire I'm allowed to kill, okay?† I didn't answer. He looked at me then, peeking at my reaction. â€Å"Kidding, Bella.† I stared at the TV. â€Å"So, any special plans next week? You're graduating. Wow. That's big.† His voice turned flat, and his face, already drawn, looked downright haggard as his eyes closed again – not in exhaustion this time, but in denial. I realized that graduation still had a horrible significance for him, though my intentions were now disrupted. â€Å"No special plans,† I said carefully, hoping he would hear the reassurance in my words without a more detailed explanation. I didn't want to get into it now. For one thing, he didn't look up for any difficult conversations. For another, I knew he would read too much into my qualms. â€Å"Well, I do have to go to a graduation party. Mine.† I made a disgusted sound. â€Å"Alice loves parties, and she's invited the whole town to her place the night of. It's going to be horrible.† His eyes opened as I spoke, and a relieved smile made his face look less worn. â€Å"I didn't get an invitation. I'm hurt,† he teased. â€Å"Consider yourself invited. It's supposedly my party, so I should be able to ask who I want.† â€Å"Thanks,† he said sarcastically, his eyes slipping closed once more. â€Å"I wish you would come,† I said without any hope. â€Å"It would be more fun. For me, I mean.† â€Å"Sure, sure,† he mumbled. â€Å"That would be very . . . wise . . .† His voice trailed off. A few seconds later, he was snoring. Poor Jacob. I studied his dreaming face, and liked what I saw. While he slept, every trace of defensiveness and bitterness disappeared and suddenly he was the boy who had been my very best friend before all the werewolf nonsense had gotten in the way. He looked so much younger. He looked like my Jacob. I nestled into the couch to wait out his nap, hoping he would sleep for a while and make up some of what he'd lost. I flipped through channels, but there wasn't much on. I settled for a cooking show, knowing, as I watched, that I'd never put that much effort into Charlie's dinner. Jacob continued to snore, getting louder. I turned up the TV. I was strangely relaxed, almost sleepy, too. This house felt safer than my own, probably because no one had ever come looking for me here. I curled up on the sofa and thought about taking a nap myself. Maybe I would have, but Jacob's snoring was impossible to tune out. So, instead of sleeping, I let my mind wander. Finals were done, and most of them had been a cakewalk. Calculus, the one exception, was behind me, pass or fail. My high school education was over. And I didn't really know how I felt about that. I couldn't look at it objectively, tied up as it was with my human life being over. I wondered how long Edward planned to use this â€Å"not because you're scared† excuse. I was going to have to put my foot down sometime. If I were thinking practically, I knew it made more sense to ask Carlisle to change me the second I made it through the graduation line. Forks was becoming nearly as dangerous as a war zone. No, Forks was a war zone. Not to mention . . . it would be a good excuse to miss the graduation party. I smiled to myself as I thought of that most trivial of reasons for changing. Silly . . . yet still compelling. But Edward was right – I wasn't quite ready yet. And I didn't want to be practical. I wanted Edward to be the one. It wasn't a rational desire. I was sure that – about two seconds after someone actually bit me and the venom started burning through my veins – I really wouldn't care anymore who had done it. So it shouldn't make a difference. It was hard to define, even to myself, why it mattered. There was just something about him being the one to make the choice – to want to keep me enough that he wouldn't just allow me to be changed, he would act to keep me. It was childish, but I liked the idea that his lips would be the last good thing I would feel. Even more embarrassingly, something I would never say aloud, I wanted his venom to poison my system. It would make me belong to him in a tangible, quantifiable way. But I knew he was going to stick to his marriage scheme like glue – because a delay was what he was clearly after and it was working so far. I tried to imagine telling my parents that I was getting married this summer. Telling Angela and Ben and Mike. I couldn't. I couldn't think of the words to say. It would be easier to tell them I was becoming a vampire. And I was sure that at least my mother – were I to tell her every detail of the truth – would be more strenuously opposed to me getting married than to me a becoming vampire. I grimaced to myself as I imagined her horrified expression. Then, for just a second, I saw that same odd vision of Edward and me on a porch swing, wearing clothes from another kind of world. A world where it would surprise no one if I wore his ring on my finger. A simpler place, where love was defined in simpler ways. One plus one equals two. . . . Jacob snorted and rolled to his side. His arm swung off the back of the couch and pinned me against his body. Holy crow, but he was heavy! And hot. It was sweltering after just a few seconds. I tried to slide out from under his arm without waking him, but I had to shove a little bit, and when his arm fell off me, his eyes snapped open. He jumped to his feet, looking around anxiously. â€Å"What? What?† he asked, disoriented. â€Å"It's just me, Jake. Sorry I woke you.† He turned to look at me, blinking and confused. â€Å"Bella?† â€Å"Hey, sleepy.† â€Å"Oh, man! Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry! How long was I out?† â€Å"A few Emerils. I lost count.† He flopped back on the couch next to me. â€Å"Wow. Sorry about that, really.† I patted his hair, trying to smooth the wild disarray. â€Å"Don't feel bad. I'm glad you got some sleep.† He yawned and stretched. â€Å"I'm useless these days. No wonder Billy's always gone. I'm so boring.† â€Å"You're fine,† I assured him. â€Å"Ugh, let's go outside. I need to walk around or I'll pass out again.† â€Å"Jake, go back to sleep. I'm good. I'll call Edward to come pick me up.† I patted my pockets as I spoke, and realized they were empty. â€Å"Shoot, I'll have to borrow your phone. I think I must have left his in the car.† I started to unfold myself. â€Å"No!† Jacob insisted, grabbing my hand. â€Å"No, stay. You hardly ever make it down. I can't believe I wasted all this time.† He pulled me off the couch as he spoke, and then led the way outside, ducking his head as he passed under the doorframe. It had gotten much cooler while Jacob slept; the air was unseasonably cold – there must be a storm on the way. It felt like February, not May. The wintry air seemed to make Jacob more alert. He paced back and forth in front of the house for a minute, dragging me along with him. â€Å"I'm an idiot,† he muttered to himself. â€Å"What's the matter, Jake? So you fell asleep.† I shrugged. â€Å"I wanted to talk to you. I can't believe this.† â€Å"Talk to me now,† I said. Jacob met my eyes for a second, and then looked away quickly toward the trees. It almost looked like he was blushing, but it was hard to tell with his dark skin. I suddenly remembered what Edward had said when he dropped me off – that Jacob would tell me whatever he was shouting in his head. I started gnawing on my lip. â€Å"Look,† Jacob said. â€Å"I was planning to do this a little bit differently.† He laughed, and it sounded like he was laughing at himself. â€Å"Smoother,† he added. â€Å"I was going to work up to it, but† – and he looked at the clouds, dimmer as the afternoon progressed – â€Å"I'm out of time to work.† He laughed again, nervous. We were still pacing slowly. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I demanded. He took a deep breath. â€Å"I want to tell you something. And you already know it . . . but I think I should say it out loud anyway. Just so there's never any confusion on the subject.† I planted my feet, and he came to a stop. I took my hand away and folded my arms across my chest. I was suddenly sure that I didn't want to know what he was building up to. Jacob's eyebrows pulled down, throwing his deep-set eyes into shadow. They were pitch black as they bored into mine. â€Å"I'm in love with you, Bella,† Jacob said in a strong, sure voice. â€Å"Bella, I love you. And I want you to pick me instead of him. I know you don't feel that way, but I need the truth out there so that you know your options. I wouldn't want a miscommunication to stand in our way.†

White River Massacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

White River Massacre - Essay Example At the same time, White settlers were complaining about Utes for their excessive hunting activities. Meeker got frustrated when Utes refused to follow his order asking them to plow their race track into a farm land. Meeker sought military help from Colorado Governor Frederick Pitkin so as to protect him and his men from the Utes. His request was soon complied with and Major Thornburgh marched with 200 soldiers toward the White River Agency at the distance of 150 miles; however, the troops were first noticed by Utes during their hunting trip. Utes considered this march an invasion on them and asked Meeker to stop their arrival immediately. Meeker agreed and requested Thornburgh that better he keep his battalion outside the Ute reservation territory and only five of them accompany him for a dialogue with Utes representatives (Peters, Mike). Though Thornburgh agreed on this initially but for some reason began entering into Milk Creek. Thornburgh made a grave mistake of crossing Milk Creek and entering into Ute territory, maybe he perhaps assumed that his path would not get blocked. Thornburgh’s entry into Utes territory ignited the conflict between Utes and Whites that finally culminated into a full-fledged war. The battle began in the morning of September 29 1879 and escalated soon that triggered infamous White River Massacre (Peters, Mike). After finishing the dinner of the day Arvilla, the wife of Meeker, was washing dishes when she heard the gun shots. Perhaps Utes heard about the battle at Milk Creek and assumed that troops were marching ahead to kill or push them off the reservation area. Meeker and nine other white men were massacred methodically. Nathan Meeker was fired on the head. Utes hatred against whites was on high pitch on those days and that was evident from the heinous incident of a metal piece pierced into Meeker’s mouth (Peters, Mike). Arvilla, her daughter and one of her companion fled from

Executive Interview Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Executive Interview - Assignment Example In other words, the person has a certain ideal that is used to measure the correctness of each action. Another point that should be mentioned is that the subject draws a direct connection between the notions of ought and can (Doviak, 2011, p. 262). As a result, the ethical rules are not something that exists in the abstract environment, but something that should be applied to everyday interactions with the people. This is particularly important since it shows that the person in question actually engages ethical consideration in the everyday practice. That is why his behavior should be praised as it as directly effected by the ideals and is performed is close relation to the ethical framework that the person has developed. By far, this is a big difference if compared to the majority of the people who do not engage Ethics in the daily life. One would make no mistake suggesting that person has experienced some problem in the course of professional activity. It was noted that one of the biggest ones was to save the integrity and make sure that the ethical standards are not compromised (Constantin, 2014, p. 432). This is rather important since it shows that a person truly wants to live to his expectations and make sure that his image in the workplace serves as a role model for other people. It is quite obvious that the question of integrity is significant for the people who are in the military since it is one of the values that is being highly praised in their environment. That is why keeping it was named among the major challenges in the work place. Another challenge which was mentioned focused on making sure that people who are not able to conduct according to the high ethical standards do not get away with it. One might suggest that this not only goes contrary to the notion of justice, but also undermines the ground on which the military stands. Thus, the latter greatly relies on the

JUDICIAL SYSTEM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

JUDICIAL SYSTEM - Essay Example The presiding judge enters the courtroom after all others have settled this is usually at precisely 10:00 am. When he does, the people present stand as a show of respect to the authority bestowed upon that judge. He sits down, he then orders for the rest of the people to be sitting. To the left of the preceding judge a panel of twelve juries is sitting, to the right slightly in front of the judge we have witness box, behind the judge we have a door leading to the judge’s chambers (Waye & Paul 337). Mr. Howard is answering charges of raping of a girl by the name Ann while she was playing in a garden at the back of an apartment where they live. The trial begins with prosecution side making remarks directing to jury. The prosecution is laying the ground for what they believe is true and showing their readiness to prove that Mr. Howard is guilty. The defense side addresses the jury with determination to prove that Mr. Howard is innocent and a law-abiding citizen. The opening statements from each side holds a lot of conviction on what they intend to prove (Waye & Paul 338). The prosecution starts to call out his witness and asks questions, the witness gives the evidence in their own words; they narrate what they witnessed as they answer the questions asked. The witness is under an oath, to tell the truth and only the truth. In this case, the first and only witness was a woman who shared the apartment with the victim and the accused. She claims to have observed Mr. Howard on different occasions looking at the Ann suggestively (Waye & Paul 339). On the evening of the unfortunate accident while in her apartment, she heard muffled screams from the garden. She moved towards her window that faced the garden in time to Mr. Howard jump across to the road from the garden. She emphasizes that she is sure it is Mr. Howard. The defense side then takes over and cross-examines the witness. Since, under the

Poor nutrition; food poverty; food deserts in Nigeria Essay

Poor nutrition; food poverty; food deserts in Nigeria - Essay Example Just like the rest of the world, most African countries suffer from poor nutrition, food poverty, and food deserts. In West Africa, Nigeria turns out to be one of the most affected countries, and such conditions mostly trickles down to pregnant women. While the role of proper nutrition and food security in pregnant women in African needs efficient management, it is also essential to apply concepts of food economics in the management of the outlined issues (Yamin & Norheim, 2014). This report will aim to analyse poor nutrition issues in pregnant women living in Africa, while relating to specific countries, as well as the influence these issues have on health promotion. Furthermore, the report will examine questions concerned with the control of prevalent diseases in pregnant women. One of the main issues affecting Sub-Saharan Africa in terms of poor nutrition is the rise of migration patterns in recent years, especially to the Western world. Currently, among all African countries, Nigeria takes the lead in representing the continent, claiming the most predominant immigrant residents in a number of first world nations (Shrimpton, 2006). On the other hand, if at all there are any impacts of immigration on their nutritional status and the results of pregnancy of women in their native countries, many studies have not captured such data comprehensively. Thus, it is currently unidentified, to some extent, about the dietary insufficiencies as well as pregnancy complications not only in Nigeria, but also in the entire Sub-Saharan Africa. These discrepancies have led to unexploited opportunities focused on the most suitable antenatal care aimed towards the reversing the likely high risks in different groups of women during pregnancy. According to Shrimpton (2006), poor nutrition in pregnancy among Sub-Saharan women, with in-depth focus on Nigeria, leads to the most common

Freud and dreams The thoughts of Freud and association of dreams Essay

Freud and dreams The thoughts of Freud and association of dreams - Essay Example A theme of the paper is that the great contributor gave central importance to understanding individual meaning. He also addressed the challenges of understanding increasing developmental complexity, although neither acknowledged the challenge in these terms. The latter consideration frames a portrayal of the limitations of the ideas of each from our contemporary perspective. A final section of the paper looks to the future, invoking the creative spirit of these scientific ancestors as part of today's living history. I ask what the approaches of Freud offer us as we address the challenges of increasing complexity and seek new developmental advances in the 21st century. Freud's living contributions draw our attention to the meaning of individual experience. They tell us that much about the course of human development and its vicissitudes can be described in terms of lawful principles; priority, however, must be given to investigating individuality. In the discussion that follows in this paper, I shall emphasize Freud's influence on some key trends in today's developmental psychology, giving only brief mention to the history of child development between Freud's time and ours. It is hoped, however, that engaging in this kind of "back-to-the-future" journey will provide us with both pleasure and some fresh insights. Freud was a p DISCUSSION Freud was a practicing clinician who learned early that variations in private meaning cannot be taken for granted. Related to this point is another straightforward one, which, like the first, continues to permeate our developmental dialectics even today. This concerns the reality of psychic life and the assertion that understanding an individual's unique life and living perspective is worthy of both study and therapeutic attention. Strong contemporary statements of both points for developmental psychology can be seen in Bruner (2000) and in Stern (2003). PLAY Play offers a good way to begin taking a fresh look at Freud. We can envision Freud attending to the meaning of individual experience and theorizing in ways that are both simple and profound. Writing in 1920, Freud described observations of his 1 -year-old grandson who lived with him for some weeks. He commented that the child was not at all precocious in language development and frequently threw things away from himself-for example, in a corner or under a bed. On these occasions, the child often pronounced a long, drawn-out "Oooo"-an utterance that the child's mother and Freud agreed seemed to represent the German word fort (i.e., gone). One day I made an observation. The child had a wooden reel with a piece of string tied round it. what he did was to hold the reel by the string and very skillfully throw it over the edge of his curtained cot, so that it disappeared into it, at the same time uttering his expressive "Oooo." He then pulled the reel out of the cot again by the string and hailed its reappearance with a joyful "Da" (there). This, then, was the complete game-disappearance and return. As a rule, one only witnessed its first act, which was repeated untiringly as the game in itself, for there is no doubt that the greater pleasure was attached to the second act. (Freud, 1920/2003a. p. 15) Freud added a footnote to this work in which he documents a subsequent observation that seemed to confirm his

Financial Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Management - Research Paper Example According to the latest financial report of Google.inc it has been found that they are in a great position when it comes to debt ratio, the debt ratio is 0.02 which means that they have more assets than debt and the debt can be paid off very easily so the company need not worry about anything as far as the debt ratio is concerned. Following are the most important ratios of the company: Current ratio: 5.8 Quick ratio: 5.6 Asset Turnover: 0.6 Return on Assets: 14.0% Return on Equity: 17.3% All these ratios clearly show that Google inc is financially very sound and there is nothing to worry about for the company but they have several competitors and can’t afford to rest on their laurels. Business Model Employees are more than willing to work for Google because the organization has established itself as one of the best companies in the world, in the year 2007 and 2008 Google was the top company to work for, it is one of the very best companies across the globe, they treat their em ployees with a lot of respect and they take special efforts to motivate them. All this success is because of their leadership and cross-functional organizational structure. Google employs the rule of â€Å"70-20-10† this means the employees can communicate directly with each other, this much improved communication system has been the key to success. Formal channels are normally avoided by the company to avoid any misunderstandings, the staff is always highly motivated because they have a sense of belief that they can contribute immensely towards the company, this sense of belief keeps them motivated and inspires them to keep performing for the company. Cross-Functional Leadership Structure of Google Features of Cross-Functional Leadership Structure: â€Å"To meet the many demands of performing their functions, managers assume multiple roles. A role is an organized set of behaviors. Henry Mintzberg has identified ten roles common to the work of all managers. The ten roles are divided into three groups: interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The informational roles link all managerial work together. The interpersonal roles ensure that information is provided. The decisional roles make significant use of the information. The performance of managerial roles and the requirements of these roles can be played at different times by the same manager and to different degrees depending on the level and function of management. The ten roles are described individually, but they form an integrated whole.† (Henry Mintzberg). Another big challenge which the leaders of today face is the daunting task of decision making. Decision making is the most challenging task for any leader. One wrong decision can change many things around in an organization and those changes will surely be for the worse of the organization on the other hand one good decision can help the organization in more ways than one. Decision making is a very delicate process, numerous things h ave to be kept in mind, a leader just cannot go on making wrong decisions because that would result in disaster, even one wrong decision can be disastrous for any organization so considering all these things it becomes imperative that leaders analyze the situation and make their decisions wisely, if a leader analyzes a

The Colosseum and Architectural Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Colosseum and Architectural Theories - Essay Example This depicts architecture as a field that uses only forces such as harmony of design and engineering to encompass various features that drive people and regions. Ironically, architecture has been a field where fine art and engineering come together only to find nuances where it may function as a political and socio economic barometer. (Hale, 2000; P 5) The structure being studied in this paper- the Colosseum- is an epitome of aesthetics in architecture and the use of fine art in context of functional engineering to bring about maximum satisfaction for the creator and maximum interaction from the people visiting such a structure. To begin with, it is imperative to define the exact nature and importance of these strategies in context of the Colosseum. Interpretive strategies spring from that aspect of a field's study which seeks to define the same in context of an individual's life and link the same with various factors at a regional, international and global level. (Norberg - Schulz, 1996; P 414 - 428) The role of an interpretive strategy in the case of Colosseum is to bring out a variety of features in the structural implications of the building. These features have been further discussed below. This structure basically upholds the values of the Roman Empire. One of the major features of an interpretive strategy lies in its ability to transform a space and transport an individual to a place beyond the structure where the building and the individual in question are in perfect tandem as far as everyday activities and a sense of drama in this everyday life is concerned. This has been termed as Hermeneutics. (Hale, 2000; P 213 - 233) On a more technical grid, the term hermeneutics adheres to the play of a person's sense of aesthetics when regarding the Colosseum. The finer point shows that the hermeneutic tradition helps create a platform where a person may experience the museum as an extension of his or her daily living. This is an important point made by the term 'modern aesthetics', which cater to more than a marriage of fine art and engineering for positive structural implications in the structure as anamphitheatre. (Hale, 2000; P 213 - 233) While on hermeneutics, it is important to realize another feature of the use of interpretive strategies in the Colosseum. Hermeneutics caters for the act of drawing out a person who is regarding a structure. This is brought about by a careful play of fine art as well as political and ideological view within the structure. In the case of the Colosseum, this has been achieved through the use of language in terms of mere fine art to put forth a point in favour of the semiotic implications of the structure's design as conceived in the mind of the person regarding it. (Hale, 2000; P 203 - 211) In case of the Colosseum, this has also created a space within which the language is based on the architectural features. This again points to the intermingling of the technical and the artistic - i.e., fine art and engineering - within the context of a region's political and economic frame of mind. This language then helps reduce barriers and deconstruct a

Social Networking Essay Example for Free

Social Networking Essay In this report I will be outlining what Social Networking Sites are. A growing number of different Social Network Sites allows people to reunite and communicate without the limitations of distance or time. Enabling people to have regular interaction and keep up to date with the everyday life of others. So how do these sites work and why are they so popular? Associates may include close friends, family, distant relatives, old school friends, previous work colleagues or just shared interests. Whilst you will have frequent face to face contact with many of these people, others you will not. It is thought that our interactions with others, enhances our individual well-being. Due to the mainstream popularity of Social Network Sites where many people engage, they are a useful platform for both businesses and academic learning, with the creation of forum groups, they provide and extension of class discussion. Communication pages are a great benefit for schools and colleges to update information for parents and students. Not forgetting the functional applications, designed to support education. Many sites introduced games and other â€Å"applications† to entertain users and combat the flatness for new users during the early stages and those with a low number â€Å"friends†. Facebook has a large number of Applications available. Most sites contain common aspects, including a personal â€Å"profile† to allow the user to identify themselves, possibly with a photograph and a short description. They can then link to other people they know within the site to create a list of â€Å"friends†. Additional information may also be invited, such as age, location, hobbies and interests. ‘Their network of connections is displayed as an integral piece of their self-presentation’ (boyd et. al 2007). Some sites such as Twitter allows users to change the appearance of their profile page, this site is very popular with celebrities. As always, there are negative aspects to using online social network sites and the growing concerns surrounds the privacy methods in place. It is imperative that these sites are responsible with the control and use of data held for their users. Not only for the risk of data theft, but companies have been known to pass personal details on to third parties and used for unsolicited emails, also known as spamming. In addition to this, data mining software is repeatedly used to spy on regularly visited web pages and purchases to target the user to a more precise market. It is reported that many users have experienced cyber-bullying, which can have a major impact on personal health and well-being, causing anxiety and fear. Trolling is another increasing menace, where a user tries to impersonate another user, by setting up an account in another persons’ name using their pictures, intentionally causing upset by being offensive to others. Other risks include grooming, where sex pests try to build a trusting relationship online, with the aim to eventually meet. However, sites such as MySpace and Netlog are pro-active with the increasing number of sexual predators active on their site and often liaise with law enforcement to monitor and intercept such activities. Therefore, it is clear why many people prefer to completely avoid them. Launched in 1997, SixDegrees was the first Social Network Site. It had the same characteristics that we see today. Despite having millions of users, it did not develop into a worthwhile business. SixDegrees closed in 2000. The site creator deemed the site was ahead of it’s time. Today the top most popular Social Network Sites are: Facebook and Twitter. Strong contenders include MySpace, and LinkedIn. To summarise, I would describe Social Network Sites to be speed socialising, as we all have busy lives and may find it hard to make time for our close friends and family. This method enables people to socialise with a wider circle of friends you wouldn’t necessarily have time to socialise with. It is important to be aware of the personal details we are supplying about ourselves and the consequences it could have, it may seem obvious but it is essential that people should only share information that you are happy for others to know. But, if used with both common sense and caution the sites can be very positive and gratifying. [Word Count: 700] References DirectGov, 2012. Social Networking Service [online] Available at: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Yourchildshealthandsafety/Internetsafety/DG_182627 [Accessed 13 April 2012] Boyd, d. m. and Ellison, N. B. (2007) ‘Social network sites: definition, history, and scholarship’, in Donelan, H., Kear, K. and Ramage, M. (eds) Online Communication and Collaboration: A Reader, Abingdon, Routledge, pp. 261–281.

Mechanics of Material Lab Manual Essay Example for Free

Mechanics of Material Lab Manual Essay To investigate how shear strain varies with shear stress. c. To determine the Modulus of Rigidity of the rubber block. 4. Hooke’s Law for Wires a. To determine the Youngs Modulus of Elasticity of the specimen wire. b. To verify Hookes Law by experiment. 5. Strain in Compound Wires a. To determine the modulus of elasticity of two wires and hence evaluate the equivalent Young’s Modulus of Elasticity of the combination b. To position the single applied load on the slotted link in order that both wires are subjected to common strain and hence to establish the load in each wire 6. Deflection of a simply supported beam To find the slope and deflection of a simply supported beam with point load at the center and to prove the results mathematically 7. Deflection of a cantilever beam To verify the slope and deflection of a cantilever beam experimentally and theoretically. 8. Deflection of a overhanging beam To find the central deflection of overhanging arm beam and confirm the results theoretically 9. Shear center for a channel Find Shear center for a channel section cantilever. 10. Unsymmetrical Deflections To determine the deflections for symmetrical bending of an angle section beam 1. Shear Forces and Bending Moment in Beams To measure the bending moment at a normal section of a loaded beam and to check its agreement with theory 12. Study and Application of experimental photoelasticty techniques on linear crack propagation analysis 13. Direction and magnitude of principal stresses To use the Photo-elasticity as an experimental technique for stress analysis and to understand construction and operation of transmission polariscope. 14. Calculation of stress intensity factor Interpretation of Fringe Data and calculation of stress intensity factor (k) at different loading conditions 5. Micro Hardness Testing 16. Thin Cylinder Experiment No. 1Compression of a spring 1. OBJECTIVES a) To obtain the relation among the force applied to an extension spring and its change in length. b) To determine the stiffness of the test spring (s). 2. PROCEDURE a) Setup the apparatus vertically to the wall at a convenient height. b) Add increasing loads to the load hanger recording to the corresponding deflection for each load. c) Continue loading until at least 30 mm of extension has been achieved. 3. RESULTS Tabulate the results obtained and draw a graph of load (y-axis) against extension (x-axis). Note the following data for each spring used:- a. Outside diameter, b. Effective length, c. Wire diameter, d. Number of turns. The stiffness to the spring is the force required to produce a nominal extension of 1 mm. [pic] If Kg masses are used: The force applied to the spring in Newtons = Mass in Kg x 9. 81. 4. POINTS TO PONDER a. What relationship exists between the applied force and compression? b. Did the spring (s) behave according to Hooke’s Law? c. State the stiffness value (s) obtained. d. If the graph drawn does not pass through the origin state why. Experiment No. 2 Extension of a spring . OBJECTIVES a. To obtain the relation among the force applied to a compression sping and its change in length. b. To determine the stiffness of the test spring (s) 2. PROCEDURE a. Setup the apparatus vertically to the wall at a convenient height. b. Add increasing weight to the load hanger recording to c. the corresponding deflection for each load. d. Continue loading until at least 30 mm of compression has e. been achieved. 3. RESULTS Tabulate the results obtained and draw a graph of load (y-axis) against compression (x-axis). Note the following data for each spring used :- e. Outside diameter, f. Effective length, g. Wire diameter, h. Number of turns. The stiffness to the spring is the force required to produce a nominal extension of 1 mm. [pic] If Kg masses are used: The force applied to the spring in Newtons = Mass in Kg x 9. 81. 4. POINTS TO PONDER a. What relationship exists between the applied force and compression? b. Did the spring (s) behave according to Hooke’s Law? c. State the stiffness value (s) obtained. d. If the graph drawn does not pass through the origin state why. Experiment No. 3 Rubber in Shear 1. OBJECTIVES 1. To determine the variation of deflection with applied load. . To investigate how shear strain varies with shear stress. 3. To determine the Modulus of Rigidity of the rubber block. 2. PROCEDURE 1. Set-up the apparatus securely to the wall at the convenient height 2. Note the initian dial gauge reading. 3. Add increasing increments of load and recird the corresponding deflections registered on the dial gauge. 4. Tabulate the results and draw a graph of deflection (x-axis) against applied load (y-axis). Describe the relationship between the deflections and the applied load. State if this follows a linear law. 3. Observations and Calculations: Load (W) |Deflection |Shear Stress |Shear Strain | | |X |= W/A |=X/L | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Modulus of rigidity of the rubber block = shear stress/ shear strain = slope of graph |Data |Dimensions (Metric) | Dimension of block |150*75*25 mm | |Dial Gauge |12 mm travel * . 01 mm | |Load Hanger |250 mm * 2 N | |Max. Load |160 N (16 kg) | Experiment No. 4 Hooke’s Law for Wires Objectives: 1. To determine the Young’s Modulus of Elasticity of the specimen wire. 2. To verify Hooke’s Law by experiment. 3. To establish a value for the ultimate stress of the wire. [pic] Procedure: 1. Note the length (L), diameter (d) and the material of the wire under test. 2. Add sufficient initial load to the hanger to remove the flexure of the specimen. 3. Let the scale measurement now showing be the zero position. 4. Add equal increments of load to the hanger and note the corresponding total extension (x) for each case. 5. Care should be taken to ensure that the elastic limit of the material is not exceeded. 6. Tabulate the results and draw a graph of load (W) against extension (X). 7. Continue to load the specimen until fracture occurs. Note the breaking load. Observations and Calculations: |S/No. Load (N) |Stress (N/m2) |Extension(mm) |Strain |Young’s Modulus (Y) | |BRASS | |1 | | | | | | |2 | | | | | | |3 | | | | | | |4 | | | | | | |5 | | | | | | |STEEL | |1 | | | | | | |2 | | | | | | |3 | | | | | | |4 | | | | | | |5 | | | | | | Young’s Modulus of elasticity E/xA = WL Ultimate Stres s = Total Load at fracture / area of wire General Questions 1. State Hooke’s Law. Did the extension of the wire under test confirm to Hooke’s Law? 2. Quote the values obtained for E and the ultimate stress and compare these with the normally accepted values for the material. Experiment No. 5 Strain in Compound Wires Objectives: 1. To determine the Module of Elasticity of the two wires and hence evaluate the equivalent Young’s Modulus of Elasticity of the combination. 2. To postion the single applied load on the slotted link in order that both wires are subjected to common strain and hence to :- 3. Establish the load in each wire. 4. To obtain an experimental value of the equivalent Young’s Modulus of elsticityof the combination. 5. To compare the experimental and theoretical results. Procedure: 1. Note the length and the diameter of each wire and the distance between their centers. 2. Remove the slotted link and suspend the hanger from the lower and of the slide attached to one of the wires. 3. Apply a range of increasing loads and note the corresponding extension of the wire. 4. Do not allow the wire to exceed its elastic limit. 5. Plot a graph of load against extension, and from the slope of the straight-line graph, determine the value of Young’s Modulus of Elasticity of the wire. a. Repeat this procedure for the other wire. b. Replace the slotted link and suspend the hanger from its edge placed at the center of the link. The length of one of the wires may require to be adjusted until the link is level. Small adjustment to the length of either one of the wires may be obtained by applying a supplementary load to its slide using another hanger. Place a load (W) on the central hanger and maintain a common extension in the wires (i. e. level condition) by adjusting the position of the knife-edge on the link. Note the new position of the load measured from the center of the left-hand wire. Note the magnitude of the applied load and the common extension of the wires. Repeat over a range of increasing loads. Tabulate the results and plot a graph of the load (W) against the extension (X) of the compound wire arrangement. Diagram and calculations: |S/No. Force (N) |fs (MPa) |fb (MPa) |fe (MPa) |ee * 10^-4 |Ee (Pa) * 10^10 | |1 | | | | | | | |2 | | | | | | | |3 | | | | | | | |4 | | | | | | | |5 | | | | | | | Experiment No. 6 Deflection of a simply supported beam OBJECTIVES To find the slope and deflection of a simply supported beam with point load at the centre and prove the results mathemati cally. APPARATUS 5. HST 6:1 with complete accessories 6. Vernier caliper, micrometer, meter rod, etc. [pic] PROCEDURE 1. Set up the two end supports at 1m span and insert the thick steel beam in the end and fixtures. 2. Place a load hanger and clamp at mid span and set up a dial gauge to measure the deflection at the load point. 3. Check that the end supports are free top rotate as the beam deflects. 4. Read the support rotation gauge and central deflection gauge. 5. Add load by increments of 1N up to 10 N recording the dial gauge reading and then move the load by the same decrements to obtain a duplicate set of readings. 6. Plot the end rotations and central deflection against the load. Observations and Calculations: |S/NO. |LOAD (N) |Slope |Deflection |Theoretical |Theoretical slope | | | | | |deflection | | | | |central |central |Y = |? | | | | | |WL3/48EI |WL2/16EI | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Experiment No. 7 Deflection of a cantilever beam OBJECTIVE To verify the slope and deflection of a cantilever beam experimentally and theoretically. APPARATUS 1. HST 6:1 with complete accessories 2. Vernier Caliper, micrometer, meter rod etc. [pic] PROCEDURE 1. Clamp the thicker steel strip (2. 64 mm) in the position shown in diagram so that it forms a cantileve r. 2. Fix the hanger clamp (0. 3m) from the fixed support and setup a dial guage over it. 3. Apply a load in increments of 1 /2 N up to about 5N reading the gauge at each load. 4. Plot a graph of deflection against load Observations and Calculations: |S/NO. LOAD (N) |Slope |Deflection |Theoretical |Theoretical slope | | | | | |deflection | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RESULTS: 1. From the graph obtained, the best fit linear relationship between displacement and load the steel strip, compares the graidient with the theoretical value. 2. Comment on the accuracy of the theoretical results. Experiment No. Deflection of an overhang beam To find the deflection of overhanging arm beam and confirm the results theoretically OBJECTIVE To verify the slope and deflection of a overhang beam experimentally and theoretically. APPARATUS 3. HST 6:1 with complete accessories 4. Vernier Caliper, micrometer, meter rod etc. PROCEDURE 5. Clamp the thicker steel strip in the position shown in diagram so that it forms a overhang. 6. Fix the hanger clampahead from the roller support and setup a dial guage over it. 7. Apply a load in increments of 1 /2 N up to about 5N reading the gauge at each load. 8. Plot a graph of deflection against load Observations and Calculations: |S/NO. LOAD (N) |Slope |Deflection |Theoretical |Theoretical slope | | | | | |deflection | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | RESULTS: 3. From the graph obtained, the best fit linear relationship between displacement and load the steel strip, compares the graidient with the theoretical value. 4. Comment on the accuracy of the theoretical results. Experiment No. 9. Shear center for a channel OBJECTIVE To determine the share centre of a channel section cantilever and to draw the graph between notch distance and gauge readings. APPARATUS 7. Unsymmetrical cantilever 8. Rigid based plate, weights 9. String, pulley 10. Calibrated ring 11. Grid, two dial gauges PROCEDURE: 7. Turn the routable head, so that the cantilever section is positioned relative to the pulley. 8. Fit the share assessory to the top of the cantilever and turn the dial gauge so that they rest against the attachment. The grooves in the notched bar have the spacing of 5 mm. 9. Turn the scales of the dial gauges until they read zero. 10. Tie the string to the left hand notch. Move the pulley to the left and hang the weight hanger on the end of the string. Put a weight of 1 Kg on the hanger so that the total weight is 1,5Kg. 11. Adjust the pulley position until the string is parallel to the lines on the pulley bracket. Record the reading of the both dial gauges. 12. Move the string to the next notch. Readjust the pulley position, Record the dial gauges readings. 13. Repeat for each notch position. Results: Experimental position of Shear Center from the outside of the web. Theoretical position Channel Shear Center is h = B-2 A-2 t / IA Experiment No. 10 Unsymmetrical Bending of a Cantilever Beam |Direction of pull|Displacement |Applied load (Kg) | |(degrees) | | | | | |. 5 |1. 0 |1. 5 |2. 0 |2. 5 |3. | |0 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |22. 5 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |45 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |67. |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |90 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |112. 5 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |135 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |157. |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |180 |U | | | | | | | | |V | | | | | | | |Direction of pull|Displacement |Applied load (Kg) | |(degrees) | | | | | |. 5 |1. 0 |1. 5 |2. 0 |2. 5 |3. 0 | |0 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |22. |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |45 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |67. 5 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |90 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |112. |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |135 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |157. 5 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | |180 |L | | | | | | | | |R | | | | | | | Experiment No. 11 Bending Moment in Beams |S. No. Load (N) |Balance Reading (N)/ Net Force (N) | | | |W1 |W2 |W3 | |1 | | | | | |2 | | | | | |3 | | | | | |4 | | | | | |S. No. |Load (N) |Balnce Moment (N. mm)/ Theoretical Val. |1 | | | | | |2 | | | | | |3 | | | | | |4 | | | | | Experiment No. 13 Study and Application of experimental photoelasticty techniques on linear crack propagation analysis. OBJECTIVES To familiarize the students with the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics in context with photoealsticity and orientation and understanding of operation off different types of polariscopes. THEORY The name photoelasticity reflects the nature of this experimental method: photo implies the use of light rays and optical techniques, while elasticity depicts the study of stresses and deformations in elastic bodies. Photoelastic analysis is widely used for problems in which stress or strain information is required for extended regions of the structure. Photo elastic stress analysis is a simple and powerful tool for design engineers that provide them with the experimental data required for validating analytical and computational designs. In using this method, a transparent plastic model of the structural part of the machine element under study is first made. Then the specimen was placed in the polariscope, and the simulating operating force was applied. When examined in the polarized light field provided by the instrument, colored fringe patterns are seen which reveal: †¢ A visible picture of the stress distribution over the whole area of the specimen. †¢ Stress distribution which is accurately readable at any point for both direction and magnitude. Two types of pattern can be obtained: isochromatics and isoclinics. These patterns are related to the principal-stress differences and to the principal-stress directions, respectively. Principles The method is based on the property of birefringence, which is exhibited by certain transparent materials. When polarized light passes through a stressed material, the light separates into two wave fronts travelling at different velocities, each oriented parallel to the direction of principal stresses(? 1,? 2) in the material but perpendicular to each other. Photoelastic materials exhibit the property of birefringence only on the application of stress and the magnitude of the refractive indices at each point in the material is directly related to the state of stress at that point. Thus, the first task is to develop a model made out of such materials. Isoclinics and isochromatics Isoclinics are the locus of the points in the specimen along which the principal stresses are in the same direction. Isochromatics are the locus of the points along which the difference in the first and second principal stress remains the same. Thus they are the lines which join the points with equal maximum shear stress magnitude. Interpretation of the Photoelastic Pattern: Once the fringes obtained by application of load on photoelasic specimen the most important step is interpretation of complete stress field. The photoelastic fringe pattern data offer suggestion to modify design to avoid from material failure. It is also helpful in reducing average stress on actual part. Complete stress field interpretation include principal stress directions as well as magnitude of stresses on different fringe order. [pic] Stimulated stress field pattern in white light for typical edge crack plate The photoelastic pattern appears as a colorful map of lines of equal color. Beginning at the lower level line of stress and progressing to areas of higher level, the colour sequence observed will be black, yellow, red, blue, yellow, red, green, yellow, red, green etc. The colour transmission from red to blue and from red to green is sharply marked. [pic] Polariscope: Polariscope: It is an instrument which consists of two polaroid plates mounted apart. The lower plate is generally fixed and is known as the polariser, while the upper plate can be rotated and is known as the analyser. Types: 1. Reflection Polariscope Particularly it is used to photoelastically stress-analyze opaque plastic parts. The part to be analyzed is coated with a photoelastic coating, service loads are applied to the part, and coating is illuminated by polarized light from the reflection polariscope. Molded-in or residual stresses cannot be observed with this technique. Fig. 13. 1 Typical reflection periscope on tripod stand 2. Transmission Polariscope. This type is useful for stress analysis if component is of transparent or glassy material. All transparent plastics, being birefringent, lend themselves to photoelastic stress analysis. The transparent part is placed between two polarizing mediums and viewed from the opposite side of the light source. In these experiments we will be only concerned with highlighting the dependence of stress distribution on geometric features, hence we can use the transparent materials and transmission type polariscope will be used. [pic] Fig. 13. 2 Transmission Polariscope Two arrangements of transmission polariscope are possible i. e. I. Plane polariscope Plane polariscope is used for direction measurement at a point of principal stresses for a specimen. The setup consists of two linear polarizers and a light source. The light source can either emit monochromatic light or white light depending upon the experiment. First the light is passed through the first polarizer which converts the light into plane polarized light. The apparatus is set up in such a way that this plane polarized light then passes through the stressed specimen. This light then follows, at each point of the specimen, the direction of principal stress at that point. The light is then made to pass through the analyzer and we finally get the fringe pattern. The fringe pattern in a plane polariscope setup consists of both the isochromatics and the isoclinics. The isoclinics change with the orientation of the polariscope while there is no change in the isochromatics. For this purpose, set the quarter wave plates on both the analyzer and the polarizer cells at position â€Å"D† (direction) to make the polariscope â€Å"plane† as shown below in fig13. 2 (b) Figure 13. 2 (a)Plane Polariscope Arrangement Figure 13. 2 (b)Pin postion at Plane Polariscope arrangement II. Circular polariscope When examining the model for determination of the stress distribution and magnitude, the polariscope must be transformed from a â€Å"PLANE† to a â€Å"CIRCULAR† operation. This is done by first making sure the clamp â€Å"A† is in the locked position and then withdrawing pins â€Å"B† on the ? wave plate from the hole â€Å"D† (direction) and rotating them until pins engage in hole â€Å"M† (magnitude). Now quarter wave plate is at 45 degrees to the polarizer-analyzer axis thus polariscope is in circular light operation Figure13. 3Circular Polariscope Arrangement(dark field) There are four different kinds of arrangements for the circular polariscope. Each arrangement produces either a dark field arrangement or a light field arrangement. In dark field arrangement, the fringes are shown by bright lines and the background is dark. The opposite holds true for the light field arrangement. Quarter Wave-Plates Arrangement |Polarizer’s Arrangement |Polariscope Field | |Crossed |Parallel |Light | |Crossed |Crossed |Dark | |Parallel |Parallel |Light | |Parallel |Crossed |Dark | Experiment No. 14 Calculation of direction and mag nitude of principal stresses using transmission polariscope. OBJECTIVES ) Application of photoelastic techniques to measure the direction of Principal Stresses at a point b) Calculation of magnitude of principal stresses by interpreting the fringe data. Apparatus Apparatus required to achieve the stated objectives are †¢ Transmission polariscope †¢ test specimen of different shapes †¢ Load measuring dial gauge †¢ Vernier Caliper and Meter Rod Construction of Transmission Polariscope: The basic polariscope consists of †¢ Rigid base frame ready to receive all of the modular accessory items. †¢ Two cells equipped with polarizing filters. †¢ Knob ‘H’ used to synchronously rotate the polarizer and analyzer (their common motion is indicated in degrees in the graduated dial). The quarter wave plate which can be used to convert plane polariscope into circular and vice versa. Fig 13. 2 show these components.. Specimen prepration: In this experi ment we are using photoelastic sheets (Polyurethane material) The photoelastic sheet was made into different specimens as stated below: a) specimen with holes drilled. b) specimen with cracks, which is manually cut c) specimens with notches Typical single edge crack specimen 2-D model is shown in fig. 14. Fig. 14. 1 PROCEDURE Measurement of Direction of Principal Stresses at a Point: To measure the direction of the principal stresses at a point in the specimen we follow the following steps: Place the specimen in the polariscope making sure that the specimen is aligned correctly within the clamps, hence avoiding any twisting of the specimen. †¢ Apply load (compressive or tensile) by turning the loading screw. †¢ Set the quarter wave plates on both the analyzer and the polarizer cells at position â€Å"D† to make the polariscope â€Å"plane† (Fig 13. 2 b). †¢ By means of knob ‘C’ rotate the analyzer until pointer â€Å"P† is positioned at 0 and 100 on the scale. †¢ Release the clamp ‘A’ if it was locked previously and by means of knob â€Å"H† rotate the whole assembly during this rotation some black and all the colored fringes will be observed to move. These black fringes which move are the isoclinics. †¢ Identify the point of measurement using a grease pencil or scriber. By means of knob â€Å"H† rotate the polarizer-analyzer assembly until a black isoclinic crosses over the marked point. At this point the axes of the polarizer and analyzer are parallel and perpendicular to the directions of the principal stresses and their directions can be seen from the scale by a pointer â€Å"V†. The rotation of the assembly may be clockwise or anti-clockwise; in order to accommodate this, sign is used with the value of this direction angle. The positive sign is used for clockwise rotation and negative is used for counter clockwise. Magnitude calculations ? The polariscope, and the digital camera are turned on ? Specimen undergoes tensile force/compressive load in Transmission Polariscope with one end fixed as in fig 13. 2 Fringes formed and photographed by digital camera ? A gradual tension was then added onto specimen and record the load reading by using dial-guage ? Print and interpret fringe pattern obtained in photographs according to the proce dure explained. Formulation for Stress Distribution: When examining the specimen for determination of the stress distribution and magnitude, the polariscope must be transformed from a â€Å"PLANE† to a â€Å"CIRCULAR† operation. This is done by first making sure the clamp â€Å"A† is in the locked position and then withdrawing pins â€Å"B† on the ? wave plate from the hole â€Å"D† (direction) and rotating them until pins engage in hole â€Å"M† (magnitude). Now quarter wave plate is at 45 degrees to the polarizer-analyzer axis thus polariscope is in circular light operation. Difference of principal stresses is given by (1 (2 = (N * C)/t Where N=fringe order at point of measurement C= stress constant of specimen material T = specimen thickness C is usually given by manufacturer. Thus the remaining number to be found is N which can be found according to color pattern as mention in the topic of interpretation of fringe pattern. CALCULATIONS AND RESULTS |S/No. |Applied load |Thickness of |Fringe Order |Direction of |Direction of |Magnitude of |Magnitude of | | |lbs/. 01 inch |specimen |‘N’ |principal stress |principal stress |principal stress |principal stress | | | |‘t’ | | |(threotcal value) | |(threotcal value) | |1 | | | | | | | | |2 | | | | | | | | |3 | | | | | | | | |4 | | | | | | | | |5 | | | | | | | | POINTS TO PONDER: 1. What will be the magnitude of shear stress at a plane of principle stress? 2. Describ e the functions of plane polriscope vs circular polriscope. 3. Describe the importance of calculation of stresses with reference to safety factor in engineering design. 4. Discuss the region of maximum stress for specimen used in experiments and explain with reasoning. 5. In case of residual stresses as a result of specimen machining which recovery method is preferable and why?

The Sme Growth Strategies Economics Essay

The Sme Growth Strategies Economics Essay This paper focuses on factors affecting the growth and performance of small and medium enterprises. The aim was to identify strategic factors differentiating young and long-lived growth SMEs. The empirical data consisted of 32 young (8 years or less) and 33 long-lived (20 years or more) growth SMEs. A comparison of the two groups of growth SMEs revealed strategic differences with important implications between young and long-lived SMEs. The results suggest that firm age does matter for SME growth strategies. The results increase our understanding of the factors affecting SME growth and performance in two different contexts. Keywords: growth; performance; strategies; small and medium enterprises INTRODUCTION Firm growth is a central focus area in strategy, organizational and entrepreneurship research. Much research effort has been targeted particularly at investigating the factors affecting firm growth, but to date there is no comprehensive theory to explain which firms will grow or how they grow (e.g. Garnsey, 1996). It seems that not even very strong explanatory factors have been identified, though various explanatory approaches have been presented. The research community largely shares the view that growth SMEs have a special importance in the economy (see e.g. Storey, 1994). During the last ten years, the research on firm growth has largely focused on high-growth SMEs. It is argued that a relatively small proportion of all small firms are responsible for the major part of the small firm contribution to net new jobs (Storey, 1994; Birch et al., 1993). These firms have been described as gazelles, fliers, growers and winners, and the targeting of effort towards them has been described as picking, stimulating, or backing winners (see e.g. Gibb, 1997; Freel, 1998; Beaver Jennings, 1995). More recently, the role of fast-growing small firms has been questioned, and the issue is known as the mice vs. gazelles (Birch et al., 1993) or flyers vs. trundlers (Storey, 1994) debate. In other words, the debate has focused on the question: which of these actually has the major impact on net employment (Davidsson Delmar, 1998)? On the other hand, it has been recognized that attending exclusively to firm-level growth and jobs may be too narrow an approach. Firms, even very small and non-growing ones, can have different strategic roles or positions in the local economic system (Laukkanen 1999). Some are critical facilitators of other firms growth or of their very emergence, and thus are important for job creation at the local level. In fact, previous research reveals that firm growth is a multidimensional phenomenon. There is substantial heterogeneity in a number of factors associated with firm growth and related research (Delmar et al., 2003). The most recent research on firm growth has increased our understanding of different growth patterns. As Delmar et al. (2003) have shown, firm growth patterns are related to the demographic characteristics of firms such as firm age. SME growth is often closely associated with firm overall success and survival (e.g. Johannisson, 1993; Phillips Kirchhoff, 1989). Growth has been used as a simple measure of success in business (e.g. Storey, 1994). Also, as Brush and Vanderwerf (1992) suggest, growth is the most appropriate indicator of the performance for surviving small firms. Moreover, growth is an important precondition for the achievement of other financial goals of business (de Geus, 1997: 53; Storey, 1994; Reynolds, 1993; Day, 1992: 128; Phillips Kirchhoff, 1989). From the point of view of an SME, growth is usually a critical precondition for its longevity (Storey, 1994: 158). Phillips and Kirchhoff (1989) found that young firms that grow have twice the probability of survival as young non-growing firms. It has been also found that strong growth may reduce the firms profitability temporarily, but increase it in the long run (McDougall et al., 1994; cf. MacMillan Day, 1987). However, there are several conceptual and empirical challenges in the study of firm growth (see e.g. Davidsson Wiklund, 2000; Delmar, 1997). Firm growth in general refers to increase in size. In research, firm growth has been operationalized in many ways and different measures have been used. This may be one reason for the contradictory results reported by previous studies (Weinzimmer et al., 1998: 235), though other explanations have also been presented (see Delmar et al., 2003; see also Davidsson Wiklund, 2000). The most frequently used measure for growth has been change in the firms turnover (e.g. Weinzimmer et al., 1998: 238; Hubbard Bromiley, 1995; Hoy et al., 1992; Venkatraman Ramanujam, 1986). Another typical measure for growth has been change in the number of employees. However, it has been found that these measures, which are frequently used in the SME context, are strongly intercorrelated (North Smallbone, 1993; Storey et al., 1987). Such an intercorrelation may not exist among capital-intensive large companies. Most studies of firm growth have focused on large companies or new venture, while the growth of established, long-lived SMEs seems to have attracted much less attention. In fact, many organizational life cycle models present growth as one stage of development in the organizational life cycle. On the other hand, it has been shown that most new jobs are created by existing, not new, SMEs (e.g. Davidsson et al., 1993; see also North et al., 1992). However, previous studies of SME performance have focused on the performance of new ventures rather than on existing SMEs and on the factors behind their longevity and growth (e.g. Tsai et al., 1991; Duchesneau Gartner, 1990; Keeley Roure, 1990). This study takes a holistic and extensive approach to factors affecting SME growth and performance. Firm growth and performance are much affected by strategy, which involves choices along a number of dimensions and can be represented by a firms overall collection of individual business-related decisions and actions (Mintzberg, 1978; Miles Snow, 1978). Though there is a variety of definitions of the term of strategy, it can accurately be conceptualized as a pattern of strategic variables, because the elements of strategy the individual business-related decisions and actions are interdependent and interactive (Galbraith Schendel, 1983). It is argued that the identification of strategy patterns permits a more complete and accurate depiction of overall strategic behavior (see e.g. Hambrick, 1983; Robinson Pearce, 1988). Previous research has suggested that the paths to growth can differ systematically by firm-level factors such as firm age (Fisher and Reuber, 2003; Delmar Davidsson, 1998). In fact, already in the late fifties Penrose (1959) presented the view that a firms growth pattern is dependent on its age, size, and industry affiliation (see Delmar et al., 2003; also Stinchcombe, 1965). As Delmar et al. (2003) suggest, it is probable that different growth patterns have different implications for management and possibly also for the long-term performance of the firm. In this light it seems useful to compare young growth SMEs and long-lived growth SMEs and determine whether they differ in characteristics and strategies. The central research question is, how do young and long-lived growth SMEs differ in their strategic attributes? In other words, the aim of this paper is to investigate whether firm age plays a role in firm characteristics and strategies. The findings will increase our understanding of the factors associated with firm growth and performance in these two different contexts. FACTORS AFFECTING SME GROWTH Although there has been much interest in understanding small firm growth during the last ten years (e.g. Davidsson Delmar, 1999; Delmar, 1997; Wiklund, 1998), there is still not much of a common body of well-founded knowledge about the causes, effects or processes of growth (Davidsson Wiklund, 2000). Moreover, although several determinants of firm growth have been suggested, researchers have been unable to achieve a consensus regarding the factors leading to firm growth (Weinzimmer, 2000). Most of the research work in this area fails to provide convincing evidence of the determinants of small firm growth as a basis for informing policy makers (Gibb Davies, 1990: 26). Attempts to build models for predicting the future growth of the firm, i.e. picking winners, have not been particularly successful. Moreover, as Spilling (2001) reminds us, the status of being a growth firm may be rather temporary. Early studies of growth focused on large companies and their diversification strategies. However, small firms are not small big firms. In large companies the role of diversification, for example, may be significantly bigger than in the case of SMEs. Indeed, growth through diversification may be necessary for the growth of a large company (Kay, 1997). The existing research on the growth and strategy of SMEs has focused mainly on new ventures (Olson Bokor, 1995). There are few studies of the growth of established SMEs: one instance is Davidsson (1989), who studied the subsequent growth of an SME from the psychological point of view. Maybe the most comprehensive compilation of results of previous studies focusing on small firm growth is that presented by Storey (1994). Several classifications of factors affecting firm growth have been presented. The general preconditions for growth have been suggested to be (1) entrepreneurs growth orientation; (2) adequate firm resources for growth; and (3) the existence of the market opportunity for growth (cf. Davidsson, 1991). Storey (1994: 158) claims that there are three key influences on the growth rate of a small independent firm: (1) the background and access to resources of the entrepreneur(s); (2) the firm itself; and (3) the strategic decisions taken by the firm once it is trading. The most important factors associated with an entrepreneur are motivation, education, the firm having more than a single owner, and the firm having middle-aged business owners. The growth of the smallest and youngest firms is the most rapid. The location and industry sector also affect the growth. The most important strategic factors are shared ownership, an ability to identify market niches and introduce new products, and an ability to build an efficient management team. Storey argues that these three components need to be combined appropriately for growth to be achieved. Gibb and Davies (1990: 16-17), on the other hand, have grouped the factors explaining growth into four types of approach (Gibb, 1997: 2-3; Pistrui et al., 1997; Poutziouris et al., 1999). These are: (1) personality-dominated approaches, which explore the impact of personality and capability on growth, including the entrepreneurs personal goals and strategic business aspirations (e.g. Chell Haworth, 1991; 1992); (2) firm development approaches, which seek to characterize the growth pattern of the firm across stages of development and the influence of factors affecting growth process (e.g. Scott Bruce, 1987); (3) business management approaches, which pay attention to the importance of business skills and the role of functional management, planning, control and formal strategic orientation in terms of shaping the growth and performance of the firm in the marketplace (e.g. Bamberger, 1989; 1983); and (4) sectoral and broader market-led approaches which focus largely on the identificati on of growth constraints and opportunities relating to small firm growth in the context of regional development or the development of specific industrial sectors such as high-technology small firms (e.g. Smallbone et al., 1993). The entrepreneur and growth intention The behavior of entrepreneurs is strongly affected by intentions (e.g. Krueger Carsrud, 1993: 315; Bird, 1988: 442). The firms strategic behavior and subsequent growth is understandable in the light of its growth intention. Therefore, firm growth is based not merely on chance, but on the managements conscious decision making and choice. Naturally, the firm can grow even though it is not the managements aim, but in such a case the growth is not planned and so may include more risks. Planning helps in managing growth. In general, goals and objectives can be divided into two categories. On the one hand, there are final goals which are valuable as such. On the other hand, there are goals which have instrumental value for achieving some other goals. Growth can be regarded as the second most important goal of a firm, the most important one being firm survival, i.e. the continuity of the business. Moreover, growth is an important precondition for a firms longevity. Negative growth of an SME is often a sign of problems, while stagnation, i.e. a situation where growth has stopped, is usually indicative of problems that a firm will face in the future. As a matter of fact, growth often has instrumental value. For new ventures, firm growth is needed to ensure an adequate production volume for profitable business. Growth can serve as an instrument for increasing profitability by enlargening the firms market-share. Other similar goals include securing the continuity of business in the conditions of growing demand or achieving economies of scale. Moreover, growth may bring the firm new business opportunities (cf. the corridor principle, Timmons 1999), and a larger size enhances its credibility in the market. Also, achieving a higher net value of the firm can be regarded as a motive for firm growth. In SMEs, growth objectives are often bound up with the owner-managers personal goals (e.g. Jennings Beaver, 1997), and so it is important that they support each other. Much has been written about the importance of the entrepreneurs growth motivation (e.g. Perren, 2000; Davidsson, 1991; Miner, 1990). The close connection between an owner-manager and the firm is the dominant characteristic of small firms (Vesalainen, 1995: 18). Instead of profit maximization or growth, a firms primary goal may be the entrepreneurs independence or self-realization (see e.g. Foley Green, 1989). Moreover, there may be no adequate resources for growth, or the expected increase in business risks may limit a firms growth willingness. However, aversion to growth has been said to be the principal reason why most SMEs stagnate and decline (Clark et al., 2001). In several typologies, entrepreneurs and firms are categorized by their business goals, so growth has been a widely used dimension in many typologies. There are two broad approaches in the studies of small firm success: (1) the business professionals model, and (2) the small business proprietors model (Bridge et al., 1998: 140-142). These two approaches can be identified in several typologies of entrepreneurs (e.g. Smith, 1967; Stanworth Curran, 1976). According to the business professionals model, a successful firm is one that achieves its highest potential in terms of growth, market share, productivity, profitability, return on capital invested or other measures of the performance of the firm itself. In the small business proprietors model, the owner-managers main concern is whether the firm is providing them with the benefits they want from it. These benefits are often associated with a lifestyle and an income level to maintain it. In the latter model, firm success therefore mean s being able to reach a level of comfort rather than achieving the businesss maximum potential. Firm development In firm development approaches, firms are seen as temporal phenomena which are born, grow, mature, decline and die. Firm growth is the basic dimension of the models of organizational life cycles (e.g. Greiner, 1972; 1998; Mintzberg, 1979; Churchill Lewis, 1983; 1991; Miller Friesen, 1983b; Scott Bruce, 1987). Numerous models of organizational life cycles have been presented, e.g. a three stage model (Smith et al., 1985), four stage models (Quinn Cameron, 1983; Kazanjian, 1988), five stage models (Greiner, 1972; Galbraith, 1982; Churchill Lewis, 1983; Scott Bruce, 1987), and a seven stage model (Flamholtz, 1986). These multistage models use a diverse array of characteristics to explain organizational growth and development. Organizational life cycle models is one application of the configurational approach in describing the stages of life cycles and the transformation from one stage to another (Mintzberg et al., 1998). Common to these growth pattern models is the claim that changes in an organization follow a pattern characterized by discrete stages of development (Dodge et al., 1994). Typical of these patterns are the sequence of events that show how things change over time, a hierarchical progression that is not easily reversed, and a composite of a broad range of organizational activities and structures. Organizational life cycle models are important in understanding the differences in success factors of the firm between the stages of the life cycle. However, organizational life cycle models have been criticized because of their extreme simplification of reality: in some cases not all stages of development are found, some stages of development may occur several times, the stages of development may occur in an irregular order, and there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the theories (e.g. Gibb Davies, 1990; Bridge et al., 1998: 105; Eggers et al., 1994; Birley Westhead, 1990; Miller Friesen, 1983a; Vinnell Hamilton, 1999; cf. Dodge et al., 1994). In addition, on the basis of the results of their study of high-growth firms, Willard et al. (1992) concluded that the applicability of conventional wisdom regarding the leadership crisis in rapid growth entrepreneurial firms may no longer be valid, if, in fact, it ever was. Despite the critiques of organizational life cycle models, strategic management and entrepreneurship research has demonstrated life cycle theory to be one of the most powerful tools for understanding and predicting venture performance. According to Greiner (1972; 1998), for example, a firms failure to adapt to a series of crises caused by growth is one of the principal causes of firm failure. Growth strategies Several growth strategies related to business management approaches have been presented in the literature. Managing growth is a major strategic issue for a growing firm (see e.g. Arbaugh Camp, 2000). Strategy is the most important determinant of firm growth (Weinzimmer, 2000). Among high-growth firms, Dsouza (1990) identified three primary strategic clusters: (1) build strategy, i.e. emphasis on vertical integration; (2) expand strategy, i.e. emphasis on resource allocation and product differentiation; and (3) maintain strategy, i.e. emphasis on market dominance and/or efficiency. Thompson (2001: 563-565) presents four growth strategies: (1) organic growth; (2) acquisition; (3) strategic alliance; and (4) joint venture. On the other hand, when looking at the product/market strategy, four options can be seen: (1) market penetration; (2) new product development; (3) new market development; and (4) moving into new markets with new products (Burns, 1989: 47). However, there is a lack of agreement in empirical findings concerning product- and market-based strategies. While Sandberg and Hofer (1987) argue that product-based strategies work better than focused strategies, Cooper (1993) claim that focused strategies outperform differentiated product strategies (Pistrui et al., 1997). Perry (1986/87) investigated growth strategies for an established small firm, and concluded that the most appropriate growth strategies are niche strategies, i.e. market development and product development strategies, in that order. However, it seems that most empirical studies focus on new venture strategies. Studies of competitive strategies related to firm growth have been carried out in the new venture context by McDougall and Robinson (1990), McDougall et al. (1992), Carter et al. (1994), and Ostgaard and Birley (1995), among others. As opposed to the organic growth strategy, acquisitions are regarded rather as a large company growth strategy which can be either synergistic or nonsynergistic (Anslinger Copeland, 1996). Forward or backward vertical integration means that the acquired firm is located at a different level of the value-addition chain, i.e. the acquired firm is a customer or supplier of the firm. In contrast, horizontal integration refers to a firm which is at the same level of value-addition, i.e. it is a competitor. Lateral integrations refer to unrelated businesses which represent a diversification strategy. In addition to becoming bigger and thus acquiring greater market power, there might be several other reasons for acquisitions, e.g. acquiring synergies, industry restructuring, reduction of business risk, acquiring new knowledge and other necessary resources, overcoming barriers to entry, and entering new markets quickly (see Vermeulen Barkema, 2001; Empson, 2000; Birkinshaw, 1999; Tetenbaum, 1999; Chatterjee, 1992). Despite the fact that growth through acquisitions is more typical of larger firms than smaller ones (see e.g. Davidsson Delmar, 1998), it is one option for the growth of an SME. However, it seems that few studies focus on acquisitions made by small firms. Also, one often neglected way of growing is by setting up new firms. Studies using a firm as the unit of analysis have not been able to identify growth through a portfolio of firms as one way of growing (see Scott Rosa, 1996). However, it has been found that portfolio entrepreneurship appears to be more common than suspected, and that it is characteristic of entrepreneurs who own and manage growth firms (Pasanen, 2003b). Wiklund (1998: 239) concluded that growth through portfolios of firms does not seem to be an alternative to growing a single firm, but entrepreneurs leading rapidly growing firms tend more often to start subsidiaries and independent new firms and to grow these firms. Small business growth through geographic expansion is a challenging growth strategy, as during the course of opening a new geographical site an entrepreneur will be confronted with the task of managing an existing business and a start-up at the same time (Barringer Greening, 1998). Penrose (1959) proposed already in the late fifties that firm growth is constrained by the availability and quality of managerial resources. Many studies draw attention to the important role of an entrepreneurial team for firm growth (see Birley Stockley, 2000). Also, in their study of technology-based ventures, Eisenhardt and Schoonhoven (1990) found an association between a strong management team and firm growth (see also Weinzimmer, 1997). In addition to the importance of favourable firm-internal conditions, the strategies should be in harmony with the environmental conditions. Different growth environments may require different business strategies for SMEs. For instance, Chaganti (1987) found that for small manufacturing firms, different growth environments required distinctly different strategies. Interestingly, this was contrary to the findings concerning large companies. It was concluded that strategic flexibility is a critical requirement for small firms (Chaganti, 1987). Growth barriers Sectoral and broader market-led approaches focus largely on the identification of growth constraints and opportunities. It has been found, for instance, that economic fluctuations strongly affect the growth probability of small firms (Kangasharju, 2000). Also, for firm growth, it seems that aiming at growing market niches is more important than taking market shares from competitors (Wiklund, 1998). However, growth can happen only if there are no growth barriers. Such barriers can be related to firm-internal and firm-external factors (see e.g. Barber et al., 1989; Smallbone North, 1993a; Vaessen Keeble, 1995; Jones-Evans, 1996; Vesper, 1990: 174-175; Hay Kamshad, 1994). The growth barriers characteristic of small firms in peripheral locations have been presented by Birley and Westhead (1990: 538). In the study carried out by the Cambridge Small Business Research Centre (1992), the most common growth barriers were related to factors on the macro level. The most important growth barriers were related to difficulties in obtaining finance and the price of money, the level of and decrease in demand (also Perren, 2000), and tightening competition (also Hay Kamshad, 1994). Other growth barriers were caused by restrictions determined by authorities, problems in obtaining a skilled workforce, and the small number or lack of potential cooperation partners in the area. The firm-internal factors affecting unwillingness to grow include the entrepreneurs fear of losing her or his autonomy, difficulties in fitting together personal and the firms goals, and weak managerial or marketing skills (see also MacNabb, 1995; Perren, 2000). These issues are particularly ty pical when an entrepreneur transfers from the role of entrepreneur to that of manager, or when the firm hires a new manager. DATA AND METHODS This paper is based on data from a larger exploratory study of the factors affecting SME performance (Pasanen, 2003a). Empirical data were collected from 111 growing SMEs in Eastern Finland. The sample was split into quartiles, based on firm age. Lower and upper quartiles of firms were chosen for the final samples, in order to compare the firms in these quartiles with each other. The lower quartile consisted of 32 SMEs aged eight years or less (young firms), whereas the upper quartile consisted of 33 SMEs aged twenty years or more (long-lived firms). A growth firm was defined as a firm with actual growth in turnover during the past five years. Growth was measured as a change in turnover between two time points ignoring the regularity or irregularity of growth over time (see Delmar et al., 2003; Weinzimmer et al., 1998; Delmar, 1997). A mail questionnaire was directed to the CEOs of SMEs operating in the sectors of manufacturing, business services, and tourism. The response rate was 5 3.7 %. Firms in the samples shared the following features: (1) size: SMEs, i.e. they employed fewer than 250 persons; (2) performance: growth firms, i.e. they had grown in terms of turnover during past years; (3) location: peripheral, i.e. outside major cities and not in core areas; (4) ownership: independent firms, not subsidiaries of other companies; and (5) industry sector: operated in the sectors of manufacturing, business services, and tourism. The age of young firms ranged from 2 to 8 years, the average being 5.5 years with standard deviation of 1.7 years. The age of long-lived firms ranged from 20 to 120 years, the average being 40.4 years with standard deviation of 24.9 years. Half of the long-lived firms were less than 35 years old. A comparison of the two groups of SMEs was based on data referring to the characteristics of entrepreneurs and enterprises, their life cycles, the strategic choices made, the success factors of SMEs, and the nature of their environment (see Pasanen, 2003a). Several factors in these areas are associated with firm performance. The characteristics of entrepreneurs consist of variables relating to entrepreneurs education, experience and other demographic factors. Variables related to the characteristics of SMEs and their life cycles include the firms demographic characteristics and growth behavior indicators. For the strategic choices made by the firm, the focus was on innovativeness, internationalization, specialization and networking. These strategic choices include three important elements affecting SME performance: markets, products, and the way of doing business (Normann, 1976). Innovativeness refers to the products of the firm, internationalization to its markets, and specializatio n and networking to the way of doing business. The environment was approached by studying the characteristics of the customer, industry and location. The success factors of SMEs were presented as statements describing their importance in the firms competitive advantage. In identifying the differences between young and long-lived SMEs, approximately 150 variables were tested using appropriate statistical tests, depending on the variable: the t test, non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test, or chi-square test. These tests were conducted to test the differences between the two groups for each of the individual variables. In some analyses, the U test was used instead of the t test due to the skewness of the data. RESULTS A number of differences in characteristics of the owner-managers and firms and their success factors were found between young and long-lived growth SMEs. Three variables related to the characteristics of the owner-managers showed statistically significant differences between the two groups of SMEs (Table 1). Almost all young firms were led by the founder(s) of the firm, whereas this was the case for only half of the long-lived SMEs. Among young SMEs, owner-managers had less experience and were younger than their counterparts in long-lived SMEs. TABLE 1 Differences in characteristics of owner-managers between young and long-lived SMEs (p Variables Test p value Founder  Ã‚ £2 = 6.705 (df = 1) p = .010 Total length of experience as owner-manager U test (z = -2.546) p = .011 Age U test (z = -2.459) p = .014 Fourteen variables characterizing the SMEs showed statistically significant differences between young and long-lived SMEs (Table 2). Young firms had had more founders (means 3.3 vs. 2.1) and had more founders still involved in the firm at the time of the survey than long-lived SMEs had (means 2.9 vs. 1.1). Almost all young firms were founded by a team of owners, whereas half of the long-lived SMEs were founded by a single owner. Being a family firm was more typical of long-lived SMEs (58%) than of young firms (19%). Long-lived SMEs were bigger in size than their younger counterparts: the average full-time personnel was 84 employees in long-lived SMEs and 21 in young firms. Moreover, the number of establishments was bigger in long-lived SMEs than in young firms, averaging 3.5 and 1.7, respectively. Acquisitions or mergers were more typical of long-lived SMEs (39%) than of young SMEs (13%). Owner-managers in long-lived SMEs were more satisfied with their firms success than those in young firms. On a scale of 1 (fully satisfied) to 4 (not at all satisfied), owner-managers in the long-lived SMEs had an average satisfaction of 1.7, whereas among young firms the average was 2.1. During their life cycle, more than half of the long-lived SMEs (55%) had at least once faced a situation where the firms existence, i.e. survival, had been threatened, while only one fifth of the young SMEs (22%) reported that their existence had been threatened. Managerial know-how was considered to be higher in long-lived SMEs than in young firms. In long-lived SMEs, principles and practices of management had changed more than in young firms. Among young SMEs, almost all firms (91%) had stayed close to their original business, whereas among long-lived SMEs seven out of ten firms (70%) had stayed close to their original business. There were also differences in products and customer structures between young and long-lived SMEs. The proportion of products with declining volume was higher in long-lived SMEs (6% of their products), whereas such products accounted for 2% of the young firms products. Among young firms, the cumulative proportion of turnover due to the five biggest customers was 59% of the firms total turnover, whereas in long-lived SMEs it was clearly lower, 41%. TABLE 2 Differences in characteristics of firms between young