Nonfiction Reaction

â€Å"Salvation† by Langston Hughes â€Å"Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone? † By Andrew Lam Nonfiction Reaction University of Phoenix ENG/125 Jill Greene Nonfiction Reaction â€Å"Salvation† by Langston Hughes Langston Hughes, author of the nonfiction short story â€Å"Salvation,† was born James Mercer Langston Hughes on February 1, 1902 to Carrie and James Hughes in Joplin Missouri (New World Encyclopedia, 2008). Langston Hughes was among the principle figures of the Harlem Renaissance. He is a major influence to writers and poets of different races and creeds. His writings, inspired by the rhythms and language of the black church and blues and jazz music of his era, send messages of equity, harmony, and unity. Hughes believed music to be the true expression of the black spirit. In Hughes’ nonfiction story, â€Å"Salvation,† he writes about his salvation from sin that was instead an abandonment of his belief in Jesus. The story begins with the revival at his Auntie Reed’s church. Hughes was told: When he becomes saved he would see a light, and something would happen inside. Jesus would come into his life and God would be with him from then on. He would be able to see, hear, and feel Jesus in his soul. Hughes, 1940, p. 351) During the revival that night the children were brought to the front of the church. At the end of the sermon the preacher asked the children enter the fold of Jesus and save their soles from sin. Some of the children went right away. People of the church prayed for the other children until they went t o the altar. Hughes did not go because he was waiting to see Jesus and the light. Hughes and Westley were the only children left. Westley became tired and went up to the altar to save his sole from sin. Hughes was still waiting to see the light and Jesus. The congregation continued to pray for Hughes. Hughes was waiting to see Jesus. Jesus never came. Hughes began to wonder why he could not see Jesus and what would happen to Westley for taking Jesus’ name in vain and lying in the church. He finally rose and went to the church alter to join the other children. The congregation began to rejoice with shouts of Amen. That night in bed he cried. His aunt thought his crying was because the Holy Ghost had come into his life, and he had seen Jesus. He was crying because the Holy Ghost had not come into his life, he had not seen Jesus, and he could not tell her of his lies (Hughes, 1940, p. 352). He could not tell his aunt he no longer believes that there is a Jesus. In this nonfiction story Hughes uses irony to show that no matter how bad a person wants something to happen, chances are that something may not happen. Hughes was told that he would see a light and Jesus. Jesus does not come. This causes Hughes to doubt his salvation and religion. Hughes has to give in to the painful truth that he would not see a light or Jesus. As the preacher sang of â€Å"the ninety and nine safe in the fold,† Langston could not help but believe he was the â€Å"one little lamb left out in the cold† (Hughes, 1940, p. 51). This song was a comparison of the children to lambs. The children were lambs, innocent and with a need to be led to Jesus. Within this flock Hughes and Westley were the strays that needed to be led back to the right path to Jesus. These boys came to the altar for the wrong reasons. Hughes demonstrates that temptation still exists, much like the temptation of th e apple in Eden. Hughes gives in to the temptation of lying about seeing Jesus. This causes Hughes to doubt the existence of Jesus because â€Å"he did not come to help him† (Hughes, 1940, p. 352). This story reminds the reader of the pressure that adults can unknowingly place on children. â€Å"Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone? † by Andrew Lam Andrew Lam, author of the nonfiction short story â€Å"Who Will Light the Incense When Mother’s Gone? † was born in 1964 in South Vietnam. He came to the United States in 1975 at the age of 11. The nonfiction short story â€Å"Who Will Light Incense When Mother’s Gone? † is about the loss of old traditions. When Lam’s mother turns 70, she and her sister wonder who will keep the tradition and light the incense to the dead when each sister is dead. Their children have become Americanized and do not want to keep the tradition. Their grandchildren will not because they do not understand this tradition. The ladies assume that the ritual will end with them. The children, born in America, know nothing of their ancestors in Vietnam. The ritual consists of lighting joss sticks at the ancestral altar. Then talking to the ghosts and saying prayers to the spirits of dead ancestors asking for protection. Lam uses imagery about the incense slowly burning and his mother mumbling indecipherably to dead people to show how this tradition is old and nonsensical to him. Lam’s mother is afraid that he has become too American. She believes that he has become a cowboy. â€Å"A cowboy in Vietnamese estimation is a rebel who, as in the spaghetti westerns leaves town—the communal life—to ride alone into the sunset† (Lam, 2003, p. 1078). Lam uses metaphors, cowboy, to describe how his mother views him. Lam expresses his fear to be left alone in the world when his mother leaves, but hesitates to take up her traditions. Lam’s mother wants her children to be Americans, to finish high school, go to college, and receive employment in the field of study. She would also like them to keep Vietnamese traditions. Lam believes he and his mother live in two different worlds. â€Å"His is a world of travel, writing, and public speaking; hers is a world of consulting the Vietnamese horoscope, attending Buddhist temple on the day of her parents death anniversaries, and telling stories of the past† (Lam, 2003, p. 1078). When Lam considers the traditions that will be lost, he has feelings of guilt. â€Å"I wish I could assure my mother that, after she is gone, each morning I would light incense for her and all the ancestor spirits before her, but I cannot† (Lam, 2003, p. 078). His mother and other Vietnamese mothers connect him and his generation to the traditional past. When she is gone this will be lost. â€Å"I fear she’ll leave me stranded in America, becoming more American than I expected, a lonely cowboy cursed with amnesia† (Lam, 2003, p. 1078). Both of these stories, â€Å"Salvation† and â€Å"Who Wil l Light Incense When Mother’s Gone? † are about loss. Hughes writes about the loss of his faith and Lam writes about the loss of his family tradition. I understand these feelings of loss. Traditions that my family did when I was younger, I no longer do as an adult. When gathering together with family and talk of these times, one begins to wonder why these times had to stop. Our lives have gone in different directions, and we no longer make time for extended family outings. Nonfiction stories such as these bring back memories to the readers. Everyone has a time when they have lost faith in something or questioned the loss of a family tradition. While reading these stories one can imagine themselves becoming a part of the story. Imagination is more useful for the reader. I believe that imagination is already a part of nonfiction writings. The writer is using imagination while writing about the past. The writer has to imagine as he writes. References Hughes, L. (2011). Salvation. In S. Barnet, W. E. Cain, & W. Burto, Literature for composition: Essays, stories, poems, and plays. (9th ed. , p. 351-352). Boston, MA: Pearson. (Original work published 1940). Lam, A. (2011). Who will light the incense when Mother’s gone? In S. Barnet, W. E. Cain, & W. Burto, Literature for composition: Essays, stories, poems, and plays. (9th ed. , p. 1077-1078). Boston, MA: Pearson. (Original work published 2003). New world encyclopedia. (2008). Retrieved from http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Langston_Hughes

Overview of the Solar Panel Industry

Global Business Operations Solar Panel Industry Student Name: student Number: Introduction The solar panel industry is a niche market dominated by a small number of large firms. Five out of the top ten biggest players In the Industry are Chinese firms. Solar panels capture sunlight and convert It Into electricity, In one of two forms; industry, due to the large market share dominated by a small number of players, furthermore, the solar panel industry not only cooperates with, but also competes with other industries such as power production and component manufacturing industries.The Solar Panel Industry The Shape of the Solar Panel Industry With five out of the biggest solar panel producers worldwide being Chinese, it is no surprise that 45% of solar panel production across the globe is by Chinese firms. The solar panel industry is the fastest growing power technology in the world, with reported yearly increases in capacity of 50%. Consisting of mainly 10 firms, the industry isn't lar ge in terms of suppliers, however, the combined revenues of these 10 firms account for $21. Ban, thus the industry is large in revenue as well as production. Growth & Global Presence The growth of the solar panel industry is fairly new, beginning in the early sass's, thus the industry is not only dominated by a few large players, but it is also maintaining its volume position as it is not going through consolidation and turning into a fragmented industry; the large firms are still growing. Competition within the industry is tight, especially since all major firms have a global presence.Any large firm involved in solar panel production without a global presence is sure to be overtaken by competitors. Product Variety & Core Business Solar panels are generally a very homogeneous product, all firms that produce them apply essentially the same product with minor variations, this makes it even more difficult to develop a true competitive advantage within the industry. The industry is main ly based on business-to-business sales; power production firms order solar panels from the producers.Other revenue streams come from foreign solar panel retailers purchasing small orders and distributing them to private buyers such as homes or offices. Innovation, R&D, and Demand conditions In order to develop and maintain a competitive advantage within the solar panel industry, it is paramount to invest in innovating and research & development. As it stands, the industry remains very linear in terms of product innovation; investments are heavy however no new technologies have yet been discovered or implemented.Since its inception, the technology implemented within solar panels has definitely increased, however there have been no significant breakthroughs that would fairly stable; prices have been more or less constant and competition tight but not extensive as the players aren't many. The industry took a blow in 2007 following the global crisis, however it recovered in 2010 and has been growing more than ever at an unprecedented pace.Vertical Integration & Production Process The Chinese firms mainly adopt vertical integration from the raw materials to the finished product, whereas USA and Japanese firms, which are the other big players, tend to outsource some production as well as import components from suppliers such as Busch. This difference arises due to the costs involved in producing and assembling solar panels; in China, availability of resources is very high, as well as cheap labor and land, thus incurring less costs, hence why Chinese firms prefer to vertically integrate their production process.Whereas for American and Japanese firms, cheap labor and production space is not available, thus it is more cost effective to outsource production and import components. Vertical integration itself is not a fully efficient way of production in the long run, as demonstrated by the automotive industry in the early 20th century. Ford adopted a full vertical integ ration production process, and while for years it remained the market leader in the USA, eventually Toyota adopted a Just-in-time production process and overtook Ford in USA market share.This is mainly due to the incurred sots of vertical integration; at an early stage of an industry as a whole, vertical integration is cheaper, however as an industry and its accompanying technologies advance, third-party firms enter niche markets of component production and it eventually becomes cheaper to outsource most of the production process. Economies of Scale The biggest advantages to the large solar panel producers arise due to their economies of scale. With a huge production capacity and an efficient supply chain, every step of the value chain from production to delivery becomes much cheaper per unit.Economies of scale acquired by solar panel producers are down to their rapid growth mainly due to their early entry into the market. There are no physical barriers to entering the solar panel i ndustry; governments actually subsidize firms who get involved in renewable energies through tax exemptions and monetary aid. However, the barriers to entry are known as ‘natural barriers', meaning that the barriers to entry that do exist are not due to regulation, but rather to the strength and size of the competitors, which in turn relates to their economies of scale which allow them to sustain production at such high capacity and cost efficiency.Value Chain Configuration Sunsets is Chinese solar panel producer, up to 2010 it was the world market leader in the solar panel industry, today it has gone down to be the 5th biggest firm. After a series of financial troubles related to defaulting on US government bonds in 2011, the firm has reported revenues of $3. 1 ban and net loss of $1 Ban (2011). Sunsets was founded in 2001 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2005, share price dropped 40% following its first default on government bonds.The following diagram shows Sentence's value chain process, which will be explained in more detail underneath the diagram: The first segment of the value chain is inbound logistics, since Sunsets is a vertically integrated firm, it produces its own components which are later used in the production of solar panels. The next part of the value chain is operations; this part is the most important in Sentence's value chain as it is where production takes place. The core business of Sunsets is the production of solar panels, without an impeccable product they would quickly cease to be one of the market leaders.The third step shown in the diagram is outbound logistics, this involves Sunsets distributing the finished product to its customers. Supply chain management is very important, especially since Sunsets is vertically integrated, they have their own distribution channels rather than outsourcing them, thus their customers must receive their products on time and in good condition. Marketing and sales isn't such an integral part of the value chain, as the core revenue stream for solar panel producers is business-to-business sales rather than business-to-customer, thus jugular marketing methods are not as effective.The final step of the value chain is service, mainly involving post-sale service. Given the nature of the product, solar panels actually have an average life span of 25-30 years, thus minimal service is required, however, Sunsets focuses more on actually turning the service step into a long-term relationship with customers for repeat business and long-term contracts. Sunsets is present globally, with large volume sales to Australia, USA, China, Spain, AJAX, and Brazil, it is basically present in every continent. The main customers forSunsets and other solar panel producers are power plants and solar farms, who in turn sell on the electricity they produce with the solar panels. It is a large market with very few players as power production is one of the hardest markets to enter, with extensive barriers to entry. Sentence's overall performance is dubious. On the one hand, it lead the market for many years due to its excellent quality and reputation in production, and on the other hand, it crashed due to mismanagement of resources and financial troubles.In terms of cost efficiency, Sentence's vertical integration is seemingly flawless as the hole production process is streamlined and very well coordinated, thus the conclusion in terms of performance is that operationally Sunsets is performing exceptionally well, however administratively it is performing horribly and is definitely behind its competitors. Out of the top 10 dominating firms, only two firms are running at a loss, one of which is Sunsets. Recommendations The main issue for Sunsets is mismanagement of funds, thus the main recommendations would be to change the CEO, which has actually been done.

Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace - Essay Example 1. Greater share of the consumer market A diverse workforce is able to seize a larger segment of the consumer market. This is because it enables a company to bring in people from diverse backgrounds and as a result it allows the organization to better understand the various cultures, races or genders that make up the consumer market. Understanding the consumer market allows the organization to directly cater to the preferences of the consumer market, moreover it also lets the organization market their products or services more efficiently. In addition, understanding different languages, cultures and ethics allow an organization to operate on a global basis. 2. Recruiting from a diverse pool of candidates means a more qualified workforce Companies who do not bias their selection of employees will find that they are able to select employees from a bigger pool of candidates. This allows them to select only the best and also selection is strictly based on talent and their abilities inste ad of culture, generation or gender. 3. Fosters a more creative and innovative workforce Diversity promotes a more â€Å"creative and innovative† workplace (Dolly 1). Companies who incorporate a more diverse workplace are able to foster a more diverse range of ideas and viewpoints. As a result, employees are able to contribute more into the pool of ideas that a company uses to perform its business tasks. In a 2011 study by Forbes study, 85 percent out of 321 global companies that generate annual revenues of at least $500 million, agree â€Å"diversity is crucial to fostering innovation in the workplace† (Dolly 1). 4. Increased adaptability Companies who promote diversity within their employee population will find increased adaptability. Having the capability of the diverse workforce means that companies are able to pool in a larger variety of solutions to business-related problems that the company may encounter. Employees are able to bring in ideas or personal talents that come from different walks of life. 5. Increased Customer Relations Customers in an existing organization can come from extremely diverse backgrounds. Employees with akin natural diversity in any organization help significantly increase customer relationship and connection. This is boosted by sharing organization vision with the employees. In return, it allows employees reach out to customers and handle their needs in their desired manner. This makes the customers develop a feeling of assimilation to the organization thus becoming part of the organization (Laura 1). 6. Enhanced Reputation The promotion f diversity, talent and inclusion within a company create a favorable viewpoint from the customer, partners, and media. This attracts talented individual for it is usually viewed as a good place to work. The positive environment creates successful breeding ground thus attracting the brighter and best employees from all spheres of the world. Gender: Organizations who actively promo te gender diversity in the workplace will increase the company’s understanding of preferences for women and children.  

The Economy of Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Economy of Japan - Essay Example Exchange rate in a floating regime are determined by the supply and demand for a that currency, if the demand for a currency is high then the value of the currency will appreciate against other currency, if demand for a currency falls and speculators sell the currency then the value of the currency depreciates against other currencies. This paper analyses the factors that have contributed to the fluctuations in the Japanese yen exchange rate, this factors include inflation, interest rates, unemployment levels, monetary policies, fiscal policies and trade balances and other factors. Inflation is the rise in prices of products in the entire economy for a long period of time, inflation is caused by increased money supply or even an increase in the level of prices of inputs such as crude oil prices, there exist two types of inflation as Keynes depicted, the cost push and demand pull inflation, in Japan the level of inflation has risen steadily and this means that the local currency namely the Yen has appreciated over time against the other major currencies. Governments will always try to balance inflation and unemployment levels, according to the Philips curve the... Unemployment can be defined as the number of people who are jobless in an economy it is calculated by dividing the number of people who are unemployed with the number of people who are termed as the work force in an economy it may also refer to a condition in which an economy has idle resources that are not being utilized. Today japans unemployment levels have declined to 4.0% since May this year, the highest recorded level of unemployment in Japan from 1953 because this is when the economy initiated records was 4.8%, unemployment can be reduced through the use of fiscal and monetary policy, unemployment has slightly gone down in Japan, this decline is as a result of increasing interest rates, when interest rates increase the cost of borrowing capital rises and therefore less investment will occur in the economy and this will result into a decline in the employment rates. Therefore the decline in unemployment means that the exchange rate will appreciate. Interest rates: Interest rates are referred to as the cost of borrowed funds, a rise or drop in interest rates will affect the exchange rate of a countries currency, the interest rates are expected to rise according to the Japanese, when interest rates increase then the currency will appreciate, however if low interest rates exist in a country its currency will devalue. Today interest rates are rising and therefore the value of the yen is appreciating against the other major currencies, this is the reason why the Japanese yen has appreciated against the US dollar for the past two months as a result of rising interest rates. Trade balance: Trade balances occur when the level of exports do not balance with the value of imports, when there is a positive balance of trade whereby exports exceed imports then

Job Safety Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Job Safety Response - Essay Example Jerry must understand that the field notes belong to the federal agency provided there is an advance knowledge that that data belongs to the agency. First, Jerry acquired a job from the federal agency implying that the area of research is not his own doing and will be considered as unethical to use it for his personal work. Second, the participants in the interviews and observations during the survey would not have presented themselves to him without identifying that he is working with the Federal Agency which they could identify with because of its projects or proposed projects amongst them. His presentation to participants as working on behalf of the agency makes the information gathered from the interview the agency’s property unconditionally. Being a representative of the agency means that no participant provided any information to belong to him but to the agency hence eliminating any breach of information security and confidentiality. Although it is unethical for the agen cy to manipulate survey findings to suit its expectations, it is ethical to request the opinion of a different consultant for comparison. Vaughn should be expected to turn over all the interview materials, notes, and photographs despite their sensitive information on with any binding terms on data ownership. Since there was no binding stipulation concerning data ownership, and by arguing that his work was conducted in good faith makes him eligible for full salary without any threats or turning over the materials, notes, and photos to the agency.

Trends in Labor in the United States Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Trends in Labor in the United States - Assignment Example Ltd., 2013). Another factor that contributes to the growth of outsourcing is the availability of cheaper labor offered by some countries, without sacrificing the quality of the products or services (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). Aside from work expertise and cheap cost of labor that a company can gain from outsourcing, their resources can be focused on the more essential aspects of their business. Outsourcing presents several advantages and disadvantages for both corporations and the domestic economy. Some of the advantages of outsourcing are the swiftness and expertise of the outsourced labor, the concentration on the crucial business processes rather on the minor ones, the risk sharing between the outsourced vendor and the organization outsourcing and the reduction in the operational and recruitment costs (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). Outsourcing has its drawbacks too. These include the risk of exposing the organization’s confidential information, lack of control with schedules and delivery times, possible hidden costs and a lack of concern for the customers’ needs (Flatworld Solutions Pvt. Ltd., 2013). A significant effect of outsourcing on the US labor market is the rise in the unemployment rate among Americans. The technological and engineering jobs are mostly diverted to India and China which offers lower wage rates but matched with superior talent (Miah, 2007). The bottom line for most companies is that outsourcing gives better profits. Nationalism is put aside because the business decision makers consider their responsibility to their shareholders the priority (Miah, 2007). The result of this attitude is the American working middle class are up in arms against outsourcing (Miah, 2007). Another major effect of outsourcing on the US labor market is the weakening of the workers’ bargaining power. Since it is very easy for

Government and Non-governmental Organizations Essay

Government and Non-governmental Organizations - Essay Example Many a times the international community does not even protest against such atrocities and it is only after the levels of atrocities exceed all levels of human degradation that corrective measures are to some extent enforced. Non-governmental organizations meanwhile are allowed to act only when the governments where such atrocities happen allow them to operate effectively in a non-biased manner. However, non-governmental organizations fortunately are the first ones to report, condemn and to request world community to intervene to stop the wrong doings. In their limited ways they do try to help as much as they can, but most of the times their efforts cover only a small percentage of the assistance that is overall required. In these essay, while we shall be comparing and contrasting the roles of governments and non-governmental organizations we shall without intention also be critical of these two important functionary bodies. In this context, we shall be referring to the major genocidal events in our last century in each of which people in their tens of thousands were the victims of mass killings. These are the Holocaust, the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia, the genocide in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the freely allowed blood baths in Rwanda. When we compare some of these atrocities, the main similarities we observe is they happened because of the state government policies of these countries which encouraged ethnic cleansing as a method of subduing the minorities or completely wipe them out from as a people. While we shall not touch upon the subject of political killings that occurred in Argentine, Chile, Guatemala and continues to happen in Indonesia, Zimbabwe, Palestine and other countries, the role s of governments and non-governmental organizations here too are significantly important if they are freely and fairly implemented. The Holocaust happened because Germany as a state with a parliamentary type of democracy under Hitler was allowed to degenerate into a totalitarian Nazi state that controlled every segment of the German society. Its public policies developed because the German population remained silent towards the racial and genocidal policies towards the Jews and other minority groups because of Hitler's philosophical views that were elaborated in his Mein Kampf that led to the Nazi government's policy of murder and extermination. Policies that were on similar extreme lines in Cambodia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda were allowed and the international governments intervened only when their national interests involved. While the Holocaust was enforced by a economically and militarily very strong and dominating Germany during World War II, the other genocides could have been prevented had international gov

Summary Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Summary - Assignment Example The concept of universality was further expounded by classifying it into two types: the substantive universals and the formal universals. As disclosed, substantive universals construct the description of language; while formal universals were deemed more abstract; yet formalized and highly structured in terms of observance to grammatical rules. Samples of different sentence structures (deep, surface, A over A convention) were presented to differentiate the concept of universality. The criteria for evaluating grammar was likewise discussed based on four syntactic structures, being that: (1) sentences are deemed acceptable to the native speaker; (2) the case of ambiguity noted to be represented by constructional homonymity; (3) alleged diversity in interpretations of sentences which appear superficially similar to be likewise represented by varied derivational histories; and (4) understanding sentences in similar manner to have been apparently represented at one level description (Tranformational Generative Grammar 5-6). Finally, the discourse differentiated between linguistic competence and performance by indicating that competence is knowledge of a particular language, while performance ensued from this competence as a production and comprehension of language (Tranformational Generative Grammar 5). Other differentiating factors were presented to expound on their disparities to include boundaries, linguistic factors, incompetencies, situational factors, and creativity of the speaker, among

Second Order Crossover Loudspeaker Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Second Order Crossover Loudspeaker - Lab Report Example Crossovers works on the principle of dividing the audio single into several frequency parts that are transmitted to respective speakers designed to manipulate the respective frequencies. Audio cross-overs are widely used in electronics applications. We use multiple drivers or speakers in our sound systems as mostly an individual driver is not capable enough to cover and manipulate every frequency range present in sound so separate drivers are used for separate frequency ranges. What actually a cross-over circuit does is that it splits the input frequency into parts on the basis of low and high value and send it to the respective driver that will forward the signal frequency as a whole to the output load that is the speaker. Two same resistance value speakers can be positioned in a parallel setting because of cross-over circuit. The resistance value speakers that are positioned in a parallel setting can be of two sorts, higher one and the lower one. Because of this parallel setting, an amplifier can be there with a single-valued resistance. Two varying drive units having varied efficiency values can be matched with one another with the support of cross-over circuits. With this grouping, the outcome in terms of frequency responsiveness by the drive units is not huge. The cross-over circuit permits either woofer or tweeter to equal response to the frequency due to which, the compound rejoinder is soft and smooth as compared to the unstrained curves of woofers or tweeters. We can make chunks of larger frequency range into minor portions to create standardized sounds.