Critical Literary Essay

Critical Literary Essay Critical Literary Essay While writing a critical essay you should analyze and explain one of the literary works such as drama, poetry or fiction. Your task is to explain the literary work by means of interpretations and analysis. The interpretation of the work requires your deep understanding of the text you are going to investigate. Interpretation is about your individual understanding of the literary work. Critical thinking essay requires a deep exploration of the text. The thesis statement should reflect your interpretation of the literary text. You should start your examination of the work with the overview of the title. The title informs about the main idea of the work. Read the text carefully to gain the understanding of the plot, setting, main and secondary characters, and the conflict in the text. In the process of critical literary essay writing, you should prove and support your interpretation - find several examples and quotes in literature that support your idea. While writing an essay, remember that you must persuade the reader that your point of view is the best one. It will depend on your arguments. While writing a critical essay, your point of view should be supported by secondary sources as well. You do not need to retell the story; brief summary will be enough. The critical literary essay writing is based on the assumption that the reader of your essay has read the text. Document all the secondary sources. The direct quotes should also be documented at the end of the literary essay. Usually, MLA style is the most appropriate for this type of essay writing. Critical Essay Outline The introduction of the critical literary essay consists of one paragraph that obviously includes thesis statement at the end of it. Give a brief presentation of your critical essay. Thesis statement will be your main idea that is meaning of examined text in your interpretation. Make sure that your introduction includes the name of the author and the title of literary work you write about in your critical essay. The subject of your critical writing is a topic. A thesis statement is a specific idea you are making about the chosen topic. You have to state a clear, strong, and interesting thesis which gains attention of the reader. While writing a critical essay body, give more detailed information on the literary work you are investigating. Describe setting, the main characters and the conflict in more details. Concentrate critical essay writing on your point of view. Write arguments that support your point of view. Conclusion is the final step of the critical essay writing that restat e your main ideas and thesis statement: Critical Essay Writing Help Seek assistance with writing a critical essay? Welcome to site! We can write a great critical literary essay for you on any book, article, or publication! Free revisions and free plagiarism report! Truly experienced writers are employed! Read more: Thesis Ideas Political Science Thesis PhD Thesis Writing Parts of a Thesis My Dissertation

Battle of Raymond in the Civil War

Battle of Raymond in the Civil War Battle of Raymond - Conflict Dates: The Battle of Raymond was fought May 12, 1863, during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Armies Commanders Union Major General James B. McPherson12,000 men Confederate Brigadier General John Gregg4,400 men Battle of Raymond - Background: In late 1862, Major General Ulysses S. Grant began efforts to capture the key Confederate bastion of Vicksburg, MS. Located high on the bluffs above the Mississippi, the city was key to controlling the river below. After several false starts, Grant elected to move south through Louisiana and cross the river south of Vicksburg. He was aided in this effort by Rear Admiral David D. Porters gunboats. On April 30, 1863, Grants Army of the Tennessee began crossing the Mississippi at Bruinsburg, MS. Sweeping aside Confederate defenders at Port Gibson, Grant moved inland. With Union forces to the south, the Confederate commander at Vicksburg, Lieutenant General John Pemberton, began organizing a defense outside of the city and calling for reinforcements from General Joseph E. Johnston. The bulk of these were directed to Jackson, MS though their transit to the city was hampered by damage inflicted to the railroads by Colonel Benjamin Griersons cavalry raid in April. With Grant advancing northeast, Pemberton expected the Union troops to directly drive on Vicksburg and began pulling back towards the city. Successfully keeping the enemy off balance, Grant instead set his sights on Jackson and cutting the Southern Railroad which connected the two cities. Using the Big Black River to cover his left flank, Grant advanced with Major General James B. McPhersons XVII Corps on the right with orders to proceed through Raymond to strike the railroad at Bolton. To McPhersons left, Major General John McClernands XIII Corps was to sever the Southern at Edwards while Major General William T. Shermans XV Corps was to attack between Edwards and Bolton at Midway (Map). Battle of Raymond - Gregg Arrives: In an effort to halt Grants advance towards Jackson, Pemberton directed that all reinforcements reaching the capital be sent twenty miles southwest to Raymond. Here he hoped to form a defensive line behind Fourteen Mile Creek. The first troops to arrive in Raymond were those of Brigadier General John Greggs over-strength brigade. Entering the town on May 11 with his tired men, Gregg found that local cavalry units had not properly posted guards on the area roads. Making camp, Gregg was unaware that McPhersons corps was approaching from the southwest. As the Confederates were resting, Grant ordered McPherson to push two divisions into Raymond by noon on May 12. To comply with this request, he directed Major General John Logans Third Division to lead the advance. Battle of Raymond - First Shots: Screened by Union cavalry, Logans men pushed towards Fourteen Mile Creek early on May 12. Learning from locals that a large Confederate force was ahead, Logan deployed the 20th Ohio into a long skirmish line and sent them towards the creek. Hampered by rough terrain and vegetation, the 20th Ohio moved slowly. Shortening the line, Logan pushed Brigadier General Elias Dennis Second Brigade forward into a field along the west bank of the creek. In Raymond, Gregg had recently received intelligence which implied that Grants main body was south of Edwards. As a result, when reports arrived of Union troops near the creek, he believed them to be part of a small raiding party. Marching his men from the town, Gregg concealed them on the hills overlooking the creek. Seeking to lure the Federals into a trap, he sent a small guard detachment to the bridge over the creek in the hope that the enemy would attack. Once the Union men were across the bridge, Gregg intended to overwhelm them. Around 10:00 AM, Union skirmishers pushed towards the bridge but halted in a nearby tree line rather than attacking. Then, to Greggs surprise, they brought forward artillery and began firing on the Confederates near the bridge. This development led Gregg to conclude he was facing a full brigade rather than a raiding force. Undeterred, he altered his plan and shifted his command to the left while preparing for a larger ambush. Once the enemy was across the creek, he intended to attack while also sending two regiments through the trees to strike the Union artillery. Battle of Raymond - Gregg Surprised: Across the creek, McPherson suspected a trap and directed the remainder of Logans division to move up. While one brigade was held in reserve, Brigadier General John E. Smiths brigade was quietly deployed on Dennis right. Ordering his troops to advance, Logans men moved slowly through the vegetation towards the deep banks of the creek. Due to a bend in the creek, the first across was the 23rd Indiana. Reaching the far bank, they came under heavy attack from Confederate forces. Hearing the enemy yell, Colonel Manning Force led his 20th Ohio to the 23rd Indianas aid. Coming under fire, the Ohioans used the creek bed for cover. From this position they engaged the 7th Texas and 3rd Tennessee. Hard pressed, Force requested the 20th Illinois to advance to his regiments aid (Map). Surging past the 20th Ohio, the Confederates pushed forward and soon encountered Logans main body which was in a nearby tree line. As the two sides exchanged fire, the Union troops at the creek began falling back to join their comrades. In an effort to better understand the situation, McPherson and Logan directed Union forces to withdraw a short distance back to a fence line. Establishing a new position, they were pursued by the two Confederate regiments who believed the enemy was fleeing. Encountering the new Union line, they began to take heavy losses. Their situation quickly worsened when the 31st Illinois, which had been posted on Logans right began attacking their flank. Battle of Raymond - Union Victory: On the Confederate left, the two regiments that Gregg had ordered to get into the enemys rear, the 50th Tennessee and consolidated 10th/30th Tennessee, pushed forward and scattered the Union cavalry screen. Seeing his cavalry retreating, Logan became concerned about his right flank. Racing around the field, he pulled two regiments from Brigadier General John Stevensons reserve brigade to plug holes in the line and dispatched two more, the 7th Missouri and 32nd Ohio, to cover the Union right. These troops were later joined by additional regiments from Brigadier General Marcellus Crockers division. As the 50th and 10th/30th Tennessees emerged from the trees and saw the Union troops, it quickly became clear to Gregg that he was not engaging an enemy brigade, but rather an entire division. As the 50th and 10th/30th Tennessees pulled back into the trees, the 3rd Tennessee began to crumble as the flanking fire from the 31st Illinois took its toll. As the Tennessee regiment disintegrated, the 7th Texas came under fire from the entire Union line. Attacked by the 8th Illinois, the Texans finally broke and fled back across the creek with Union forces in pursuit. Seeking new instructions, Colonel Randal McGavock of the 10th/30th Tennessee dispatched an aide to Gregg. Unable to find their commander, the aide returned and informed McGavock of the Confederate collapse to their right. Without informing the 50th Tennessee, McGavock advanced his men on an angle to attack the Union pursuers. Charging forward, they began to slow Logans advance until they were taken in the flank by the 31st Illinois. Sustaining heavy losses, including McGavock, the regiment began a fighting withdrawal to a nearby hill. Here they were joined by Greggs reserve, the 41st Tennessee, as well as remnants of other shattered regiments. Pausing to reform their men, McPherson and Logan began firing on the hill. This continued as the day passed. Frantically attempting to restore order to his command, Gregg saw McPhersons line moving to flank his position on the hill. Lacking the resources to contest this, he began retreating towards Jackson. Fighting a delaying action to cover the withdrawal, Greggs troops took growing losses from Union artillery before fully disengaging. Battle of Raymond - Aftermath: In the fighting at the Battle of Raymond, McPhersons corps sustained 68 killed, 341 wounded, and 37 missing while Gregg lost 100 killed, 305 wounded, and 415 captured. As Gregg and arriving Confederate reinforcements were concentrating at Jackson, Grant decided to mount a major effort against the city. Winning the Battle of Jackson on May 14, he captured the Mississippi capital and destroyed its rail connections to Vicksburg. Turning west to deal with Pemberton, Grant defeated the Confederate commander at Champion Hill (May 16) and Big Black River Bridge (May 17). Falling back to the Vicksburg defenses, Pemberton turned back two Union assaults but ultimately lost the city after a siege which ended on July 4. Selected Sources Civil War Trust: Battle of RaymondBattle of RaymondNational Park Service: Battle of Raymond

Film Kal Penn Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film Kal Penn - Research Paper Example Kal Penn, born in New Jersey in the year 1977, grew up in traditional Indian family. Both of his parents were gujarattti immigrants from India. Most of his roles in his films seem to address racial discrimination. Since his parents were immigrants, he faced racial discrimination from the people in his surroundings. His passion was acting since his childhood. Playing this role in his films may help curb the problem of racial discrimination in America. Films are a form of communication where the information reaches the audience when watching. Kal Penn later involved himself in acting both in school and after school. After landing in television shows like Buffy the vampire slayer, spin the city, and Sabrina the teenage witch, his biography shows us that the work was challenging. His work was sporadic and limited to ethnic roles. At first, he was reluctant at his work to a point where his friends advised him. From this point, he proceeded to change his name (Holder2005 85). This implies the resistance Kal Penn was getting from the audience. Changing his name made his job offers increase by 50%. This implied that Kal Penn could not get job offers because his name was for an Indian. Additionally, the film industry and the media seem to be highly practicing racial profiling. They most likely offered job opportunities to the American dwellers. Again, in his romantic film; American Desi, which explored race and identity of young ethnic group, shows his efforts to explore in the field of racial profiling. Most people face discrimination in love because of their skin color, ethnic group, or religion. The fact that Penny is an Indian actor can make him face discrimination from the Americans. This film illustrates racism practices by the young people. Arguably, Kal Penn seems to fight racial profiling because he turns down his role as a teenage terrorist cast as Ahmed Amar, which he

British Slavery in the Middle of the 18th Century Essay

British Slavery in the Middle of the 18th Century - Essay Example This paper declares that  in Britain colonies, the white masters owned black domestics and the number of black servants one had showed their position or wealth. With time, owning slaves became a trendy habit and slaves were imported to satisfy these tastes. In England, slaves were more than rejects and worthless people in the growing Atlantic empire. Slavery suited Africans since the whites regarded them as less human, which then made them predators of slavery system that removed them from their homelands and cast them ashore in Europe particularly Britain. In Britain, forcing slaves into horrible labour involved justifications from the Bible and ancient Greek practise.From the discussion it is clear that  the definition of Britain as the largest slave trafficker globally was highly due to London. It was in London where the earliest slave traffickers like John Hawkins lived in the 16th century. In addition, the early seventeenth century saw the creation of monopoly firms by Royal Charter with the objective of slave trade. Slave trade companies located in London included The Royal Africa Company and the Royal Adventurers. Ports in London played the crucial role of sending ships to Africa and America, and handling and processing most slave-produced goods and sugar into Britain. Obtaining slaves from African states was not an easy task and at times, it involved random raids by Europeans before becoming a regular commerce.

Dynamic Domain Name Server Essay Example for Free

Dynamic Domain Name Server Essay The DNS is the IETF a standardized name service which enable the computer clients on a network to successfully register as well as resolve their DNS domain names. Such names are used in resource access by computers in a networked environment and from other connected networks. The Domain name space The DNS Name Server is a server that stores the domain name space and the related resource records. It also responds to queries requested by the DNS clients. The Domain Name Service query operation A query operation is issued by the DNS client to the DNS server to get either the entire or part of the resource record information that is associated to a certain domain. In case the domain and the resource record exist, the Domain Name Service responds to the query with required information in a form of query respond message. This replied query message changes the initial query and the response with the necessary records provided the DNS server is able to get the required resource record. The DNS query identified in the RFC 1034 is a typical query that comprise of the target domains name, the query class and the query type. A request for a particular resource record is submitted in the query for intended domain resolver. DNS Zones The DNS server that contains full information for a particular DNS name space is considered to have the authority on such name space. In addition, the authoritative information in the server is organized into smaller units referred to as zones that are the major units for DNS replications. The Domain Name Server administrator is responsible for the management and maintenance of DNS namespace, the DNS clients, the zone propagation, DNS zones, and the DNS servers. The administrator also maintains the network security through the anticipation and the control of the new security threats. The Domain Name Server administrator is concerned with the DNS integration with several other windows server services. Conclusion The Domain Name Server that stores full information for a particular DNS name space is considered to be authoritative on such a name space. References Mockapetris, P. , (2003). RFC 1034, Domain Names Concepts and Facilities. Atlanta . The Internet Society

Sjogren Syndrome Support Group Plan

Sjogren Syndrome Support Group Plan Punit Dave TABLE OF CONTENT (JUMP TO) INTRODUCTION Overview Challenges PROPOSED PLAN Leverage Points Effectiveness Success Metrics Future Planning Schedule Staff Budget CONCLUSION REFERENCES INTRODUCTION OVERVIEW In partnership with University of Houston Medicine and Technology department and American Association of Rheumatologist we are the only national nonprofit support group to provide education, awareness, regular checkup, and research for Sjogren syndrome. In autoimmune disease the immune system attack and destroys the monsieur producing glans throughout the person’s body. Sjogren is the second most common autoimmune disease in United States; which effecting estimated 5 million people in United State. The Sjogren is three times more common than related disease like, Lupus, Multiple sclerosis and it is more common among women then breast cancer. The nine out of the ten Sjogren patients are women. The Sjogren syndrome patients suffer from verity of symptoms that range from dry eye and dry mouth to chronic fatigue and muscling joint pain. This disease also effect internal organs and internal nerve systems. In anticipation of people become familiar with disease and its symptoms; it w ill remain difficult to diagnose everyone who suffering from Sjogren syndrome. That’s why our community continues to fight for patients who aren’t able to explain their diseases or confused by the many facets of the diseases. Our community dedicated to raising awareness, so some day the patient diagnoses with Sjogren then he or she will have heard of it and will know where to turn for support and guidance. CHALLENGES With Sjogren the correct diagnosed is often difficult to obtain. It will take around 4.7 years to correctly diagnose the Sjogren, because the Sjogren’s symptoms often mimic other condition and diseases. Sjogren is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. Patients will discuss dry eye with optometrist, dry mouth with their dentist or joint pain with their primary doctors. Each symptom alone wouldn’t suggest an autoimmune disease but couple symptoms together will lead physicians to suspect Sjogren. This is why increasing awareness among the general public is very important. We strongly recommend Sjogren’s patients get treatment form one doctor. Changing the doctors won’t cure Sjogren but it often creates confusions among the doctors and patients. Getting treatment from multiple doctors’ also lead to wrong medications, diagnostic and it will hurt patients financially and medically. With a help from university of Houston medicine department and AAR we provide many medical checkup, medical guideline and nutrition plans to our members so, they always get right advice and treatments. PROPOSED PLAN LEVERAGE POINTS Sjogren Syndrome support Group is the leading advocate for Sjogren’s patients. We have dynamic volunteers, medical, scientific advisory board and researchers who work in Sjogren’s and recognized nationwide. Together with this volunteers and healthcare professionals, our group has been able to implement programs such as the first ever clinical practice guidelines for Sjogren’s. This guideline gives Sjogren’s physicians a road map for how to treat, monitor and manage sjogren in their patients. This is just one example of our support group on how we achieving our mission and changing the life of sjogren patients. EFFECTIVENESS Sjogren Syndrome Support Group stands on our founding principal of putting the patients first. From our 10 plus patients run support groups to our hundreds technical volunteers we serve our members with an ability to connect with others who have Sjogren’s. Our programs of educations always involve our volunteers to help review our educational materials, conference topics and Sjogren’s content. Our research grants from our sponsors are also awarded based on innovations. It we will help us to change the field of Sjogren’s the fastest to estimate the greatest gain for sjogren patients. I believe our group is effective because of patient voice is never forgotten. SUCCESS METRICS What are the metrics of success for our group? The Sjogren Syndrome Support Group measures the impact and success by many variables. For example our support group manages over 50 support groups in Houston area. Prints many newsletters and distribute hundreds of brochures each year. The American association of rheumatologist distributes important guidelines to each patient and provides the advice to join our support group. It will give patients an opportunity to share their thoughts with others and help others to overcome from this situation. Most importantly our support group always uses metrics to gage the success of every campaign, every program and every project. We set goals, we set objectives and then we evaluate them against the simple questions of how do these impacts on life of Sjogren’s patients. FUTURE PLANNING Additional support from CCHP would help us expand our education and awareness programs. This support would enable us to attended more professional conferences to educate healthcare professionals. Additional reassures would also allowed our support group to distribute materials to more specialist which would ultimately assist us to reaching patients who may be suffering from particular symptoms, but didn’t realize the cause could be a systemic diseases such as Sjogren. Finally, for support the patient and cure of Sjogren, more funding needed that way our support group can produce national awareness campaign and reach the 3million penitents there are not yet diagnosed. SCHEDULE (May 10 2014 – August 30 2014) STAFF We excited about future of Sjogren and we really around pace for great discoveries, but in order to make Sjogren a household name we need everyone’s support and help for more awareness, raise funds and volunteers. We have hundreds of volunteers and volunteers board of directors to help and support our group. Along with that we have healthcare professionals from Medical and Scientific Advisory Board (MSAB) and American Association of Rheumatologist (AAR) to stands for the wide range of specialties involved in Sjogren’s diagnose treatment and research. BUDGET CONCLUSION It is a proud moment for us that, we are premier organization in Sjogren research and support group funding. However more funding is needed as more talented researchers are taking interest in Sjogren. Our support group’s goal is to finding an additional funding to support these groundbreaking projects. Without increase support from research we cannot fund this projects and thus thing must be turn away. Our hope is one day all Sjogrens research and support group adequately funded so patients can have the answers for their disease. Being a Sjogren’s patient is challenging, but neither having a therapy to treat your disease nor understating what causing it is heartbreaking. REFERENCES Autoimmune Disease Coordinating Committee. (n.d.).. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://autoimmune.pathology.jhmi.edu/adrp.pdf American Collage of Rheumatology. (n.d.).. Retrieved April 30, 2014, from http://www.rheumatology.org/ Grant Writing. (n.d.).Sample Budget and Narrative -. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.netplaces.com/grant-writing/developing-a-budget-and-budget-narrative/sample-budget-and-narrative.htm Sjà ¶grens Syndrome Foundation Scientific Initiatives. (n.d.).Sjà ¶grens Syndrome Foundation Scientific Initiatives. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.Sjogrens.org/home/research-programs/scientific-initiatives Sjogrens syndrome. (n.d.).Definition. Retrieved May 1, 2014, from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/Sjogrens-syndrome/basics/definition/con-20020275 When an Autoimmune Disorder Forces You to Alter Your Life Plans Autoimmune Disorders Center Everyday Health. (n.d.).EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved April 28, 2014, from http://www.everydayhealth.com/autoimmune-disorders/when-an-autoimmune-disorder-alters-your-life-plans.aspx

Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis

Case Analysis: Optical Fiber Corporation Introduction Optical Fiber Corporation (OFC) is a financially successful, albeit relatively small manufacturer of multimode optical fibers. The company was founded in 1990. The founders were able to enter the market largely on the basis of acquiring patent licenses from larger optical fiber firms. These licenses restricted competition between the entities and provided OFC with instant access to optical fiber technology. In return, OFC’s customer base is limited by the license agreements and royalties of 7% on sales of licensed products (recently renegotiated to 9%) are paid to the licensors.Despite these handicaps the firm has grown in size and profitability. OFC makes several types of multimode optical fiber including specialty niche products they have developed outside of any license agreements. All customers are cable manufacturers that convert the fibers to optical fiber cable. Three such firms account for over 70% of OFC’s r evenues. Focusing on customer service, quality and product design and process improvements has proved a winning business model to date. OFC now faces a variety of challenges including the expiration of many of the patents that afford most of its profits.This raises the real possibility of new competitors in the market. Further, while in the past multimode and single mode optical fibers have generally been used for data communications and telecommunications respectively and as such were not in direct competition with each other, the advent of cheaper manufacturing processes for single mode fibers coupled with their inherent ability to transmit data more efficiently over longer distances may make them a more appealing choice for some of the uses that historically have favored multimode fibers.OFC is at now at a crossroads where they must decide if they are to stay in the multimode fiber business only, begin producing single mode fibers as well, or even enter the cabling business with a forward integration strategy. Competition in the Optical Fiber Industry The optical fiber industry is perhaps best considered as two industries that are closely related, the multimode fiber and the single mode fiber industries. The multimode industry in which OFC specializes is very competitive. The United States’ 2001 total optical fiber market was approximately 3. 5 million kilometers only 330 thousand of which was multimode.The value of the multimode market was $65 million that year, only a fifth that of the single mode market. Within the multimode market and a number of fiber manufacturers. The main rivals for OFC are the two licensors to whom they pay royalties. These firms are considerably larger and have greater resources with which to compete. Further, they have a competitive advantage in that they are the recipients of royalty payments rather than the firm making those payments. Also they are in a position to control the extent of OFC’s market penetration at least with respect to their licensed products.OFC has responded by creating high quality products and providing exceptional customer service. In addition, OFC has made improvements to the basic design of some of the licensed fibers making them, in a real sense new products. The R and D department at OFC has also been successful at developing new and less expensive manufacturing processes, which has helped to offset the added overhead of the royalty payments. Finally, OFC has developed specialty fibers with medical, aircraft, aerospace and extreme environment applications.These new fibers will not be subject to royalty payments, competition from new entrants until patents expire years in the future, and generally afford higher profit margins than other optical fiber products. New entrants to the market are a threat to OFC and all other fiber producers. New firms must contend with the high capitalization costs of this technologically demanding and exacting industry. One of the costs of optical fiber production is the R and D required to bring successful products to market. Between 1999 and 2007 the patents for many of the basic fibers produced by OFC and its licensors will expire.New firms entering the market will be free to produce the products once protected under those patents without having incurred any R and D costs. These firms will also be free from royalty payments to licensors or any restrictive covenants such as those under which OFC operates. The industry in general, and OFC in particular, must contend with the purchasing power of its buyers. Optical fiber is converted into optical fiber cable. In the United States there are twenty companies that perform this function. OFC sells over 70% of their fiber to just three.The loss of any of these accounts could be devastating for OFC and places them in a weak position when negotiating prices, at least when the products are those which are readily available from other multimode fiber producers. It is doubtf ul that switching costs would be high for buyers. Favoring OFC and the optical fiber market are the projections for increased demand for multimode optical fibers at least through the mid 2000’s. Sources of increased demand for multimode fiber are anticipated to include: cable TV, undersea cables, local area networks (LAN) as well as general data communications growth such as computer uses.As noted the single mode optical fiber market is much larger than the multimode market. It too, is expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Single mode fibers have the advantage of efficiently transmitting data over long distances, faster transmission rates and other desirable optical properties but until recently have been more expensive to produce. The advent of cheaper production methods will allow single mode fibers to enter markets that were once dominated by multimode fibers.Production of these fibers requires expensive specialized manufacturing equipment and a s ignificant commitment to R and D. The industry includes one of the OFC licensors. Substitute products for single mode fibers include microwaves, and satellites for telecommunications. Impact seems limited. Copper wire can be used as a substitute for the fiber-to-home and fiber-to-curb applications of either multimode or single mode fibers but by the mid 2000’s the lowered cost of production of single mode fibers will likely make this the preferred choice for these functions.Finally, it should be noted that suppliers are unlikely to exert competitive forces on the fiber optics markets. The materials used in the production of fibers are commodities of low value such as glass, certain gases and oxide particles. OFC Strengths OFC has many strengths. The firm is financially strong with record sales and earnings for the last year as well as increased manufacturing capacity. Furthermore, there was a $20 million backlog for optical fibers in the last year and orders are increasing. T here was net income of $6. 1million on revenue of $48. million in 2002. The Quick Ratio, a measure of a firm’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations (Current Assets – Inventories)/Current Liabilities = ($31. 0m – $6. 6m)/$12. 5 = 2. 0 is very solid. Return on equity (Net Income/Equity) = $6. 1m/$44. 0m = 13. 9% is also very impressive. OFC has developed new specialty products for medical, military, commercial aircraft, aerospace and severe environment uses. These are likely to receive patents and will not require royalty payments and will be protected from competitors for years to come.The firm has a variety of options to confront the challenges of the changing market place. OFC has patent licenses to produce optical cables that would allow for forward integration if they chose to move in that direction. Engineers at OFC have been able to find new ways to produce old products more efficiently reducing production costs. They have also developed adaptations of existing products to create new and unique demands for those products. OFC is in an industry that is expected to enjoy strong growth for at least the next several years.That demand will come from a variety of industries adding stability to the market. The equipment needed to produce optical fiber is expensive and the expertise demanding creating, a relative barrier to entry. Copper wire as a substitute is relatively expensive and as technological advances decrease the cost of optical fibers copper will become a non-entity. Perhaps most importantly, OFC has a strong reputation for quality, service and competitive pricing. OFC Weaknesses OFC is a small company. They were only able to enter the market by virtue of other firms’ products and license agreements.Those licenses have protected OFC from competition but have also limited the scope of its customer base and added significant fixed costs in royalty payments. Royalties will now increase to 9% (after paying a one time $3 million fee) on 85% of sales. Furthermore, while OFC is paying royalties to use these patents new entrants may soon be competing as patents expire. These firms will have essentially no R and D expense and of course no royalty payments potentially allowing them to produce at costs below those of OFC.OFC must also contend with a limited number of buyers. Over 70% of sales are to just three cable producers. The ability of OFC to increase prices to these large purchasers is doubtful. If even one of these customers were lost to an alternative fiber optic producer the effect on OFC could be dramatic. OFC operates in a competitive industry that will become more so with time. Copper wire manufacturers will turn to optical cable production to stay relevant. Overseas producers, already sources of competition to OFC, are likely to play a larger role in the future.Finally, OFC’s success has been built on quality, service and innovation. One or more competitor can potentially offer all of these. OFC’s Core Competencies OFC manufactures multimode, high quality optical fiber for cabling companies that convert that fiber into cable for a variety of data communications uses. The firm has a reputation for low prices and excellent customer service. Much of their success can be attributed to their R and D program, which has developed cost saving production technologies as well as product innovations.More recently, OFC has shown itself to be an innovator, developing entirely new multimode optical fiber products that fill a variety of unique niche functions. To continue producing and selling multimode optical fiber successfully, OFC needs to prepare for increased competition as patent protections expire. As new entrants begin producing many of the higher volume OFC products, likely at lower cost given their lack of R and D and royalty expenses, OFC will need to spend additional resources on developing decreased costs of production if they are to continue selling those products profitably.They will need to maintain their focus on quality and customer service. In part that will require continued product testing. They may wish to explore, however, if testing 100% of products as is current policy is necessary or if testing samples from each batch would serve as well and save money. OFC will need to continue to support R and D to develop new products and patentable improvements on existing ones. Options Available for Growth Pursuit of Niche Markets OFC has already demonstrated an ability to develop marketable niche multimode fibers. Previously created are fibers able to withstand high radiation nvironments for nuclear reactor and military applications, a fiber that can tolerate deep underwater submersion and a third tolerant of high heat conditions. They have also successfully experimented with a fiber capable of transmitting UV light and another with unique medical and scientific uses. To continue their development program for specialty fibers will require annual R and D spending increases of $400,000 and an additional annual expenditure for three new staff totaling $325,000. Outside firms can be hired to handle sales for 10% commissions.When sales volumes are adequate, salaried OFC employees can be used instead. The calculation as to when this makes financial sense for the firm is simple; when 10% of sales exceed the salary and benefit expenses of the needed in-house sales force then sales should become an OFC operation. The advantage of niche products is the lack of competition and relatively higher margins. Develop Single Mode Fiber Capacity OFC could choose to enter the much larger single mode fiber market. It is estimated that this will require a capital investment of $4 million for new plant and equipment.It will take a year for the new facilities to be operational. There will also be a reported one time R and D expense of $2. 5 million. This is a first year expense so it cannot be capitalized. It can reasonably be assum ed that there will be additional R and D expenses going forward although presumably these would be considerably lower than the initial expense. Entering the single mode market places OFC in competition with larger firms than it currently faces with greater resources to sell products with thinner margins and would divert OFC resources from their core business functions.Forward Integration A third option for OFC is to produce optical cable. The required patent licenses are available. Two options for this forward integration strategy exist. OFC can commit $5 million in capital investments and plan on spending an additional $500,000 annually for R and D or they can simply purchase a cabling company for an estimated $10 – 15 million in capital expenditure. There is currently an excess supply of cable and cabling firms and several are in danger of bankruptcy and so an acquisition should be feasible. Forward integration raises several concerns.Regardless of the approach taken, enter ing the fiber optic cable business will be expensive for OFC. This is a market that is already experiencing an excess of capacity so it can be assumed that at least for some time to come profits in the cabling industry will be squeezed. This is not a core business function of OFC but to pursue cable production will be so expensive as to necessarily draw resources away from some of the firm’s core activities, activities that are likely to be more profitable and entail less financial risk. Finally, one needs to consider that all of OFC’s customers are cable producers.If OFC enters this market they will become a competitor of their customers. It seems highly probable that at least some of these optical fiber buyers will respond in a retaliatory manner and switch to alternate suppliers. Most of OFC’s products are not unique and can be supplied by their licensors. The three large buyers would seem in a particularly strong position to adversely respond to any entry in to the cabling market by OFC. OFC Policy Statement In choosing a direction for the future growth of OFC several considerations should be kept in mind. First, OFC has been successful in large part because of its focus on quality.Any efforts at growth should not come at the expense of producing high quality products. Second, the firm must continue to provide a high level of customer service. This should include responsiveness to customers’ needs for new products and product features when those offerings are commensurate with the firm’s vision, available or attainable expertise and when economically viable. Finally, the firm should continue to fund R and D efforts to allow for a continuous pipeline of new products and improvements to existing ones in an effort to maintain a unique competitive position in the market.OFC has been successful in competing against larger firms by avoiding head to head competition. Initially this was accomplished through license agreements alon e. Later, the firm was able to create unique improvements to existing products and processes that gave it an advantage. Most recently OFC has created unique patentable products. These represent three different ways of avoiding direct competition. Despite their growth, OFC remains a relatively small firm in the optical fiber space and should continue to eschew direct competition when possible, realizing that the market is dominated by larger and better-funded firms.Recommendations OFC should stay out of the cable producing business. This market is the least profitable, most expensive to enter and likely to have the lowest return on investment. It is also likely to result in retaliation by current customers and reduced sales. The single mode market is much larger than the multimode market but as a consequence will bring OFC in contact with larger firms that already have the equipment and knowledge base to produce these products. A small firm with limited resources should not leave its core competencies behind to take on firms that are already in place.OFC needs to continue to make niche products whether they are improvements on old multimode fibers or new fibers with unique properties and functions. This firm will never be a big player in the highly competitive optical fiber industry, they arrived too late and don’t have the capital to displace the dominant firms. Given that projections are for most of the increased demand for optical fibers to occur through the mid to late 2000’s OFC may want to watch for an opportune time to sell to one of these larger entities, perhaps a single mode fiber producer to whom the OFC product line would prove complimentary.