Literary Elements of Wharton’s ‘Roman Fever

The short story, â€Å"Roman Fever† by Edith Wharton, reveals numerous popular literary elements. Some of the most prominent examples of literary elements are irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing. All three elements create the feel and atmosphere of the short story. They add illustration, mystery, and humor to the storyline. The irony in â€Å"Roman Fever† begins when the two daughters refer to their mothers as â€Å"young things†. This is verbal irony because their two mothers were described as aged and matronly, so the daughters were obviously mocking their mothers (Petry 1). When Alida Slade reveals that she wrote the letter to Grace Ansley telling her to meet Delphin at the Colosseum instead of Delphin himself, it is situational irony because all along, Grace thought that Delphin had wrote her the letter and had believed it for twenty five years. All that time, Alida had the idea that she had tricked Grace, but when Grace informed her that Delphin had actually showed up at the Colosseum that night, it is situational irony again. When Alida tries to regain her superiority again, she says â€Å"I had him for twenty-five years. And you had nothing but that one letter that he didn't write. â€Å", which is situational irony because Grace then reveals that Delphin was Barbara’s actual father, which Alida did not expect. Another thing that made it ironic was that she realized that Delphin had fathered a child that she felt superior to her own (Phelan 1). Wharton incorporated many symbols into â€Å"Roman Fever†. The one that sets the story off is the knitting, which at first seems like a minor element. In fact, it is the first matter to receive attention in the story, brought about by the daughters. They say to leave the â€Å"young things to their knitting†, which is said sarcastically, as if their mothers are intellectually, emotionally, and physically incapable of doing any other activity besides something as simple as knitting. This was supposed to make the two mothers appear as stereotypical middle aged women (Petry 1). The crimson of the silk that Grace takes out of her bag symbolizes passion (Petry 1). The black of her handbag symbolizes the gloom of guilt (Selina 1). Also, the knitting is a symbol of the weaving of lies that went on between Grace, Alida and Delphin, which explains why Alida does not like to knit (â€Å"Explanation of: â€Å"Roman Fever† by Edith Wharton†). Another symbol is the threat of getting sick. All through the story, the women mention Roman fever, which was going around while they were both in Rome as teenagers. Grace and Alida were both afraid of catching it. Alida hoped that Grace would get it while waiting for Delphin at the Colosseum, and although Alida’s complete plan did not work, Grace did eventually catch Roman fever (â€Å"Explanation of: â€Å"Roman Fever† by Edith Wharton†). The setting of Rome is also a symbol, because the ruins that surrounds the city. It symbolizes the ruined relationship between Grace and Alida (â€Å"Explanation of: â€Å"Roman Fever† by Edith Wharton† 1). Also, it is also a symbol because Rome is a famously feminine city, so it added to the independent femininity of the story (Voeller 1). Foreshadowing is a key element in â€Å"Roman Fever†. It starts at the beginning with the description of the women. Grace Ansley is described as small, pale, and unsure of herself. Alida Slade is described as higher in color and confident. These two details indicate that Alida would be intimidating to Grace, and that her personality is more domineering (Petry 2). When Wharton writes, â€Å"Half guiltily she withdrew from her handsomely mounted black handbag a twist of red crimson†, it foreshadows that Grace is slightly afraid of Alida and she has some secrets that Alida does not know about. Towards the beginning, Wharton also mentioned that Alida Slade is not fond of knitting, which was unusual for someone of her age at that time. This shows that she is different from your average middle-aged woman, and that she and Grace do not have many things in common about their personality (Petry 1). When Alida Slade and Grace Ansley are looking at their daughters having fun in the moonlight, and Grace says â€Å"And perhaps we didn't know much more about each other†, it shows that some drama is about to occur, and that she knew she had things that Alida did not know about her, and also that perhaps Alida felt the same way (Selina 1). Roman Fever† demonstrates countless excellent cases of irony, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Different kinds of irony make â€Å"Roman Fever† entertaining during dialogue. Symbolism gives the story deeper meaning in small actions, for instance knitting, and setting details. Foreshadowing in the story baffles and intrigues. In conclusion, these are the three vital literary elements in Edith Wharton’s â€Å"Roman Fever†. They capture the reader from the playful beginning to the jaw dropping end.

Phenomenology of Love Essay

Love is a very mysterious thing. Most of us act as though we know what it is without truly understanding its meaning and essence. This has been true of me. Before I encountered this phenomenology of love, I already had experiences of loving other people – my family, my friends, and girlfriends past and present. However, I was belonged to the people whom Erich Fromm described as believing in the popular notion of love. I emphasized the characteristics of the people I loved, why I needed them, and I mostly demanded that they love me more than I demanded myself to love them. I even viewed love in the â€Å"scientistic† way – something caused by hormones and dictated solely by the hypothalamus. My concept love was shallow. Yes, I felt it, but I knew it not. However, all that changed when I came across the phenomenology of love. It was an articulation of fundamental characteristics of love which I knew my heart was saying but my mind was incapable of putting into words. When I was reading the said phenomenology, I constantly had that weird feeling of realizing something and relating to it strongly with past experiences. I strongly agree with it. Indeed, love begins with the experience of loneliness and then grows as someone reaches out lovingly to the other. I also experienced that, but did not know its meaning in relation to the love I had. Indeed, in loving others, I always sought their love too, in the same or in even greater measure than that which I gave them. But I realized with the phenomenology that it is alright to feel that way and wish for the same, but that it should not be the motivation in my loving act. But what struck me the most was the statement that when we â€Å"love† someone without knowing our true worth, we are like making them trash bins to whom we throw ourselves. Because of this and the entirety of the phenomenology of love, I learned what loving is truly all about. Indeed, it’s a many-splendored thing.

Lifestyle Choices and Our Health

As days go by, almost everyone living today gets involved in activities that make us either healthy or unhealthy. Continuing to engage in some habits day in and day out can take a substantial amount of time off of one’s life. Some of these habits can have a positive impact on one’s health system, being it physical or mental, while others can affect one’s health system negatively. In this paper, I will be writing on how our daily habits can affect our mental and physical health negatively. First of all, mechanization and heavy dependence on technology is one of the common ways, probably for all humans, which has a negative effect on the human health system. We rarely give a second thought when we turn on a microwave or turn on the television as we sit down for dinner. These common practices are commonly seen in most families. If I may ask, is it a good practice? I asked one of my instructors at school who made it clear to me that, these families don’t just consume electricity, but also have many adverse effects on their physical and mental health. If you find yourself eating and watching television at the same time, the rate at which you consume is greater which at some point in time becomes very difficult to go to bed at night. And as many of us know, improper sleeping habits cause results in many of our health problems. Secondly, failure to exercise is also another problem many of us face today. Physical activities are absolutely necessary to our overall health. And because our physical and mental health is so interconnected, they affect one another directly. When our physical health deteriorates, our mental health does the same. Our mood and our brain’s mental capabilities are therefore affected by lack of exercise. Regular exercising which helps to maintain and build muscles, and also fight against diseases is very necessary for every human and should be practiced continuously. Thirdly, smoking has also been known to be one of the dangers which affect the human health negatively. Very few people are unaware of the dangers of smoking. Yet surprisingly, many are engaged in this deadly habit. Infertility, low birth weight, sudden infant birth and many more, are some examples of the negative effects that one is likely to contact if he or she has a habit of smoking. Those who quit smoking see changes almost immediately and it also helps them live longer. In conclusion, many of our daily activities can cause our death prematurely. Many of those who don’t die prematurely have a very bad health system which makes them almost uncomfortable every day. I therefore advise everyone to get involved in activities that help to improve one’s physical and mental abilities positively.

Berthe Morisot, The PInk Dress, 1870 and YOung Woman Sitting on a Research Paper

Berthe Morisot, The PInk Dress, 1870 and YOung Woman Sitting on a Sofa, 1879 - Research Paper Example However, a woman artist also belonged to this group but was not acknowledged in the art history or by the contemporary critics. She is Berthe Morisot, with more than 400 paintings to her credit. Most of Berthe Morisot’s paintings apart from her landscape paintings have women in her family as the subject. There is an underlying paradox in the contemporary as well as modern view points and criticisms of Berthe’s works of art and Berthe as an artist. While books on art history do not list her as a major Impressionist, or associate her as a disciple or student of Manet, and her works to follow his style, feminist art and history critics look upon these as essentially patriarchal. However conflicting the views are, it should be considered that nothing else could be a better source of learning the techniques of Berthe’s art than her paintings themselves. The critiques are interpretations painted in different social and ideological colors. Berthe Morisot’s gender, social status, personal relationships had a huge influence on her as an artist, from the choice of the subject matter to the painting techniques adopted. This paper looks into Berthe Morisot painting technique and compares two of her paintings â€Å"The Pink Dress† (1870) and â€Å"Young Woman Seated on a Sofa (1879) to deduce the developments and changes in the latter painting from the earlier one. Also, it analyses her art from a perspective of Berthe as a woman, impressionist and a bourgeois. [Thesis statement after finishing the essay] A few have shown interest in studying the art technique and the social background of Berthe Morisot. This has happened after her works gained international reputation post-death. A close observation of the characteristics of the period in which Berthe lived would be of great help to contextualize her as a woman artist of nineteenth century. Anne Higonnet’s biography of Berthe Morisot is a significant work that throws light on Berthe as an individual and

Literature review Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Literature review - Assignment Example A payment contract is a structured negotiation between a supplier and a company. In this case, the company can pay the supplier a penalty or take the products from a supplier. The company and supplier agree on a payment method for all products. Additionally, the company must pay the supplier for products not taken. This is based on an agreed ceiling. Organizational managers need to recognize the methods they can use to finance international trade in order to conduct importing and exporting with an aim of maximizing the value of their organization. Pol Antras and Fritz Foley (2011) wrote an article in which they explored international trade finance practices. Their study analyzed some of the most important financial terms that support international trade (Antras & Foley, 2011, p. 7). The study provided opportunities for understanding how the financial terms affect trade. Antras and Foley (2011) used detailed transaction level information and data from a U.S based firm that exported refrigerated and frozen food products. The researchers began by outlining broad patterns on the use of different financing terms. The patterns helped in identifying a model for a trade finance mode, which is shaped by the risk that importers may default on exporters. Additionally, the model is based on the probability that exporters may fail to deliver goods according to the contract. According to the researchers, the empirical results of the study show that transactions may occur on letter of credit terms, and cash in advance in case the importer o perates in a country that has weak contractual enforcement. Exporters rarely use letters of credit. The need for prepayment diminishes as importers and exporters establish a relationship. Managers of multinational corporations need to decide the best financing terms for their transactions. Exporters may need importers to pay for ordered goods before the goods are loaded for shipment, or they may allow

Activity Based Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Activity Based Costing - Essay Example More than that, it traces back the cost to the activities and processes (Heisinger, 2010). Above all, use of activity based costing (ABC) method especially in companies with diverse centers and distribution channels has proven to be suitable. Unlike other methods, the activity based costing (ABC) method ensures that there exists a direct correlation between the related overhead costs and the occurrence of an activity (Chang, 2010). Without doubt, the marketing manager decision to use the activity based costing (ABC) method, as a way of critically analyzing the customer support and distribution costs is more suitable, as compared to taking the store with the highest contribution margin ratio.... Without doubt, the marketing manager decision to use the activity based costing (ABC) method, as a way of critically analyzing the customer support and distribution costs is more suitable, as compared to taking the store with the highest contribution margin ratio. Workings Cost allocation based on revenue Total revenue is $ 500,000 1) Department Stores = $150,000/ $500,000 = 0.3 2) Specialty Shops = $100,000/ 500,000 = 0.2 3) Gift Shops = $250,000/500,000 = 0.5 (Bragg, 2002) i) Variable production cost is $150,000 Department Stores = $150,000 * 0.3= $45,000 Specialty Shops = $150,000 * 0.2 = $ 30,000 Gift Shops = $150,000 * 0.5 = $ 75,000 ii) Production Overhead $120,000 Department Stores = $120,000 * 0.3= $36,000 Specialty Shops = $120,000 * 0.2 = $ 24,000 Gift Shops = $120,000 * 0.5 = $ 60,000 iii) Selling & Distribution Costs $180,000 Department Stores = $180,000 * 0.3= $54,000 Specialty Shops = $180,000 * 0.2 = $ 36,000 Gift Shops = $180,000 * 0.5 = $ 90,000 Activity Based Costin g (ABC). Total costs/No of orders places $40,000 10 90 900 Cost drive is the number of orders placed Department Stores = $40,000 * 10/1000= $400 Specialty Shops = $40,000 * 90/1000 = $ 3,600 Gift Shops = $40,000 * 900/1000 = $ 36,000 (Finkler, Ward & Baker, 2007) Total costs/No of sales calls 80,000 5 195 800 Cost drive is the number of sales calls Department Stores = $80,000 * 5/1000= $400 Specialty Shops = $80,000 * 195/1000 = $ 15,600 Gift Shops = $80,000 * 800/1000 = $ 64,000 Total costs/No of shipments 60,000 20 480 1,000 Department Stores = $60,000 * 20/1500= $800 Specialty Shops = $60,000 * 480/1500 = $ 19,200 Gift Shops = $60,000 * 1000/1500 = $ 40,000 Allocation of other costs is based on the

Fortune 500 CEO of Boeing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fortune 500 CEO of Boeing - Term Paper Example As stated in the ‘executive biographies’, The honors and recognition he received include John W. Dixon Award (2011) from the Association of the U.S. Army, Turning Point Award (2012) from the U.S. Army War College Foundation, Semper Fidelis Award (2012) from the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, and National Management Association's Executive of the Year (2008). McNerney has been a big success as a strategic leader throughout his extensive career. The key aspect of his strategic leadership is the emphasis he gives to the growth of others. Unlike many other entrepreneurs, Jim gives more importance to his crew than the company’s strategy or product. He disclosed this strategy to Fortune's Geoffrey Colvin; â€Å"I start with people's growth because I believe that if the people who are running and participating in a company grow, then the company's growth will in many respects take care of itself† (Colvin). Another unique quality of this strategic leader is t hat he seldom fears change but enjoys it. Admittedly, in the current global market, the Boeing Company has numerous potential opportunities. ... This situation offers potential opportunities to the Boeing Company and its leader. The firm has a strong global network and it assists the company to spread its elements of risk. This strength also benefits McNerney to easily raise adequate resources whenever necessary. An efficient research and development department would be helpful for the organization to vie with its market rivals. Similarly, the Boeing Company and its leader face some potential challenges too. Firstly, the increasing price of titanium and aluminum is likely to threaten the market position of the organization. Referring to the law of demand, the demand for Boeing aircrafts may decline if their price increases. Hence, the company may struggle to maintain its market dominance. In addition, intense competition in the industry also affects the competitiveness of the firm. The growing competition can be a tough test for McNerney’s leadership and a major challenge to the company’s future. The company has been increasingly depending on the US government contracts. This over reliance might adversely affect the firm’s viability if the federal government terminated the contracts with the Boeing Company for some reasons. Finally, the US government has recently introduced some strict regulations on the purchase of military equipments. This change also may affect the business operations of the Boeing Company. Some major steps taken by McNerney at 3M include changes in research and development activities. Those steps gave specific focus to customer orientation. Since then the company has been focusing more on the growing Chinese market. Some changes, including strict financial control were termed

A Place I Would Like to Live Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A Place I Would Like to Live - Essay Example Moreover, its proximity to Marine waters gives it a great opportunity in demonstrating its cultural relativism in reference to its world attraction features. Â  In regard to language, the official modes of Communications are Finnish, Swedish and English. In fact, it is believed that both intentional communication and unintentional communication that might be present in personal communication must be based on national language to avoid any occurrence of cultural myopia since the country has different groups of immigrant and tens of thousands tourists who continually visit. As such, the education system in most institutions has incorporated mandatory courses in public communication and mass communication. According to the institution management, every youth and student require the basic knowledge on the process of communication that encodes a message through a given channel which is followed by decoding for the receiver with or without an anticipated feedback. Â  Consequently, I would love to arrive in Helsinki through one of the most talked about the airport in social media, Finish Airlines that has a direct connection with Heathrow International Airport. Some of my colleagues who have visited the place before insist that unlike other air transport companies, Finish Airlines has After Sales Services(ASS) which ensures that clients’ luggage is moved from the airport to the book–in services that have been pre-booked upon requests from clients. As soon as I have taken a rest from the long flight, I would like to begin my stay by visiting some of the renowned tourist sites such as National Museum of Finland, which has the highest number of the historical collection that dates back to the ancient times and some from the 21st Century.

Some questions on Shpping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Some questions on Shpping - Essay Example This has made possible the process of 'outsourcing' reach new levels. Now many countries where the manufacturing costs are high have outsourced the manufacture to countries where the cost is relatively low and then re-imported back into the country. And with freight rates being relatively low, now companies source raw materials from one country, export it to another country where it is processed and finally sold in another country. This has caused the international trade to increase from 0.55bt in 1950 to 4.3bt in 1995 an 8-fold increase. For the transport of crude oil we would use a Crude Oil Tanker such as a ULCC with a capacity of up to 500,000t DWT since we want to transport as much crude oil in a single journey as possible due to high demands. For the transport of grains, we would use a Dry Bulk Cargo ship such as the handymax or the panamax. They are the most economical to build, and therefore the freight rates offered would be low allowing for the commodities to be traded at economical rates. For the domestic air-conditioners, we would use a container ship. ... For the transport of iron ore we can also use a Dry Bulk Cargo ship but with a much higher DWT such as those found on the Capesize. For the domestic air-conditioners, we would use a container ship. The advantage offered would be that transport costs would be low; the goods can safely stored on board the ship and can easily and quickly be loaded and discharged. 3) How is the simplicity of design of the dry bulk carrier relevant to the fact that it carries law value cargo A3) Dry Bulk carriers mostly transport cargoes of low value which would have very few specialised needs. This would mean that the design of the Dry Bulk carrier would not require many special additions as compared to other ships which carry specialised cargoes such Crude Oil Tankers or Reefers. This would translate into lower costs in terms of manufacturing, which would mean lower investments for the ship owners. This advantage would be seen in that; the freight rate of a Dry Bulk Carrier would be a lot lower as compared to a Tanker. And since most of the cargoes transported by these ships are of low values that would mean that the profits would not be as high and therefore the need to transport the goods at economical costs. 4) What are "flags of convenience" How have they changed over the last decades How have classification societies and IACS influenced their developments A4) 'Flags of convenience' is when a ship is registered in one country but is owned by a party present in another country. Under international maritime laws, the country where a ship is registered in determines the regulations to be applied upon the ship irrespective of the country of origin of the ship's owner. As many countries have become stricter and labour costs have risen, many ship owners register their ships in

An Analysis of Satrapi’s Persepolis Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of Satrapi’s Persepolis Essay Persepolis presents the Islamic Revolution in Iran through the point of view of a child who questions the most fundamental practices and assumptions of Islam. Growing in a household that frowns upon the dictates of Islamic fundamentalism at a time when there is a growing presence of Islamic fundamentalists, the point of view in the graphic book offers a different look into the local Islamic movement in Iran. Through that perspective, my understanding is that the movement placed the people within the limits of a religious fence that does not give room for questions. Challenging the dictates of the Islamic institution is also seen as a challenge to the religion itself, which in turn explains why those who openly opposed the movement were physically harmed by the advocates of the Islamic Revolution. My understanding of the impact of the Islamic Revolution in Iran is that it caused people like Marjane Satrapi’s child character in Persepolis to develop an attitude that tries to resist the forces of the movement. At least in terms of forming a household behavior deviating from the principles put forward by the movement, the child is able to question her surroundings and find the answers to satisfy her desire to be fully aware of what is happening around her. In general, I see the Islamic Revolution as a double-edged sword—while it rebuilds and strengthens the piety of the Muslims to their religion and its edicts, it also threatens to lose the devotion of those who are against some of the principles advocated by the movement. Unfortunately, the movement creates a wide gap between those who are for the movement and those who are against it, dividing the believers into two extreme opposites which defeat the essence of religion. Some of the cultural and political issues raised by Satrapi’s narrative include the negative response of Islam towards the Western societies, the conflict between fundamentalism and the changing trends in the modern world, and the issue of sacrificing or repressing individual liberty in exchange for following stringent religious doctrines. In the narrative, the parents of the child try to expose their child to the Western culture right in the midst of the conflict in Iran. They gave her posters of Iron Maiden and Kim Wilde and they drink wine in their home despite the fact that their religion forbids them to do so. Her parents are Marxists and they try to teach her about the glaring evils of the Iranian regime. These things indicate that Iran at that time was a country where there is no stability in terms of politics and culture. The fact that the Islamic fundamentalists at that time tried to repress those who were against their principles suggests the apparent conflict that creates the impression of turmoil. There was a struggle and it was one that was far from being over. The conflict between fundamentalism and the Western world present in Iran is best seen in terms of the attempt of the Islamic fundamentalists to do the opposite of what most democratic Western societies practice. While most democratic Western societies encourage their citizens to practice social liberty and freedom of expression, Islamic Iran under the clutches of the fundamentalists are trying to â€Å"veil† their society, in a manner of speaking, from the influence of the Western societies. In a way, the fundamentalists do not only discourage the Iranians from replicating the beliefs and practices of the Western societies; they also give sanctions to those who attempt to become religious subversives. Satrapi’s graphic novel comments on those issues by presenting the conflicts in Iran from the life of a little girl who, despite being a child, sees her Iranian society as a crumbling society, whose principles do not promote the interests of the people but rather promote the interests of the religion. The strip also injects a bit of humor on the issue, using language that invokes comedy along with the horror of some of the images in the strips. The use of humor indicates that the weight of the issues involved in the Islamic Revolution is so heavy that it leaves no space for the lighter side of life. Instead, the movement rejects all assumptions of gaiety in religion and culture simply because it sees those two things as entirely serious matters that require even the most harassing and physically daunting sanctions to those who stand against its way. Islamic fundamentalists are portrayed in the strip as extremely violent individuals who are more than willing to inflict harm to their fellow Muslims if only to further the goals of the movement. They are portrayed in a negative light precisely because they are seen as agents of conservative religious principles that fail to recognize the worth of individuals. They oppose those who oppose them up to the point of assaulting them if only to silence their opposition or to put an end to those who confront the movement with questions and arguments. I think that the portrayal of the Islamic fundamentalists in the graphic novel is closer to the truth than one can begin to imagine. I think that it is also honest portrayal although I am somehow tempted to believe that some of the illustrations of the fundamentalists are not fair on their part. For one, it is a fact that violence has been a part of the Islamic fundamentalist movement in the past. In fact, religious jihad is an integral part of the Islamic faith, promoting violence for the name of Allah and so as to quash the presumed enemies of the religion. Violence in protests against the religion arises because of the intolerance of the fundamentalists towards those who oppose them. I understand that, perhaps, the graphic descriptions of the fundamentalists in the strips were only part of the observations of Satrapi in her life. However, I do think that there is a deep reason as to why these fundamentalists act the way they do. I believe that their violent actions are results of their deep ties with their religion and these strong ties cannot be opposed or deposed by those who think otherwise. The nature of the antagonists in Satrapi’s graphic novel is fierce and violent whereas the nature of the antagonists in Lorrie Moore’s â€Å"How to Become a Writer† is one that adheres to convention. In a way, the antagonists in Persepolis—the Islamic fundamentalists—do not permit deviance from the status quo or from the tradition. Instead, these antagonists strongly advocate the practice of the old and traditional religious habits. They promote intolerance so that the challenges to their beliefs will not displace what they see as the proper way of living under Islamic tenets. On the other hand, the antagonists in Moore’s article exhibit conventional behaviors. They seek to influence the protagonist to follow the accepted conventions of writing because they see the protagonist’s literary style as inappropriate and technically inefficient. In forcing the protagonist to stick to the rules and convention instead of deviating from them, the antagonists limit the development of the protagonist as a writer who is not only unconventional but is also one who is a master of the freedom of expression. To a certain degree, the antagonists in Moore’s article and in Satrapi’s novel share the similar characters of intolerance and conservative attitude. They do not subscribe to the idea of changing the status quo or of allowing others to deviate from the convention because they do not find it suitable to what they are espousing. Works Cited Moore, Lorrie. â€Å"How to Become a Writer. † Self-Help. New York: Knopf, 1985. Satrapi, Marjane. â€Å"The Trip. † Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood. New York: Pantheon, 2003.

Assessing The UK Manufacturing Sector

Assessing The UK Manufacturing Sector UK manufacturing sector is a diverse sector that is based upon various industries, activities and technologies. There are some developed industries in UK like drinks and food, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and automotive and electronics industries. Furthermore some new industries are also developing in UK like biotechnology, low carbon, digital and advanced materials and nano technology. Overall UK manufacturing sector now becomes a balanced sector that is putting its contribution in the development of UK. UK manufacturing sector is at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). In the current report I have provided an in depth analysis of UK manufacturing sector and its contribution in the economic development of UK. For the analytical purpose I have used different tools like PESTLE and SWOT analysis that highlighted the need of strong manufacturing sector for the economic development of a country and I also have provided the information of some weak sectors of manufacturing due to some lack of skills and other aspects that cause for decline in manufacturing industry in some years for example UKs Textile industry etc .Moreover I have provided some valuable information related with the contribution of UK manufacturing sector in terms of providing jobs, foreign exchange and gross value added. Introduction: Two conflicting views were always there in the minds of peoples in relation to UK manufacturing industry. Individuals were perceiving from the last two decades that the new age will be for service industry so there should not be any need to worry about manufacturing sector and factories. Second point of view was that real jobs were created by the factories and manufacturing sector so with out manufacturing sector workers cannot get jobs and it will create economic problems for British citizens. In 2003, UK manufacturing industry was contributed 16 percent to GDP and 13 percent British citizens were employed there. It also representing continuous decline of manufacturing sector but until 2003 this sector has contributed 83 percent of exports (Ferguson, 2004). But after the recent recession this sector of economy is experiencing boom. Defining manufacturing of UK : UK manufacturing sector is a diverse sector that is based upon various industries, activities and technologies. This sector is coming at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). According to SIC code system of 2007 for industry statistics, manufacturing sector is made up of following industries Beverage, tobacco and food products Textile products Wood products Paper and Pulp products Printing and publishing Petroleum, Nuclear and Coke Man made fibres and Chemicals Plastic and Rubber products Non Metallic and Mineral products Metals and Fabricated metal products Machinery and Equipment Optical and Electrical equipment Transport equipment Other manufacturing Literature Review There is a long history of UK manufacturing industry and this industry has always produce good results of UK and contributed for the UK economy. As discussed above that manufacturing industry is composed upon different industries like beverage, tobacco and food products, textile products, wood products, paper and pulp products, printing and publishing, petroleum, nuclear and coke, man made fibres and chemicals, plastic and rubber products, non metallic and mineral products, metals and fabricated metal products, machinery and equipment, optical and electrical equipment, transport equipment and other manufacturing (BIS, 2010). We can say that there are different sub parts of UK manufacturing industry but at the same time these industries are dependent upon each others because lot of time finished product of one industry will becomes the raw material for another industry e.g. metal industry produces metal sheets but it will becomes the raw material for automobile and transport industry. Capabilities and strengths of UK manufacturing industry: UK manufacturing industry has different strengths and capabilities and due to this once UK was considered as the leader of industrialization. Some of the capabilities and strengths of UK manufacturing industries are provided below Changed circumstances of manufacturing industry of UK: Current globalisation has changed everything and it has impact on manufacturing industry as well. The manufacturing of the current time period is based upon technological innovation, knowledge, investment in intangibles and investment in skills. As a result of current manufacturing industry in the world consumers are able to get better quality and sophisticated products that helps to satisfy customers (ABPI, 2010) UK got specialization in highly technical manufacturing industries e.g. pharmaceuticals and aerospace as compared to the emerging markets e.g. Brazil, Chine, India and Russia that have specialization in lowest technical industries like textile. Once a country gain specialization in a particular industry then that country can hold that specialization or competitive advantage for a long period of time normally until that time when new technological change came. After an in depth analysis I came to know that UK have strong position in the industries such as organic chemistry, medical technology and pharmaceuticals while it has weak position in electronics, information technology and optics or nano technology (Arthur, 2009) Innovative capabilities of UK manufacturing industry: Innovation is exploration of new idea successfully. Innovation can be linked with establishment of new concepts, products, technologies, new designs, business models management practices or organisational structure. The scope of innovation is much broader as research and development. Innovation is linked with the establishment of latest technologies, processes that can increase the efficiency and by diffusing new concepts. The result of UK Innovative Survey of 2009 has showed that more than 70 percent of UK manufacturing firms are innovative especially most of electronic and optical industry firms are highly innovative (ONS, 2010) Moreover the maximum research and developmental activities across UK are being financed by the business and especially by manufacturing industry. In 2008 UK business sector has spent  £ 16 billion on R D and out of that  £ 16 billion,  £ 12 billion are financed by manufacturing sector (Swann, 2000) Skills capability of UK manufacturing sector: Skills are helpful to improve the performance and productivity of the employees. If the firm has skilled labour force than that firm can respond flexibly and innovatively for enhancing competition, establishing and applying new concepts that ends up in efficient processes, better products, better organisational structures and better business processes. In the recent times workers want to improve their skills levels so they are getting formal education for it due to this reason now labour force are more educated. In other words skilled work force can be a back bone of any organization, In 1994 from the total work force that has joined manufacturing industry only 9.7 percent were holding a degree but in 2009 this figure has improved and now 17.1 percent of the workers have degree. The workers who are interested to join service sectors, research and development and marketing and sales field they always hold degree and in 2009, 31.7 percent of these worker hold degree. As workers who are interested in services and other profession prefer to hold degree this factor has effect those workers as well who want to join manufacturing sector to get degree before starting their career (Technology Strategy Board, 2008) Capabilities of UK manufacturing firms to export : There is no specific criterion to check that if a country is involved effectively in global value but at least one tool which can give some sort of information is the percentage of companies that are selling into offshore markets. It is no doubt that there are some manufacturing companies in UK who are really doing well in this industry e.g. car manufacturing in UK (Vauxhall ,Astra) etc which is in the peek at this time but on the other hand there are some industries who are badly declining like Textile and Clothing industry of UK. This is the 9th biggest sector of UK manufacturing. In 1997 this industry had a great boom, in 1999 5.1 billion of goods were exported but after that the total output starts decline gradually each year due to different factors like higher exchange rates, shortage of skilled labour etc . Normally the firms that are involved into exporting business they are big, productive, having technical know how and always remain involved into research and development. These are some of the features of those firms that involve in the export but it is not essential that all the firms that have these features they involved in exports. Harris and Li (2010) have stated that majority of the manufacturing firms involved in export business as compared to service firms. It means that good have more tradability as compared to services. Chemical firms, medical instrumentation and metal firms are providing higher level of foreign exchange to UK economy as compared to other components of UK manufacturing industry. As discussed earlier that the firms which are involved into exporting business they always involved into research and development as well as always come up with innovate ideas. Research and development and innovative activities help firm to generate higher revenues and profitability. Moreover it will result in getting higher foreign exchange for the country. UK manufacturing firms were facing problems from the last few years due to recession but now this industry is doing well due to tax relief that is offered by the government to UK manufacturing firms. Moreover the managers that are linked with the UK manufacturing industry they know they strengths (changing nature of UK manufacturing, innovative capabilities in UK manufacturing, skills capacity of UK manufacturing and capabilities of UK manufacturing to export) and with the help of this they can improve their condition as soon as possible Competitive Analysis There are different methods to analyse the performance of different business units, business sectors and different economies of the world. One of these analytical tools is PESTLE analysis that is representing by political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental factors (Johnson, Scholes and Whittington, 2008). With the help of PESTLE analysis I am able to analyse the current situation of UK manufacturing industry. PESTLE ANALYLSIS Political factors: Factors that has an impact on political situation or different political decisions that can bring any sort of changes for the individuals that are living in a country can be covered under political factors. Most of the times when there is a political stability in a country then it has positive impact on the citizens of that country and political stability bring about positive changes for the citizens and every field of life. Vital factors that are linked with the political factors are support of government to governmental institutions, restriction upon net migration and security control within the country. Due to the recent recession in UK, manufacturing industry was facing different problems. For the elimination of these hurdles for UK manufacturing industry the current government has launched different schemes to give some incentives to the manufacturing industry e.g. Lord Mandelson in 2009 has explained that the government want to give tax relief to all entrepreneurs who want to make investment in the manufacturing sector of UK (Peter, 2009). Moreover Labour MP Richard Caborn explains that the government want to start  £ 1 billion National Investment Corporation for the development of manufacturing sector of UK (Rae, 2009). In this way the sound political leadership can support the different sectors of the economy so that these economical sectors will perform well in future Economic factors : Economic factors are the factors that are linked with economic conditions of a country. Major economic factors are growth rate, inflation rate, interest rate, unemployment rates and per capita incomes of the citizens. There are different economic factors that are linked with the growth of manufacturing industry of UK. One of the main factors is the higher salary and wage rates in UK as compared to other countries and due to this reason most of the companies have shifted their plant into different other countries of the world where the labour cost is less. In this way employers are trying to decrease the cost of production and increasing profit margin. The best example is Vauxhall that has its car making plant in Luton but it was close down in 2003 and it is only involved in manufacturing of different vans of Vauxhall and the production of cars facility is transferred to Ellesmere Port. In 2006 Vauxhall has created trouble to its parent company General Motors due to improving efficiency and in 2009 General Motors has decided to sell off Vauxhall and Opel to Magna (David, Zeleny and Vlasic, 2009) Second major economic factor is tax liabilities of the firm. UK government is now keen to give some tax incentives to the manufacturing firms that are operating in UK to improve their performance (Peter, 2009) Social factors : Social factors are those factors that are linked with that specific society in which the peoples live and common social factors are norms, traditions, habits and values of the peoples that are lived in a particular society. Social factors that are related with the manufacturing industry of UK are taste of the peoples to work with a particular industry. As explained earlier that from the last two decades British peoples have a perception that the coming age is of services industry and British peoples prefer to improve their skills for service industry as compared to manufacturing industry but manufacturing industry is the backbone of the economic prosperity of a country due to this reason now more peoples are coming toward manufacturing industry (Ferguson, 2004) Technological factors : Technological factors are linked with the use of latest technology and technological advancement in a particular country. The companies which are using latest technology their productivity is higher as compared to the companies that are not using modern methods of production and latest technology UK manufacturing industry has the benefit of getting latest technology and uses it in their manufacturing units because UK has the long history of research and development and innovation that is the key factor for technological advancement. Moreover UK has the basic infrastructure available for the technological advancement as well as they has skilled labours (BIS, 2010). All these factors are considered as vital for the technological advancement and once that infrastructure is available within the country business sector can get benefit from it whenever and whichever way they want Legal factors: Legal factors are related with making new legislature by the government for the country whenever it is required by government. Legal system of UK is considered as one of the best legal system of the world. Government always introduced new laws whenever any field of life need it for their ease UK government always make those laws that are helpful for the economic growth of the country. The best example is in 2009 when UK was in recession and the manufacturing sector was not able to perform well at that time the government has made amendment in the law related with the tax liability of the corporate sector especially for the improvement of manufacturing industry of UK and due to this now the manufacturing industry is experiencing mini boom. That is how legal factors can be used to enhance the productivity of a particular sector of economy (Peter, 2009) Environmental factors : Individuals are very much concerned about the environmental factors because now they have realized that industrial waste is a main cause of pollution and that can damage and destroy the environment. Due to this reason individuals always criticise whenever they find any that a particular business unit is not dispose off industrial waste properly. Moreover there are laws and regulations of different government departments that are binding on business units and whenever any business unit is not following these rules and regulations they find penalties. Furthermore most of the manufacturing companies are trying to complete all their environmental liabilities because with out it they cannot survive in the long term. But most of the times manufacturing companies are following all their responsibilities because the management of these companies know that it is their corporate social responsibility and by performing corporate social responsibility these firms can create softer image that will be helpful to them in long term (Short, Keasey, Wright and Hull, 1999) With the help of PESTLE analysis I have explained most of the potential factors that have their impact on UK manufacturing industry and now it is the duty of the top management of these UK manufacturing companies to work in line with these factors for improving their performance In addition to the PESTLE analysis, SWOT analysis is also another important analytical tool. SWOT is representing internal strengths and weakness of the firm as well as external opportunities and threats that the firm is facing in a particular time period. Now I am conducting SWOT analysis for UK manufacturing industry SWOT Analysis Strengths: The strength that the UK manufacturing industry has is that most of the educational and non educational institutions always involve in research and development activities and manufacturing industry can get benefit from this research Deloitte (2009) UK is an industrialized country and proper infrastructure is available there in the form of skilled labour, availability of inputs and technological advancement. All these factors are pre-requisites for manufacturing boom (Gil and Haskel, 2008) Manufacturing sector is still providing job opportunities to at least 8 percent of UK labour force. Overall 2.6 million peoples are linked with UK manufacturing industry (BIS, 2010) Contribution of manufacturing industry towards UK GDP in 2009 was  £ 140 billion which is third largest contribution after services and retail sector contribution in UK economy (BIS, 2010) UK manufacturing sector has the ability to produce the products and export them to the international market. Even though in 2003 UK manufacturing sector were able to generate 83 percent of the total UK exports (Ferguson, 2004). This much higher exports in 2003 is the evidence that the manufacturing industry of UK can generate higher amount of foreign exchange Weaknesses Labour cost is pretty much higher in UK as compared to other counties and due to this lot of factories are transferring from UK to other counties where the labour cost is comparatively low (Neely, 2009) Maximum job opportunities are created by services sector due to this reason most of the individuals are getting professional education or training that is required by services sector (Hall and Jones, 2004). Due to this reason best and productive employees are not coming towards manufacturing sector. Moreover the jobs are very hard in manufacturing sector as compared to services sector so work force prefer to join services sector as compared to manufacturing sector Any potential investor has to make higher amount of investment for setting up a manufacturing unit in UK because of strong local currency (pound sterling). Most of the times when investors want to invest their funds they are investing in other countries where the exchange rate is less as compared to pound sterling. The utility expenses in UK is higher as well as cost of living and this is one of the potential weakness due to which investors are hesitate to invest in the UK manufacturing sector. Moreover higher utility expenses will increases the cost of production for the manufacturing concerns (Girma and Gorg, 2002) There are different sort of taxes that the general public has to pay whenever they are purchasing anything. Moreover income taxes and corporate taxes are also relatively higher in UK that also discourages potential investors to invest in UK. Opportunities Tax relief that is announced by the tax department for the UK manufacturing firms is an opportunity for existing manufacturing firms as well as for the potential investors who are finding a good place for setting up their manufacturing unit (Peter, 2009) Government is starting to give some relief to the potential investors who want to start any manufacturing unit in UK. Government has started National Investment Corporation of  £ 1 Billion for the development of manufacturing sector of UK (Rae, 2009) Geographic location of UK makes it one of the ideal locations to set up a manufacturing unit here. Access through UK for American markets is easier so any one who want to set up a manufacturing unit he prefer UK Easy availability of raw material, right infrastructure, secured location and skilled labour force make UK a best location to set up a plant by any investor. Most of the investors are making investment in UK manufacturing sector to get all such advantages Threats Threat to UK manufacturing industry is the emerging market like China, India and Brazil which have now improved their local industries and are giving tough time to different developed economies of the world (PriceWaterhouseCoopers, 2006) Another threat to the UK manufacturing industry is the low wage rate in different countries as compared to UK due to this reason most of the plants and factories are transferring from UK to other countries where the wage rate is less (Neely, 2009) Transfer of one manufacturing plant from UK is a loss but this loss of manufacturing plant has an impact on other production units as well because some time different other manufacturing units are producing raw material for a big manufacturing unit. In this case transfer of one manufacturing unit has higher level of impact on other manufacturing units as well. Critical Analysis In the current section I am providing different information related with UK manufacturing sector. Furthermore in the current section I am providing details of different charts and figures that are provided in the appendix 1. Figure 1 is related with the proportion of various industries to total manufacturing gross value added (gross inputs gross outputs) and employment date related with 2009. This graph is helpful for the users who want to get the information regarding the proportion of each and every industry and its contribution to the total manufacturing gross value added. Moreover this graph is providing information related with the job creation for the UK workforce by the UK manufacturing sector. Overall contribution of manufacturing sector in 2009 is that this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (Department of Business Innovation and Skill, 2010). With the help of figure 2 we can get the information related with total manufacturing employment and structure by occupation from 1994 to 2009. According to this graph one point is clear that in 1994 UK manufacturing sector was provided employment to 4.7 million peoples but in 2009 manufacturing sector is providing employment opportunities to only 2.7 million workers. With the help of this graph one point is clear that production, support and trades were employing more workers in 1994 as compared to 2009 but all the other sectors like logistics and distribution, marketing and sales, support and professional, R D and production professional have provided more jobs to the employees in 2009 as compared to 1994. Figure 3 is providing information related with manufacturing employment in selected developed countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, United Kingdom and United States) from 1990 to 2009. After analysing this figure one point is clear that in all these countries manufacturing sector is now providing less jobs as compared to before. But still now maximum employees are employed in US manufacturing sector and figure is around 15 million. After US, the manufacturing sector of Japan has created around 11 million jobs. Germany is at third place and German manufacturing sector has provided jobs to around 8 million peoples. Next is Italy and around 5 million peoples are linked with the manufacturing sector of Italy. France is next to Italy and its manufacturing sector has provided jobs to around 3 million peoples. As discussed before that UK manufacturing sector is providing jobs to 2.7 million employees. Canada is at the end of this list by providing jobs to only 2 million Canadian peoples. Figure 4 is providing information related with productivity performance of UK manufacturing sector from 1991 to 2009. This figure shows that overall employees that are linked with manufacturing sector has increases and UK manufacturing sector is contributing its best in the economic development of UK Figure 5 is related with the total exports of UK manufacturing goods to other countries. The proportion of every industry along with the amount of export is given in the figure 5. With the help of this graph it is clear that every sub sector of UK manufacturing industry is contributing something in the total exports of UK for earning precious foreign exchange. Above mentioned information is vital because it is representing the contribution of UK manufacturing industry in the economic growth. With the help of this information one point is clear that UK manufacturing sector is contributing it part into different ways e.g. this sector is providing jobs to the UK workforce, this sector is the third largest sector of UK in terms of GDP and this sector is helpful to UK government to earn precious foreign exchange by selling manufacturing goods to the different other counties of world. Conclusion and Recommendations Current report is helpful in explaining the contribution of UK manufacturing industry in the economic development of UK. UK manufacturing sector is at number three in UK economy in terms of UK GDP, after services and retail sector. In 2009 this sector has generated  £ 140 billion of gross value added that is around 11 percent of UK economy. 2.6 million, individuals are working in manufacturing sector that is around 8 percent of total labour force of UK (BIS, 2010). Moreover this sector is helpful to UK government to earn precious foreign exchange by selling manufacturing goods to the different other counties of world. In the current report I have provided PESTLE and SWOT analysis of UK manufacturing industry that is helpful to analyse the political, economical, social, technological, legal and environmental factors of UK manufacturing industry as well as SWOT analysis was focused on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that UK manufacturing industry is facing in the current time. Moreover I have provided some figures and tables that have provided a comparison of UK manufacturing industry in past to the current state. All these analysis are helpful to get an in depth information about UK manufacturing industry. Based upon my analysis at the end I want to give some suggestion that will be helpful for further improving the UK manufacturing industry. Suggestion are provided as follows UK government should give some sort of tax relief to the existing manufacturing units as well as tax holiday should be announced for the potential investors that are interested to set a manufacturing plant in UK UK government should give some sort of incentives to the existing manufacturing units as well as potential investors by the way of supplying cheap utilities so that more peoples will come to manufacturing sector UK government and manufacturing units should invest higher resources on the research and developmental activities so that UK manufacturing firms are able to produce those products that have better features. In this way UK manufacturing industry will able to give tough time to the emerging economies like China, India and Brazil and their manufacturing units UK government should take different steps to reduce the higher labour cost that is currently being paid by the manufacturing units in UK. This higher labour cost is one of the main factors for which the firms are not establishing their manufacturing units in UK. Emerging markets are giving tough time to other developed countries of the world because labour cost in these countries is low. For getting the benefit of cheap labour some of the manufacturing firms are transferring from UK to these emerging markets (China, India and Brazil) In addition to this UK government should try to reduce the foreign exchange rate of pound sterling with other currencies. Investors have to invest more if they want to start their business in UK because of higher value of pound sterling as compared to other currencies. Higher value of pound sterling is also a vital factor for decreases level of investment in UK manufacturing sector If the UK government is able to follow the above mentioned suggestion then definitely UK manufacturing industry will able to get more attraction from the world and it will contribute more as compared to its current contribution. References : ABPI (2010), Did you know: Facts and figures about the pharmaceutical industry in the UK Arthur D Little (2009), Quantitative modelling of industrial biotechnology and renewable chemicals Final report for BERR, http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file51252.pdf BIS (2010) Economics Paper No. 2 Life Sciences in the UK Economic analysis and evidence for Life sciences 2010: Delivering the Blueprint BIS (2010), Economics Paper No. 4 Supporting Economic Analysis for Skills for Growth: The National Skills Strategy David, S., Zeleny, J. and Vlasic, B. 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