The Vision Failed Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Vision Failed - Case Study Example In HTE case, Mr. Barelli did manage to create a vision statement of 2 pages and get it pasted at every nook and corner of the building. But he failed to relate that transformational management needs a lot of input from the employees. His failure to realize the importance of the low line managers and executives and their involvement in taking his vision for the company ahead made his vision fail badly. If I were to advice as a member of board of directors, I would have voted against it. There are many reasons of this reaction. (Northhouse,2003) First and the foremost reason is that if a company's success is dependent majorly on the unity of its workers and good relations between the management and employees, you need to keep that strength with you. Secondly, if you want to change the vision and direction of your firm, you need to discuss this not only with the top line management, but the low line management and executives are also to be involved in this case. Thirdly, one must make the other stakeholders understand his point of view before taking such steps. So if I were to advice on this topic, I would have voted against Mr. Barelli's transformational leadership. Mr. Barelli though that he had a very clear image of the vision of HTE in his eyes, but this was not the case. He was sadly mistaken. May be he was clear about the goals he had in mind with regard to this organization; he was surely unaware of the best methods to implement such changes. The vision was to create a very democratic environment. The description of the case indicates the culture prevailing in HTE at that time was already quite democratic. There was not that alarming need of converting it to something new where none of the employees were able to understand the changes, and the motives behind those changes. The implementation of the transformational plan was for sure very weak. Most of the cultural and social factors were not taken care of. The vision highlighted a democratic kind of environment where Mr. Barelli rarely used to get into a dialogue. He preferred monologues, one sided orders better than that. This clash of personality and vision resulted in poor implementations and confusions creation after four years of his management. (Hesselbein and Goldsmith, 2006) Answer 3: Mr. Barelli had immense knowledge of the aircraft industry. The vision he crafted for HTE was really attractive if we look at the wordings and the way it was drafted. But the worst thing about Mr. Barelli's management was that it damaged the social fabric of this organization. The organization was known for very effective and impressive relationships between employees and the owners, but his poor implementation of the plan changed everything for him and the organization. He tried to change things. Things changed for the worst. (Beyerlein, McGee, Klien, Nemiro and Broedling, 2003). His managerial skills resulted in a damaged social fabric of an organization that had this strength of its social fabric as it's most important success factors. Answer 4: If Mr. Barelli returns as president of this firm, I would advice him to first of all make the vision clear to him. Once he understand it fully in the form of what exists and what he is looking for, the next step is to take into consideration all those who are involved and would be effected by this change. Take them in consideration, discuss it out with them, listen to their

Political Science Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Political Science - Coursework Example Thus, denying the social media its freedom to air the content that is suitable for the public. The same applies to the content a person can upload on the internet since it will be monitored by the government and hence one is limited on the type and amount of content to share. Also, crucial information regarding the government is likely to be hidden from the public leading to people living in darkness. I agree with Shirky that both SOPA and PIPA are forms of censorship. This is because the government is in verge of monitoring everything being distributed which in turns denies the social media the freedom it deserves in running its business. Besides, it is an infringement of freedom of speech to American citizens since one cannot air their thoughts freely (Shirky, 2012). The media companies would want such bills passed into law for two reasons. First, they will have the freedom to produce and share their content freely. Secondly, it is not the government that will police their material and thus they will not be directly answerable to any violation that they make. Thus, the signing of the bill will affect the companies providing a way for media houses to create, produce and share their content. On the other hand, rejection of the bill will impact directly on media houses since they will have to directly answer to any violation. Either way, someone is going to be directly affected by the bill if signed or not

Terms of a Construction Contract

Terms of a Construction Contract Construction Contract What component parts are required for the formation of a contract? There are four components which are essential for the formation of a contract. They are: Offer, Acceptance, Consideration and Intention to create legal relationship What do we mean by terms of a contract? The terms of a contract are the statements that describe the rights and obligations of each party to the agreement. Terms are all the matters agreed between the parties about what is to be done, how it will be done and under what circumstances. Exactly what those terms are must be determined by the parties to the agreement. Terms are the elements of the contract. They are binding and carry legal consequences if they are broken. They can be divided into two categories: Implied Terms Expressed Terms. An express term is stated by the parties during negotiation or written in a contractual document. Implied terms are not stated but nevertheless form a provision of the contract. Do all terms carry equal weight in law? If not what are the differing categories, and why is it important to categorise contract terms? No, not all terms carry equal weight in law. Lawyers divide contractual terms into warranties and conditions. There might be a third type, the inominate term (term without a name) Conditions are terms that go to the very root of a contract. Breach of these terms gives the right torepudiatethe contract, allowing the other party to discharge the contract. A warrantyis less imperative than a condition, so the contract will survive a breach. Breach of either a condition or a warranty will give rise todamages. Lord Diplock, inHong Kong Fir Shipping Co Ltd v Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd, created the concept of an innominate term, breach of which may or may not go to the root of the contract depending upon the nature of the breach. Breach of these terms, as with all terms, will give rise to damages. Whether or not it repudiates the contract depends upon whether legal benefit of the contract has been removed from the innocent party. Megaw LJ, in 1970, preferred the use of the classic categorizing into condition or warranty due tolegal certainty.This was interpreted by the House of Lords as merely restricting its application inReardon Smith Line Ltd. v Hansen-Tangen Terms can also be implied by common law(in fact), statute, by custom or trade, course of dealings What is the difference between expressed and implied terms? When are terms implied and what are the rules governing the inclusion of such terms? An express term is stated by the parties during negotiation or written in a contractual document. Implied terms are not stated but nevertheless form a provision of the contract. The purpose of implied terms is often to supplement a contractual agreement in the interest of making the deal effective for the purpose of business, to achieve fairness between the parties or to relieve hardship. Terms may be implied into contract through statutes or by the courts. When implied by statute, Parliament may well make certain terms compulsory, example: Sales of Goods Act 1979 When terms are implied by courts, the general rule is that they can be excluded by express provision in any agreement. The courts have developed an apparent distinction between terms implied in fact and those implied in law. Terms implied in fact are said to arise when they are strictly necessary to give effect to the reasonable expectations of the parties. Terms implied in law are confined to particular categories of contract, particularly employment contracts or contracts between landlords and tenants, as necessary incidents of the relationship. What is meant when reference is made to a standard form of contract†? Standard Form Contracts are agreements that employ standardized, non-negotiated provisions, usually in preprinted forms. These are sometimes referred to as â€Å"boilerplate contracts,† contracts of adhesion, or take it or leave it contracts. The terms, often portrayed in fine print, are drafted by or on behalf of one party to the transaction – the party with superior bargaining power who routinely engages in such transactions. With few exceptions, the terms are not negotiable by the consumer. Examples of standard form contracts are insurance policies (where the insurer decides what it will and will not insure) Is there an alternative to a â€Å"standard form of contract†? There is an alternative to a standard form of contract, usually standard form of contracts can be modified, terms/clauses added/amended to suit a specific projects. Another form of contract is : Bespoke Contract How many â€Å"standard form contracts† do you know about? Is there one type of standard form – or is there more than one? There is more than one type of form of contract, namely: Joint Contractors Tribunal (JCT) New Engineering Contract (NEC) La Federation Internationale D’Ingenieurs-Conseils (FIDIC) Association of Consultant Architects (ACA Form of Contract; PPC 2000) Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) GC/Works/1 Contract for building and civil engineering major works ICE 7 Conditions of Contract Measurement Version Who publishes â€Å"standard form contracts† and how do you get one? Professional Registered Bodies (ACA, ACE, BPF, CIC, FIDIC, GC/Works, ICE, ICC, IChemE, IMechE, JCT, NEC (NEC3), PPC (PPC2000), RIBA, and RICS) publishes the standard form of contracts and they are subject to copyrights. You can buy hard copy and digital copies of the various standard forms from a number of external websites and specialist bookshops: ACA PPC2000. The PPC2000 may be bought from theACAs website. ACA Standard Form of Agreement for the Appointment of an Architect. The SFA may be bought from theACAs website. The 2012 version includes Construction Act 1996 amendments. ACE Agreements 2009. The ACE Agreements 2009 may be bought from theACEs website. BPF Consultancy Agreement Version 2. The BPFs Consultancy Agreement Version 2 is available to buy from the construction contracts section of theBPF website. Building Centre bookshop. The Building Centre bookshop stocks a variety of materials for the built environment, including a number of the standard form contracts published by the ACE, FIDIC, JCT, NEC and RICS. These are available to buyonline, or by visiting the bookshop on Store Street, London WC1E 7BT. Construction books direct. TheChartered Institute of Buildings(CIOB) online bookshop sells its own forms of contract, such as the CIOB Facilities Management Contract and CPC 2103, as well as other forms of contract. CIC Consultants Contract Package. The CICs Consultants Contract Package may be bought from the publication section of theCIC website. The second edition (November 2011) includes amendments prepared by the CIC to take account of the changes to the Construction Act 1996. FIDIC forms of contract. Copies of all of the FIDIC contracts may be bought from the bookshop on theFIDIC website. The  FIDIC MDB Harmonised Edition (Pink Book)is available to download free of charge. GC/Works. The GC/Works suite of construction contracts may be bought from the Stationary Officesonline bookshop. ICC conditions of contract. The Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC) may be brought from theACEs website. The amendment sheet for the payment provisions to comply with the Construction Act 1996 (as amended) is free to download from itswebsite. ICE conditions of contract. With effect from 1 August 2011, the ICE conditions of contract have been replaced by the Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC). The ICE contracts have been withdrawn from sale. SeeICC conditions of contractabove. IChemE forms of engineering contract. The IChemE forms of engineering contract may be bought from the shop on theIChemE website. The amendment sheets to comply with the Construction Act 1996 (as amended) are free to download from itswebsite. However, note that these have now been incorporated into the 2013 versions of its contracts. IMechE/IET model forms of contract. The model forms of contract and their commentaries can be bought from the publishing section of theIET website. MF/4 is available to download free of charge from theIMechE website. JCT standard forms of building contract. All of the JCT standard form building contracts and related contracts may be bought from the contracts section of theJCT website. Some amendments, updates and corrections may be free to download. NEC contracts. The NEC contracts are published by Thomas Telford, and may be bought from theNEC contracts website. RIBA bookshop. In addition to the RIBA professional forms of appointment, theRIBA bookshopstocks a range of publications on architecture, design and construction, a selection of standard form contracts (including GC/Works, JCT and NEC) and the building regulations. These are available to buy online, or may be bought by visiting one of the RIBA bookshops. The amendment sheets to comply with the Construction Act 1996 (as amended) are free to download from the RIBA bookshop. RICS bookshop. The RICS forms of appointment are available to RICS members to buy from the knowledge section (practice standards and guidance) of theRICS website. Alternatively, copies of the forms of appointment may be bought from theRICS bookshop.

Foggy Night :: Creative Writing, Family Essays

Foggy Night Surrounded by a foggy white film, I tried to adjust my vision to see. Anything familiar would appease me at this point. Nonetheless, I did not see a thing. Am I dead?" I thought to myself. Can this possibly be what the afterlife is like? I began to feel very anxious. The dense mist totally consumed my body and mind. This was not what I planned for myself. My life was supposed to be filled with an array of happiness, love, wonderful sights, and the joy of watching my children grow. Where is my sanctuary? Last thing I remember was looking out of my window and seeing the serene sky. At the time, I assumed I would be joining those that I love so deeply. My assumption was dismissed by a glimmer of reflection on my life up to this point. I was born into a middle class family in the suburbs of Los Angeles, California in 2400. My father was a hard working Maintenance Efficiency Sub-nucleic worker, my mother a homemaker. At three, I started to develop an interest in news programs, c-span in particular. I was told that instead of playing with dolls, I would play with calculators. At seven, I would put on my virtual reality suit and cruise the business section of all the top companies online. My parents realized then that I had a knack for business and was career oriented. With a lot of thought and money saved up over time, they decided to send me to a private school in Japan. This school was said to be number one world wide, and their focal point was on business and financial markets. From the age of thirteen until eighteen, I was in school. I received my series seven license at fourteen, then my bachelor's degree at fifteen, an M.B.A at seventeen, and became a C.P.A. at eighteen. When I came back to California, I was fluent in five languages, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, and French, not to mention English. My parents then knew that their money was well spent, and found a respect for my intelligence that was abundant. Being away and buried in the books most of my adolescence, I never really had an opportunity to socialize with the other boys and girls. When returned to California, my parents made sure that under their roof, (I was still their little girl), even though they knew I was responsible and faithful by their rules.

Bei Dao’s poem “Recollection” Analysis

I will be using Bei Dao's poem â€Å"Recollection† to demonstrate how his use of imagery and writing style can give a ‘simple' poem written during a time of political turmoil in China during the 1970's can have so much more in depth meaning as well as how his poetry baffles critics. The title of the poem, ‘Recollection', suggests to readers an act of remembrance or reminiscence of something, someone, or a sequence of events that Bei Dao wants/hopes to elaborate and tell his readers about. Here, the title of the poem does not indicate a simple reminiscence, but serving a far deeper meaning and purpose as well as a grasp of experience. One is unable to analyze and understand exactly why Bei Dao uses ‘Recollection' as a title, as the title acts as a form of teasing and attraction for the reader to follow through and read the powerful words which are written down word for word; hear and visualize the imagery that is created within. As one reads through the poem word for word, Bei Dao's use of imagery is instantly caught, as the poem is based solely on the imagery of visualization and sound. Candle light / flickers on each face / leaving not a trace / the shadow's spray / strikes the white wall lightly'. Throughout these five lines in the poem, each line contains at least on word that emphasizes and gives readers an image, i. e. light, flickers, trace, spray, strikes, white. Here, the imagery of visualization Bei Dao creates for his readers leaves them pondering about in a ‘unrealistic' state of mind, where readers are able to understand that Bei Dao is using his imagination to portray a deeper message perhaps. The visual imagery here can be tied in with the title as the visual images are pleasant, which hints the recollection of a pleasant and pure beauty that which the poet himself has encountered with different people (faces) on several occasions, although these people seem not to leave a trace which hints the numerous amounts of people the poet might have encountered with to emphasize his connection with all those he has come into contact with.  Read also Critical appreciation of the poem â€Å"Old Ladies’ Home†. As ‘Recollection' was written during a time of change and revolution, along with our understanding of how Bei Dao opposed the Maoist society, the first five lines use of unrealistic/imaginative imagery along with how these five lines tie in with the title, can suggest the numerous amounts of people who felt the same way about the changing society of China. Thus, the use of the unrealistic/imaginative words creating this visual imagery is not stating that these encounters are in the poets head, but were most and very possibly true events – the people whom the poet has come into contact with are those who are true people, people who are unable to be contained and still have their own free thoughts, feelings as well as emotions; the unrealistic and imaginative part being the Chinese government that was reshaping and reforming its people in hope that all would think like a Maoist where freedom of thought, speech, etc was suppressed. Here, the poet, Bei Dao is simply arguing that suppression of thought, speech, freedom, etc†¦ are unrealistic achievements that the government is pressing for, for they will never succeed. Directly following the use of visual imagery, after the fifth line in the poem, one might notice how the imagery and tone, shifts in a very smooth, eloquent, and contained matter. the guitar hanging from the wall / begins to sound in the darkness / like the masthead light reflected in water / stealing whispers'. Like the first five lines previously discussed, the use of imagery is crucial, however instead of using just visual imagery here, Bei Dao adds in sound. The ‘guitar' mentioned in line 5 is a ‘hint' of sound, as it can also have deeper meaning; Bei Dao continues his use of words to symbolize sounds such as ‘whispers', etc. nd seems to get more serious in contrast to his pleasant tone from before. The new tactic where Bei Dao uses the addition of sound affects to his visual imagery creates a more in depth and less constrained opinion based on the people and the Maoist society; in retrospect, the peoples opinions towards the Maoist society as they seem to be speaking up for themselves after being suppressed for so long. This is caught as Bei Dao uses more powerful imagery, tying in both vision and sound i. e. ‘begins to sound in the darkness', ‘darkness' merely representing the suppression of the people, and ‘begins to sound' to emphasize that his encounter with all these people have shown him something different, as they seem to be starting to stand up for themselves by sharing opinions, which by itself is going against this ‘darkness'. Subsequently/Next, Bei Dao gets more serious about the issue as he states ‘like the masthead light reflected in water', the ‘masthead light' representing all the people in China, and the ‘reflected water' being a mere representation of purity and innocence or a ripple affect, symbolizing how all the people who are suppressed seem to realize their own rights and are slowly starting to rub off on one another as more and more people get influenced and start fighting for themselves and their own freedom and happiness. Notice, how drastic the change is from the beginning of the poem's first five lines to the poems last four lines. Although the first five lines of the poem is focused on the visual images that briefly gives its readers an understanding of what he, as a poet is trying to express in his own words, mind-set, and understanding towards society/things from his own experience; one can see how the visual images tie in with sound, creating an even more dramatic and strong emotional effect, just like his encounters with people during the time of the Chinese revolution when China was a Maoist society where people were being forced into suppression. Bei Dao's tactic and use of visual imagery ties in with sound to create and tell a story of what he had experienced, along with the millions of other Chinese, as he uses ‘Recollection' to represent not only himself who suffered, but all citizens. Here, Bei Dao uses the creativity, tone, language, trope and theme of this poem to emphasize and be a representative of all the people who were stuck in a Maoist society, as he states the peoples capacity for freedom and their uprising and realization that suppression is acknowledged, however not and will never be achieved.

Henry Viii, the Tyrant of England Essay

All throughout history, many important figures have contributed to the growth and development of the world in several aspects including the economic and political advancement of their corresponding regions. However, many of these great leaders have achieved this goal through various contrasting ideologies, as seen with the rule of Henry VIII in England during the 16th century. Henry VIII, also known as Henry Tudor, ruled between 1509 and 1547 during which he was â€Å"regarded as England’s most important monarch† (Mcenegart). While King Henry is credited to playing a vital role in the development of England, the methods by which he achieved this title can be considered questionable due to controversial actions he had taken during his rule; Henry is still criticized to this day for his dramatic reduction of the nation’s economy due to expensive warfare and expansion, and his extensive spending to ensure his place as the king (Mcenegart). I believe that King Henry is an extremely tyrannical yet effective leader in history because of his active role in the development of England and the social strife and economic conflicts he brought to the complex civilization. Biographical Information Henry Tudor existed during a crucial event in history with the secession from the Roman church, and was born in Greenwich England on June 28, 1491. As a child, Henry Tudor was a very enthusiastic student and enjoyed learning. His father, Henry VII, enrolled him to learn various languages including Latin, Spanish, French, and Italian while at the same time required him to study mathematics and music. In his leisure time, Henry Tudor enjoyed hunting numerous animals, and took part in physical competitions including wrestling and jousting in which he was regarded as being able to draw â€Å"the bow with greater strength than any man in England† (â€Å"Henry, VIII†). However, in 1502 Henry’s eldest brother died due to tuberculosis. Arthur Tudor was the rightful heir to receive the throne after his father; however Henry then became the eldest son to Henry VII and was next in succession to inheriting the throne (Mcenegart). As a result, Henry Tudor was forced by his father to marry his brother’s wife, now a widow, named Catherine of Aragon, the first of many Catherine’s he would soon marry (â€Å"Henry VIII.† Great 105). Shortly after on April 22, 1509 the ruthless yet notorious father of Henry Tudor passed away, allowing Henry Tudor, now more popularly known as Henry VIII, to receive the throne as the youngest and first uncontested Prince to ascend as the King of England (Mcenegart). Leadership Qualities Throughout the rule of the new King of England, many leadership qualities Henry possessed soon became apparent and served as a crucial example of how he was to lead the citizens of England. After the death of Henry VII, Henry Tudor claimed the throne and immediately became the next ruler, Henry VIII of England. In the early years of his rule, Henry quickly discarded his father’s trusted chief ministers, Edmond Dudley, and Richard Empson who he had executed for treason in 1510. Henry then primarily focused on foreign affairs in which he supported Spain but acquired a detested view of the French, and soon conjugated with Spain in their efforts to invade France in 1512 by distributing troops to help support the war effort; this in return lead to the victory of the Battle of the Spurs in 1513 and the acquirement of the cities Tournai and Thà ©orouanne. The War of the Holy League then concluded with the marriage between Henry’s sister Mary Tudor to Louis XII of France, comp leting the treaty between the two regions. Following this marriage, â€Å"Henry received the papally bestowed title, ‘Defender of the Faith’ as a reward for writing the Assertion of the Seven Sacraments, a criticism of Lutheran doctrine† (â€Å"Henry, VIII†). In the later years of King Henry VIII’s rule, he began to focus less on foreign affairs and gradually increased his interest in the English Reformation. In 1530 after several negotiations, Henry realized that the secession from the Roman Catholic Church would be the only way to achieve what he desired politically and socially. As a result, he created an independent church that would â€Å"declare his marriage to the guiltless Catherine null and void†, seeing that she could not produce the desired male heir that king Henry so desperately required, and one that would end his marriage without question to his authority (â€Å"Henry VIII† Great 106). Throughout his rule, King Henry found himself married to several wives including one marriage to Anne Boleyn who gave birth to Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen of England, but was still unable to give birth to the desired male heir that would take the throne following King Henry VIII’s rule. After the birth of Elizabeth, Anne Boleyn became â€Å"a shrew of a wife† and was accused of adultery and witchcraft, by Henry himself, and was executed later that year (â€Å"Henry VIII† Great 106). Following the death of Anne, Henry was soon married to Jane Seymour, who for the very first time was able to create a son that would serve as the male heir for the throne; however, Henry’s wife quickly passed away due to natural causes during childbirth. As was expected of the King, Henry accused his following three wives, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr, of adultery in which only Catherine Parr was spared (â€Å"Henry VIII, King† 442). During the complicated marriages of Henry VIII, he was also very focused on the English Reformation in which he decided to educate his son in Protestant beliefs so the future King of England would carry on his legacy. During the 1540’s however, Henry became very weak and unhealthy; as a result he wrote a will that stated if Edward was to die without any male heirs, the crown would descend to Mary and then onto Elizabeth (â€Å"Henry VIII† The Renaissance 350). Soon after the will was written, the honored yet feared King Henry passed away on January 28, 1547 (â€Å"Henry VIII, King† 443). Connection to Literature The tyrant Henry VIII is characterized as an incredibly smart individual who is manipulative in his efforts to achieve his desired goals and often caused chaos and complications where conflict may have been easily avoided. The King of England is easily comparable to Curley’s wife from the book Of Mice and Men, in the aspect that both shared very similar personalities. In this book, Curley’s wife often desired to be around other men that appreciated her and would unintentionally cause conflicts between the numerous farmhands. Early on in the book, Lennie begins to develop an interest in Curley’s wife noticing how pretty she was when they first met. Near the end of the book, Lennie and Curley’s wife are alone talking to each other while all the other men are gambling on a game of horseshoes; during this discussion, Curley’s wife mentions how soft her hair is, and as Lennie starts to feel it, she begins to become nervous and pull away. Lennie however does not let go of her hair and accidentally snaps the fragile neck of Curley’s wife. Henry VIII of England and Curley’s wife are similar in numerous ways. Both had created pandemonium among the civilians around them through poor decision making and conflicts they had created. While Curley’s wife associated herself with other farmhands causing tension between the workers; King Henry VIII had also associated himself with the wrong women in whom he decided to have killed through accusation of adultery or witchcraft. The several wives of the king were unable to produce a male heir he so desperately desired so as a result, he caused unnecessary tension by killing them in a similar way Curley’s wife was killed, through decapitation. Both Curley’s wife and Henry VIII played a vital role in the lives of others and without them, the events succeeding them would be drastically changed. Conclusion Without the existence of Henry VIII of England, the outcome of the War of the Holy League and the connection between church and state in England would still be very contrasting to this day; on the other hand, Henry’s rule was very costly towards the nation’s finances and several critical horrifying decisions he had taken while King confirmed his existence as a more tyrannical leader in history. While he did create a separate Protestant church in England and helped form valuable connections between France and Spain, several hundred men and women were accused of treason and put to death at the mercy of his word. Alongside these men and women, several of Henry’s personal friends and family members were also put to death including his father’s trusted advisors and many wives just because they were unable to give him what he wanted. Henry’s life had an astronomical impact on a very complex civilization during his time period; however many of the actions he had taken were to nourish his extensive and controlling lifestyle in which he was willing to do anything to achieve his goals (â€Å"Henry VIII† Renaissance 351).

Answers to Questions About Possessives

Answers to Questions About Possessives Answers to Questions About Possessives Answers to Questions About Possessives By Mark Nichol Here are three queries from DailyWritingTips.com readers about pesky apostrophes, followed by my responses. 1. Please tell me the proper placement of an apostrophe when making possessive a singular abbreviation that ends in an s. In other words, for â€Å"Office of Financial Services,† should it be written OFS’s or OFS’, or something different? Either form is correct, depending on which style you use. Associated Press style, for example, which prevails in newspaper journalism and other less formal contexts, requires the possessive form for the spelled-out name as shown here: â€Å"The Office of Financial Services’ report has been delayed,† so the abbreviated form is â€Å"The OFS’ report has been delayed.† However, The Chicago Manual of Style, which prevails in book publishing and other more formal contexts, and similar style guides recommend, for example, â€Å"The Office of Financial Services’s report has been delayed.† The abbreviated form is â€Å"The OFS’s report has been delayed.† I recommend this style. (Note that an s follows the apostrophe even when a word or an abbreviation ends in s, such as in â€Å"Thomas’s report has been delayed.†) 2. I edit corporate documents that use this rule: The first time a government name appears in the document, spell out the name for example, National Institutes of Health and follow it in parentheses with its acronym (NIH). But when the name’s first appearance in the document is in the possessive form, do I use the possessive form in the parentheses? For example, should it read, â€Å"The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) new mandate is clear† or â€Å"The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) new mandate is clear†? The Chicago Manual of Style does not cover this issue, but its website recommends what I suggest to resolve the related issue in this post: Recast the sentence to avoid the possessive form (â€Å"The new mandate of the National Institutes of Health is clear†). 3. The title of a brochure I’m designing is â€Å"Wholesale Buyer’s Guide.† Is the possessive apostrophe needed on Buyer’s, or is it just â€Å"Wholesale Buyers Guide†? Or, perhaps, â€Å"Wholesale Buyers’ Guide†? â€Å"Buyers Guide,† â€Å"Buyer’s Guide,† and â€Å"Buyers’ Guide† are all common, and they all have some merit, though I favor the latter. In â€Å"Buyers Guide,† Buyers is an attributive noun one that serves as an adjective (just like school in â€Å"school bus† or window in â€Å"window seat†). It means, essentially, â€Å"guide of the buyers,† which I don’t think sufficiently expresses that idea that it’s something offered for someone’s use. â€Å"Buyer’s Guide† suggests that it’s for one person technically correct, but the guide was created for all buyers, not just one, so I think â€Å"Buyers’ Guide† is the best option. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†Yay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other Acclamations10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing