Corporate Structures and Governance Arrangements Coursework

Corporate Structures and Governance Arrangements - Coursework Example In the pre-bureaucratic corporate structure, there is a centralized structure with the role of strategic decision making left to the top management leaders, which is the best for solving very simple problems. This system is very common among the small corporate and mostly communication is done on one-on-one basis. Though, it lacks a fundamental role, that is, standardization of roles and responsibility, the consequences of this structure on managerial accountability is that it helps the strategic director to influence and control development and growth of the corporate organization2. How Appointment Rights and Removal Rights Differ and Their Consequences Having looked at the Hampel Report, one comes to consensus that corporate structures and governance arrangement vary from one country, an individual can use the same rights differ across the jurisdiction. The main explanation for this is that the structure of a particular and how it is governed would define how decisions and appointm ent rights come about in that particular corporation and as a result each decision comes about with its consequences3. It is how rights are allocated that would ensure that the corporation gives quality performance. For example, in a corporate structure where decision rights and appointments are left in the hands of the shareholders, there is a common tendency that the organisation would experience some positive effects in its operations. That is, the shareholders are at times driven by the desire to reap the highest revenues and profits from the company4. Therefore, it would make sure the appointment and removal of directors from the corporation is done in a transparent way and the appointments done based on merit. In countries where decision making and appointment rights are left to the chief executive officer because he/she has broader business knowledge than the shareholders. The main argument for the proponents of this structure is that the chief executive officer knows how eff ective the mangers are in their daily business operations. In fact, they know when and how to make strategic decisions. However, the consequences of this structure are that it takes a lot of time to transfer certain decision making information to the rest of the organisation. It is also tedious to make all the decisions by oneself, and in case of the appointment and dismissal of directors, then one can consider the action taken to be personal and bias, and this can bring about some unnecessary, tension, conflict and tension in the organisation5. Another different structure is that which foresees all the decisions and appointment rights based on the management, especially if the corporation is a family enterprise. This method is always considered cheaper in terms of experts/employees hiring costs. However, this structure and governance arrangement has its own demerits. Despite the savings on expenditure, decision making in this case is guided more by emotions and this out rightly aff ects the corporation negatively6. It also seeks to over centralize powers and rights to make decisions to the family members, this would mean that there might be lack of relevant information flowing down to other stakeholders of the corporation. However, it is important to note that decision rights and appointments have their own effects. Therefore, one should not be

McCarthyism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

McCarthyism - Essay Example Americans were shaken and afraid. The Soviet sweeping occupation of Eastern Europe occurred immediately following WWII. In effect, Russia replaced Germany and Japan as the American nemesis. The â€Å"Godless Communists† became a clear and present danger to a nation primed, ready and seemingly anxious to accept the Soviets as the new enemy of the â€Å"American Way.† Senator Joseph McCarthy seized upon this fear for, some would insist, purely political gain. He held hearings designed to weed-out subversives and communist sympathizers so as to keep America clean of communism. Instead, this time in history, the early 1950’s, is shamefully known as McCarthyism, a term that has since become a synonym for â€Å"witch hunt.† When World War II finally ended in 1945 Americans were war-weary and scared of a new threat, the Soviet Union. The Soviets had taken the place of Germany in the hearts and minds of Americans because it was emulating the aggressive, imperialis tic tendencies of the Third Reich. The difference being the Soviets now had a military that more or less matched the strength of the U.S., was a larger country and had a long-established communist philosophy which it was also spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. The Soviets also had the atomic bomb by 1949 and was increasing its rocket capabilities, a move than would ultimately pit the two world superpowers in the space race of the late 1950’s through the1960’s. The threat of nuclear annihilation and/or a communist takeover was very real in the minds of 1940’s-50’s America. The sales of backyard bomb shelters were booming and the propaganda machines left over from the Nazi era was in full production mode. Communists, known simply as â€Å"Reds† were feared and thought to be lurking just about anywhere, the guy in the office next to yours, neighbors, long-term friends and family. Communist theories were supposedly hiding within the meanings of literary phrases and all types of media including the news. â€Å"A curious process of symbolic transference was at work whereby symbols applied to Hitlerite Germany were projected onto the USSR on account of the dangerous ‘Red Fascism’ promoted by Stalin† (Sproule, 208). This era was not the first threat of communism in America. The initial wave of â€Å"commie† paranoia came in 1917 after the Russian Revolution. Anti-communist sentiment subsided during the 1920 and ‘30’s when it was replaced by anti-fascism. The â€Å"Second Red Scare† lasted from about 1947 to 1957. McCarthyism and anti-communist sentiments could not have gained traction without the high intensity propaganda campaign encouraged by the government to discourage subversives and by corporations in their effort to undermine unions. R.J. Reynolds, a large tobacco company, initiated a widespread multi-million dollar campaign to notify the country about the communistic ch aracter of labor unions, particularly the union representing tobacco workers. This tactic caught on rapidly with other industries resulting in plummeting union membership numbers across the country for several decades. This effort continues today but the fear-based term is now â€Å"socialism.† The U.S. and Soviet Union were firmly engaged in what is famously known as the Cold War. It was a fought on two fronts, a mass military build-up and a propaganda blitz. During this time of the second red scare, many local and state governments along with public schools and

How Has Huck Changed Essay Example for Free

How Has Huck Changed Essay In the beginning novel, Huck struggles against society and its attempts to civilize himself, which was represented by the Widow Douglas, Miss Watson, and other adults. Later, this conflict gains more focus in Huck’s dealings with Jim, as Huck must decide whether to turn Jim in, as society demands, or to protect and help his friend instead. The most significant way in which Huck changes his attitude is with Jim, by excepting him as a person. Towards the end of chapter 15, Huck plays a trick on Jim when they got separated in the fog. Huck tries to convince Jim that hes been drinking because when they found each other, Huck explains hes never gone anywhere, hes been by his side the whole time. Then Huck goes off saying, â€Å"Well, this is too many for me, Jim. I haint see fog, nor no islands nor no troubles You couldnt a got drunk in that time, so of course youve been dreaming.† (84) Jim at this point is confused because how can he dream all that in ten minutes. Later on, as Huck realizes that lying to Jim about that whole incident was wrong of him, he apologizes to him. It was quite a thing for a white person to apologize to a black person in that time so it show that he is growing emotions towards Jim. He realizes why lie to him if colored people get taken advantage of all the time, Huck didn’t want to be one of those white people who did. More important, he eventually takes charge and tells the truth no matter what the outcome is, and has changed from a juvenile boy who doesnt care if others are tricked, to a more civilized boy who protects innocent people.

Newater Brand And Singapores Water Reclaimation Environmental Sciences Essay

Newater Brand And Singapores Water Reclaimation Environmental Sciences Essay Water is an essential element for the survival of all living things in the world; including human beings. The current consumption of domestic water per capital in Singapore stands at 158 litres per day (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources 2011).As Singapores population and economy is increasing, the industry and its people requires more clean water daily.However, Singapore does not have sufficent source of natural water supply for the growing consumption and have been heavily dependent on Malaysia to supply raw water since the 1961 agreement between both neighbhouring countries.However, Singapore has now decided not to extend her water agreement which terminates this year (Singapore Press Holdings Ltd 2010).Therefore, can the government still cater to the growing water demands of its population? 1.2 Singapores Water Reclaimation Study The solution to the above problems lies in the unlikely sources from dirty and used sewage water.Scientists in Singapore mastered the process of using reverse osmosis technology to produce safe and clean drinking water for its population.Every housing and toilets are well connected to an independent sewerage system and as long as the residents keep flushing, the country will never run out of sewage water! This technology was projected to solves 7% of the countrys demand during the introduction but now this figure is expected to rise rapidly to replace the initial water agreement with Malaysia when it expires this year. Imported water from Malaysia supplies 33% of the water needs.There are also local catchments throughout the country which provides 50% of the water needs and the remaining 10% through desalinated water by converting seawater (Cezar Tigno 2008).However, for research purpose of this study; the focus will be purely on Singapores recycled water which is branded as NEWater. The NEWater Brand NEWater is the result of high graided reclaimed water which is the output of treating used and dirty water.It has been certified a pass grade after being scrutinised by over 65 000 vigurous scientific tests and has even surpassed the requirements of the World Health Organization.Its most notable and recent award includes the Water Project of the Year held by Global Water Awards in 2009 (PUB 2010).Figure 1 below shows a screenshot of a NEWater Bottled drink which is 100% made from recycled water. Figure 1. Screenshot of NEWater bottled drinks (Ong Dailin 2009) These bottled drinks are the combined efforts between the PUB(Public Utility Board) and the Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources(MEWR) since initiating the Singapore Water Reclamation Study in the year 1998.Since its interception in 2003, NEWater has primarily served Water Fabrication industries and also acted as a coolant for large machineries.In due time, it was introduced to household residence (Lin Jiamei 2010). However, PUB has constantly backed off from the idea of selling the product commercially to mainstream consumers.Its main objective was to raise the awareness with its residents and it achieved that by distributing a sample of the NEWater bottled drink at a public exhibition during the National Day Parade Celebrations in 2005.Currently, there are a total of 5 NEWater plants in Singapore.They are located in Kranji, Ulu Pandan, Seletar, Bedok and in Changi.SembCorp NEWater Plant located in Changi is the latest and the biggest project to date.This project is a jo int collaboration between SembCorp and PUB (Net Resources International 2011). CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 NEWaters Advanced Membrane Technologies Figure 2. Screenshot of 16 and 8 inches Advanced Membrane System (PennWell Corporation 2011) The entire NEWaters process is actually based on Advanced Membrane Technologies.The two major equipments involved in this techological process includes the NEWater Pilot System and the nanofiltration or Reverse Osmosis membrane skid.Firstly, the Pilot System consists of Ultrafiltration, Reverse Osmosis and Ultraviolet disinfection units.Secondly, the Nanofiltration membrane skid is highly versatile in performing feasibility studies on liquid waste treament and recovery. Figure 2 shows the screenshot of a 16 and 8 inch Advanced Membrane System used in Bedok NEWater Plant in Singapore.This assembly consists of a spiral-wound and a tubular pressure vessel where different types of Reverse Osmosis and Nano Filtration membranes could be tested based on the liquid wastes nature and requirements.This test skid allows easy optimization of membrane operations through various imperative process parameters such as flow rate and pressure (Temasek Polytechnic 2011).PUB regularly conducts more than 80,000 tests on a monthly basis to cover up to 290 water quality parameters pertaining to physical, biological and chemical conditions (AsiaOne 2011). 4.2 NEWaters Treatment Process Figure 3. Flowchart of NEWaters Factory Treatment Process (PUB 2002) Figure 3 illustrates the brief flowchart process of a typical treatment process of NEWater in Singapore.The first process refers to the collection of dirty and untreated sewage water from home and industries.These water will then be channeled to water reclamation plant to process for the treatment.After which they will known as treated Secondary Effluent and will be linked to their respective NEWater factories in Singapore.This is where NEWater is transformed through 3 key stages.The first stage is known as Microfiltration. The ultrafiltration membranes involved in this process are from Canada.In this stage the Secondary Effluents passes through membranes to filter out and a few contaminants will be retrained on the membrane surface.These include suspended solids, disease-causing bacteria, viruses, colloidal particles and protozoan cysts.The filtered water that passes through the membrane will contain only dissolved salts and organic molecules which will follow to the next stage; Rev erse Osmosis. Figure 4. Multiple Barrier Approach for the development of NEWater (PUB 2002) In the Reverse Osmois process a semi-permeable membrane is used where its small pores allows diminutive small molecules like water molecules to pass through.This process will removes smaller sizes of bacteria, nitrate, sulphate, heavy metals, chlore, aromatic hydrocarbons, disinfection through products and pesticides.At this stage, the NEWater is already of a high grade water quality and proceeds to the next stage of Ultraviolet Disinfection(UV). Figure 4 clearly shows the multiple barrier approach to eliminate the different impurities during each development of the process before proceeding to the next stage. The final stage is Ultraviolet Disinfection.These Ultraviolet Disinfection units comes from England.In each individual units, there will 6 UV lights which will emit up to 800 degress in temperature.Since the boiling temperature of water is at 100 degree celsius, the water will be encased in a quartz casing. The pH level of the water will drop to acidic level since it has went through the first and second stage and now has lack of minerals and salt.Sodium Hyroxide will be added further to bring back the pH level.The resultant outcome from this final stage is NEWater, which will then be pipped out to various homes and industries across the country (PUB 2010). CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS 3.1 SWOT Analysis of NEWater Michael Porters SWOT Analysis is used to identify the Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats for NEWater in Singapore.Table 1 below, shows the SWOT Analysis Model for this innovative product. Table 1. SWOT Analysis of NEWater Strengths Humans produce dirty and untreated water on a daily basis without fail.Its a natural process and one that is vital for the core development process for NEWater.This process was illustrated in Chapter 2.Currently in Singapore, there are a total of 5 NEWater plants.The latest and biggest among those plants was constructed in Changi.Together with the other existing 4 plants, 30% of the water demands in Singapore will be solved by these plants.In addition, NEWater process and technology is not dependent on any weather conditions as its direct source is from the dirty and untreated water; discarded by humans.These plants are also environmental and nature-friendly as they dont require any natural resource for its production.In fact, the SembCorp NEWater plant in Changi; is the only large scale recycling plant in the world ever to be constructed on top of a water reclamation plant (FaverSham House Group Ltd 2010). With the water agreement signed by Singapore and Malaysia in 1961 before independence is poised to expire this year; it will poses no adversities to Singapore due to its reliance on the local NEWater plants to match the water demands of its citizens.As often in the past 50 years, Malaysian politicans would use water as a factor during serious bilateral disagreements with Singapore.More often,Singapore often had to submit to their favours as they have an upper hand in supplying water to the country.Now, this issue will no longer be a thorn between both these countries anymore as Singapore will no longer need to depend on them for imported water.This would also enable to bridge the broken relationship between these two countries (AsiaOne 2011). Weaknesses The entire infrastructure and cost of building a NEWater plant is a costly affair.For example, the SembCorp NEWater plant was constructed at a cost of $180 million in June 2010.Such cost will increase drastically when more NEWater plants are required to meet water demands in the near future.The machines in these plants are also of high cost and maintainence (Vincent Wee 2009).Secondly, Singaporeans are traditionally accustomed to drink directly from the taps and view the NEWater as dirty and unacceptable for drinking.They believe that NEWater isnt strong enough to eliminate toxic materials and chemicals which can be washed away at homes or small businesses.Currently, this proves as a big pschyological barrier in the mindsets of these people to readily accept the NEWater technology in Singapore (Singapore Press Holdings 2002).As explained in Chapter 2, the entire process of NEWater is complex and goes through various stages before completion.Since these processes are complicated; any human or computerized errors at any stage will not allow the product to be delievered within the required standards. Opportunities Currently NEWater is only channeled to homes and industries but is yet to be sold as a commercial bottled drink in the market.NEWater could enter the mineral water industry as a bottled recycled drink to compete with other brands in the market as well.This will enable the product to gain both awareness and confidence among Singaporeans.These bottled drinks which are made and manufactured in Singapore could also be marketed as a global product to target a wider audience. Attractive pricing will lure customers to this product since it has passed International Quality and received many global awards as explained in Chapter 1.3. Threats Everyday the world discovers new, emerging and deadly epidemic viruses due to the advancement of technologies.Toxic materials also play an integral part in poisoning the NEWater and imposes a severe threat to mankind.Therefore more stringent and sensitive instruments are required to perform additional parameters in the quality of the technology to ensure that the output NEWater is virus-free and safe for drinking.Any lapse in such technology will result in a huge disaster in Singapore (Amresh Gunasingham 2009). Summary Based on the SWOT Analysis, its evident enough that NEWater has more positive factors than negative factors internally. Externally, it has a balanced opportunities and threats for the product.It has numerous strength factors which makes it a reliable and innovative product in the current technological world.Therefore, the product still has scope for marketing it internationally and locally.However, It also has to keep abreast with the toxicological and microbiological issues affecting it externally. 3.2 Financial Implications for NEWater Technology Although the infrastructure for the construction of such NEWater plants are high in cost as well as maintainence due to the technology involved in these machines; the local consumers are buoyed by the fact they were paying much lesser than what they used to pay before the interention of NEWater.For example, before the introduction of NEWater, Singaporeans had to pay $1.15 per cubic metre. Now, this price was lowered by 15 cents to $1 per cubic metre. With the demand for NEWater rising to 30% through industries and homes; a price reduction will benefit the local small businesses and consumers as an incentive. The operational efficency from these NEWater plants also played an integral role in the price reduction by the Government when it was introduced in April 2007 (May Wong 2007). CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATION 4.1 Future Direction for the NEWater Technology With the current NEWater Technology solving up to 30% of Singapores water demands, more NEWater plants will be commissioned.Currently, the other 33% of Singapores water demands are satisfied through imported water from Malaysia.In an event of a distaster or a severe drought in Malaysia, Singapores water supplies will also be affected in the process.Therefore, to reduce the over reliance on imported water from Malaysia, Singapore will need to develop more NEWater plants to meet the water demands of its population.It is also economical as the production of water will be within Singapore and fears of a price hike from Malaysia on its imported water will also be eliminated.This will also pave the future on the usage of untreated sewage water into a safe and drinking water culture for the entire country (Victoria School 2005). 4.2 Futher Improvements for the NEWater Technology NEWater Technology is the only realistic solution available for Singapore to solve its future water crisis, besides its existing local catchments and desalination process which are dependent on weather and sea water sorely.However, NEWater has yet to be a commercial and global product.NEWater could be packaged in attractive bottles and sold globally.International and local celebrities could be used as Models to promote the drink so that worldwide and local customers are attracted to it.The pricing of NEWater as a bottled drink should be lower than the existing mineral water drinks in the market.The pricing will definately be a pull factor for most budget minded consumers who wish to try out a new and different taste than compared to most mineral water drinks in the market.A proper marketing mix through Product, Price, Place and Promotion should be practised by PUB to market its innovative product of the 21st century.Free sample sized bottles can be distributed in public road shows as a bait for customers to purchase the product. PUB should also tie up with major fast food outlets and restaurants in the Food and Beverage Industries like Macdonalds, Pizza Hut and KFC to bundle up NEWater as a package and sell together with their signature dishes to their loyal consumers.This will enable a wider market penetration rather than common advertisements in Television or the Internet. 4.3 Conclusion NEWater is a growing brand in Singapore due its economical and simple soultion to future water crisis.However, efforts must be made by the Government to market it to the local singaporeans on the product and its safety as there are many Singaporeans still grippled with the pscyhological barrier of drinking from recycled water.PUB has yet to make its product a global brand and is keeping it as an internal project.PUB should break free by selling its product on the stores and enter as a new competitor in the Mineral Water industry.This will speed up the process of educating the locals here who are quite new to this technology. On the other hand, PUB should place constant and high importance on its Research and Design Department for the NEWater project to constantly update the machines and ensure that safety isnt compromised through complacency.New and sensitive instruments are a must to ensure proper test is conducted at its highest quality.Only when PUB, has decided to balance its NEWater brand globally together with up-to-date precise technological instruments; it can achieve unprecedented quality for a local-made recycled drink!

Role of Cinderella in Modern Times :: essays papers

Role of Cinderella in Modern Times There are many fairy tales told to children in the United States. My personal favorite was, is, and always will be the tale of Cinderella. The story is as follows: A young girl's mother dies, leaving her alone with her father. As the little girl grows up, she and her father become very close, and he treats her like a little princess. One day, he tells her that he is remarrying. At first, the woman and her two daughters are kind to the girl, but this all soon ends. Shortly after the marriage, the father dies, and from that point on, the "wicked stepmother" and "evil stepsisters" rename the girl "Cinderella" (after the cinders she is forced to sweep from the fireplace). They treat her as an indentured servant, ordering her around, and being very cruel in general. One day, all the woman are invited to a party at the royal palace, the purpose of which is to find a wife for the Prince. But the stepmother tells Cinderella that she cannot go unless she finishes all her chores-an impossible task in the short amount of time before the ball. The stepmother does not want her at the ball because Cinderella is much more beautiful than the woman's own daughters. After the stepmother and stepsisters have left for the ball, Cinderella looks around the messy house, and begins to weep. Suddenly, a fairy appears, tells Cinderella that she is her "Fairy Godmother" and makes her a deal. She simply waves her magic wand, and the house is spotless. Another wave, and Cinderella is clean and beautiful, wearing a gorgeous ball gown and glass slippers. The only catch is that Cinderella must be home at midnight, when the spell will wear off. When Cinderella gets to the ball, she is the most beautiful woman there, and the prince is immediately enraptured by her. They dance all night, but suddenly Cinderella realizes it is almost 12 and she must leave. While fleeing the palace before the prince can see her transform back into a servant girl, Cinderella loses one of her slippers. The prince is determined to find her again, so he sets out to try the slipper on the foot of every woman in the countryside. He sees by the very small size of the shoe that it would fit only Cinderella. When he gets to Cinderella's house, the stepsisters try to cram their feet into the shoes (in the original version of the story, they even cut off their toes to do so).

Black holes :: essays research papers

black hole, in astronomy, celestial object of such extremely intense gravity that it attracts everything near it and in some instances prevents everything, including light, from escaping. The term was first used in reference to a star in the last phases of gravitational collapse (the final stage in the life history of certain stars; see stellar evolution), by the American physicist John A. Wheeler. Gravitational collapse begins when a star has depleted its steady sources of nuclear energy and can no longer produce the expansive force, a result of normal gas pressure, that supports the star against the compressive force of its own gravitation. As the star shrinks in size (and increases in density), it may assume one of several forms depending upon its mass. A less massive star may become a white dwarf, while a more massive one would become a supernova. If the mass is less than three times that of the sun, it will form a neutron star. However, if the final mass of the remaining stellar core is more than three solar masses, as shown by the American physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland S. Snyder in 1939, nothing remains to prevent the star from collapsing without limit to an indefinitely small size and infinitely large density, a point called the "singularity. At the point of singularity the effects of Einstein's general theory of relativity become paramount. According to this theory, space becomes curved in the vicinity of matter; the greater the concentration of matter, the greater the curvature. When the star (or supernova remnant) shrinks below a certain size determined by its mass, the extreme curvature of space seals off contact with the outside world. The place beyond which no radiation can escape is called the event horizon, and its radius is called the Schwarzschild radius after the German astronomer Karl Schwarzschild, who in 1916 postulated the existence of collapsed celestial objects that emit no radiation. For a star with a mass equal to that of the sun, this limit is a radius of only 0.9 mi (1.5 km). Even light cannot escape the black hole but is turned back by the enormous pull of gravitation. It is now believed that the origin of some black holes is nonstellar. Some astrophysicists suggest that immense volumes of interstellar matter can collect and collapse into supermassive black holes, such as are found at the center of some galaxies.

A Review of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Essay

In all honesty, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge was a bit confusing to read. It was not only confusing, but the ending was a surprise to the reader. In the story, we got to see many different aspects of the life of Peyton Farquhar. This story shows the difference that times were back then compared to now. In today’s would, a man would not be hung, let alone executed for tampering with a bridge. I also liked the part in the story of the betrayal of the soldier that appeared to be in the confederate army. This showed that Farquhar was gullible and would do anything to get involved in the army, since he was not able to fight in it. At the end of the story, I was very surprised in finding out that Farquhar was really dead and his escape was just a figment of his imagination. The escape that he had watched in his mind showed how eager Farquhar was to get back to his home and his family. I enjoyed the narrative style the story was written/told in. I thought that since the story was split into three different sections, it was easier to read, and all around understand. The narrator made the beginning of the story suspenseful because the reader wants to know why Farquhar was going to be executed. This technique wants us to keep reading on to find out the terrible thing that Farquhar did. In the middle of the story, we learn the reason he was to be executed was because he tampered with the confederate bridge, thinking it was going to help them. The narrator did a good job of explaining what Farquhar was like and gave the readers a good mental picture of the situation he was in on the bridge. There are several possible themes that could go along with this story. The specific theme that I would choose for this story would be the difference between reality and fantasy. The difference between reality and fantasy go hand-in-hand throughout this story. It is not until the end of the story that we see the difference of them in Farquhar’s life. When Farquhar describes his escape, we believe that this is really happening. Farquhar describes his escape in a lot of detail and talks about his desire to be back with his family and back at home. The difference between reality and fantasy also is seen with the soldier that pretends to be a Confederate. Farquhar believes that the soldier is a Confederate, therefore plans the hurting of the bridge. This ends up being the illusion that leads him to his execution. This illusion of the soldier caused Farquhar to damage the bridge was the reason of his demise. This story did a great job of making you ask yourself, â€Å"what just happened† after reading the last few sentences. The narrators’ creation of Farquhar’s escape confused the reader, yet made it more interesting in the greater scheme of the story.