essay on types of partners

What is a Partnership?

Types of partners, types of partnerships, partnership agreement, additional resources, partnership.

An unincorporated business that two or more parties form and own together

An unincorporated business structure that two or more parties form and own together is called a partnership . These parties, called partners, may be individuals, corporations , other partnerships, or other legal entities.  

Partners may contribute capital , labor , skills , and experience to the business. They may have unlimited legal liability for the actions of the partnership and its partners.  

The most common type of partner is a general partner , who actively manages and exercises control over the business operations.  

Limited partners have limited legal liability . This type of partner cannot manage or exercise control over the business.

Among the most common types of partnerships are general partnerships (GP) , limited partnerships (LP) , and limited liability partnerships (LLP) .  

A partnership can even start without an oral or written contract . Where there is a written contract between the partners, it is called a partnership agreement . The partners agree on the purpose of the partnership and their rights and responsibilities.

A partnership splits its profit or loss among its partners. They are responsible for filing and paying taxes for their portion of the partnership profit.

This form of business is similar to a joint venture . A joint venture is where two parties (typically corporations) carry on a business together, though not necessarily for profit.

Key Highlights

• Partnerships are unincorporated businesses with two or more owners (partners) who contribute in various ways (capital, labor, etc.) and may have legal liabilities.
• A written agreement should outline the partners’ roles, rights, and responsibilities. It can provide clarity on capital interests, profit splitting, and business continuity in case a partner departs.
• Partnership profits and losses flow to the partners, who file and pay taxes on their portion.

General Partner:

• May contribute capital and expertise to the partnership.
• Actively manage and exercise control over the business operations.  
• Have unlimited legal liability for the acts and obligations of the partnership. Their assets are subject to any legal claims made against the partnership.
• Can be a party to any legal claims made by the partnership or any claims made against the partnership and its partners.

Limited Partner:

• May only contribute capital (assets, cash, etc.) to the partnership.
• Do not manage and cannot exercise control over the business operations.  
• Have limited legal liability for the acts and obligations of the partnership. Only their contributions to the partnership, not their assets , are subject to any legal claims against the partnership.
• Cannot be a party to any legal claims made by the partnership or any claims made against the partnership and its general partner(s).
• General Partnership

General partnerships (GP) are the easiest and cheapest type of partnership to form.  Two or more general partners own it, with joint and several legal liabilities for all debts and obligations. They jointly manage and control the business.

A general partnership can immediately start when partners decide to conduct business together, even without an oral or written contract . This ease contrasts with potentially costly disputes that may arise between partners if they cannot resolve them amicably.  

This type of partnership is simple to dissolve . For example, the partnership dissolves if any partners leave, go into bankruptcy , or pass away. Partnership rules differ worldwide. Some jurisdictions may offer alternatives for the remaining partners who wish to continue with the business [1] .

Except for registering a business name , there are few government requirements specific to this type of partnership [2] .

Ongoing government requirements are also limited. For example, holding an annual general meeting like a corporation or other kinds of business structures is unnecessary.  

The partnership and its partners must regularly report and pay taxes on the partnership income. Taxes are paid by the partners rather than by the partnership [3] .

A partnership agreement is valuable for many general partnerships. For example, it can describe a process to value and compensate a departed partner for their business interest. The transfer of interest may be more attractive to the remaining partners instead of dissolving the business altogether.

Limited Partnership

A limited partnership (LP) is a type of partnership that limits the legal liability of some partners for debts and obligations. At least one limited partner is a passive contributor of cash and assets.  

An LP gives contributors a way to invest without incurring legal liability. In some jurisdictions, this business structure is considered a separate legal entity that can enter into contracts and take on obligations.

There is at least one general partner with unlimited legal liability . The general partner manages and controls the business.

When starting or dissolving this partnership, the LP must register and report to the local authorities. It is more expensive and complex than forming a general partnership .

To start, an LP must register the limited partnership’s name and the general partners’ details with the local authorities. To dissolve, an LP typically files a document, sometimes called a “Statement of Dissolution” or “Statement of Cancellation.”

A written contract is an essential component when forming this type of partnership [4] . A partnership agreement between partners covers their rights and responsibilities while protecting the limited partner’s contributions.  

There may be ongoing government requirements. For example, some jurisdictions need LPs to regularly file information reports to local authorities responsible for businesses in the area. However, holding an annual general meeting is not mandatory unless stated in the partnership agreement, unlike a corporation or some other kind of business structure .

The partnership and its partners must regularly report and pay taxes on the partnership income. The partners’ portion is outlined in the partnership agreement. Taxes are paid by the partners rather than by the partnership.

Limited Liability Partnership

A limited liability partnership (LLP) is an extension of a general partnership that limits the legal liability of all partners . General partners in this type of partnership have protection from the wrongful acts of the other partners, such as negligence, misbehavior, and other unprofessional conduct.  

In jurisdictions where this business structure is available, it is considered a separate legal entity that can enter into contracts and take on obligations.  

Local authorities may restrict the structure to eligible businesses in knowledge-based industries , for example, legal and accounting professionals . Authorities may require proof of permission from the professional governing body before partners may form an LLP.

The partners manage and control the business.

When starting or dissolving this partnership, an LLP must register and report to the local authorities. It is more expensive and complex than forming a general partnership .

To start, an LLP must register the limited liability partnership’s name and the number of partners with the local authorities. To dissolve, an LLP typically files a document, sometimes called a “Statement of Dissolution” or “Statement of Cancellation.”  

A written contract is an essential component when forming this type of partnership [4] . A partnership agreement between partners covers their rights and responsibilities while protecting the partner’s contributions.  

There are ongoing government requirements. For example, an LLP must regularly file information reports to local authorities responsible for businesses in the area. However, holding an annual general meeting is not mandatory unless stated in the partnership agreement, unlike a corporation or other kinds of business structure .

In business, a partnership agreement is a contract stating the terms of a partnership – what it does, how it works, and how the partners can work together. The rights and responsibilities of the partners are a vital component.

An agreement can provide a way to handle capital interests if a partner departs. A sudden need to reorganize capital investment disrupts the business if a contract is not in place.  

At the minimum, the departing partner (or their estate) expects to recover their contributions, assuming the partnership has been profitable. It may not be feasible if neither the partnership nor the remaining partners have enough liquid assets to return the contributions.  

An agreement can describe other options, such as the process of valuing and transferring the departing partner’s interest to the remaining partners, rather than dissolving the business entirely.

Attracting new partners can also be challenging if the partnership needs to expand beyond the partners’ existing capacity. An agreement can set the rules for adding partners. The structure can attract prospective partners who do not have prior experience working together.

As partners jointly make decisions, disputes can occur. Any decision and dispute resolution process built into the agreement can provide a path forward. This process can save time, money, and effort.  

A partnership agreement can reduce uncertainty when the partners need to finalize any decisions or resolve a dispute [4] .

Thank you for reading CFI’s guide to Partnerships. To learn more and advance our career, check out the informative CFI resources below:

• Corporate Structure
• Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
• Real Estate Joint Venture
• See all management & strategy resources

Article Sources

• Uniform Law Commission – Partnership Act
• IRS Publication 541 – Partnership, Form a Partnership
• IRS – Tax Information for Partnership
• Partnership agreements: A primer

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• Building Your Business
• Becoming an Owner
• Business Types

Selecting a Business Partnership Type

What is a partnership, considering liability in partnerships, general partnership, limited partnership.

• Limited Liability Partnership
• LLC or Partnership

Partnerships and Tax Issues

Partnerships are a common option for people who want to go into business with other people. The term "partnership" has changed over the years, as business people have come to add new features to the old business form. The most used partnership types are listed here, with their features, to help you decide which type you might want to use.

A partnership is a business with several individuals, each of whom owns part of the business. The partners may be active participants in running the business or they may be passive investors. The relationship between the partners, the percentage and type of ownership, and the duties of partners is clarified in the partnership agreement .

In any partnership, each partner must "buy-in" or invest in the partnership. Usually, each partner's share of the partnership profits and losses is based on his or her percentage share of ownership.

Partnerships are formed by states and are subject to state laws, so some partnership types may not be available in some states. Check with your state's business division (usually part of the secretary of state department) for partnership information.

Two Types of Partners

The best way to start talking about a partnership business is to talk about the two types of partners : general partners and limited partners. Both invest in the business but they differ in their activity within the business.

• General partners are active in the business, doing the work of the company (being CPAs, for example) but also participating in management and decision-making.
• Limited partners are passive. They have invested in the business but they don't participate on a day-to-day basis in the running of the business.  

There's actually a third kind of partner, the managing partner , a general partner who takes on added duties in the management of the partnership business affairs.

Depending on the type and amount of participation in the business, partners may be  liable  for debts of the business and for lawsuits against themselves personally.

You may see that some business names have the word "limited" in them, like a limited partnership, limited liability partnership, or limited liability company (LLC). The use of this word means that some owners have limited liability personally against lawsuits and debts.

A partner who has limited liability is only liable for their investment in the partnership. For example, if a partnership declares bankruptcy , the limited partners must pay only the amount of their investment.  

General partners are similar to sole proprietors in terms of liability. In both cases, the owners are not separate from the business in terms of liability for the debts of the business and for their actions. That is, they have full liability.  

That's why new partnership types are often set up as limited partnerships of some type, or to form partnerships with limited partners, to limit the liability of one partner for the actions of other partners.

Limited liability companies (LLCs) with more than one member (owner) are taxed like partnerships and they operate in similar ways. The advantage of an LLC over a general partnership is in the limited liability of all owners.  

A general partnership is a partnership with only general partners . Each general partner must actively participate in managing the business and any partner may sign a contract on behalf of the partnership. The partners must agree to major decisions, acting as a corporate board of directors .

Advantage: Each partner can act independently, and each can invest in different types of capital. This partnership type also has low startup costs and few formalities.

Disadvantage: A general partnership operates as a sole proprietorship , with no separation between the partners and the business. Because general partners actively participate, their liability is not limited, as described above. If one partner is sued, all partners are held liable. A partner's personal assets may be taken by a court or creditor.  

A limited partnership includes both general partners and at least one limited partner. In many cases, there is one general partner who manages the business and a number of limited partners. A limited partner does not participate in the day-to-day management of the partnership and their liability is limited to their investment in the business.  

Advantage: The limited partners are merely investors who don't want to participate in the partnership other than to provide capital and to receive a share of the profits. You may want to use the limited partnership option to form a partnership, for example, with relatives or friends who just want to invest.

Disadvantage: Because limited partners don't participate in management , they are considered passive investors. This means they can only take losses up to the amount of their income for the year.  

Limited Liability Partnerships

A limited liability partnership (LLP) is different from a limited partnership or a general partnership but is closer to a limited liability company (LLC) . In the LLP, all partners have limited liability. LLP's are often formed by groups of professionals who want to pool their resources and save money by sharing space.  

Advantage: Unlike the limited partnership, general partners in an LLP have limited liability.

Disadvantage: Because liability for all partners is limited, some businesses or individuals may be wary of doing business with the partnership.  

LLC or Partnership?

In recent years, the limited liability company has become more common than the general partnership and the limited partnership, because it has more limited liability for the owners (as the name suggests).

But there are still cases in professional practices (law, accounting, architecture, for example) in which some partners want to be limited in ​the scope of duties and they just want to invest, having the liability protection of being in a limited partnership.

While a multiple-member (owner) LLC is taxed like a partnership, there are differences in liability and in other ownership provisions. The main difference is that all owners of an LLC (called "members") have limited liability while in a partnership the partners running the business have general liability for everything that happens.  

Joint Ventures as Partnerships

The Small Business Administration lists a joint venture as a type of partnership. A joint venture is typically a partnership between different businesses formed for a specific purpose (like making a movie or building a structure) or for a specified time period. 

Qualified Joint Ventures as Partnerships

A qualified joint venture is a special kind of partnership in which two spouses who jointly own a business (not a corporation) can elect to file their income taxes separately to avoid having a file a complicated partnership tax return. In this case, each spouse files a Schedule C for their share of the net income of the business. If the couple is filing jointly, both Schedule C's are included in the joint tax return.  

As you are considering a partnership type, you should also consider how a partnership is taxed. The partnership, as a whole, files an information-only return on Form 1065 , and the individual partners receive a Schedule K-1 showing the share of the partnership profits or losses for the year. The Schedule K-1 is included in each partner's personal tax return, so each partner pays income tax on their share of the net income of the partnership.

Read more about how a partnership pays income taxes .

If you are interested in starting a partnership, this article takes you through the process step by step .

Richmond School of Law. " Limited Partnerships ." Page 2. Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

Cornell Legal Information Institute. " Limited Liability ." Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

Richmond School of Law. " General Partnerships ." Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

Small Business Administration. " Choose a Business Structure ." Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

IRS. " Publication 925 Passive Activity and At-Risk Rules ." Page 2. Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

Richmond School of Law. " Limited Liability Partnerships ." Page 1. Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

IRS. " Election for Married Couples Unincorporated Businesses ." Accessed Aug. 7, 2020.

Home — Essay Samples — Business — Company — Different Types Of Partnership

Different Types of Partnership

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Words: 701 |

Published: Dec 18, 2018

Words: 701 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

• Capital – If there are more number of partners they can invest more capital to the business.
• Flexible – Partnership businesses are easier to form and easier to run. Owners can decide the way that how the business should run.
• Easy to make Decisions – Partners can easily take decisions according to the situation of the business.
• Limited external regulations - When compared to the other types of businesses partnerships has less regulations.
• Responsibility is shared – Partners can share the responsibilities among them. It will allow to partners to make their abilities better.
• Disagreements – There can be disagreements between partners. It will be adisadvantage when making decisions.
• Unlimited liability – Partners are subjects to unlimited liability which means each partners shares liability and all the risks including financial risks of the business.
• Taxation – This is one of a major disadvantage of partnerships. Partners must pay tax each year.
• Profits should be shared – All the earned profits should equally share among partners.
• Limited liability for shareholders – As earlier mentioned the shareholders are liable only for their invested money.
• Tax advantage and tax – These limited companies are only taxed on their profits.
• Great Security – The limited Companies are totally separate from the directors and shareholders. Because of that their personal assets are not at any risk.
• Respect – Setting up a “Limited “company it gives the directors an air of respect.
• Pensions – Limited companies can fund their employees a legitimate expense.
• Cost is high – Limited companies are expensive to establish.
• Financial status are public – Company accounts and records are can be accessed by any person

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• Partnership: Introduction, Features, Types of Partners, Solved Questions

When we talk about the forms a business organisation can take, one of the most prominent ones is a partnership. In India particularly it is a very popular entity to carry out business. Let us take a look at some important features of a partnership and also some types of partners.

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Partnership definition.

A partnership is an arrangement where parties, known as business partners, agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations.

Partnership

In India, we have a definite law that covers all aspects and functioning of a partnership, The Indian Partnership Act 1932. The act also defines a partnership as “the relation between two or more persons who have agreed to share the profits from a business carried on by either all of them or any of them on behalf of/acting for all”

So in such a case two or more (maximum numbers will differ according to the business being carried) persons come together as a unit to achieve some common objective. And the profits earned in pursuit of this objective will be shared amongst themselves.

The entity is collectively called a “Partnership Firm” and all the individual members are the “Partners”. So let us look at some important features.

Features of a Partnership

1] formation/partnership agreement.

A partnership firm is not a separate legal entity. But according to the act, a firm must be formed via a legal agreement between all the partners. So a contract must be entered into to form a partnership firm.

Its business activity must be lawful, and the motive should be one of profit . So two people forming an alliance to carry out charity and/or social work will not constitute this form of organisation. Similarly, a partnership contract to carry out illegal work, such as smuggling, is void as well.

Browse more Topics under Forms Of Business Organisations

• Introduction and Evaluation to Forms of Business Organisations
• Sole Proprietorship
• Joint Hindu Family Business
• Cooperative Society
• Partnership Deed and Registration
• Types of Companies
• Joint Stock Company
• Forms of Organising Public Sector

2] Unlimited Liability

In a unique feature, all partners have unlimited liability in the business. The partners are all individually and jointly liable for the firm and the payment of all debts. This means that even personal assets of a partner can be liquidated to meet the debts of the firm.

If the money is recovered from a single partner, he can, in turn, sue the other partners for their share of the debt as per the contract of the partnership.

3] Continuity

A partnership cannot carry out in perpetuity. The death or retirement or bankruptcy or insolvency or insanity of a partner will dissolve the firm. The remaining partners may continue the partnership if they so choose, but a new contract must be drawn up. Also, the partnership of a father cannot be inherited by his son. If all the other partners agree, he can be added on as a new partner.

4] Number of Members

As we know that there should be a minimum of two members. However, the maximum number will vary according to a few conditions. The Partnership Act itself is silent on this issue, but the Companies Act, 2013 provides clarity.

For a banking business, the number of partners must not exceed ten. For a business of any other nature, the maximum number is twenty. If the number of partners increases it will become an illegal entity or association.

5] Mutual Agency

In this type of organisation, the business must be carried out by all the partners together. Or alternatively, it can be carried out by any of the partners (one or several) acting for all of them or on behalf of all of them. So this means every partner is an agent as well as the principal of the partnership.

He represents the other partners in some cases so he is their agent. But in other circumstances, he is bound by the actions of any of the other partners aking him the principal as well.

Types of Partners

Not all partners of a firm have the same responsibilities and functions. There can be various types of partners in a partnership. Let us study the types of partners and their rights and duties.

• Active Partner : As the name suggests he takes active participation in the business of the firm. He contributes to the capital, has a share in the profit and also participates in the daily activities of the firm. His liability in the firm will be unlimited. And he often will act as an agent for the other partners.
• Dormant Partner : Also known as a sleeping partner, he will not participate in the daily functioning of the business. But he will still have to make his share of contribution to the capital. In return, he will have a share in the profits. His liability will also be unlimited.
• Secret Partner : Here the partner’s association with the firm is not public knowledge. He will not represent the firm to outside agents or parties. Other than this his participation with respect to capital , profits, management and liability will be the same as all the other partners.
• Nominal Partner : This partner is only a partner in name. He allows the firm to use the name of his firm, and the attached goodwill . But he in no way contributes to the capital and hence has no share in the profits. He does not involve himself in the firm’s business. But his liability too will be unlimited.
• Partner by Estoppel : If a person makes it out to be, through their conduct or behaviour, that they are partners in a firm and he does not correct them, then he becomes a partner by estoppel. However, this partner too will have unlimited liability.

There can be general partnership with general partners, limited partnerships (or limited liability partnership) etc.

Solved question for you.

Q: What are the advantages of a partnership?

Ans: Partnerships have many advantages as a form of business, such as

• Formation of partnerships firm is an easy task. You only require a contract of partnership. Registration is not compulsory in most cases.
• Since many partners are involved in a business they all bring their own expertise and management styles. This helps in better management of the business.
• All partners also contribute to the capital of the firm so it has more funds to work with
• The risk of the business is also shared among all partners.

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Home Resources Business Types of Partnerships

Types of Partnerships: General, Limited & Limited Liability

Updated July 2, 2023 | Written by Mollie Moric Reviewed by Brooke Davis

There are three main types of partnerships to choose from general (GP), limited (LP), and limited liability (LLP). The one you choose to form will have distinct implications on how your business operates.

Continue reading to help you and your partner(s) determine the proper structure for your business.

Partnerships are famous business structures because they’re quick and easy to form, with little or no formal documentation required by law.

If you do choose to operate your business as a partnership, use a partnership agreement to detail the terms of the relationship, such as your:

• Partner’s information
• Profit and loss distributions
• Initial contributions
• Management structure
• Description of operations
• Type of partnership

Main Types of Partnerships in Business

Tax protocol for different types of partnerships.

• Types of Partnerships - Pros & Cons

Types of Partners

• How to Document the Type of Partnership You’ve Selected

There are three common types of partnership arrangements: general, limited, and limited liability.

1. General Partnership (GP)

How they’re structured.

In a general partnership, all partners share equal rights and responsibilities , and each partner can sign contracts on behalf of the business.

The partners or non-partner managers (like a corporate board of directors) must obtain a unanimous or majority agreement before making significant decisions.

Liability implications

Along with sharing profits and losses, partners assume unlimited liability for the debts and obligations of the partnership —  known as joint and several liability .

This means that if the partnership is sued because of the negligence of a partner, the other partners are also held liable, and a creditor may seize their assets.

Why choose a general partnership?

Partners are not required to create or file any formation documentation to formally establish a general partnership and begin operating, making them a convenient option.

2. Limited Partnership (LP)

A limited partnership is made up of general and limited partners . Both types of partners are entitled to business profits but have different roles and degrees of liability.

A limited partnership needs at least one general partner to function because they’re responsible for running the business.

Limited partners, often called silent partners, contribute capital to the partnership but don’t manage daily operations.

Liability Implications

General partners must also accept full joint and several liabilities for the partnership’s debts and obligations. Limited partners are not liable for the actions of the partnership or its general partner.

Why choose a limited partnership?

A limited liability partnership is an attractive option if you have investors who want to contribute to the company financially but don’t want to deal with management responsibilities or liability.

3. Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)

Limited liability partnerships combine the tax benefits of a general partnership with the personal liability protection of a limited liability company.

Each partner can choose how much they’d like to invest in the partnership and their level of involvement in the business.

All LLP partners are essentially general partners but with limited liability — in other words, they’re not personally liable for business debts and obligations or the other partners’ errors, omissions, negligence, incompetence, or malpractice.

For example, if one partner is sued for negligence, the other partners are not legally accountable for their actions.

Why choose a limited liability partnership?

Professionals often create limited liability partnerships to optimize resources and save money.

For example, two dentists might form a limited liability partnership to share the costs of renting and renovating office space, buying expensive dental equipment, and hiring staff.

In some states, LLPs are limited to professional partnerships, such as doctors, lawyers, architects, accountants, and dentists. Unlike other types of partnerships, LLPs must be registered with the state and require a written agreement.

The tax protocol for general, limited, and limited liability partnerships are the same:

• the partnership files Form 1065 with the IRS, and each owner files a Schedule K with the IRS,
• each owner files a Schedule K in their tax return, showing their share of the partnership profits or losses for the year.

Each partner pays income tax on their share of the net income.

While LLPs are taxed as partnerships at the federal level, some states may impose non-partnership taxes on limited liability partnerships .

For example, Texas LLPs have to pay a franchise tax along with corporations and LLCs.

Types of Partnerships – Pros & Cons

Here’s a chart detailing the pros and cons of each type of partnership business to help you decide which one is right for you:

You can be a general or limited partner in a partnership. Ensure you understand the rights and responsibilities (as well as the limitations) of being either type before filing any documents.

General Partners

A general partner manages the business and takes responsibility for its day-to-day operations. They’re fully liable for the partnership’s debts, and their assets can be seized to settle debt obligations or lawsuits.

Limited Partners

Limited partners hold financial stakes in the business but don’t play a role in management. Therefore, limited partners are not personally liable for their debt; the most they can lose is whatever they’ve invested.

How to Document the Type of Partnership You’ve Selected

The type of partnership you select will impact your company’s management, taxation, legal status, investment, and start-up requirements.

Once you and your business partners have decided whether to operate as a general, limited, or limited liability partnership, document the arrangement’s terms in a partnership agreement.

• General Partnership Agreement
• Limited Partnership Agreement
• Limited Liability Partnership Agreement
• 50/50 Partnership Agreement
• Real Estate Partnership Agreement
• Small Business Partnership Agreement

Mollie Moric

Legal Content Writer

Mollie Moric is a staff writer at Legal Templates. She translates complex legal concepts into easy to understand articles that empower readers in their legal pursuits. Her legal advice and analysis...

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General Partnerships: Definition, Features, and Example

Thomas J Catalano is a CFP and Registered Investment Adviser with the state of South Carolina, where he launched his own financial advisory firm in 2018. Thomas' experience gives him expertise in a variety of areas including investments, retirement, insurance, and financial planning.

Investopedia / Michela Buttignol

A general partnership is a business arrangement by which two or more individuals agree to share responsibilities, assets, profits, and financial and legal liabilities of a jointly-owned business.

In a general partnership, partners agree to be personally responsible for potentially unlimited liability . Liabilities are not capped as they would be in, say, a partnership formed as a limited liability partnership or a limited liability company (LLC) . Partners are responsible for the debts, and the seizure of an owner's assets is a possibility. Furthermore, any partner may be sued for the business's debts.

Since a general partnership is a pass-through entity where income flows straight to the owners, each partner reports their share of partnership profits or losses on their personal tax returns. The partnership itself is not taxed.

Key Takeaways

• A general partnership is a business made up of two or more partners, each obligated for the business's debts, liabilities, and assets.
• Partners assume unlimited liability, potentially subjecting their personal assets to seizure if the partnership becomes insolvent.
• Partners should create a written partnership agreement.
• General partnerships are less expensive to form compared to a corporation.
• They are pass-through entities where profits or losses are passed directly to partners, who report them on their personal tax returns.

Understanding General Partnerships

General partnerships are unincorporated businesses. Those who form a general partnership don’t need to register their business with a state to function legally.

General partnerships offer the flexibility to structure businesses however partners see fit. This gives those partners the ability to control operations more closely.

In turn, this allows for more swift and decisive management action compared to corporations, which must often deal with multiple levels of bureaucracy and red tape, complicating and slowing down the implementation of new ideas.

A general partnership must satisfy the following conditions:

• It must include a minimum of two people.
• All partners must agree to be personally liable for any and all liabilities that their partnership may incur.

Aspects of a General Partnership

Partnership agreement.

The partnership should have a formal, written partnership agreement , though oral agreements are valid. The partnership agreement details such things as the business's governing structure, the partners' rights and responsibilities, and how profits should be allocated.

It can also state what should happen when a partner leaves, dies, or otherwise becomes unable to function as a partner. For example, the agreement may stipulate that a deceased partner's interest is transferred to the surviving partners or a successor.

Ideally, the partnership will have created its own agreement that addresses among other things, the topic of management and control.

However, if the partnership has no agreement that sets forth how the partnership should be managed and who should manage it, it can follow the directives in the Revised Uniform Partnership Act (RUPA) , which most states have adopted. The act provides a standard of governance for partnerships. It defines:

• How a partnership is created
• The rights and duties of partners
• Partnership assets and liabilities
• Fiduciary duties of partners and the partnership
• Profit allocations and voting rights

Individual Decision-Making

In a general partnership, each partner has the agency to unilaterally enter into binding agreements and business deals, and all other partners are bound by the terms.

Not surprisingly, such activities may lead to disagreements. As a result, many successful general partnerships build conflict resolution mechanisms into their partnership agreements.

In some cases, the partners agree only to proceed with major decisions if there's either a complete consensus or a majority vote. In other cases, the partners designate non-partner appointees to manage the partnerships, similar to a company's board of directors. In any case, broad agreement is essential because when all partners have unlimited liability, even innocent players can be fiscally on the hook for inappropriate or illegal actions.

Compensation

Rather than a salary, partners receive distributions from the partnership’s profits. These distributions should be in accord with the allocation of profits detailed in the partnership agreement. If the partnership has no agreement, profits should be equally distributed according to RUPA (mentioned above).

Money that the partnership does not distribute to partners can be used for other purposes (e.g., reinvested in the business).

Joint Liability

Partners in a general partnership have shared liability for the debts and obligations of the business. Every partner agrees to unlimited personal liability for their actions, the actions of all other partners, and those of any and all employees.

Therefore, partners have shared responsibility—also known as joint liability —for damages awarded in a legal action taken against the partnership.

Joint and severe liability, where someone can sue any partner for actions taken by others, is also a possibility in certain states. Partners must then decide how much each owes.

Fiduciary Duties

Partners have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of their partnership. In fact, specific fiduciary duties are key to protecting partners and the business itself. A partner who breaches a fiduciary duty may be personally liable for any harm that breach causes the partnership.

While the partnership, in its agreement, can assert additional fiduciary duties, the main ones are:

Duty of Good Faith and Fair Dealing

Partners must act honestly and fairly in all dealings that pertain to the partnership.

Duty of Loyalty

Partners must not pursue personal activities that can harm the partnership. They must place the partnership’s best interests above personal interests. And they must forego all conflicts of interest that may exist with the partnership due to those personal interests.

Duty of Care

Partners must act prudently and competently when managing the affairs of the partnership. Importantly, if a partner acts with reasonable care and in good faith, they cannot be deemed liable should their activities cause unfavorable results.

Duty of Disclosure

Partners must disclose to other partners any facts and other information they have about risks and consequences that concern or may concern the well-being of the business. If any conflict of interest arises, they must disclose that, too.

As mentioned previously, general partnerships do not pay business income taxes. As pass-through entities, they pass income (and losses) directly to individual partners. The partners must then report their shares of profits or losses on their personal tax returns and pay any taxes owed.

Partners also have to pay taxes on income earned by the partnership that is not distributed (otherwise known as retained earnings ).

A general partnership must complete and provide IRS Form Schedule K-1 to each partner by March 15. A K-1 details each partner's share of business income, losses, credits and deductions. Each partner uses the information within the K-1 to complete their personal tax return. The K-1 does not need to be sent with the tax return to the IRS.

However, because partnership earnings are considered self-employment income, partners will need to include a Schedule SE with their tax return. It is the form used to determine the tax due on net earnings from self-employment. Information on Schedule SE is also used by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to figure your Social Security and Medicare benefits.

The general partnership itself must file Form 1065 with the IRS no later than April 15. Form 1065 is an informational return and involves no payments.

Example of a General Partnership

General partnerships have been the business entity of choice for individuals seeking to work together as well as various types of service providers. That's often due to their straightforward structure, low-cost, and ease of set-up.

For example, law firms, medical practices, and architectural firms often organize themselves as general partnerships. Spouses and other members of families who want to run a business together also set up general partnerships.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a General Partnership

• A general partnership is less expensive and easier to set up than a corporation or  limited liability partnership (LLP) .
• Less paperwork is involved. In the United States, filing partnership paperwork with a state is generally not required, though certain registration forms, permits, and licenses may be necessary at the local level.
• As a pass-through entity, the partnership pays no taxes.
• No external financial reporting/annual report is required.
• A general partnership is simple to dissolve.

Disadvantages

• Personal liability is unlimited. A partner's personal property can be seized to pay partnership debts.
• With shared liability, partners must deal with the financial and legal consequences of each other's (and employees') actions.
• Disputes may be difficult to address and disastrous for the business (unless properly planned for in the partnership agreement).
• Over time, a business can become complicated, encounter greater risks, increase potential personal liability, and outgrow the general partnership structure.

Is a General Partnership the Same As an LLP?

Not exactly. A general partnership and a limited liability partnership are both partnerships and pass-through entities. However, a general partnership involves the potential for the unlimited personal liability of partners for financial and legal obligations. A limited liability partnership (like a limited liability company) limits liability to just what the partner has invested in the business. Their personal assets are protected from seizure.

What Are the Advantages of a General Partnership?

General partnerships can be simple to set up. People can get together, declare that they're a partnership, and start working immediately. In most cases, a general partnership isn't required to register with the state it does business in. Incorporation isn't required, either. It can be dissolved automatically when one partner leaves. And it doesn't pay taxes (though the partners do).

Who Owns a General Partnership?

The partners own the partnership. Ideally, the partnership will create a partnership agreement that, among other things, states who the partners (owners) are as well as the profit allocation percentage for each.

A general partnership is a business with at least two owners, or partners, who agree to share the responsibilities involved in running the business. A partner has unlimited personal liability for any and all debts and obligations of the company. Each partner reports their share of business profits and losses on their individual tax return and pays any taxes due. The partnership itself isn't subject to taxation.

A general partnership is a common type of business due to the fact that it's easy to set up and dissolve. However, a general partnership may need to restructure at some point as it grows and encounters greater business risk so as to limit the exposure to personal financial liability that partners have.

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Choose a Business Structure ."

National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. " Uniform Partnership Act (1997) ."

Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. " General Partner ."

National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. " Uniform Partnership Act (1997) ." Pages 2, 18, 66-67.

Cornell Law School, Legal Information Institute. " Fiduciary Duty ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Tax Information for Partnerships ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Publication 509, Tax Calendars ." Page 4.

Internal Revenue Service. " Instructions for Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income ." Pages 3, 31.

Internal Revenue Service. " About Schedule SE (Form 1040), Self-Employment Tax ."

Internal Revenue Service. " Instructions for Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income ." Pages 3, 6.

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Apply for Licenses and Permits ."

U.S. Small Business Administration. " Register Your Business ."

Wolters Kluwer. " What Is an Annual Report: Definitions & Filing Requirements ."

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Essays About Relationships: Top 5 Examples Plus 8 Prompts

With rich essays about relationships plus prompts, this writing guide could help you contemplate relationships, including your own.

Healthy relationships come with the rewards of intimacy, love, and the support we need. Learning to preserve healthy relationships and throw out harmful ones is a critical skill to lead a successful life. That is exactly why Warren Buffet , one of the most successful investors, said the most important decision you will make is your choice of a significant partner. 

There are several types of relationships your essay could focus on in your next piece of writing. Take a leap and tackle intimate individual-level relationships or community or even global-level relationships. You might also be interested in our list of books to read after a breakup .

5 Essay Examples

1. relationship weight gain is real — and can be a sign of happiness by angela haupt, 2. what does it mean to be ‘ready’ for a relationship by julie beck, 3. why adult children cut ties with their parents by sharon martin, 4. a relationship under extreme duress: u.s.-china relations at a crossroads by michael d. swaine, 5. how to build strong business relationships — remotely by jeanne m. brett and tyree mitchell, 1. strengthening communication in relationships, 2. helping children build healthy friendships, 3. how social media affects our relationships , 4. establishing relationships with influencers, 5. importance of police-community relationships, 6. dealing with challenging work relationships, 7. promoting cross-cultural relationships among schools, 8. why do long-term relationships fail.

“…[A]mong those who had been married for more than four years, happy couples were twice as likely to put on weight than couples who reported not being as content with their relationship.”

Gaining pounds when you’re in a relationship is real. This essay backs it up with research and even seeks to answer who puts on the most pounds in the relationship. For those hoping to transform their lifestyle, the essay offers practical tips couples can do together to lose pounds while protecting the relationship and preserving the joy that brought them together. You might also be interested in these essays about divorce .

“Readiness, then, is not a result of achieving certain life milestones, or perfect mental health. And checking off items on a checklist doesn’t guarantee a relationship when the checklist is complete.”

People have a variety of reasons for not being ready to commit to a relationship. They may be more committed to developing their careers or simply enjoy the solitude of singlehood. But this essay debunks the concept of readiness for building relationships. Through interviews, one finds that relationships can happen when you least expect them. You might also be interested in these essays about reflection .

“Parent-child relationships, in particular, are expected to be unwavering and unconditional. But this isn’t always the case—some adults cut ties with or distance themselves from their parents or other family members.”

No matter how painful it is, some adults decide to cut off family members to heal from a toxic or abusive childhood relationship or protect themselves if the abuse or toxicity continues. In exploring the primary causes of estrangement, the well-researched essay shows that estrangement may run deep with years of conflict and many attempts to recover the relationship, rather than merely being the whim of selfish adults.

“…Beijing and Washington are transitioning from a sometimes contentious yet mutually beneficial relationship to an increasingly antagonistic, mutually destructive set of interactions.”

The essay charts the 40-year relationship between China and the US and points out how both parties have mutually benefited from the bilateral relations. This starkly contrasts Washington’s accusation that the relationship has been a zero-sum game, one of the numerous oft-heard allegations in the Washington community. But with the looming increase in tension, competition, and potentially a devastating Cold War between the two, parties must work to find a middle ground.

“Although many managers have adapted to virtual meetings to replace face-to-face ones as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, developing new business relationships online presents a particular set of challenges.”

Authors interview 82 managers pre-pandemic and reconnect with some during the health crisis to find out how they have been building relationships with business partners through virtual meetings. Most admit the challenge of establishing trust and assessing partners’ competency, especially when billion-dollar deals are at stake. The authors offer four key pieces of advice to overcome these difficulties. You might find our guide on how to write a vow helpful.

8 Writing Prompts On Essays About Relationships

We all know that communication is what strengthens relationships. But this is easier said than done when both sides want to talk and not listen. For this prompt, discuss the importance of open communication in relationships. Then, offer tips on how to improve communication in relationships and deal with communication gaps. One scenario you can look into is discussing problems in a relationship without getting into a heated debate.

In this essay, you can help parents become effective coaches for their children to make and keep friends. Warn them against being too authoritative in directing their children and instead allow the kids to be part of the ongoing conversation. Give your readers tips on how to build friendships such as promoting kindness, sharing, and understanding from a young age. You may also enjoy these essays about friendships .

When writing this essay, list the positive and negative effects of social media on relationships. A positive outcome of having social media is 24/7 access to our loved ones. One negative effect includes decreased time for more meaningful physical bonding. So, provide tips on how people in relationships can start putting down their mobile phones and talk heart-to-heart again. 

Influencer marketing has become one of the most popular and effective ways to spread your brand message on social media. First, explore why consumers trust influencers as credible product or service review sources. Then, try to answer some of the burning questions your readers may have, such as whether influencer marketing works for big and small businesses and how to choose the perfect influencer to endorse your brand.

In a working police-community relationship, police officials and community members work together to fight crime through information-sharing and other measures. Discuss this interesting topic for an exciting essay.

First, look into the level of working relationship between the police and your community through existing enforcement programs. Then, with the data gathered, analyze how they cooperate to improve your community. You can also build on the United States Department of Justice’s recommendations to lay down the best practices for strengthening police-community relationships. 

Amid competition, a workplace must still be conducive to cooperative relationships among employees to work on shared goals. Create an essay that enumerates the negative effects of work relationships on employee productivity and an office’s overall performance. Then cite tips on what managers and employees can do to maintain a professional and diplomatic atmosphere in the workplace. You can include points from the University of Queensland recommendations, including maintaining respect.

Students in a foreign country tend to feel distant from school life and society. Schools have a critical role in helping them feel at home and safe enough to share their ideas confidently. Set out the other benefits school environments can reap from fostering robust cross-cultural relationships and cite best practices. One example of a best practice is the buddy system, where international students are linked to local students, who could help expand their networks in the facility and even show them around the area to reveal its attributes.

When couples make it through the seven-year itch or the average time relationships last, everything down the road is said to be more manageable. However, some couples break up even after decades of being together. Explore the primary causes behind the failure of long-term relationships and consider the first signs that couples are growing distant from each other.

Look into today’s social sentiments and determine whether long-term relationships are declining. If they are, contemplate whether this should be a cause for concern or merely an acceptable change in culture. For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers and our essay writing tips .

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Essay on partnership: definition, features, advantages and limitations.

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Read this article to learn about the definition, features, advantages and limitations of partnership.

Partnership Defined:

Partnership is very comprehensively defined in the Indian Partnership Act, 1932.

The definition of the act runs as follows:

“Partnership is the relation between (or among) persons who have agreed to share the profits of a business carried on by all or any of them acting for all.”

Point of comment:

The most significant aspect of partnership as per the above definition is that partnership is a relation among persons; and this relation is that of being a partner with one another-very much like relations subsisting among members of a family i.e. relation of brotherhood, sisterhood, parenthood etc.

Partnership relation is a relation of utmost good faith among persons, who want to be partners with one another. Each partner must observe utmost good faith towards each other, while engaged in business dealings.

Following are cited some other important definitions of partnership:

(1) “Two or more individuals may form a partnership by making a written or oral agreement that they will jointly assume full responsibility for the conduct of a business.” —Dr. J.A. Shubin.

(2) “Partnership is the relation between persons competent to make contract, who agree to carry on a lawful business in common with a view to private gain.” —L.H. Haney. Point of explanation:

The persons who enter into partnership are individually called partners, and collectively a firm. The name under which partners carry on business is called the firm name.

Features of Partnership:

Following are the salient features of partnership:

(i) Agreement:

Partnership relation is the result of an agreement between/among two or more persons. The agreement may be oral or written. A written agreement of partnership is known as the Partnership Deed.

(ii) Two or More Persons:

There must be a least two persons to form a partnership. The maximum number of persons in partnership is 10, in case of banking business; and 20 in other types of businesses.

(iii) Lawful Business:

A partnership can be formed for the purpose of carrying on any lawful business. There can be no partnership for engaging in illegal acts like theft, dacoity, smuggling etc.

(iv) Sharing of Profits:

The agreement of partnership must provide for sharing of profits of a business, among partners, in the agreed ratio. Sharing of profits is an important test of partnership. In the absence of an agreed ratio, profits are to be shared equally, by all partners.

Sharing of profits implies sharing of losses also, in the same ratio, in which profits are shared by partners.

(v) Mutual Agency:

The phrase ‘carried on by all or any of them acting for all’, contained in the definition of partnership, as given in the Partnership Act, points out to the element of mutual agency of partnership.

Mutual Agency Implies:

That every partner is an agent of the firm, for purposes of the business of the firm, and every partner is the principal to be bound by the acts of other partners, who act as agents. In fact, mutual agency is the final and conclusive proof of the existence of partnership.

(vi) Unlimited Liability:

The liability of all partners is unlimited-jointly and severally, i.e. each partner is liable to pay debts of the firm to an unlimited extent along with other partners; and if the assets of other partners are insufficient to pay business liabilities, then any one partner could be held liable to pay business debts to an unlimited extent, in his individual capacity.

(vii) Ownership and Control Jointly Held:

Normally, every partner has a right to take part, in the management of the business of the firm i.e. ownership and control are jointly held by all partners.

(viii) Non-Transferability of Share:

No partner can transfer his/her share in the partnership to any other person, without the prior consent of all other partners.

(ix) Registration not Compulsory:

Registration of a partnership firm is not compulsory. However, an unregistered firm suffers from such serious disabilities; so that sooner or later, every firm will like to get itself registered.

Advantages of Partnership:

Following are the advantages of partnership:

(i) Ease of Formation:

Formation of partnership is an easy affair. What is required is just an agreement of partnership among two or more persons; which may ever be an oral agreement. No registration of partnership is required by Law.

(ii) Large Financial Resources:

Partnership commands large financial resources; because as much as twenty persons are permitted to start partnership business. Further, the fact of unlimited liability of partners (which is both joint and several) also increases the borrowing capacity of the firm.

(iii) Balanced Decision-Making:

Partnership not only pools resources; it also combines the abilities and wisdom of a large number of persons. As such, in partnership the managerial decision-making tends to be sound and balanced, which ensures more of success of partnership business.

(iv) Incentive to Work Hard:

In partnership, there is an incentive to work hard for all partners because of the following reasons:

(a) Higher profits of the firm, as a result of hard work, will entitle partners to a larger share in the profits of the firm.

(b) By working hard, partners will try to avoid the undesirable consequences of unlimited liability; which will fall on them-in case they work carelessly.

(v) Ensures Status to all Partners:

Partnership ensures status to all partners. Every partner has a right to take part in the management of the firm. All important decisions of the firm are taken with the mutual consent of all the partners.

(vi) Secrecy of Business Affairs Maintained:

In partnership, the secrecy of business affairs could be easily maintained; since all partners have common interest in maintaining secrecy of business affairs. In fact, in partnership all partners swim and sink together.

(vii) Divided Risk:

In partnership, the business risks are divided among all partners. As such, partners could afford to be bold in taking risky, profitable and adventurous decisions.

(viii) Advantage of Partners’ Specialisation:

Usually, in partnership, the partners tend to be specialists in various areas e.g. purchasing, marketing, finance etc. Thus partnership is able to take advantage of the specialisation of many persons; each one being an expert in a particular aspect of partnership affairs.

(ix) Flexibility of Operations:

Partnership ensures flexibility of business operations. Partners can take immediate decisions to effect changes in the functioning of the business, to take the best advantage of the changing circumstances.

Limitations of Partnership:

Following are the important limitations of partnership:

(i) Unlimited Liability:

The fact of unlimited liability is perhaps, the serious-most limitation of partnership. Many good persons never have the idea of entering into a partnership agreement with others. Further, partners always try to follow most traditional systems of managing, which ensure safest business dealings. As such, partners rarely take bold decisions and restrict the growth of the firm through their conservative approach.

(ii) Uncertainty of Existence:

Life of partnership is most uncertain. Differences among partners, which are so natural now-a-days, may lead to dissolution of a well-running partnership firm.

(iii) Delayed Decision-Making:

All major decisions in partnership are taken with the mutual consent of all the partners; which may not be so easy to emerge as expected in theory. As such, partners may miss many opportunities for gain either due to delayed decisions or lack of consensus.

(iv) Risk of Implied Authority of Partners:

Every partner is an agent of the firm for purposes of the business of the firm. A dishonest or careless partner may land the firm in great difficulties because of his wrong actions.

(v) Fear of Competitive Business:

There may be a fear of a competitive business, in partnership, from partners themselves. A partner, having stolen the secrets of business of the firm may disassociate from the firm and start a competitive business of his own.

(vi) Unsuitable for Big Ventures:

Financial resources and managerial capacity of the partners are rather limited. Even a very well running and sound partnership may find itself unable to undertake very big business projects.

(vii) Non-Transferability of Ownership:

A partner cannot transfer his ownership interest in the firm to others, without consent of all other partners. This means, having invested in a partnership firm, a person may find his capital absolutely blocked in a particular business. Many persons are hesitant to become partners, on this ground.

Related Articles:

• 14 Important Characteristics of a Partnership Firm
• Rights and Obligations of Partners as Mentioned in the Partnership Act

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• The four main types of essay | Quick guide with examples

The Four Main Types of Essay | Quick Guide with Examples

Published on September 4, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points, while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At university level, argumentative essays are the most common type. 

In high school and college, you will also often have to write textual analysis essays, which test your skills in close reading and interpretation.

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Table of contents

Argumentative essays, expository essays, narrative essays, descriptive essays, textual analysis essays, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about types of essays.

An argumentative essay presents an extended, evidence-based argument. It requires a strong thesis statement —a clearly defined stance on your topic. Your aim is to convince the reader of your thesis using evidence (such as quotations ) and analysis.

Argumentative essays test your ability to research and present your own position on a topic. This is the most common type of essay at college level—most papers you write will involve some kind of argumentation.

The essay is divided into an introduction, body, and conclusion:

• The introduction provides your topic and thesis statement
• The body presents your evidence and arguments
• The conclusion summarizes your argument and emphasizes its importance

The example below is a paragraph from the body of an argumentative essay about the effects of the internet on education. Mouse over it to learn more.

A common frustration for teachers is students’ use of Wikipedia as a source in their writing. Its prevalence among students is not exaggerated; a survey found that the vast majority of the students surveyed used Wikipedia (Head & Eisenberg, 2010). An article in The Guardian stresses a common objection to its use: “a reliance on Wikipedia can discourage students from engaging with genuine academic writing” (Coomer, 2013). Teachers are clearly not mistaken in viewing Wikipedia usage as ubiquitous among their students; but the claim that it discourages engagement with academic sources requires further investigation. This point is treated as self-evident by many teachers, but Wikipedia itself explicitly encourages students to look into other sources. Its articles often provide references to academic publications and include warning notes where citations are missing; the site’s own guidelines for research make clear that it should be used as a starting point, emphasizing that users should always “read the references and check whether they really do support what the article says” (“Wikipedia:Researching with Wikipedia,” 2020). Indeed, for many students, Wikipedia is their first encounter with the concepts of citation and referencing. The use of Wikipedia therefore has a positive side that merits deeper consideration than it often receives.

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An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a topic. It doesn’t require an original argument, just a balanced and well-organized view of the topic.

Expository essays test your familiarity with a topic and your ability to organize and convey information. They are commonly assigned at high school or in exam questions at college level.

The introduction of an expository essay states your topic and provides some general background, the body presents the details, and the conclusion summarizes the information presented.

A typical body paragraph from an expository essay about the invention of the printing press is shown below. Mouse over it to learn more.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

A narrative essay is one that tells a story. This is usually a story about a personal experience you had, but it may also be an imaginative exploration of something you have not experienced.

Narrative essays test your ability to build up a narrative in an engaging, well-structured way. They are much more personal and creative than other kinds of academic writing . Writing a personal statement for an application requires the same skills as a narrative essay.

A narrative essay isn’t strictly divided into introduction, body, and conclusion, but it should still begin by setting up the narrative and finish by expressing the point of the story—what you learned from your experience, or why it made an impression on you.

Mouse over the example below, a short narrative essay responding to the prompt “Write about an experience where you learned something about yourself,” to explore its structure.

Since elementary school, I have always favored subjects like science and math over the humanities. My instinct was always to think of these subjects as more solid and serious than classes like English. If there was no right answer, I thought, why bother? But recently I had an experience that taught me my academic interests are more flexible than I had thought: I took my first philosophy class.

Before I entered the classroom, I was skeptical. I waited outside with the other students and wondered what exactly philosophy would involve—I really had no idea. I imagined something pretty abstract: long, stilted conversations pondering the meaning of life. But what I got was something quite different.

A young man in jeans, Mr. Jones—“but you can call me Rob”—was far from the white-haired, buttoned-up old man I had half-expected. And rather than pulling us into pedantic arguments about obscure philosophical points, Rob engaged us on our level. To talk free will, we looked at our own choices. To talk ethics, we looked at dilemmas we had faced ourselves. By the end of class, I’d discovered that questions with no right answer can turn out to be the most interesting ones.

The experience has taught me to look at things a little more “philosophically”—and not just because it was a philosophy class! I learned that if I let go of my preconceptions, I can actually get a lot out of subjects I was previously dismissive of. The class taught me—in more ways than one—to look at things with an open mind.

A descriptive essay provides a detailed sensory description of something. Like narrative essays, they allow you to be more creative than most academic writing, but they are more tightly focused than narrative essays. You might describe a specific place or object, rather than telling a whole story.

Descriptive essays test your ability to use language creatively, making striking word choices to convey a memorable picture of what you’re describing.

A descriptive essay can be quite loosely structured, though it should usually begin by introducing the object of your description and end by drawing an overall picture of it. The important thing is to use careful word choices and figurative language to create an original description of your object.

Mouse over the example below, a response to the prompt “Describe a place you love to spend time in,” to learn more about descriptive essays.

On Sunday afternoons I like to spend my time in the garden behind my house. The garden is narrow but long, a corridor of green extending from the back of the house, and I sit on a lawn chair at the far end to read and relax. I am in my small peaceful paradise: the shade of the tree, the feel of the grass on my feet, the gentle activity of the fish in the pond beside me.

My cat crosses the garden nimbly and leaps onto the fence to survey it from above. From his perch he can watch over his little kingdom and keep an eye on the neighbours. He does this until the barking of next door’s dog scares him from his post and he bolts for the cat flap to govern from the safety of the kitchen.

With that, I am left alone with the fish, whose whole world is the pond by my feet. The fish explore the pond every day as if for the first time, prodding and inspecting every stone. I sometimes feel the same about sitting here in the garden; I know the place better than anyone, but whenever I return I still feel compelled to pay attention to all its details and novelties—a new bird perched in the tree, the growth of the grass, and the movement of the insects it shelters…

Sitting out in the garden, I feel serene. I feel at home. And yet I always feel there is more to discover. The bounds of my garden may be small, but there is a whole world contained within it, and it is one I will never get tired of inhabiting.

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Though every essay type tests your writing skills, some essays also test your ability to read carefully and critically. In a textual analysis essay, you don’t just present information on a topic, but closely analyze a text to explain how it achieves certain effects.

Rhetorical analysis

A rhetorical analysis looks at a persuasive text (e.g. a speech, an essay, a political cartoon) in terms of the rhetorical devices it uses, and evaluates their effectiveness.

The goal is not to state whether you agree with the author’s argument but to look at how they have constructed it.

The introduction of a rhetorical analysis presents the text, some background information, and your thesis statement; the body comprises the analysis itself; and the conclusion wraps up your analysis of the text, emphasizing its relevance to broader concerns.

The example below is from a rhetorical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech . Mouse over it to learn more.

King’s speech is infused with prophetic language throughout. Even before the famous “dream” part of the speech, King’s language consistently strikes a prophetic tone. He refers to the Lincoln Memorial as a “hallowed spot” and speaks of rising “from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” to “make justice a reality for all of God’s children.” The assumption of this prophetic voice constitutes the text’s strongest ethical appeal; after linking himself with political figures like Lincoln and the Founding Fathers, King’s ethos adopts a distinctly religious tone, recalling Biblical prophets and preachers of change from across history. This adds significant force to his words; standing before an audience of hundreds of thousands, he states not just what the future should be, but what it will be: “The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.” This warning is almost apocalyptic in tone, though it concludes with the positive image of the “bright day of justice.” The power of King’s rhetoric thus stems not only from the pathos of his vision of a brighter future, but from the ethos of the prophetic voice he adopts in expressing this vision.

Literary analysis

A literary analysis essay presents a close reading of a work of literature—e.g. a poem or novel—to explore the choices made by the author and how they help to convey the text’s theme. It is not simply a book report or a review, but an in-depth interpretation of the text.

Literary analysis looks at things like setting, characters, themes, and figurative language. The goal is to closely analyze what the author conveys and how.

The introduction of a literary analysis essay presents the text and background, and provides your thesis statement; the body consists of close readings of the text with quotations and analysis in support of your argument; and the conclusion emphasizes what your approach tells us about the text.

Mouse over the example below, the introduction to a literary analysis essay on Frankenstein , to learn more.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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At high school and in composition classes at university, you’ll often be told to write a specific type of essay , but you might also just be given prompts.

Look for keywords in these prompts that suggest a certain approach: The word “explain” suggests you should write an expository essay , while the word “describe” implies a descriptive essay . An argumentative essay might be prompted with the word “assess” or “argue.”

The vast majority of essays written at university are some sort of argumentative essay . Almost all academic writing involves building up an argument, though other types of essay might be assigned in composition classes.

Essays can present arguments about all kinds of different topics. For example:

• In a literary analysis essay, you might make an argument for a specific interpretation of a text
• In a history essay, you might present an argument for the importance of a particular event
• In a politics essay, you might argue for the validity of a certain political theory

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

The key difference is that a narrative essay is designed to tell a complete story, while a descriptive essay is meant to convey an intense description of a particular place, object, or concept.

Narrative and descriptive essays both allow you to write more personally and creatively than other kinds of essays , and similar writing skills can apply to both.

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Writing an effective and impactful essay is crucial to your academic or professional success. Whether it’s getting into the college of your dreams or scoring high on a major assignment, writing a well-structured essay will help you achieve it all. But before you learn how to write an essay , you need to know its basic components.

In this article, we will understand what an essay is, how long it should be, and its different parts and types. We will also take a detailed look at relevant examples to better understand the essay structure.

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What is an essay?

An essay is a concise piece of nonfiction writing that aims to either inform the reader about a topic or argue a particular perspective. It can either be formal or informal in nature. Most academic essays are highly formal, whereas informal essays are commonly found in journal entries, social media, or even blog posts.

As we can see from this essay definition, the beauty of essays lies in their versatility. From the exploration of complex scientific concepts to the history and evolution of everyday objects, they can cover a vast range of topics.

How long is an essay?

The length of an essay can vary from a few hundred to several thousand words but typically falls between 500–5,000 words. However, there are exceptions to this norm, such as Joan Didion and David Sedaris who have written entire books of essays.

Let’s take a look at the different types of essays and their lengths with the help of the following table:

How many paragraphs are in an essay?

Typically, an essay has five paragraphs: an introduction, a conclusion, and three body paragraphs. However, there is no set rule about the number of paragraphs in an essay.

The number of paragraphs can vary depending on the type and scope of your essay. An expository or argumentative essay may require more body paragraphs to include all the necessary information, whereas a narrative essay may need fewer.

Structure of an essay

To enhance the coherence and readability of your essay, it’s important to follow certain rules regarding the structure. Take a look:

1. Arrange your information from the most simple to the most complex bits. You can start the body paragraph off with a general statement and then move on to specifics.

2. Provide the necessary background information at the beginning of your essay to give the reader the context behind your thesis statement.

3. Select topic statements that provide value, more information, or evidence for your thesis statement.

There are also various essay structures , such as the compare and contrast structure, chronological structure, problem method solution structure, and signposting structure that you can follow to create an organized and impactful essay.

Parts of an essay

An impactful, well-structured essay comes down to three important parts: the introduction, body, and conclusion.

1. The introduction sets the stage for your essay and is typically a paragraph long. It should grab the reader’s attention and give them a clear idea of what your essay will be about.

2. The body is where you dive deeper into your topic and present your arguments and evidence. It usually consists of two paragraphs, but this can vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing.

3. The conclusion brings your essay to a close and is typically one paragraph long. It should summarize the main points of the essay and leave the reader with something to think about.

The length of your paragraphs can vary depending on the type of essay you’re writing. So, make sure you take the time to plan out your essay structure so each section flows smoothly into the next.

Introduction

When it comes to writing an essay, the introduction is a critical component that sets the tone for the entire piece. A well-crafted introduction not only grabs the reader’s attention but also provides them with a clear understanding of what the essay is all about. An essay editor can help you achieve this, but it’s best to know the brief yourself!

Let’s take a look at how to write an attractive and informative introductory paragraph.

1. Construct an attractive hook

To grab the reader’s attention, an opening statement or hook is crucial. This can be achieved by incorporating a surprising statistic, a shocking fact, or an interesting anecdote into the beginning of your piece.

For example, if you’re writing an essay about water conservation you can begin your essay with, “Clean drinking water, a fundamental human need, remains out of reach for more than one billion people worldwide. It deprives them of a basic human right and jeopardizes their health and wellbeing.”

2. Provide sufficient context or background information

An effective introduction should begin with a brief description or background of your topic. This will help provide context and set the stage for your discussion.

For example, if you’re writing an essay about climate change, you start by describing the current state of the planet and the impact that human activity is having on it.

3. Construct a well-rounded and comprehensive thesis statement

A good introduction should also include the main message or thesis statement of your essay. This is the central argument that you’ll be making throughout the piece. It should be clear, concise, and ideally placed toward the end of the introduction.

By including these elements in your introduction, you’ll be setting yourself up for success in the rest of your essay.

Let’s take a look at an example.

Essay introduction example

• Background information
• Thesis statement

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane in 1903 revolutionized the way humans travel and explore the world. Prior to this invention, transportation relied on trains, boats, and cars, which limited the distance and speed of travel. However, the airplane made air travel a reality, allowing people to reach far-off destinations in mere hours. This breakthrough paved the way for modern-day air travel, transforming the world into a smaller, more connected place. In this essay, we will explore the impact of the Wright Brothers’ invention on modern-day travel, including the growth of the aviation industry, increased accessibility of air travel to the general public, and the economic and cultural benefits of air travel.

Body paragraphs

You can persuade your readers and make your thesis statement compelling by providing evidence, examples, and logical reasoning. To write a fool-proof and authoritative essay, you need to provide multiple well-structured, substantial arguments.

Let’s take a look at how this can be done:

1. Write a topic sentence for each paragraph

The beginning of each of your body paragraphs should contain the main arguments that you’d like to address. They should provide ground for your thesis statement and make it well-rounded. You can arrange these arguments in several formats depending on the type of essay you’re writing.

2. Provide the supporting information

The next point of your body paragraph should provide supporting information to back up your main argument. Depending on the type of essay, you can elaborate on your main argument with the help of relevant statistics, key information, examples, or even personal anecdotes.

3. Analyze the supporting information

After providing relevant details and supporting information, it is important to analyze it and link it back to your main argument.

4. Create a smooth transition to the next paragraph

End one body paragraph with a smooth transition to the next. There are many ways in which this can be done, but the most common way is to give a gist of your main argument along with the supporting information with transitory words such as “however” “in addition to” “therefore”.

Here’s an example of a body paragraph.

Essay body paragraph example

• Topic sentence
• Supporting information
• Analysis of the information
• Smooth transition to the next paragraph

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane revolutionized air travel. They achieved the first-ever successful powered flight with the Wright Flyer in 1903, after years of conducting experiments and studying flight principles. Despite their first flight lasting only 12 seconds, it was a significant milestone that paved the way for modern aviation. The Wright Brothers’ success can be attributed to their systematic approach to problem-solving, which included numerous experiments with gliders, the development of a wind tunnel to test their designs, and meticulous analysis and recording of their results. Their dedication and ingenuity forever changed the way we travel, making modern aviation possible.

A powerful concluding statement separates a good essay from a brilliant one. To create a powerful conclusion, you need to start with a strong foundation.

Let’s take a look at how to construct an impactful concluding statement.

1. Restructure your thesis statement

To conclude your essay effectively, don’t just restate your thesis statement. Instead, use what you’ve learned throughout your essay and modify your thesis statement accordingly. This will help you create a conclusion that ties together all of the arguments you’ve presented.

2. Summarize the main points of your essay

The next point of your conclusion consists of a summary of the main arguments of your essay. It is crucial to effectively summarize the gist of your essay into one, well-structured paragraph.

3. Create a lasting impression with your concluding statement

Conclude your essay by including a key takeaway, or a powerful statement that creates a lasting impression on the reader. This can include the broader implications or consequences of your essay topic.

Here’s an example of a concluding paragraph.

Essay conclusion example

• Restated thesis statement
• Summary of the main points
• Broader implications of the thesis statement

The Wright Brothers’ invention of the airplane forever changed history by paving the way for modern aviation and countless aerospace advancements. Their persistence, innovation, and dedication to problem-solving led to the first successful powered flight in 1903, sparking a revolution in transportation that transformed the world. Today, air travel remains an integral part of our globalized society, highlighting the undeniable impact of the Wright Brothers’ contribution to human civilization.

Types of essays

Most essays are derived from the combination or variation of these four main types of essays . let’s take a closer look at these types.

1. Narrative essay

A narrative essay is a type of writing that involves telling a story, often based on personal experiences. It is a form of creative nonfiction that allows you to use storytelling techniques to convey a message or a theme.

2. Descriptive essay

A descriptive essay aims to provide an immersive experience for the reader by using sensory descriptors. Unlike a narrative essay, which tells a story, a descriptive essay has a narrower scope and focuses on one particular aspect of a story.

3. Argumentative essays

An argumentative essay is a type of essay that aims to persuade the reader to adopt a particular stance based on factual evidence and is one of the most common forms of college essays.

4. Expository essays

An expository essay is a common format used in school and college exams to assess your understanding of a specific topic. The purpose of an expository essay is to present and explore a topic thoroughly without taking any particular stance or expressing personal opinions.

While this article demonstrates what is an essay and describes its types, you may also have other doubts. As experts who provide essay editing and proofreading services , we’re here to help. 

Our team has created a list of resources to clarify any doubts about writing essays. Keep reading to write engaging and well-organized essays!

• How to Write an Essay in 8 Simple Steps
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between an argumentative and an expository essay, what is the difference between a narrative and a descriptive essay, what is an essay format, what is the meaning of essay, what is the purpose of writing an essay.

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Guide to Different Kinds of Essays

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An essay is a paper that discusses, describes or analyzes one topic. It can discuss a subject directly or indirectly, seriously or humorously. It can describe personal opinions, or just report information. An essay can be written from any perspective, but essays are most commonly written in the first person ( I ), or third person (subjects that can be substituted with the he, she, it, or they pronouns).

There are many different kinds of essays. The following are a some of the most common ones:

Descriptive Cause/Effect Argumentative Definition Narrative Critical Compare/Contrast Process

Descriptive:

Examples: A descriptive essay could describe . . .

The descriptive essay provides details about how something looks, feels, tastes, smells, makes one feel, or sounds. It can also describe what something is, or how something happened. These essays generally use a lot of sensory details. The essay could be a list-like description that provides point by point details. Or, it could function as a story, keeping the reader interested in the plot and theme of the event described.

Definition:

Examples: A definition essay may try and define . . .

A definition essay attempts to define a specific term. It could try to pin down the meaning of a specific word, or define an abstract concept. The analysis goes deeper than a simple dictionary definition; it should attempt to explain why the term is defined as such. It could define the term directly, giving no information other than the explanation of the term. Or, it could imply the definition of the term, telling a story that requires the reader to infer the meaning.

Compare/Contrast:

Examples:A compare/contrast essay may discuss . . .

The compare/contrast essay discusses the similarities and differences between two things, people, concepts, places, etc. The essay could be an unbiased discussion, or an attempt to convince the reader of the benefits of one thing, person, or concept. It could also be written simply to entertain the reader, or to arrive at an insight into human nature. The essay could discuss both similarities and differences, or it could just focus on one or the other. A comparison essay usually discusses the similarities between two things, while the contrast essay discusses the differences.

Cause/Effect:

Examples:A cause/effect essay may explain . . .

The cause/effect essay explains why or how some event happened, and what resulted from the event.

This essay is a study of the relationship between two or more events or experiences. The essay could discuss both causes and effects, or it could simply address one or the other. A cause essay usually discusses the reasons why something happened. An effect essay discusses what happens after a specific event or circumstance.

The example below shows a cause essay, one that would explain how and why an event happened.

If this cause essay were about a volcanic eruption, it might go something like this: “Pressure and heat built up beneath the earth’s surface; the effect of this was an enormous volcanic eruption.”

The next example shows an effect essay, one that would explain all the effects that happened after a specific event, like a volcanic eruption.

If this effect essay were about a volcanic eruption again, it might go something like this:

“The eruption caused many terrible things to happen; it destroyed homes, forests, and polluted the atmosphere.”

Examples:A narrative essay could tell of . . .

The narrative essay tells a story. It can also be called a “short story.” Generally, the narrative essay is conversational in style and tells of a personal experience. It is most commonly written in the first person (uses I ). This essay could tell of a single, life-shaping event, or simply a mundane daily experience.

Examples: A process essay may explain . . .

A process essay describes how something is done. It generally explains actions that should be performed in a series. It can explain in detail how to accomplish a specific task, or it can show how an individual came to a certain personal awareness. The essay could be in the form of step-by-step instructions, or in story form, with the instructions/explanations subtly given along the way.

Argumentative:

Examples: An argumentative essay may persuade a reader that . . .

An argumentative essay is one that attempts to persuade the reader to the writer’s point of view. The writer can either be serious or funny, but always tries to convince the reader of the validity of his or her opinion. The essay may argue openly, or it may attempt to subtly persuade the reader by using irony or sarcasm.

Examples: A critical essay may analyze . . .

A critical essay analyzes the strengths, weaknesses, and methods of someone else’s work. Generally, these essays begin with a brief overview of the main points of the text, movie, or piece of art, followed by an analysis of the work’s meaning. It should then discuss how well the author/creator accomplishes his/her goals and makes his/her points. A critical essay can be written about another essay, story, book, poem, movie, or work of art.

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Call for Applications: The 2024 Essay Competition on the topic “Digitalization of Armed Conflicts”

• Republic of Moldova
• Learning and teaching IHL
• New technologies and warfare
• Cyber and information operations

The International Committee of the Red Cross in the Republic of Moldova (ICRC) is proud to announce an essay competition on the theme Digitalization of Armed Conflicts . The competition seeks to spotlight that, applied in the spirit in which they were designed to protect and function, the Geneva Conventions can rise to the modern challenges of today’s armed conflicts.

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, a moment of recommitment towards IHL. The Geneva Conventions were adopted in 1949 and are now universally ratified. They represent a universal acknowledgement that war needs rules to limit its devastating impact. In an often-divided world, when parties respect the law, lives are saved, humanitarian actors are enabled to provide aid to affected populations and the principle of humanity is upheld. 

At the same time, new challenges such as cyber warfare have become reality in contemporary armed conflicts. We, therefore, encourage students to approach the topic from various perspectives, such as: What are the ethical challenges of using cyber operations in warfare? How can technology be used responsibly in armed conflicts so as to ensure civilian safety? How can the global community work together to reduce the risks of cyber warfare? How does international humanitarian law protect humanitarian workers from cyber warfare? How can media reporting on military cyber operations help raise awareness about civilian risks during armed conflicts? These are examples, and participants are welcome to choose one of these questions or explore other related topics in their essays.

In today’s world, that is increasingly polarized and where international commitments are being challenged, the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law embody universal humanitarian values that preserve lives and dignity. What the world needs more than ever is a more robust adherence to the Geneva Conventions. This is where the students of today - the future generations of professionals - step in. We at the ICRC support the students in exploring, engaging and debating with the ethical and humanitarian issues arising from armed conflict so that they are able to play their role of re-affirming the enduring relevance of IHL, the deep-rooted respect for human dignity, both in peacetime and in the midst of armed conflict. Doris El Doueihy, Head of Delegation, ICRC, Chisinau

To participate, students must submit their essays along with a copy of their identification and proof of enrollment in a university programme (undergraduate or masters). These documents must be received by the ICRC Chisinau Delegation no later than 31 October 2024 at 23:59 . Submissions can be sent by email to [email protected] or by mail to Bulgara Str. 23, MD-2001, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova. Participation in the competition is individual, collective work is not accepted. Essays can be written in Romanian, Russian or English. Winners will be informed in the last week of November 2024 and invited for an awards ceremony scheduled for early December.

The winning entries will be selected by a panel of IHL experts chosen by the ICRC. Participants will be assessed on their logical arguments, the depth to which they develop their answers, structure and demonstrated knowledge of the subject matter. 

The winners will be notified by the end of November 2024 and invited to an awards ceremony. 

The 1 st prize essay:  an internship at the ICRC in Chisinau ;

The 2 nd prize essay:  a day spent at the ICRC in Chisinau and attendance of an ICRC event on IHL ;

The 3 rd prize essay:  ICRC IHL publications

Certificates of participation will be provided for all submissions that are not disqualified.  

Useful links to sources on the topic of the competition:

ICRC Report,  Protecting Civilians Against Digital Threats During Armed Conflict , September 2023

Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog,  Foghorns of War: IHL and Information Operations During Armed Conflict , Tilman Rodenhauser and Samit D’Cunha, October 2023

Humanitarian Law & Policy Blog,  What We Don’t Understand About Digital Risks in Armed Conflict and What to Do About it , Rizk and Cordey, July 2023

ICRC Position Paper,  International Humanitarian Law and Cyber Operations during Armed Conflict , November 2019

Related articles

South Africa: 22nd Annual Regional Seminar on IHL

China: Annual International Humanitarian Law Summer Session Held in Jiangsu

International Humanitarian Law and China: Historical Timeline

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Can a Relationship Between Two Type A Personalities Work?

Is Somebody Gonna Match My Match My Control Freak?

Westend61 / Getty Images

Why It Will Work

Why it might not work, how to make it work.

Sparks can certainly fly when two type A personalities find themselves falling for each other. But are those sparks the perfect amount for a nice romantic fire, or will they end up setting the whole relationship ablaze? Type A people are often hardworking perfectionists and detail-oriented go-getters with high standards who won’t settle for anything but the best. What happens when two such people get together?

“These individuals often thrive in structured, goal-oriented environments and may exhibit a sense of urgency in both their personal and professional lives,” says Ozan Toy, MD, MPH ,  chief medical officer at Telapsychiatry. “Type A personalities are relatively common, particularly in high-stress professions such as senior executives, doctors, lawyers, and professors.”

With a double dose of perfectionism, this love story could be epic—or epically intense. Let’s dive into whether this power couple can make it work.

Rachel Marmor, LMHC

They often share a deep drive for achievement, a love for challenge, and a passion for excellence. This can create a relationship filled with excitement, mutual respect, and shared goals.

People with type A personalities are often highly successful, even if they may experience some burnout or unnecessary self-criticism along the way. They’re super driven, competitive, and often excel in whatever they put their mind to (because they’d stop short of nothing less than perfection). When two Type A personalities come together, it can make for a seriously impressive power couple dynamic.

“A relationship between two Type A personalities is like a dance between two powerful energies. Each partner brings strength, determination, and a clear sense of direction,” says Rachel Marmor, LMHC , chief wellness officer at the PAIRS Foundation. “They often share a deep drive for achievement, a love for challenge, and a passion for excellence. This can create a relationship filled with excitement, mutual respect, and shared goals .”

Another benefit of two type A personalities being together is that there’s a sense of shared ambition that can be extremely powerful. As long as both parties are on the same page about a specific goal—large or small—they can accomplish it quickly and effectively.

“Oftentimes, people can have different life goals which can lead to conflict in a relationship. However if both partners are highly motivated and driven then it is likely they will find joy in sharing a desire for achievement,” Toy says.

He adds, “The relationship can also be filled with excitement and activity, as both individuals are typically energetic, focused, and goal-oriented.” Research shows that this ability to achieve goals can have positive mental health effects.

Every relationship experiences natural ebbs and flows, but when two type A personalities come together things can get a bit fiery. Each has their own set of deep-seated passions and goals, and when these aren’t aligned, then tension and conflict can arise.

Power Struggles

Power struggles are a common issue between this pairing since both parties may feel the desire to lead the dance, set the pace, and steer the ship. “Their combined intensity can fuel a high-stress relationship, especially if both partners are impatient or too uptight,” Toy says. 

Competitiveness 

Type A personalities are naturally competitive, and that can bleed into the relationship. From minor situations (like playing a card game) to larger life goals, two type A people may end up competing with each other. This can become exhausting, but Toy says it can also breed resentment if one partner consistently outperforms the other.

When you pair a type A personality with someone who’s more laid-back , there’s going to be a natural pullback in intensity. However, combine two type A personalities and both may run at full speed ahead without another person there to say “Whoa, nellie.” (Studies have even found a correlation between poor heart health and type A personalities due to the stress they put on themselves. )

“To find no or poor balance is also common among A personality couples,” says Sofie Roos , a relationship therapist. “These relationships tend to lack sleep and have too little free time and too much working time which can lead to stress, burnout and mental health problems such as depression.”

It's important to recognize that while both partners are strong, the strength lies not just in leading but also in following.

Yes! Two type A personalities can absolutely thrive in a romantic relationship—it just takes some work—like any relationship. While the relationship dynamic between two type A personalities can be intense, it can also feel deeply fulfilling if both partners are aligned with life goals, adaptable, and willing to openly communicate .

“It's important to recognize that while both partners are strong, the strength lies not just in leading but also in following,” Marmor says. “The ability to step back, to allow the other person to take the lead at times, is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of deep respect and trust.”

She notes that when two Type A individuals are able to comfortably alternate between leading and following, they ultimately create a beautiful, balanced rhythm in their relationship. 

The issue is that these things don’t necessarily come naturally to type A folks, so it’s something they need to be intentional about. Meditation practices , routinely checking in with one another, and incorporating relaxation techniques and shared leisure time can all help a double type A relationship thrive. 

Wilmot MP, Haslam N, Tian J, Ones DS. Direct and conceptual replications of the taxometric analysis of type a behavior . Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 2019;116(3):e12-e26. doi:10.1037/pspp0000195

Saadi W, Gorgi M, Fouel N, et al. Relationship between type A personality and coronary heart disease . Eur Psychiatry . 2022;65(Suppl 1):S374. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.950

By Wendy Rose Gould Wendy Rose Gould is a lifestyle reporter with over a decade of experience covering health and wellness topics.

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The Most Popular Types of Affiliate Partners and Their Benefits

• Affiliate Marketing
• partnership marketing
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Chrissy Kammerer

Director of Content

The next part of our  Affiliate Marketing 101 series  is to learn more about the affiliate partners, sometimes known as publishers. These people or companies promote products and services in exchange for a commission when a product is sold or a lead has been generated for the advertising company.  

There are several different types of affiliate partners, and in this guide, we will cover the ten most popular types as well as their benefits. 

Cashback Affiliate Partners

A cashback partner is a type of website or app that offers a cashback incentive to the shopper or person using the service. These types of partners usually have large customer bases and are effective in driving rewards for their users.

Benefits of Working with Cashback Affiliates:

They Attract Price-Conscious Consumers:  Cashback affiliate partners tap into a vast audience of shoppers who value saving money, so they use the service to get a portion of what they buy back. Because the pool of price savvy consumers is so large, this type of partner is able to expand the reach from your affiliate marketing efforts instantly. They expand your reach to a valuable customer segment.

They Encourage Customer Loyalty & Repeat Customers:  The cashback incentive motivates customers to keep returning to make purchases and earn additional rewards. Their repeat business translates into customer loyalty for your brand.

Coupon & Deals Sites

This type of affiliate partner also caters to savvy shoppers by offering discounts and incentives through coupon codes. Often, shoppers will add items to the cart and then search Google for coupons, and if none are found, the transaction never gets completed. This type of partner leverages that moment to help you complete a sale. They will use search engine optimization strategies to rank on Google for your Brand Name + Coupon and send email newsletters alerting a large audience about the promotions and coupon codes you have running.

Benefits of Working with Coupon Site Affiliates:

They Drive Sales Through Price Sensitivity:  Coupon affiliate sites tap into a large pool of price-conscious consumers who are likely to convert if they are offered a good deal that expires soon. This will expand your brand’s customer base and drive sales.

They Increase Conversion Rates:  By providing the missing piece, the discount shared at the right time, coupon affiliate sites can nudge hesitant shoppers towards completing their purchases. This leads to higher conversion rates for you.

Comparison Platforms

Comparison partners assist customers in making informed purchasing decisions by presenting various options for products or services. They help users find the best deals or suitable products based on their preferences. Benefit: Enhances user experience by simplifying the decision-making process and increases the likelihood of conversions.

Benefits of Working with Comparison Partners:

They Offer a Better User Experience:  Comparison partners can streamline the purchase journey for your customers by providing unbiased comparisons and simplifying which product a potential buyer should choose. This leads to a positive user experience because there is less to question and less time spent researching your website (or your competitors).

They Improve Conversion Rates:  When users feel confident about their purchase decision, they’re more likely to convert. Comparison partners, by offering in-depth comparisons, can significantly increase conversion rates for your products.

Content Affiliates & Review Sites

Content publishers can range from gigantic media outlets to individual bloggers running their own product review sites. Content partners focus on delivering quality content to their audience, which is typically focused on a certain niche or specific topic that is related to your business.

Benefits of Working with Content Publisher Affiliates:

They Offer Brand Credibility by Association:  Partnering with a trusted content creator reflects positively on your brand. A content creator’s endorsement of your product can enhance your brand image and build trust with potential customers.

It Allows You to Further Educate Consumers:  Quality content can educate your potential buyers about your products, their benefits, and how they address their specific needs. This empowers buyers to make an informed purchase decision.

They Fostering Trust and Engagement:  By providing valuable content, content publishers nurture trust and loyalty with their audience. This translates into higher engagement with your brand and ultimately drives conversions.

Influencers

Influencers are people, bands, or entertainers with a larger social media following that can promote a brand’s products or services in exchange for compensation

Benefits of Working with Influencers:

They Offer Brand Awareness:  Influencers can rapidly expand your brand’s reach by exposing your products to a large and targeted audience through their social media channels.

They Drive Conversions:  Influencer endorsements can significantly impact purchase decisions. A positive recommendation from a trusted influencer will drive sales and conversions for your brand.

They Cultivate Brand Loyalty:  When influencers consistently promote your brand in a positive light, they can foster brand loyalty among their followers. This leads to repeat customers, social followers, and advocates for your brand.

Brand Partnerships

A brand partnership is a collaboration between two established brands to achieve mutually beneficial goals such as generating new leads, growing sales, or more brand awareness.

Benefits of Working with Brand Partnerships:

They Expand Market Reach:  Brand partners gain access to each other’s established customer base, significantly increasing their market reach and potential customer pool.

They Increase Credibility:  Association with another reputable brand can elevate the image of your brand, fostering trust and credibility with your potential buyers.

Shared Resources & Expertise:  Brand partnerships allow for cost-effective marketing campaigns and product development by leveraging each other’s resources and expertise.

Loyalty Partners

A loyalty partner is a type of partner that manages a customer loyalty reward program that rewards their members with points or incentives for each purchase they’ve made. So, how are Loyalty partners different from cashback partners? Well, it comes down to the reward they offer buyers. Acashback affiliate offers money, while the loyalty partner offers points that can be redeemed for goods or services. Loyalty partners are effective in fostering repeat purchases and building brand loyalty.

Benefits of Working with Loyalty Partners:

Encourages Customer Retention:  Loyalty programs incentivize repeat purchases, keeping existing customers engaged with your brand and reducing churn.

Increased Customer Lifetime Value:  By retaining customers and encouraging repeat purchases, loyalty programs can significantly increase the customer lifetime value for your brand.

Strengthens Brand Affinity:  Positive experiences with a loyalty program foster positive brand associations and emotional connections, leading to stronger brand loyalty.

Additional Affiliate Types To Know About

Metasearch Engines : Primarily found in the travel sector, metasearch partners allow users to compare multiple options simultaneously, such as flights or accommodations. They often redirect users to other sites for purchases.

Their Benefit: Provides convenience to users by consolidating search results and increases exposure for brands.

Sub-Networks : These networks enable collaboration with a larger pool of partners, typically long-tail affiliates. Brands can leverage sub-networks to expand their reach and diversity of affiliates.

Their Benefit: Broadens the affiliate network, reaching niche audiences and driving incremental sales.

Referral Partners : Brands incentivize customers to refer others through discounts, points, or products. Referral partners turn customers into advocates, driving new customer acquisition through word-of-mouth marketing.

Their Benefit: Harnesses the power of customer advocacy, generates high-quality leads, and reduces customer acquisition costs.

In Conclusion

As you can see, there are many different types of affiliates with unique benefits to offer your brand. By diversifying the various types you use, you can minimize the risk of relying on a single partner type experiencing industry fluctuations (like a Google algorithm change) while maximizing profits by harnessing the unique strengths each affiliate type brings.

Related Posts:

• Affiliate Marketing 101 Guide
• Affiliate Marketing Strategies to Know
• 6 Simple Wins for Your Affiliate Program Strategy
• Affiliate Vs. Partner Marketing: What is the Difference?
• 7 Excellent Benefits of Affiliate Marketing in 2024
• The Best Affiliate Programs In the USA 2024 (All Categories Included)
• Affiliate Marketing Evolved: It’s Time for Partnerships

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August 29, 2024

Accenture and Google Cloud Advance AI Adoption and Cybersecurity with Fortune 500 Companies

Companies helping clients across industries safely scale ai projects and reinvent business operations, 45% of joint client projects have moved from gen ai proof-of-concepts to production.

NEW YORK and SUNNYVALE, Calif; Aug. 29, 2024 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Google Cloud today announced that their strategic alliance is advancing solutions for enterprise clients and seeing strong momentum across industries in two critical and related areas: generative AI and cybersecurity.

As part of the announcement today, the two companies are increasing their investments in services that support businesses through every stage of their gen AI projects, including providing the expertise to determine optimal use cases, piloting projects for strategic innovation and deploying the engineering prowess needed to scale the technology and secure the enterprise. With cybersecurity as a core pillar of the partnership, Accenture and Google Cloud are also deepening their security work as clients adapt to new risks unique to gen AI, including securing model data, managing cyberattacks, and delivering remediation services that minimize breach impact and enable faster recovery.

As a result of the Accenture and Google Cloud generative AI Center of Excellence (CoE), which launched in December 2023, 45% of joint client projects have moved from gen AI proof-of-concepts to production. With today’s announcement, the companies will further increase support for clients as they use AI to optimize critical business functions, address complex industry needs and protect against sophisticated cybersecurity threats.

“Accenture’s decade-long partnership with Google Cloud is helping our clients across industries accelerate and scale their use of generative AI as a catalyst for reinvention, to strengthen cybersecurity, and create long-term value faster,” said Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture. “The strategic, industry, and technical expertise of our joint gen AI Center of Excellence is enabling clients to solve not only complex business challenges right now, but also create a strong foundation for future innovation, resilience and growth.”

“Accenture and Google Cloud have already helped multiple Fortune 500 companies move from experimentation with gen AI to production,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. “Through our expanded partnership today, we are rapidly accelerating gen AI adoption by providing customers with the technical expertise, engineering resources, and AI-optimized tools they need to scale and succeed.”

Accelerating Enterprise Adoption of Gen AI Through the joint gen AI CoE, Accenture and Google Cloud have quickly delivered new gen AI solutions, managed services, and more than 60 joint industry accelerators. These accelerators are based on Accenture’s hundreds of gen AI use cases and help clients solve complex challenges across industries, such as optimizing supply chains to improve product distribution, enhancing retail experiences to increase purchase conversion rates, and automating document processing to increase efficiency.

As one of the largest financial institutions in Brazil, Banco BV called on Accenture and Google Cloud to reinvent their customer experience with gen AI.

Gabriel Ferreira, CEO, Banco BV, said, “The GenCore project, developed by Banco BV, Accenture, and Google Cloud, uses AI to create hyper-personalized interactions with customers, making communication 80% faster and 100 times more personalized. Fully anchored in AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) using Google Cloud’s Vertex AI, this advancement reflects our commitment to innovation and excellence in customer service.”

Accenture and Google Cloud have also provided clients with cloud infrastructure and AI models to successfully build and scale multiple types of AI workloads. With access to Google’s latest tensor processing units (TPUs) and NVIDIA’s graphics processing units (GPUs), clients have been able to run their most demanding gen AI applications, while models like Gemini 1.5 Flash have delivered cost-effective performance completing high-volume, high-frequency tasks at global scale.

To achieve this, many clients have used Vertex AI as the unified platform providing a single surface to train, test, and tune both Gemini and third-party models, enabling clients to more efficiently bring gen AI applications to production, and to monitor the models powering them for input skew and drift.

For example, Radisson Hotel Group, a global leading hotel chain with a footprint in more than 95 countries, used Vertex AI and Gemini models to optimize its advertising workflows. By training AI models on extensive datasets stored in BigQuery, the company created personalized advertisements at scale, boosting the productivity of their ad teams by more than 50% while increasing revenue from AI-powered campaigns by more than 20%, enhancing the differential value they offer to the hotel owners.

Powering Security with Gen AI and Threat Intelligence Accenture and Google Cloud have also deepened their work to help clients transform security operations, delivering solutions to hundreds of enterprise clients over the past year to strengthen their security posture and reduce costs.

Accenture’s managed extended detection and response (MxDR) offering is integrated with Google Security Operations, which features security-specific gen AI platform capabilities from Google Cloud and gen AI operational capabilities from Accenture. Additionally, the joint service is now supplemented with frontline intelligence from Mandiant, combined with Accenture’s crisis management and consulting teams, enabling customers to quickly identify and respond to advanced cyber threats.

As enterprises navigate the complexity of gen AI, it is essential that they embed strong cybersecurity practices at every level of their organizations for ongoing business reinvention, using tools like MxDR to stay ahead of sophisticated threats. For example, after a significant cyber breach, an international retailer successfully improved its security posture and strengthened its detection and response effectiveness by adopting the MxDR solution.

Accenture’s Investments to Deliver Google Cloud AI Accenture and Google Cloud are also investing in client services to support every stage of a gen AI project, including capabilities to rapidly prototype, assess AI readiness, and build the correct foundation for modernizing business applications and customer experiences with gen AI. In the past 12 months, Accenture has doubled its Google Cloud certifications to address the rising demand for Google Cloud technology, and its experts have been accredited with Google Cloud’s new Gen AI Skills badge.

Accenture has also increased the adoption of Google Cloud’s gen AI into its platforms, which has helped the company enhance its Google Cloud engineering capabilities. For example, Accenture has integrated Gemini Code Assist with its flagship AI based automation platform, GenWizard, enabling thousands of Accenture software engineers to bring AI-driven software delivery to Google customers. Gemini for Code Assist has had a significant impact—boosting application development cycles with its AI-powered code recommendations and providing a natural language chat interface for information retrieval, which has improved the speed and quality of software projects that Accenture engineers are delivering to Google customers.

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My Demoralizing but Not Surprising Cancellation

About an hour before my first book event, I heard from my publicist that the bookstore had “concerns” about my conversation partner, Rabbi Andy Bachman, because he was a “Zionist.”

Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (NOA) using AI narration.

Last Tuesday, I was supposed to have launched my first book, Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life , with an event at a bookstore in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Dumbo—a conversation between me and the well-known Reform rabbi Andy Bachman.

The event didn’t happen. About an hour before the intended start, I heard from my publicist that the bookstore had “concerns” about Rabbi Bachman because he was a “Zionist.” I received another call while in a car on the way to the store: The manager was now refusing to host the conversation with the rabbi. When I arrived, I asked her why she would not permit the event to go forward as planned. Her response: “We don’t want a Zionist onstage.”

I was taken aback. Rabbi Bachman is an outspoken social-justice advocate and a supporter of the establishment of a Palestinian state (and my former teacher). My book is a history of American Jewish life in the second half of the 20th century, and deals critically with Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. Because of my analysis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as my reporting about and public opposition to Israel’s military occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza, I had feared that synagogues would be reluctant (and surely some still are) to host events. I did not anticipate that the trouble would come from a bookstore in Brooklyn.

Adam Kirsch: The false narrative of settler colonialism

Then again, perhaps I should not have been surprised at all. Since October 7, the public discourse on Israel and Palestine has curdled. Some right-wing supporters of Israel have become cheerleaders for violence. In certain spaces that call themselves progressive, intolerance has become endemic and conspiratorial thinking is on the rise. The result across the board: Nuance has evaporated, and humanity is in short supply.

My would-be book launch also exemplified the bind that many progressive American Jews face. We are caught between parts of an activist left demanding that we disavow our communities, even our families, as an entrance ticket, and a mainstream Jewish institutional world that has long marginalized critics of Israeli policy. Indeed, Jews who are committed to the flourishing of Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora, and who are also outraged by Israel’s brutal war in Gaza, feel like we have little room to maneuver.

On the one hand, we can no more renounce our families, friends, and communities than we can ourselves, and the demand that we do so is wrong. It is straightforwardly anti-Semitic to ask, as the bookstore manager did with her blanket ban on Zionists, that Jews support Israel’s dismantling as a criterion for participation in intellectual life. This is a condition that most Jews, who when surveyed describe strong attachment to Israel, could not meet. And it is a kind of litmus test that should not be asked (and generally is not) of any other group of people.

On the other hand, we cannot ignore Israel’s devastation of the Gaza Strip, and should be fearful of shifting attention away from the human catastrophe unfolding in the territory. Friends on the left have warned me that making too much of last week’s deplatforming has already had this effect. I worry about bolstering tribalist thinking, which is precisely the mentality that for decades has blinded so many in mainstream Jewish institutions to the grinding, daily injustices of the occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza—and, more recently, inured them to the horrific fact that this war has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of them civilians .

But silence about the pitfalls of the left carries its own risks—including risks to the left itself. My experience last week was so demoralizing in part because such episodes make moving the mainstream Jewish community much harder. Every time a left-wing activist insists that the only way to truly participate in the fight for peace and justice is to support the dissolution of Israel, it reinforces the zero-sum (and morally repulsive) idea that opposing the status quo requires Israel’s destruction. Rhetorical extremism and dogmatism make it easier for right-wing Israel supporters to dismiss what should be legitimate demands—for instance, conditions on U.S. military aid—as beyond the pale.

The new left-wing norm that insists on one-state maximalism is not only a moral mistake. It is also a strategic one. If there is one thing that the past year of cease-fire activism has illustrated, it is that changing U.S. policy on Israel requires a broad coalition. That big tent must have room for those who believe in Jewish self-determination and are committed to Israel’s existence, even as they work to end its domination over Palestinians.

Many on the right, not just the far left, scoff at the possibility of such a coalition. For the past several days, my inbox has been filled with hateful crowing that the cancellation of my book launch is the bitter fruit that I and other left-wing Jews deserve. What did I expect? Hadn’t I written more than 100 articles documenting Israeli human-rights abuses and the occupation’s quotidian cruelty? Didn’t I advocate for policies, including boycotts, that would pressure Israel to change its policies? So how could I now complain that similar tactics were being used against me? The ejection of Zionists and Israelis from polite society was on my hands.

To these critics I must insist on a difference between boycotts of entire groups of people based on their identity or the ideas they are assumed to hold, and boycotts of goods produced in unlawfully occupied territories. The former are antithetical to democratic public life—as the owner of the bookstore argued in his statement apologizing for the cancellation. The latter, by contrast, are a staple of nonviolent resistance, crucial tools for achieving genuine democracy.

Arash Azizi: Is a new Palestinian movement being born?

No doubt, I regret certain sentences and even articles I’ve written about Israel in the past, which today I would phrase differently. The October 7 attacks painfully resensitized me to the reality of Israeli Jewish vulnerability, which exists despite the massive power imbalance between Israel and the Palestinians. I was too often willing to overlook this fact. Opening one’s eyes to the dehumanization of Palestinians does not require closing one’s eyes to the dehumanization of Israelis, and vice versa. If Rabbi Bachman and I had been able to have our conversation last week, we could have discussed what might be the one immutable truth about Israel and Palestine these days: Neither Israelis nor Palestinians are going anywhere, and both peoples have the right to equality, dignity, and self-determination. No movement that ignores this reality has any hope of success.

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Hungry for Clean Energy, Facebook Looks to a New Type of Geothermal

As electricity demand from data centers soars, Meta and Google are looking at a novel solution: harnessing clean heat far below Earth’s surface.

By Brad Plumer

Big tech companies across the United States are struggling to find enough clean energy to power all the data centers they plan to build.

Now, some firms are betting on a novel solution: harvesting the heat deep beneath the Earth’s surface to create emissions-free electricity, using drilling techniques from the oil and gas fracking boom.

On Monday, Meta, the company that owns Facebook, announced an agreement with a start-up called Sage Geosystems to develop up to 150 megawatts of an advanced type of geothermal energy that would help power the tech giant’s expanding array of data centers. That is roughly enough electricity to power 70,000 homes.

Sage will use fracking techniques similar to those that have helped extract vast amounts of oil and gas from shale rock. But rather than drill for fossil fuels, Sage plans to create fractures thousands of feet beneath the surface and pump water into them. The heat and pressure underground should heat the water to the point where it can be used to generate electricity in a turbine, all without the greenhouse gases that are causing global warming.

“It’s basically the same fracking technology,” said Cindy Taff, an oil industry veteran who worked at Shell for 36 years before becoming Sage’s chief executive. “The difference is that we’re going after clean heat instead of hydrocarbons” such as oil and gas.

Sage has already drilled a test well in South Texas to demonstrate its approach. The startup now aims to build its first large-scale power plant at a yet-to-be-determined location east of the Rocky Mountains, with the first phase coming online by 2027.

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