Lithosphere Essays - Bodies Of Water, Oceans, Physical Oceanography

Lithosphere Essays - Bodies Of Water, Oceans, Physical Oceanography Lithosphere Notes on the lithosphere- (rock sphere) Upper most part is crust of earth. Compiled of rocks of outer crust. Outermost shell. Upper part- rocks we see at and near the earths surface. Crust is 5 to 10 km thick under most oceans and 24 to 60 km thick under the continents. The lithosphere under the crust is solid, dense material. (more dense than surface materials). Lithosphere 100-200 km. Notes on the aesthenosphere- zone beneath the lithosphere. Thick like tar. Weak because of high teperatures at that depth. Density- 2.7-3.4 to about 12. Notes on the hydrosphere- (Water-bearing) Too small due to the irregularity of upward projection. Density-1.1 Notes on the Atmosphere- only 10 km thick layer of gas which is the basis of human life. Dens. 0.0. Reactions within- litho to hydro, none besides movement of sand and other free floating particles, absorbtion. Hydro to atmo, evaporation, precipitation, mater, energy, gases, salt, oxygen, carbon dioxide. Litho to atmo, none besides precipitation. Silicon tetrahedron- tetrahedron, a shape of a crystal. If a quartz crystal, (SiO) is broken, then it would shatter. A feldspar (Al,Si,O,Ca,Na) is split, it would evenly cleave. Of all rocks- O=46% Si=28%. Basic structure- 4 oxygen, one Si, i n the shape of a pyramid. Such a foundation is a Si tetrahedron. Silicates are the most common family of minerals. Tetrahedrons- Si + O2= 75% of all. Rocks are classified- by how they are formed. Igneous rocks- are usually not porous. They solidify from a molten state. Are further classified as plutonic (intrusive) and volcanic (extrusive). Volcanic solidify on the earth?s surface. Plutonic solidify below the earth?s surface. Metamorphic rocks solidify (changed form) are se! dimentary or igneous rocks in which the minerals or texture or both have been changed by high pressures and temperatures without melting. Sedimentary Rockss include, granite, sandstone. Air masses- Cold Fronts- The Interface at which cold air replaces warm air. Cold Fronts usually come after the warm fronts in such a system. In fact, it is usually followed by rain. Formed by air flowing over the land and ocean that situates in the tropics, continents, oceans. CT, CP, MT, MP Warm fronts- the interface where warm air replaces cold air. Signified by semicircles. salinity- The number of grams of dissolved material in 1000 grams of seawater. Salinity is usually relative to salt. In the ocean, there is approx. 35 grams of salt per thousand. It is developed by the movement of dissolved particles towards a basin of! water. Sodium and chlorine atoms make up about 85% of all. Ions of just 6 elements make up more than 99% of the ions. Relative amounts: Chlor 55.2%; Sod 30.5; Sulfate 7.7; Magnes 3.7; Calc 1.2; Pot 1.1; All others .7 percent of all ions. Exe. 100 grams seawater, 965 grams water, 35 grams salts. Na + Cl -. Trace elements are extremely small in the development of water. They make up the other one percent of the ions in seawater. Winds are the cheif cause of waves and ocean movements of that type. Each wave has a top, or crest. Each has a bnottom, or trough. Height equals crest minus trough. Crest to crest legnth is wavelegnth. Time between crests is called the period. Period equals wavelegnth divided by period. Over deep water, waves with long wavelegnths travel faster than those with short wavelegnths. Long waves crashing on a beach are usually a sign of an upcoming storm. When the water is deeper than one-half the wave legnth, the water particles move around! in circles. The diameter equals the wave height. Deeper and deeper, diameters decrease. One half legnth of wave, no detectable motion. Waves break because bottom particles are dragged on floor as upper particles race ahead. The result is a breaking wave. Waves bend at beaches to become parallel because when water is shallower, the waves slow down, thus giving the oblique angled waves a chance to catch up. Currents are caused by winds at the ocean?s surface. The sun is the basic source of energy for ocean currents.

Two Artists And One Great Age essays

Two Artists And One Great Age essays The great age, Renaissance was a time when old beliefs were tested. It was a period of intellectual ferment that prepared the ground for the thinkers and scientists of the 17th century. It was an age that bore two great artists: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo. Leonardo was not a prolific painter like his fellow artists. He was a kind of intellectual painter, a painter who thought a great deal about nature and about how to represent it in art before he picked up the brush. Yet, one might attribute that quality to Michelangelo as well who was clearly a deep thinker. In looking at the works of these artists, their driven personalities and great accomplishments, one sees many similarities. However, they chose different techniques and different mediums. Further, Da Vinci was more of a scientist whereas Michelangelo was more of a loner who was devoted to the love of art and sculpture. Nevertheless, the paintings, statues and unfinished designs created by these two solitary often-abrasive artists are among the most beautiful in the world. Their work is important because it interweaves past revolutionary ideals with modern age of skepticism. If one person could be singled out as the essence of the Renaissance it would be Leonardo da Vinci. He was a painter, scientist, engineer and poet. He became all that his contemporaries wanted to be. His mind was ever open so were his eyes. Leonardo was trained, as all artist of the time were, by being apprenticed in the studio of another artist. These apprentices started out washing brushes and cleaning floors for the their teachers. These studios, however, were the meeting places of the great minds of the day. Leonardo made contact with intelligent men and acquired the skills of scientific inquiry as well as receiving the finest training available in painting and sculpture. Leonardo got his start as an artist around 1469, when his father apprenticed him to the fabled workshop of Verocc...

Democracy in egypt and libya Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Democracy in egypt and libya - Essay Example It is estimated that Hosni Mobarak accumulated about US$40 billion through corruption (Kassem, 2004). Many demonstrators suffered injuries during their protests at Tahrir Square specially. Strong Egyptian army was present in the streets but army chief promised security to his own countrymen. Finally Hosni Mobarak changed his stance and left the presidency. Therefore, people of Egypt finally managed to get rid of a dictator and live their lives as per their own will. Unrest in Middle East spread to Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Yemen and now Libya is under fire. Now the world is focusing on the unrest in Libya. Anti government protesters have shown a lot of aggression against the Qadhafi’s government and are continuously exerting the pressure to topple Qadhafi’s government. Protestors set fire to the parliament building in Tripoli, seriously challenging the Qadhafi’s rule (Saikal and Schnabel, 2003). Libya is one of the largest oil producers in the region. Libya almost pro duces more than 1.6 million barrels of oil per day. Unrest in Libya can seriously affect the oil prices and global economy also. Unrest in Libya caused death of thousands of people (Pratt, 2007). Qadhafi’s ordered agencies to open fire on the protester that resulted in death of thousands of citizens. Libya is unable to provide protection to their own people. Egypt witnessed the largest protests in last few months. Protestors demanded the resignation of President Hosni Mobarak who ruled the country for more than 30 years (Saikal and Schnabel, 2003). Tahrir square of the capital was the main gathering point for protests. Protesters were not agreed on any incentive less then resignation of the president Hosni Mobarak. This stance of protesters was clear to Mobarak but even than he refused to quit before the elections of coming September. After seeing the state of turmoil in the country, complete cabinet was changed and new ministers were announced but public said that they would only be satisfied when president Mobarak resigns. Tens of thousands of protesters continuously demanded for an end to corruption, deprivation and lawlessness in the country (Kassem, 2004). Army was employed in the streets of Cairo with heavy tanks and other weapon systems. Army allowed protestors to continue protests against the government as this was their legal right. Hosni Mobarak addressed the nation on television before the million march and delivered very inflammatory speech and also pledged reforms in different parts of life (Kassem, 2004). However, on the next day more than a million people again took part in the protests and demanded resignation of Mobarak. This was the first time when people of the Muslim nations stood for their rights of self determination against a dictator who ruined the life of people through corruption and cruelty. Success of protests and end of Mobarak rule in Egypt is most likely to encourage people of other Muslim nations in mid east to take darin g steps against their rulers. Increasing numbers of demonstrations in Egypt cause many injuries to people but deaths were surprisingly very less (Pratt, 2007). Army did not take stern actions against the demonstrators. Army chief denied the use of force against its own citizens. This act of army really gave confidence to people to take active part in the protests and express their views about the government. There were incidents of throwing acid and stones on the protesters at

Bussines Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Bussines Accounting - Essay Example However, with the shift in the supply curve the quantity supplied falls. On account of this leftward shift the equilibrium supply falls to St and the equilibrium price moves up to Pt. The demand for cotton remains intact and the supply curve shifts upward. The unchanged demand and the fall in supply mean that the price of cotton will increase (The University of North Carolina, n.d.). Due to the fall in supply and unchanged demand of cotton the supplier will now charge a higher price for lesser quantity of cotton. This explains the rise in the price of cotton due to a fall in cotton supply of major cotton manufacturing countries. Scenario 2- An emergence in economy has a positive impact on demand. The emergence of the UK economy from the grip of the recent recessionary phase and the reported growth in the first three quarters of 2010 is a good sign for the market. It implies that there has been arise in the level of business activity. With the rise in the business activity the income of the people will move up thereby pushing up their demand for cotton. On account of the increased demand and constant supply (assumed) the price of the cotton will move up. In the above diagram with the rise in demand for cotton from Q1 (old) to Q2 (new) the demand curve shifts from D1 to D2 however the supply remains constant at S1. As a result of the increased demand and constant supply the equilibrium price increases from P1 (old) to P2 (new). Therefore an emergence in the economy of UK will result in a rise in the price of cotton. Scenario 3- A rise in the price of crude oil from $40 per barrel at the time of the recent recession to $92 per barrel in the current market will exert an upward pressure on the price of cotton. This happens because cost of crude oil is a ‘factor cost’ for the supplier. The rise in the cost of crude oil raises the transportation costs for the supplier. A rise in the factor cost raises the overall cost of the seller. As a result of the inc reased cost the seller lowers the supply of the goods as he is not willing to supply the same goods at an increased cost. In the above diagram the original supply was So and the original quantity that the supplier was willing to sell was Qo at the price Po. However with the rise in any of the factor cost the supplier will lower the supply of goods. In the given scenario the supplier lowers the cotton supply on account of a rise in the transportation cost. Due to the fall in supply and the unchanged demand the price increases to Pt. This happens because same number of ‘buyers’ are chasing a lesser amount of goods (cotton) . Due to this the price of cotton increases to Pt. Therefore a rise in the price of crude oil increases the transport cost of the supplier thereby lowering the supply and creating an upward pressure on the price. Scenario 4- A rise in Value Added tax in UK from 17.5% to 20% in January 4, 2011 will create an upward pressure in prices. The imposition of t he value added tax creates an â€Å"inward shift in the supply curve†. This means that the supply curve shifts towards the left thereby raising the equilibrium level of prices and decreasing the amount of goods sold (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, n.d.). In the above diagram So is the original supply when the VAT was 17.5%. But with the rise in VAT to 20% the supply curve shifts leftward to So as the suppliers are now willing to sell lesser amount of

Good vs evil in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Good vs evil in Shakespeares Macbeth Essay The play Macbeth is a very tragic one. It is about the downfall of a hero who is led by temptation to mass murder and cruelty. Shakespeare uses various styles and techniques to display very evidently how Macbeths character develops as the story progresses, and thus we see how Macbeth turns from good to evil, from a valiant cousin and worthy gentleman to a bloody butcher. The play tells the story of how a noble warrior, Macbeth, descends into evil after meeting with three witches supernatural beings who prophesy Macbeths destiny. He is told he will become King of Scotland, and this idea of gaining power leads him to murder the king, take his throne and then continue his murder spree on seemingly whoever he feels like. Eventually Macbeth is slain and order is restored in Scotland. From the very start we have progressively come to abhor Macbeth, however, we cannot help but feel a certain admiration for him. But much more we have a sense of irony and waste: irony because some sterling qualities have been put to such evil use, waste because Macbeth was a potentially great man who was lost. . Macbeth is a play concerned wholly with the battle between good and evil throughout the play we continually see signs of a supernatural struggle between the two, with evil winning over good when Macbeth murders the king, but then good finally defeating evil when Macbeth is slain. In fact, in the very opening scene we see signs of supernatural happenings and evil the witches: Fair is foul and foul is fair; Hover through the fog and filthy air Here we see that, to the witches, what is evil is good (foul is fair) and what is good they find repulsive (fair is foul). This seems to be their attitude to life, but it could also be a warning to the audience that things to follow are not what they might seem. The first we hear of Macbeth is with praises to his name. He is called brave Macbeth, valiant cousin and worthy gentleman, fighting a war for God, king and country. For brave Macbeth well he deserves that name Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel, Which smoked with bloody execution However, it is in scene III that good and evil collide, when Macbeth meets with the witches. Some say that this is the beginning of Macbeths downfall, as in his first soliloquy he has already thought of the idea of murdering his king. This small seed planted in his mind will soon sprout and he will indeed commit treason. Already, the audience loses their adoration for Macbeth as we see his mental frailty and evil intention. The question at hand is what Macbeth should do; is he determined on evil intent or is divine intervention the answer? He contemplates this, and decides that it is not worthwhile to throw everything away for one guilty conscience, instead the solution is murder. We are soon introduced to Lady Macbeth, and it becomes clear that she is the ambition, the driving force, behind her husband. To Lady Macbeth, her husband is brave, loving, ambitious yet he is too noble to fulfil the third prophesy. Lady Macbeth then calls upon evil spirits to make her ruthless so she can kill Duncan. Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, And fill me from the crown to the top toe-full Of direst cruelty; make thick my blood. After reading the letter, she already has a plan brewing. However, she fears Macbeths nature. yet I do fear thy nature, it is too full othmilk of human kindness, Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without the illness should attend it, What thou wouldst highly, that wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst wrongly win. The planning of the murder of Duncan is one of the most important sections of this tragedy. Here we see a conflict in Macbeths character, one side wants him to commit the murder, while the other wants to let fate take its course. In a way it is due to his wife that Macbeth is finally persuaded into committing treason. This shows one of the flaws in his character, which Shakespeare exposes. A while after Macbeth has certain misgivings about the affair. In his mind he argues out the advantages and disadvantages. The good side of him says that hes here in double trust I am his kinsman and subject, as his host who should against his murderers shut the door, not bear the knife myself. The more cunning party says that his virtues will plead like angels trumpet-tongued against the deep-damnation of his taking off, but only vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself and falls on the other,twere well it were done quickly, but this blow might be and the end all here, bloody instructions, which being taught, return to plague th inventor. Yet he cannot maintain this spark of morality as, under the influence of his wife he commits treachery. After the murder Macbeth experienced remorse, guilt and regret, still revealing his nobility. I am afraid to think what I have done he says. He is troubled by his conscience, he realizes that he is cut off from heaven. He is in fact so hampered in his actions by the conflict between his knowledge that he has committed the crime and his abhorrence of it, that he becomes immobile. Macbeths evil is so great that he cannot even say amen to his prayer ,I could not say amen. By now he realizes he is too deep into his acts of violence to turn back. Macbeth has confused the values of good and evil. That is, he has confused fair and foul, which confusion has all along been the devils aim. Macbeth has completely committed himself to evil. Macbeth still thinks of himself as a man, and as such would rather die than suffer the indignity of being baited with the rabbles curse. This feeling in him reminds us of the worthy Macbeth at the beginning of the play. We also see that he still has the courage to act on his convictions, desperate though that courage may be. For he knows now that he must die. He fights as a man. Macduff and Macbeth fight which signifies the ever on-going battle between good and evil. Eventually Macbeth is slain and the evil has been stopped in Scotland good has triumphed, as Malcom is crowned the new King.

Small C lass Size :: essays papers

Small C lass Size When looking at small class size, it is important to first understand that this concept is very popular with parents and communities. In New York, according to many parents, classrooms are ridiculously overcrowded and something must be done. A union of parents has formed in the community to try and get the legislature to pass an act that will reduce class size (Hartocollis, 2004). Although this union of parents is very active, because of the factors that go into reducing class size, they have not been very successful. Most parents and teachers believe that with reduced class size, the amount of attention spent on their child will increase drastically. This is the prime reason for the desire and commitment to reduce class size. According to Class Size Matters (2002), an organization made up of parents and educators, â€Å"smaller classes are seen as the most effective way to increase the quality of instruction, far above raising salaries or providing professional development.† This exemplifies the belief that reducing class size is the most appropriate way to increase teacher-student involvement and make the classroom atmosphere more accessible to all students. Along with closer involvement between teacher and pupils, with small class size, there is more room for students to interact with each other. It also allows students who would not normally speak up to become more active and involved in discussions. Much research and experimentation has been done concerning the effects and benefits of reducing class size. David Alan Gilman (2003), studied an experiment done on class size and lays out the findings in great detail. In the experiment he studied there were twelve million students involved, so it was relatively small-scale. The participants were voluntary and participated in the experiment understanding fully what it was all about. The experiment was random assignment between teachers and students and had one control with a regular class size and two treatment groups containing classes with smaller amounts of children. The findings of this experiment were very much in favor of reducing class size. Students in the experimental groups with smaller classes â€Å"performed better on all sets of achievement measures† (Gilman, 2003). Also, six years later, when the students who were not in the control group were interviewed and restudied, the experimenters found that they â€Å"performed better in all academic areas studied, that they expended more effort and initiative in the classroom, and that their overall behavior was well above the students that were in the control group† (Gilman, 2003).

Mobile Game Essay

Mobile game is a video game played on a mobile phone, Smartphone, PDA, computer, portable or calculator. This does not include games played on dedicated handheld video game systems such as Nintendo 3DS or PlayStation Vita. These data are available in these companies: Digital Chocolate, Disney Mobile Studios, EA Mobile, Gameloft, Glu, Hands-On, HandyGames, I-Play, IG Fun and THQ Wireless. Mobile games are played using the technology present on the device itself. Mobile games are usually downloaded via the mobile operator’s network, but in some cases are also loaded in the mobile handsets when purchased, via infrared connection, Bluetooth, or memory card. Games played on a mobile device using localization technology like GPS are called location-based games. These are not only played on mobile hardware but also integrate the player’s position into the game concept. In other words: while it does not matter for a normal mobile game where exactly you are (play them anywhere at any time), the player’s coordinate and movement are main elements in allocation. The best-known example is the treasure hunt game Geocaching, which can be played on any mobile device with integrated or external GPS receiver. External GPS receivers are usually connected via Bluetooth. More and more mobile phones with integrated GPS are expected to come. Besides Geocaching, there exist several other location-based games which are rather in the stage of research prototypes than a commercial success. The researcher wants to study this topic to know how much is the business gains of mobile games in this kind of business. Another thing is he wants to know the difference between the games in simple mobile phone compare to iPhone, iPod, and iPad.

Corporations Essay

CHAPTER 19 CORPORATIONS 1. – THE NATURE AND CLASSIFICATION OF CORPORATIONS A corporation is a legal entity created and recognized by state law. It can consist of one or two persons identified under a common name. CORPORATE PERSONNEL When an individual purchases a share of stock in a corporation, that person becomes a shareholder and owner of the corporation. Shareholder and corporations are liable. THE LIMITED LIABILITY OF SHAREHOLDER One of the key advantages of the corporate forms is the limited liability of its owners. Corporate shareholders normally are not personally liable for the obligations of the corporation beyond the extent of their investments. CORPORATE TAXATION Corporate profits are taxed, and do not receives tax deduction for dividends distributed to shareholders. Profits that are not distributed are retained by the corporation. These retained earnings if invested properly, will yield higher corporate profits in the future. TORTS AND CRIMINAL ACTS A corporation is liable for the torts committed by its agents or officers within the course and scope of their employment. Corporation may be held liable for criminal acts of its agents and employees, provided the punishment is one that can be applied to the corporation, corporation can be fined. CORPORATION SENTENCING GUIDELINES Penalties depend on factors and executives involvement. Corporate lawbreakers can face fines smaller amounting or to hundreds of millions of dollars. When a company has taken substantial steps to prevent, investigate, and punish wrongdoing, such as by establishing and enforcing crime prevention  standards, a court may impose less serious penalties. Corporate sentencing guidelines require corporations to train employees on how to comply with relevant laws. CLASSIFICATION OF CORPORATIONS Domestic, foreign, and alien corporations * Domestic corporation; by its home state (the state in which it incorporates). * Foreign corporation; corporation formed in one state but doing business in another state. * Alien corporation; corporation formed in another country but doing business on the E.E.U.U. In some instances, the corporation must obtain a certificate of authority in any state which plans to do business. But the foreign corporation does not need this certificate to sell goods over the internet. Public and private corporations * Public corporation, is one formed by the government to meet some political purpose, such a U.S. Postal service, AMTRAK. A public corporation is not the same as a publicly held corporation. A publicly held corporation is any corporation whose shares are publicly traded in a securities market, such as the New York Stock Exchange or over the counter market. * Private corporation, are created for private benefit. Most corporations are private although they may serve a public purpose. Nonprofit corporation Corporation formed for purposes other making a profit are called nonprofit or not-for-profit corporations. Private hospitals, educational institutions, charities, and religious organizations for example, are organized as nonprofit organization. Close corporations A close corporations is one whose shares are held by members of a family or by relatively few persons. Referred also as closely held, family, or privately held corporations. Usually the members of the small group  constituting a close corporation are personally know to each other. A close corporation is often operated like a partnership. *Management of close corporations To prevent a majority shareholder from dominating a close corporation, the corporation may require that more than a simple majority of the directors approve any action taken by the board. *Transfer of shares in close corporations The transfer of one shareholder’s shares to someone else can cause serious management problems. Control of a close corporation can also be established through the use of shareholder agreement. S corporations A close corporation that meets the qualifying requirements specified in subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code can operate as an S corporation. If a corporation has a S corporation status, it can avoid the imposition of income taxes at the corporate level while retaining many of the advantages of a corporation, particularly limited liability. *Qualification requirement for S corporations 1) The corporation must be a domestic corporation. 2) The corporation must not be a member of an affiliated group of corporations. 3) The shareholders of the corporation must be individuals, estates, or certain trusts. 4) The corporation must have no more than one hundred shareholders. 5) The corporation must have only one class of stock, although all shareholders do not need to have the same voting rights. 6) No shareholder of the corporation may be a nonresident alien. *Benefits of a S corporations 1) When a corporation has losses, the S election allows the shareholders to use the losses to offset other taxable income. 2) When the shareholder’s tax bracket is lower than the tax bracket for regular corporations. The S election causes the corporation’s entire income to be taxed in the shareholder’s bracket, whether it is distributed. Professional corporation Professional corporation such as physician, lawyers, dentists, and accountants can incorporate. There is generally no limitation on liability for acts of malpractice or obligations incurred because of a breach of duty to a client of a PC. In many states, professional persons are liable not only for their own negligent acts, but also for the misconduct of persons under their direct supervision who render professional services. A shareholder in a professional corporation is generally protected from contractual liability and cannot be held liable for the torts that are committed by other professional at the firm. 2. – CORPORATE FORMATION One of the most common reasons for creating a corporation is the need for additional capital to finance expansion. Incorporation may be the best choice for an expanding business organization because a corporation can obtain more capital by issuing shares to stock. PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITIES Persons rarely engage in preliminary promotional activities. It is important for businesspersons to understand that they are personally liable for all preincorporation contracts made investor, accountants, or others on behalf of the future corporation. INCORPORATION PROCEDURES Exact procedures for incorporation differ among states, but the basic steps are as follows: 1) Select a state of incorporation. 2) Secure the corporate name. 3) Prepare the articles of incorporation. 4) File the articles of incorporation with the secretary of state. Selecting the state of incorporation Because laws differ from state to state. States fees are considered too. Securing the corporate name The choice of a corporate name is subject to state approval to ensure against duplication or deception. All the states require the corporation name to include the word corporation (Corp.), Incorporated (Inc.), company (Co.), or limited (Ltd.). Preparing the articles of incorporation The primary document needed to incorporate a business is the articles of incorporation, must include the following information; 1) The name of the corporation. 2) The number of shares the corporation is authorized to issue. 3) The name and address of the corporation’s initial registered agent. 4) The name and address of each incorporator. *Shares of the corporation The articles must specify the number of shares of stock the corporation is authorized to issue. A company might state that the aggregate number of shares that the corporation has the authority to issue is 5k. *Registered office and agent The corporation must indicate the location and address where of it registered office within the state. *Incorporators Each incorporator must be listed by name and address. *Duration and purpose A corporation has a perpetual existence unless the articles state otherwise. The owners may want to prescribe a maximum duration, however, after which the corporation must formally renew its existence. A corporation can be formed for any lawful purpose. *Internal organization Articles can describe the corporation’s internal management structure, although this is usually included in the bylaws adopted after the corporation is formed. Filing the articles with the State Once the articles of incorporation have been prepared and signed by the incorporators, they are sent to the appropriate state official, usually the secretary of State. FIRST ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING TO ADOPT BYLAWS Usually, the most important function of this meeting is the adoption of bylaws. If the articles of incorporation named the initial board of directors, then the directors, by majority vote, call the meeting to adopt the bylaws and complete the company’s organization. DEFECTS IN FORMATION AND CORPORATE STATUS The procedures for incorporation are very specific. If they are not allowed precisely, others may be able to challenge the existence of the corporation. When the corporation seeks to enforce a contract against a defaulting party that party may be able to avoid liability on the ground of a defect in the incorporation procedure. De Jure and De Facto corporations If a corporation has substantially complied with all conditions precedent to incorporation, a corporation is said to have de jure existence. Because a de jure corporation is one that is properly formed, neither the state nor third party can attack its existence. Sometimes, there is a defect in complying with statutory mandates, under these circumstances the corporation may have de facto status, meaning that it will be treated as a legal corporation despite the defect in its formation. The following elements are required for de facto status; 1) There must be a state statute under which the corporation can be incorporated. 2) The parties must have made a good faith attempt to comply with the statute. 3) The enterprise must already have undertaken to do business as a corporation. Corporation by Estoppel If a business holds itself out to others as being a corporation but has made no attempt to incorporate, the firm normally will be stopped from denying corporate status lawsuit by a third party. When justice requires, the courts treat an alleged corporation as if it were an actual corporation for the purpose of determining the rights and liabilities in particular circumstances. A corporation by estoppels is thus determined by the situation. CORPORATE POWERS When a corporation is created, the express and implied powers necessary to achieve its purpose also come into existence. The following order of priority is used if a conflict arises among the various documents involving a corporation; 1) U. S. Constitution. 2) Constitution of the state of incorporation. 3) State statutes. 4) Articles of incorporation. 5) Bylaws. 6) Resolutions of the board of directors. To borrow funds, the corporation acts through its board of directors to authorize the loan. ULTRA VIRES DOCTRINE The term ultra vires means â€Å"beyond the power†. Most cases dealing with ultra vires acts have involved contracts made for unauthorized purposes. In some states, when a contract is entirely executor, either party can use a defense of ultra vires to prevent contract enforcement. 3. – PIERCING CORPORATE VEIL Occasionally, the owners use a corporate entity to perpetrate a fraud, circumvent the law, or in some other way accomplish an illegitimate objective. In these situations, the court will ignore the corporate structure and pierce the corporate veil. The following are some of the factors that frequently cause of the courts to pierce the corporate veil; 1) A party is tricked into a dealing. 2) The corporation is set up never to make a profit or always to be insolvent. Not enough money when it formed. 3) Statutory corporate formalities, such a holding required corporation meeting, are not allowed. 4) Personal and corporate interests are mixed together. THE COMINGLING OF PERSONAL AND CORPORATE ASSETS The potential for corporate assets to be used for personal benefit its especially great in a close corporation, in which the shares are held by a single person or by few individuals. In such a situation, the separate status of the corporate entity and the shareholder must be carefully preserved. Certain practices invite trouble â€Å"family owned corporation†, the comingling of corporate and personal funds, the failure to remit taxes, including payroll, and the shareholders continuous personal use of corporate property. LOANS TO THE CORPORATION Corporation laws usually do not specifically prohibit a shareholder from leading funds to her or his corporation. Any transaction has to be made in a good faith and for fair value. 4. – DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, AND SHAREHOLDERS ROLE OF DIRECTORS The board of directors is the ultimate authority in every corporation. Directors have responsibility for all policymaking decisions necessary to the management of all corporate affairs. Just as shareholders cannot act individually to bind the corporation, the directors must act as a body in carrying out routine corporate business. The board selects and removes the corporate officers. Election of directors Can be less than three, directors are elected by a majority vote of the shareholders. *Removal of directors A director can be removed for cause (failing to perform). *Vacancies on the board of directors Can occur because of death or resignation or when a new position is created through amendment of the articles or bylaws. Compensation of directors Director usually are compensated for time, effort, etc. In many corporations directors are also chief corporate officers and receive compensation in their managerial positions. Board of directors meetings The board of directors conducts business by holding formal meetings with recorded minutes. The date of regular meetings are usually established in the articles or by board resolution. Rights of directors A corporate director must have rights to function properly in that position. COMMITTEES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1) Executive committee. The board members often elect an executive committee of directors to handle the interium management decisions between board of directors meetings. 2) Audit committee. Is responsible for the selection, compensation, and oversight of the independent public accountants who audit the corporations financial records. 3) Nominating committee. This one chooses the candidates for the board of directors that management wishes to submit to the shareholders in the next election. 4) Compensation committee. Reviews and decides the salaries, bonuses, stock options and other benefits. 5) Litigation committee. Decides whether the corporation should pursue requests by shareholders to file a lawsuit against some party that has allegedly harmed the corporation. CORPORATE OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVES Officers and other executives are hired by the board of directors. DUTIES AND LIABILITIES OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS Are deemed to be fiduciaries of the corporation because their relationship with the corporation and its shareholders is one of trust and confidence. Duty of care Directors and officers must exercise due care in performing their duties, they need to act in a good faith. If directors and officers failed to exercise due care results in harm to the corporation can be held liable for negligence. *Duty to make informed and reasonable decisions Directors and officers are expected to be informed on corporate matters and to conduct a reasonable investigations of this situations before making a decision. *Duty to exercise reasonable supervision Directors are also expected to exercise a reasonable amount of supervision when they delegate work to corporate officers and employees. *Dissenting directors Directors are also expected to attend board of directors meetings, and their votes should be entered into the minutes. Unless a dissent is entered in the minutes, the director is presumed to have assented. Dissenting directors are rarely held individually liable to the corporation. *The business judgment rule Directors and officers are expected to exercise due care and to use their best judgment in guiding corporate management, but they are not insurers of business success. Under the business judgment rule, a corporate director or officer will not be liable to the corporation or to its shareholders mistakes of judgment and bad business decisions. Duty of loyalty Defined as faithfulness to one’s obligations and duties. Typically involve; 1) Competing with the corporation. 2) Usurping a corporate opportunity 3) Having an interest that conflicts with the interest of the corporation. 4) Engaging in insider trading. 5) Authorizing a corporate transaction that is detrimental to minority shareholders. 6) Selling control over the corporation. Conflicts of interest Corporate directors often have many business affiliations, and a director may sit on the board of more than one corporation. Sometimes engage personal interest too. Liability of directors and officers Corporate directors and officers are personally liable for their own torts and crimes. Additionally they may be held personally liable for the torts and crimes committed by corporate personnel under their direct supervision. THE ROLE OF SHAREHOLDERS The acquisition of a share of stock makes a person an owner of and shareholder in a corporation, shareholders own the corporation but have no right to manage it. Basically the shareholders ownership control is limited to voting to elect or remove members of the board of directors and deciding whether to approve fundamental changes in the corporation. Shareholders are not agents of the corporation, nor do they have legal title to the corporations property, such as its building and equipment, they simply have an equitable (ownership) in the firm. Shareholders powers Shareholders must approve fundamental changes affecting the corporations before the changes can be implemented. Shareholder approval normally is required to amend the articles of incorporation or bylaws, to conduct a merger or dissolve the corporation, and to sell all or substantially all of the corporations assets. Shareholders have the power to vote to elect or remove members of the board of directors. Shareholders meetings At least annually and proper notice need to be send it. *Proxies The law allows stockholders to either vote in person or appoint another person as their agent to vote their shares at the meetings. The signed appointment form authorizing an agent to vote the shares is called proxy. Shareholder voting Shareholders exercises ownership control through the power of their votes. Corporate business matters are presented in the form of resolutions, which shareholders vote to approve or disapprove. *Quorum requirements At least 50% need to be present. Extraordinary corporate matters, such as a merger, consolidation, or the dissolution of the corporation require approval by a higher percentage of representatives of all corporate shares entitled to vote. *Voting list The RMBCA requires a corporation to maintain an alphabetical voting list of shareholders. *Cummulative voting Most states permit and some require, shareholders to elect directors by cumulative voting, a voting method designed to allow minority shareholders to be represented on the board of directors. *Other voting techniques A voting trust is an agreement under which shareholder transfers the shares to a trustee, usually for a specified period of time. The trustee is responsible for voting the shares on behalf of the beneficiary-shareholder. RIGHTS OF SHAREHOLDERS Stock certificates Is a certificate issued by a corporation that evidences ownership of a specified number of shares in the corporation. In jurisdiction that require the issuance of stock certificates, shareholders have the right to demand that the corporation issue certificates and record their names and addresses in the corporate stock record books. Preemptive rights With preemptive rights a shareholder receives a preference over all other purchasers to subscribe to or purchase a prorated share of a new issue of stock. Which means a shareholder who is given preemptive rights can purchase the same percentage of the new shares being issued as she or he already holds in the company. This rule does not apply to treasury shares, shares that are authorized but have not been issued. Stock warrants Are rights to buy stock at a stated price by a specified date that are given by the company. Dividends Is a distribution of corporate profits or income orders by the directors and paid to the shareholders in proportion to their respective shares in the corporation. *Sources of funds for dividends Depending on the state law, dividends may be paid from the following sources; 1) Retained earnings 2) Net profits 3) Surplus *Directors failure to declare a dividend Shareholders can ask the court to compel the directors to meet and declare a dividend. To succeed the shareholders must show that the directors have acted so unreasonably in withholding the dividend that their conduct is an abuse of their discretion. Inspection rights Shareholders in a corporations enjoy both law and statutory inspection right (but limited). This include inspect voting lists, specified corporate records. Transfer of shares Corporate stock represents an ownership right in intangible personal property. The law generally recognizes the right of an owner to transfer property to another person unless there are valid restrictions on its transferability. Rights on dissolution When a corporation is dissolved and its outstanding debts and the claims of its creditors have been satisfied, the remaining assets are distributed on a pro rata basis among the shareholders. The shareholders derivative suit When the corporation is harmed by the actions of a third party, the directors can bring a lawsuit in the name of the corporation against that party. LIABILITY OF SHAREHOLDERS One of the hallmarks of the corporate organization is that shareholders are nor personally liable for the debts of the corporation. If the corporation fails the shareholder can lose their investment but that is the limit of their liability. Watered stock When a corporation issued shares for less than their fair market value, the shares are referred as watered stock. Usually the shareholder who receives the watered stock must to pay the difference to the corporation. Duties of majority shareholders A majority shareholder is regarded as having a fiduciary duty to the corporation and to the minority shareholders. This occurs when a single shareholder owns a sufficient number of shares to exercise de facto control over the corporation. In these cases the majority shareholders owe a fiduciary duty to the minority shareholders. A breach of fiduciary duties by those who control a closely held corporation normally constitutes what is known as oppressive conduct. 5. – MAJOR BUSINESS FORMS COMPARED

Comparison of the approaches to operations management in Barclays Plc. and Toyota Motor Corporation The WritePass Journal

Comparison of the approaches to operations management in Barclays Plc. and Toyota Motor Corporation Summary Comparison of the approaches to operations management in Barclays Plc. and Toyota Motor Corporation SummaryIntroductionMain BodyIdentifying Different OperationsMarketing Strategy  Ã‚   Capacity PlanningInventory Management  BarclaysToyota  Supply Chain DesignTotal Quality ManagementEmployee InvolvementCustomer SatisfactionEvaluation of the operational concepts of Barclays and TMCa) Capacity Planningb) Inventory ManagementC) Supply Chain designd) Performance Measurese) Total Quality ManagementConclusion  BibliographyRelated Summary This assignment looks at the operations management of the two large organisations in their respective sectors. The organisations discussed are Toyota Motor Corporation, an automaker giant, and Barclays PLC, a financial services giant. I have discussed competitive priorities, marketing strategy, capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, performance measures and total quality management. All these help the organisations gain competitive advantage over other competitors as they focus on different ways to lower the cost of operations and making the best use of the resources by ensuring that all the waste is eliminated. The insight has been provided as to how these goals can be met to achieve the competitive advantage and how the innovation and long term sustainability of the companies can be achieved successfully. Introduction The following article discusses and compares the processes, priorities and strategies used in two huge organisations in different sectors. We would be discussing Barclays PLC and Toyota Motor Corporation. The reason for the discussion of these two companies is that they are well renowned in their respective sectors. Barclays is a global financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. In the 2010 Forbes magazine’s list of world’s leading companies it was ranked 9th largest banking group and 21st largest company worldwide. Toyota is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota City, Japan. In 2010 Forbes magazine’s list of world’s leading companies it was ranked 360th, a steep fall from its 3rd ranking in 2009. This was partly because of a major accelerator problem with its cars which forced Toyota to recall millions of cars worldwide and partly because of decline in sales amid the global crisis in automobile industry. Main Body Identifying Different Operations Barclays Being founded in 1690, it now operates in more than 50 countries and employs over 147,500 people. It has over 48 million customers worldwide. It operates in different sectors which include Credit Cards, Retail Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking and Wealth Management. It has a primary listing on London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on New York Stock Exchange. We will be discussing the retail banking operations of Barclays in this assignment. (Barclays, 2011) Toyota Motor Corporation It was founded on August 28, 1937 and it employs over 320,590 people. Its main business activities are motor vehicle production and sales. It is the world’s largest automobile manufacturer in terms of sales and production. It is a part of Toyota group which in addition to automobile industry also provides financial services and builds robots. In this assignment we will be dealing with the production aspect of Toyota. Competitive Priorities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toyota  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Barclays Low Cost Present Present Quality Present Absent Flexibility Present Present Time Present Present    Competitive priorities are the critical operational dimensions a process or value chain must possess to satisfy both internal and external customers. Toyota’s main competitive priorities are concerned with its cost, quality and flexibility. Toyota’s low cost operations enable it to produce products at low cost. This helps in setting low costs for customers and earning reasonable profit making the cars more attractive to customers and more competitive in the market. It offers flexibility in its products. It offers a wide range of models targeting a wide customer base ranging from Aygo and iQ for low income families to auris, prius and corolla for medium earners to lexus, land cruisers and camry for high earners. The customers can also design their own cars and can choose what specifications they want in their cars which make them unique to others. It gives the freedom to customers and a sense of power. Toyota maintains a high quality of standard in their production. They treat quality with utmost importance and that’s why when quality is mentioned the name of Toyota springs in to the mind of the customers. This gives Toyota the edge over its competitors. Barclays has a competitive advantage of low cost operations. To gain the benefit from low cost operations over its competitors Barclays has moved its back-office jobs and the call centres to India where cheap labour is available. As India is a IT hub so the cost is also saved by not needing to invest in training and hiring of people. Barclays offers flexibility in its bank accounts. It offers 13 different types of current accounts for the customers to choose from which are in addition to the business accounts, premier accounts and the saving accounts. A wide range of these accounts mean that the customer can evaluate what suits best to their circumstances and is more likely to be choosing it over other accounts. (Current Accounts, 2011) Barclays lacks quality in the customer service. As of September 2010 bank complaints ranking recorded by Financial Services Authority (FSA), Barclays was rated 2nd clocking in 259,266 complaints for the six months period with only Lloyds being the worst. (BBC News, 2010) It tries to serve the customers in time. In September 2010 bank complaints survey it was revealed that 91% of the complaint cases were dealt with by Barclays in the given timeframe of eight weeks. Marketing Strategy  Ã‚   Corporate strategy provides a direction that serves as the framework for carrying out all the organisation’s functions. It specifies the aims the company will pursue and identifies the growth objective.                                                                                                                                                ANSOFF MATRIX    Toyota Toyota has a vision of making cleaner and environment friendly cars. It segments the market according to different regions as well as different people. It aims to target each and every person possible. It has got environment friendly cars e.g. prius for those people who are environment conscious. It targets the middle and low income families with the economy cars and the up market customers with luxury cars. It uses differentiated marketing as it has specified cars in specified markets. The models which it produces and provides in one country are not necessarily present in other countries e.g. it only provides two models in Pakistan whereas in America and Europe it provides loads others. It focuses on what the customers in a specific country are concerned about. In the developed countries who are concerned about environment it provides Prius to attract the customers whereas this car is not present in Pakistan as not a large chunk of people are concerned about eco-friendliness there. Throughout its existence Toyota has adopted all four marketing strategies discussed in Ansoff’s matrix to succeed and become the market leader it has been for so long until the recent accelerator problem occurred with its cars which was disastrous for it. Barclays Barclays is one of the financial industries that have invested heavily in the marketing. It keeps on coming out with different ways to keep itself in the public eye. It’s a main sponsor of different sports including football, tennis, golf, individual sponsorships, and the cycling in London. It is the official partner of one of the biggest football leagues followed in the world known as Barclays Premier League. Barclays has achieved its growth by product development, market development and diversification. It diversified into the new business of cycle hire throughout Central London, United Kingdom. It expands its business by market development by investing in new countries with its banking operations and then by product development by increasing its operations in those countries. It is now operating in more than 50 countries and provides a wide range of services. Barclays also indulges in other marketing activities. In June 2010 it launched an online game, 56 Sage Street, to target young people. It was also supported by activities on Facebook which is the largest social networking website. It has also made advertisements that included waterslide and rollercoaster which are not typical for a financial institution. It takes people by surprise. Capacity Planning Capacity planning deals with setting out future capacity requirements after forecasting the future demands for that period. It’s straightforward to determine capacity requirements when demands for products and services can be forecast with a certain degree of precision. Barclays can also use the Theory of Constraints to identify the bottlenecks e.g. the time the mortgage department takes to process the home-loan application. Once the bottleneck is identified the plans can be made to overcome the bottleneck. The personnel could focus on the bottlenecks to make sure that the resources are being fully utilised. The employees would be properly trained to make sure they fully understand and work to overcome the bottlenecks. Once the time issue has been resolved the bank can start looking for more constraints. Toyota can use the capacity management to match the demand in busy periods. It knows the demand would be more at the start of the year as compared to the year end and much more when a new model is being launched. Past analysis can be used to predict the demands at different times of the year. It can arrange the staff in a way which would not cause any hindrance to its operations and would be able to meet the demand if not over do it. If it’s for a short time period the staff can be asked to do overtime. This might require paying more than the original pay rate but it would eliminate the cost of training, hiring and paying additional benefits. The Theory of Constraints can be used to find out the bottlenecks which limit the production. Different ways of overcoming the constraints can be applied and personnel required to focus on removing the constraints. The employees in that department need to be properly trained to make sure they make the best use of the resources. Once the constraints are removed the company can move on towards identifying other constraints before they arise and cause problems. Inventory Management It is an important concern for managers in all types of businesses to plan and control the inventories in order to meet the competitive priorities of the organisation. Poor inventory management can seriously affect those organisations that operate on low profit margins. Like any other bank Barclays’ only inventory is cash. It needs to be very careful with the inventory management to run the business.   The cash that customers deposit is invested by the banks to earn money. The cash flow per day should be anticipated properly and it should be made sure that sufficient amount of cash is kept in the bank to serve the customers when they come for it. This level should be worked out so that they don’t keep so much cash which could have been invested elsewhere instead of keeping in the safe and hence results in lost value. On the other hand it should not be so less that it results in customers being denied money at any stage. Inventory management plays a very important part in the manufacturing organisations e.g. Toyota. As Toyota deals in lean manufacturing so the inventory level for Toyota is almost zero. Less inventory results in savings as there are no inventory holding costs, cost of capital, storage and handling costs and taxes, insurance and shrinkages. While there are so much savings it is not without risks. The products need to be perfect to keep the process going as with TQM there is no inventory to cover up if something goes wrong. Toyota can keep a safety stock inventory just in case any breakage occurs in the production system.   Performance Measures It is important to see how well the organisation is performing both for the manufacturing and service organisations. Key factors responsible for the success or failure should be noted and if possible the factors responsible for success should be exploited and those of failure minimised if not diminished. Both manufacturing and service industries need to see if the performance measures meet the competitive priorities of the organisation. Key Performance indicators could be set up to see if the performance is up to the mark. Barclays can use this to assess the quality of service provided by the staff. It can be noted by assessing the no. of complaints received in a given time period. The customer satisfaction surveys can also be handed out to customers to see where do they feel the lackings are. The steps can then be taken to overcome those problems. The following KPIs can be used to measure the performance of the organistaions.   Barclays No. of accounts opened No. of home loans approved Staff turnover Customer feedback Share price on Stock exchange Investor returns New products offered Toyota No. of cars produced No. of defects occurred No. of injuries New models introduced Customer interest   Supply Chain Design Supply chains permeate the entire organisation. It is hard to envision a process in a firm that is not in some way affected by a supply chain. The supply chains must be managed to co-ordinate the firm’s inputs with its outputs to achieve the competitive priorities of the firm’s enterprise processes. Supply chains are equally important for both the service as well as manufacturing sector organisations. As a firm grows big it can’t perform all its activities by itself and to gain that competitive advantage it needs to evaluate its options and outsource its less profitable activities or manage close relationships with a few reliable suppliers. As the service sector industries like Barclays are concerned they can outsource quite a few of their operations. India being the hub of call centres for the US and the UK, the call centre of Barclays can be moved there which provides with cheap labour and trained staff. The contract could be given to companies and so Barclays would not need to hire the staff which would save it from paying out fortunes in redundancy costs if it ever needs to finish operations. As the staff would be already trained there would be no training costs and no hiring costs. As Barclays deals with the important personal information of millions of clients it can outsource the delivery of documents to a firm that specialises in the handling of documents and provides a good reliable delivery. It would be cost effective as well as a competitive advantage as customers will see it a trustworthy brand who takes the clients’ security very seriously. For a manufacturing organisation like Toyota, it needs to maintain close relationships with a few suppliers who clearly understand the true meaning of the brand and understand what quality the customers exactly expect of that brand. It should not go for a large number of suppliers who barely understand the brand as Toyota did and what was the first brick laid to the devastation of Toyota which saw millions of cars being recalled worldwide. Maintaining close relationships with a few suppliers instead of going in a large supply chains which include tier-2 and tier-3 help create that special bond. It helps achieve the â€Å"Just in Time† which is only possible through Total Quality Management. All the companies involved in the supply chain need to be closely linked to each other and they should be expecting high quality from each supplier as they all rely on one another to provide the best value product to the customer. Both Toyota and Barclays can outsource their payroll system to a specialist financial firm which would be both cost effective and would also be dealt with the experts. By outsourcing these activities they can focus on more important activities which are the basis of their businesses. Total Quality Management Total Quality Management is a philosophy that aims for achieving high level of process performance and quality. To achieve this it stresses on three principles which are related to employee involvement, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement in performance. Employee Involvement TQM plays an important part in both the manufacturing as well as service sector industries. It emphasises that everyone in the organisation must share the view that he is responsible for the quality of the product. TQM gives rise to effective teamwork which is the basis of quality circles, which became popular in the late 1970s after Japanese used them successfully. In Toyota the employee involvement can be achieved by having quality circles and listening to the concerns of each employee in those teams. Every employee should be encouraged to come up with solutions. Every employee should be given the authority to stop production line as soon as quality problem is spotted. Quality in both the manufacturing and service sector organisations is achieved in different ways. Manufacturing Service 1.Reliability Tangible factors 2.Durability Courtesy 3.Performance Timeliness 4.Features Consistency 5.Serviceability Responsiveness to customer needs 6.Conformance to specifications Atmosphere Continuous improvement Customers today demand and expect high level of quality at a reasonable price. For the companies to survive in the long run they need to make quality in their products a top priority. This can be achieved through Six Sigma principle where the level of defects is reduced to approximately 3.4 parts per million. This in turn saves both time and cost and wins customer loyalty. Barclays can achieve the total quality management in their operations in a number of ways. A timeframe can be set up in which a customer needs to be attended at any cost no matter how long the queues are. The customer needs to be greeted happily at his first contact and should be catered to in an efficient and effective way. Toyota can benefit by reducing the waste and making proper use of the resources. The staff can be trained to use the plan-do-check-act cycle for problem solving. This helps to point out all those activities that don’t add any value to the product and new ways can be found to complete the production cycle in less time and eliminating those activities that don’t add any value to the product. Customer Satisfaction Customers are usually satisfied when their expectations regarding a service or product have been met. They often describe the satisfaction as quality. This can be measured by Barclays in terms of how long it takes for a customer to be served after he entered the front door. The time should be set in which a customer needs to be served in the best possible way. The calls should be answered in a given time and staff should be properly trained to answer the queries. The atmosphere of the branch and the appearance of the staff members should be given importance to. Toyota can make sure its customers are satisfied by making the cars of excellent quality in lowest possible cost to the customer. Quality should be inspected at every stage. Any defects would delay the entire process and hence delay the delivery to customer leading to the unsatisfied customer. The good quality would mean less wear n tear resulting in less warranty claims and a satisfied customer. Evaluation of the operational concepts of Barclays and TMC a) Capacity Planning Barclays The capacity planning would help Barclays as it would be able to anticipate demand and make sure it has got the right resources to meet any variations in demand. The demand variations could be studied using the past analysis and extra staff could be made available at busy times of the day or the year. The competitive advantage could be achieved by making sure that all the customers are properly attended and less staff made available at less busier times. The sustainable advantage could also be achieved by making best use of the resources in the most effective way. Toyota The capacity planning would help Toyota anticipate what model’s demand is going to be more as compared to the others. More emphasis could be laid on producing those cars whose demand is more and less production for the cars whose demand is comparatively less. This would help gain competitive advantage as producing the right amount of cars would save costs and no stock would need to stored. Sustainability in the long run can be achieved due to the economies of scale achieved. b) Inventory Management Barclays The inventory management would help Barclays keep sufficient cash to keep its process working and at the same time investing it somewhere else to gain higher returns. The competitive advantage will be achieved by making the best use of the cash and gaining the maximum possible return out of it. This would help in long term sustainability of Barclays. Toyota The inventory management would mean keeping less stock and hence resulting in almost zero stockholding costs, insurance and tax. The space would also be free and hence used for other purposes. Maintaining safety stock would help them if they face problem at any point in time with the inventory or to meet an unexpected increase in demand. This all would result in cost savings and hence provide a competitive advantage. C) Supply Chain design Barclays As Barclays has already outsourced its back office and call centres to India which is a hub of call centres and a greater awareness of IT so it gives it a competitive advantage above those competitors whose call centres are UK based because there is cheap labour available in India. Above that there are no hiring and training costs to be incurred. Innovation can also be achieved because when talent is pooled together from bright people in different parts of the world many new things are discovered which would not have been possible otherwise. This also helps with the long term sustainability. Toyota The supply chain design for Toyota would mean having close contact with a few suppliers who best understand the culture of the company. This would mean a greater understanding of what product is required and what quality is desired. The competitive advantage would be achieved because of close relationship. Discussion between the supplier and enterprise would also lead to innovation. This would also help with the long term sustainability of the company d) Performance Measures Barclays The overall performance of the operations can be measured by KPIs or Balanced Scorecard. It can be found out that equal importance is given to all the four perspectives which are customer, financial, learning growth and internal business process perspective. This would help achieve the competitive advantage and would also help in the long term sustainability. Toyota Toyota can measure the performance of its operations by setting up benchmarks and comparing the actual performance with the benchmarks. Reasons for not matching up with the benchmarks could be looked and proper measures could be put in place to meet up with the standards. This would help achieve competitive advantage and also help in long term sustainability. e) Total Quality Management Barclays Barclays could use TQM to make sure all the resources available to it are properly used and given importance to. All employees work to the full of their potential and customers are given the best service possible. This would help Barclays gain competitive advantage over other competitors and also help in the long term sustainability. It would also help in the innovation. Toyota The lean production system adopted by Toyota eliminates its waste totally and helps achieve low production costs. This gives it a competitive advantage over other competitors. Competitive advantage could be achieved by saving costs and resources and sustainability in the long run can be achieved. Conclusion Operations management is very important for an organisation as operations are at the heart of the overall success or failure of the company. The topics discussed in this assignment for managing operations are capacity planning, inventory management, supply chain design, performance measures and total quality management. The companies under discussion here are Barclays and Toyota. Overall, Toyota is more cost effective and it pays great emphasis on lean manufacturing and JIT which is the key to effective use of the resources and cost reduction.   Bibliography referenceforbusiness.com/management/Bun-Comp/Capacity-Planning.html (accessed on 16-03-11) http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20100423a3.html (accessed on 14-03-11) referenceforbusiness.com/history2/55/Barclays-Plc.html (accessed on 15-03-11) wiley.com/college/sc/reid/chap5.pdf (accessed on 12-03-11) industryweek.com/articles/learning_from_toyota__again_11301.aspx (accessed on 13-03-11) msnbc.msn.com/id/33077383/ns/business-autos   (accessed on 13-03-11) economist.com/node/15576506 (accessed on 17-03-11) Banking and the Theory of Constraints(TOC). (January-February 1997). The Bankers Magazine , 53-59. BIBLIOGRAPHY   \l 2057   Barclays. (2011). Retrieved 03 10, 2011, from About us: http://group.barclays.com/About-us Current Accounts. (2011, 03 14). Retrieved 03 14, 2011, from BARCLAYS: barclays.co.uk/Currentaccounts/P1242557963414 Krajewski, L., Ritzman, L. Malhotra, M. (2007). Operations Management: Processes Value Chains, 8th Edition. Prentice Hall.Heizer, J., Render, B. Rajashekhar, J., (2008). Operations Management, 9th Edition. Prentice Hall.

The First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 to 1895

The First Sino-Japanese War of 1894 to 1895 From August 1, 1894, to April 17, 1895, the Qing Dynasty of China fought against the Meiji Japanese Empire over who should control late Joseon-era Korea, ending in a decisive Japanese victory. As a result, Japan added the Korean Peninsula to its sphere of influences and gained Formosa (Taiwan), the Penghu Island, and the Liaodong Peninsula outright.   However, this did not come without loss. Approximately 35,000 Chinese soldiers were killed or wounded in the battle while Japan only lost 5,000 of its fighters and service people. Worse yet, this would not be the end of tensions - the Second Sino-Japanese War started in 1937, part of the first actions of World War II. An Era of Conflict In the second half of the 19th century, the American Commodore Matthew Perry forced open ultra-traditional and secluded Tokugawa Japan. As an indirect result, the power of the shoguns ended and Japan went through the 1868 Meiji Restoration, with the island nation quickly modernizing and militarizing as a result. Meanwhile, the traditional heavy-weight champion of East Asia, Qing China, failed to update its own military and bureaucracy, losing two Opium Wars to the western powers. As the preeminent power in the region, China had for centuries enjoyed a measure of control over neighboring tributary states, including Joseon Korea, Vietnam, and even sometimes Japan. However, Chinas humiliation by the British and French exposed its weakness, and as the 19th century drew to a close, Japan decided to exploit this opening. Japans goal was to seize the Korean Peninsula, which military thinkers considered a dagger pointed at the heart of Japan. Certainly, Korea had been the staging ground for earlier invasions by both China and Japan against one another - for example, Kublai Khans  invasions of Japan in 1274 and 1281  or Toyotomi Hideyoshis attempts to invade Ming China via Korea in 1592 and 1597. The First Sino-Japanese War After a couple of decades of jockeying for position over Korea, Japan and China began outright hostilities on July 28, 1894, at the Battle of Asan. On July 23, the Japanese entered Seoul and seized the Joseon King Gojong, who was retitled the Gwangmu Emperor of Korea to emphasize his new independence from China. Five days later, fighting began at Asan. Much of the First Sino-Japanese War was fought at sea, where the Japanese navy had an advantage over its antiquated Chinese counterpart, mostly due to the Empress Dowager Cixi reportedly siphoned off some of the funds meant to update the Chinese navy in order to rebuild the Summer Palace in Beijing. In any case, Japan cut the Chinese supply lines for its garrison at Asan by a naval blockade, then Japanese and Korean land troops overran the 3,500-strong Chinese force on July 28, killing 500 of them and capturing the rest - the two sides officially declared war on August 1. Surviving Chinese forces retreated to the northern city of Pyongyang and dug in while the Qing government sent reinforcements, bringing the total Chinese garrison at Pyongyang to about 15,000 troops. Under cover of darkness, the Japanese encircled the city early in the morning of September 15, 1894, and launched a simultaneous attack from all directions. After approximately 24 hours of stiff fighting, the Japanese took Pyongyang, leaving around 2,000 Chinese dead and 4,000 injured or missing while the Japanese Imperial Army only reported 568 men injured, dead, or missing.   After the Fall of Pyongyang With the loss of Pyongyang, plus a naval defeat in the Battle of Yalu River, China decided to withdraw from Korea and fortify its border. On October 24, 1894, the Japanese built bridges across the Yalu River and marched into Manchuria. Meanwhile, Japans navy landed troops on the strategic Liaodong Peninsula, which juts out into the Yellow Sea between North Korea and Beijing. Japan soon seized the Chinese cities of Mukden, Xiuyan, Talienwan, and Lushunkou (Port Arthur). Beginning on November 21, Japanese troops rampaged through Lushunkou in the infamous Port Arthur Massacre, killing thousands of unarmed Chinese civilians. The outclassed Qing fleet retreated to supposed safety at the fortified harbor of Weihaiwei. However, the Japanese land and sea forces laid siege to the city on January 20, 1895. Weihaiwei held out until February 12, and in March, China lost Yingkou, Manchuria, and the Pescadores Islands near Taiwan. By April, the Qing government realized that Japanese forces were approaching Beijing. The Chinese decided to sue for peace. The Treaty of Shimonoseki On April 17, 1895, Qing China and Meiji Japan signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which ended the First Sino-Japanese War. China relinquished all claims to influence over Korea, which became a Japanese protectorate until it was annexed outright in 1910. Japan also took control of Taiwan, the Penghu Islands, and the Liaodong Peninsula. In addition to the territorial gains, Japan received war reparations of 200 million taels of silver from China. The Qing government also had to grant Japan trade favors, including permission for Japanese ships to sail up the Yangtze River, manufacturing grants for Japanese companies to operate in Chinese treaty ports, and the opening of four additional treaty ports to Japanese trading vessels. Alarmed by the quick rise of Meiji Japan, three of the European powers intervened after the Treaty of Shimonoseki was signed. Russia, Germany, and France particularly objected to Japans seizure of the Liaodong Peninsula, which Russia also coveted. The three powers pressured Japan into relinquishing the peninsula to Russia, in exchange for an addition 30 million taels of silver. Japans victorious military leaders saw this European intervention as a humiliating slight, which helped spark the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905.

Analysis on Race (Black) and Representation in Media Essay

Analysis on Race (Black) and Representation in Media - Essay Example While the society has made giant strides towards toppling black discrimination and segregation, significant barriers still remain, reinforced by perceptions created in the media. This paper will look at how these perceptions are perpetuated, especially in music videos in the mass media. The video begins at what looks like Lil Wayne’s residence, and features static Major as his house guest. They seem to be preparing for a night out and are sprucing themselves up in front of a mirror, adjusting their gleaming jewellery and enquiring from each other on how they look. After they are done with their preparations, they leave the house and board an International TXT limousine. They are ushered into the limousine by a scantily clad woman who gives them a secretive glance. Once in the limousine, they seem surprised to find it filled with seemingly intoxicated and similarly scantily clad women. They proceed to make themselves comfortable among the women, who seem to be taken in by the t wo men, with Lil Wayne rapping along and miming to the song’s lyrics. They drive through Las Vegas and Lil Wayne also climbs to the top of the car to play a guitar. Stereotyping of black males in videos acts to serve various purposes, especially motivational and cognitive (Park et al. 159). A desire for the justification of the status quo acts to give life to activation and formation of stereotypes. Stereotyping in the media industry is as a result of the need to give information on the featured characters and to show the audience what to expect of the actions of the character. The media portrayal of black males, especially in music videos, creates an impression of what the society associate them with. In Lil Wayne’s Lollipop video, he is seen dressed in expensive clothing with overly extravagant jewellery. The image created from this video plays on the stereotype of black, ignorant characters, which Lil Wayne seems to enjoy portraying and thus creates an impression th at he is that stereotype. This, in turn, creates an impression in society that all rich black males live in that manner. Society at large then expects this same characterization, in real life, and this becomes a handicap to African Americans since they will be gauged using these same stereotypes, in job interviews and elective posts. It is not uncommon to see covertly racist media adverts, which play on these stereotypes, during elections, since this stereotype has already been endorsed, by powerful rappers, who have a lot of influence, in the African American society. African Americans are, therefore, not treated as seriously as other candidates in elections, and job interviews, where the interviewers may not have had close contact with African Americans, thus have their opinions formed by the stereotypes depicted in the videos. Representation of black males in music videos consists of exaggerated racial portrayals identifiable as parodies of stereotypes (Park et al. 161). Most mus ic videos will have black males from the ghetto wearing gang colours and flashing gang signs. While this is possible, gang affiliations are a crime in America and thus this can be misinterpreted to show African American young men as violent and unrepentant of the pain caused by gang wars. The media industry is flooded with representations of black males as members of

Northern Ireland Ethnic Conflict Research Paper

Northern Ireland Ethnic Conflict - Research Paper Example Through the Ireland’s government act of 1920, the Island was partitioned into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, a move that was opposed by some unionists and a majority of the nationalists. In addition, it became part of the Irish Free State that had been formed in the course of the Irish Free State Constitutional act of 1922 (O’Callagha), but afterward, the parliament of Northern Ireland picked out of the Irish Free State through an address to the king. This request having been granted, Northern Ireland received self-governing under the United Kingdom; a move that sparked sporadic violence in the region as some groups were opposed to the partitioning of Ireland. Following the state of tensions in the region, there were  across boarder migrations with Protestants moving northwards while Catholics moved southwards to the Free State. Some of the Northern Catholic Nationalists who remained in Northern Ireland felt isolated from the state after having failed to join the new police force in the Northern Ireland, which was largely constituted by the Unionist Protestants. Successive Unionist Prime ministers’ reigns between 1920s and 1970s saw the Catholic minorities who formed up the Nationalists being oppressed through discriminatory policies. For instance, local government elections were often rigged in favor of the Unionist candidates even in areas with a majority of the Nationalist Catholics. Employment opportunities were often granted in favor of the Unionists/Protestants especially in high-ranking influential positions in the government of Northern Ireland. This led to the decline in the Northern Ireland Nationalists population due to the tough living conditions they were subjected to. These discriminatory policies against the Northern Ireland Nationalist Catholics and the Northern Ireland’s associations with the United Kingdom led to the conflict and troubles in the Northern Ireland that pitted the majority Northern Ireland Pr otestants/Unionists against the minority Roman Catholic Nationalists (Engelhart). At this time in the crisis that was escalating into a war, the Irish Republican Army was formed to try to free the Northern Ireland from the British influence and domination of the unionists/Protestants. This armed force’s interim campaigns against the United Kingdom’s rule over Northern Ireland also wanted to spearhead the reunification of Ireland back to the former 32 state Irish Republic by restoring and strengthening its political boundaries (Mesev et. al. 874). The United Kingdom loyalist unionists in retaliation to the Irish Republican Army’s campaigns formed small military groups to fight against the IRA forces. The Ulster Volunteer Force was then created in 1966, as a rejoinder to the Irish Republican Force, which was threatening the continued dominance of the Unionists control over Northern Ireland. The Ulster Volunteer Force was mainly pro British and United Kingdomâ€⠄¢s relations and collaboration with Northern Ireland to the disdain of the Nationalists agenda through the IRA. The Ulster Volunteer Force was also fighting to reassert and further strengthen the Unionists control over Northern Ireland, which was declining due to the IRA campaigns. This violence  was made even prominent with the involvement of the United Kingdom State Controlled forces’ involvement in the disguise of restoring peace and calm