Management Control System free essay sample

A common fleet significantly simplifies scheduling, operations, and maintenance. Training costs for pilots, ground crew, and mechanics are lower, because theres only a single aircraft to learn. Purchasing, provisioning, and other operations are also vastly simplified, therefore lowering costs. 2. People: Southwest tries hard to different way. For example, not assigning seats in its flights helps to reinforce its image that it gets passengers to their destinations when they want to get there, on time, at the lowest possible fares. By not assigning seats, Southwest can turn the airplanes quicker at the gate. If an airplane can be turned quicker, more routes can be flown each day. That generates more revenue, so that Southwest can offer lower fares. About 60% of Southwest’s passenger revenue was generated by online bookings via southwest. com. That southwest. com was the number one airline website by revenue and Nielsen/Net Rating identified it as the largest airline site in terms of unique visitors. We will write a custom essay sample on Management Control System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. How do Southwest’s control systems help execute the firm’s strategy? Southwest’s control system help execute the firm’s strategy by: Implementing short haul and medium haul, on-line booking, less time at the gate, hedged fuel and oil Southwest consistently sought out ways to improve its efficiencies and pass on the cost savings to its passengers. In 2004, Southwest had reduce the headcount per aircraft to 74 from 85 in 2003. It hedged about 85% of its fuel and oil needs as a result saved about $ 455 million . It also entered new airports after a process of due diligence and with a sense of commitment to the people it served. Southwest pilots were among the only pilots of major U. S. airlines who did not belong to a nation union. National union rules limited the number of hours pilots could fly. But Southwest’s pilots were unionized independently allowing them to fly far more hours than pilots at other airlines. Othe workers at SWA wree nationally unionized but their contracts wrere flexible enough to allow them to jump in and help out regardless of the task at hand. From the time the plane landed until it was ready for takeoff took approx 20-25 minutes at SWA and required a ground crew of 4 plus 2 at the gate. Is the controller relationship of Martex better than that of Rendell current organizationalrelationship ? Objective: To achieve profitability and growth Ans 1: What is the organisational philosophy of Martex with respect to the controller function? What do you think of it? Should Rendell Adopt this philosophy? The organizational philosophy of   Martex   with respect to the controller function is thatdivisional controller report to the corporate controller for transparency of information on budget issues. According to us it has the following Adv and disadv:

Free Essays on The Darkness Of The Congo

The Darkness of the Congo Joseph Conrad’s story, Heart of Darkness is one that deals with many different aspects of nature and man himself. Conrad often associates the nature of man as an offset of Mother Nature. The complex role of the setting, including the jungle, pervasive darkness, and the London frame setting are all examples of man’s innermost fears and joys. In the beginning of the story, the setting is that of a beautiful scene of the London frame. â€Å"In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up†¦(Narrator, 185).† It provides a sense of relaxation and space for the mind to dream. After the sun begins to set, and just before Marlow begins to tell his story, the setting becomes to grow darker; dark with the nature of the dark story Marlow will soon prevail. The narrator refers to a â€Å"brooding gloom† to the West just as Marlow (p.187) starts to say, â€Å"And this also, has been one of the dark places on the earth.† So just as you are prepared to hear a story, the setting has changed as if to foreshadow the events to come. Continuously throughout the story, darkness plays a significant role on the setting. I sums up all the evil, fear, and unknown to man simplicities we may or may not face everyday. Also, the darkness is related to the people that were exploited during the expedition by means of racism. The Whites being superior to the Blacks, as they thought. Their inner evil of racism (darkness) was â€Å"justified† by calling the Africans â€Å"criminals, enemies, rebels.† Thus, exploiting the people with a darkness. Darkness seems to be referred to more as Marlow’s story unfolds. He first uses darkness while describing the Roman conquest, as if comparing to his own. â€Å"They were men enough to face the darkness (Marlow, 188),† and, â€Å"†¦It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a grea... Free Essays on The Darkness Of The Congo Free Essays on The Darkness Of The Congo The Darkness of the Congo Joseph Conrad’s story, Heart of Darkness is one that deals with many different aspects of nature and man himself. Conrad often associates the nature of man as an offset of Mother Nature. The complex role of the setting, including the jungle, pervasive darkness, and the London frame setting are all examples of man’s innermost fears and joys. In the beginning of the story, the setting is that of a beautiful scene of the London frame. â€Å"In the offing the sea and the sky were welded together without a joint, and in the luminous space the tanned sails of the barges drifting up†¦(Narrator, 185).† It provides a sense of relaxation and space for the mind to dream. After the sun begins to set, and just before Marlow begins to tell his story, the setting becomes to grow darker; dark with the nature of the dark story Marlow will soon prevail. The narrator refers to a â€Å"brooding gloom† to the West just as Marlow (p.187) starts to say, â€Å"And this also, has been one of the dark places on the earth.† So just as you are prepared to hear a story, the setting has changed as if to foreshadow the events to come. Continuously throughout the story, darkness plays a significant role on the setting. I sums up all the evil, fear, and unknown to man simplicities we may or may not face everyday. Also, the darkness is related to the people that were exploited during the expedition by means of racism. The Whites being superior to the Blacks, as they thought. Their inner evil of racism (darkness) was â€Å"justified† by calling the Africans â€Å"criminals, enemies, rebels.† Thus, exploiting the people with a darkness. Darkness seems to be referred to more as Marlow’s story unfolds. He first uses darkness while describing the Roman conquest, as if comparing to his own. â€Å"They were men enough to face the darkness (Marlow, 188),† and, â€Å"†¦It was just robbery with violence, aggravated murder on a grea...

A chat with my grandpa on the war in Korea

A chat with my grandpa on the war in Korea It may be hard to believe, but before this interview, I never knew that my grandfather was involved in the Korean War. It wasn’t, and isn’t, something he talks about unless he’s asked. Talking to him about his experiences taught me so much about not only him, but my family also. I know my grandfather as the man who dresses up as Santa Claus because he bears an uncanny resemblance to him, the man who bakes bread as a hobby. This information revealed a part of him that I never knew was there. Michael Sosik was born on November 11th, 1943. His father, who passed away only a few years ago, was a World War II veteran who was on the beaches of Normandy only a couple weeks after D-Day. He grew up in Pennsylvania and enlisted in the army on March 23rd, 1962. When I said I was surprised he remembered the exact date, he said, â€Å"It’s a day you don’t really forget.† When he enlisted, he was already married to my grandmother, Doris Sosik, known to former Burgess students as the widely loved Mrs. Sosik. He chose the Army rather than the Navy despite his former experience with boats because he wanted to serve two years rather than four, and he wanted Special Forces. When I asked my grandfather why he enlisted, he said, â€Å"Patriotism. The President called for people to volunteer, he said he was looking for ‘a few good men.’ I voluntarily answered the call. That was a mistake.† Michael described his first days in the service as â€Å"lost and confused.† He disliked the feeling of his civilian privileges being taken away. He had to cut his longer hair, wear the same uniform as everyone else, and had the same rank as all the other men- he describes it as â€Å"a breaking down of your individualism.† His athleticism was the only thing that set him apart from the other young men. The food he described as â€Å"pretty gross.† He said that they were fed C-Rations, which were canned in 1943, the year he was born. His job assignments varied throughout his service. He was an infantryman, he jumped out of airplanes, he was a gunner on a helicopter, he learned to fight in jungle and mountain environments, and he worked with a Chaplain, who he called â€Å"an amazing man.† A Chaplain is a Catholic priest that provided spiritual and moral support for the men who were fighting. When asked about his most memorable experiences, he recalls the time he jumped out of an airplane and came right down the center of a large pine tree, getting caught up only a few feet away from the ground. He walked away from that incident with only scratches. Another experience he had took place when he was driving a Jeep. Michael and his crew heard guns firing, and suddenly a bullet went through the spare tire of the vehicle. He kept that bullet and still has it to this day. On another occasion he was in a helicopter when the compressor stalled at about 3,000 feet up. The crew brought the helicopter down with autorotation, and the ground came up fast. When they landed, they hit the ground so hard that the tail of the helicopter broke off. These were all scary, but the experience he considers to be the worst happened once he had come back from overseas. He was stationed at Fort Bragg in the Carolina Maneuver area, which encompassed Southern North Carolina and Northern South Carolina. He was an armorer and advisor, testing gun systems on helicopters in preparation for Vietnam. It was early in the morning, and the visibility was low. There’s no radar on helicopters, so there is no way of telling what’s around other than your own vision. When they took off from the landing zone, nose down, they saw a whole formation of other helicopters coming at them over the trees. Quickly they slammed the helicopter back into the ground, destroying it. He says, â€Å"You go overseas and you’re in a combat situation and you come home and you’re just training- and you run into something like that. The only thing that’s going through your mind is, ‘I’ve been through all that, and now I†™m going to die here?’ I thought for sure I was going to die that day.† As for life overseas, my grandfather had a unique experience. I asked him what people did to occupy the time they had off. He replied that many men went to see prostitutes, but he had another hobby. He absolutely loved visiting orphanages in Korea and volunteering his time with the children. He got very attached to one of the girls he met at an orphanage. Had he been financially able, he would have adopted her. Even still, he wants to find her, but he says, â€Å"No one can seem to help me. I know her information, her name, where she was†¦ I’ve not been able to find her.† Michael traveled all over when he was in the service. He’s been all over the US, to Korea, Japan, Thailand, and Cambodia. When talking about these places, he seemed to relive his memories vividly. He said, â€Å"Korea’s very hilly. You can be standing on top of a hill looking down at this valley, and they’re covered with rice patties- but there’s clouds in the sky, so you see these light and dark green patches in the shadow of the clouds.† The relationships that he had with his fellow soldiers and his officers were stronger overseas than they were when he came back to America. For the most part they were pretty good, but he says, â€Å"There are bad apples in every barrel, just like everything else.† When he was in the US, he brought his wife with him wherever he went, so he didn’t really socialize. One friend he made was the son of a Nazi officer named Ulf. They were close overseas, and they rotated on the same day. When they got back to America, Ulf returned to the Midwest where he lived. A couple of months ago, my grandfather looked him up online and pulled up an obituary. Through this, he learned that Ulf had been living in Northborough, Massachusetts, and had died only 3 months ago. For thirteen years, they had been living less than 30 minutes away from each other. When Mike talked to Ulf’s wife, she remembered his name. I saw his face change as he said; â€Å"It is really difficult, now at my age, that these people that I worked so close to, that I risked my life with- they’re leaving this Earth.† My grandfather left the army as an E-5, which is equivalent to a Sargent. He re-acclimated quickly to civilian life. He joined VFW and American Legion, and his education was supported by the GI Bill. He served an apprenticeship, started a construction business, went into publishing, and finally started Northeast Merchant Systems in Sturbridge, which is the job he retired from. He had four children, all of which were discouraged from joining the military. He now has 15 grandchildren, including myself. When he reflects on his years in the military he say’s he’s glad that he did it, but would never recommend it. He strongly dislikes the politics involved in war. He’s proud, but he wouldn’t do it again, and maintains that were he growing up in this day and age, he would not want to be involved in that â€Å"mess.† He says that he lives with problems today because of what he did in the service, and it’s transformed the way he thinks about life. Especially, he says, it affects the way he thinks about credibility. In the army, you report what you saw, not what you â€Å"think† you saw or what you analyze it to be. This is important in life too. Many people embellish what they see, and don’t even realize it. Military service also taught him how to rely on others, and how to trust someone with your life. It was a very strange experience for me to hear my grandfather talking about how closely he knew death, when just two weeks ago I had no idea that he had ever been to East Asia. If he had been driving his jeep a little slower, or waited a little too long to land the helicopter, or missed that pine tree by a few yards, I wouldn’t be here to tell his story. I’m proud to be the granddaughter of such a laudable man.

Green Computing Research Project Part 5 Assignment

Green Computing Research Project Part 5 - Assignment Example The approach of developing the diagram compels the project manager and team to brainstorm with the use of concept mapping facilitates to recognize and graphically represent, in growth factors, all of the possible reasons pertaining to a problem or condition that lead to discovering the core causes. Usually, the quality issues are not straightforward. These issues typically entail the multifaceted combination and relations of multiple causes. I chose the cause and effect diagram keeping in view the research-oriented objective of the project that is improving the environment and revenues with reduced costs. Therefore, it is necessary before recommending any solution to the ‘We are Big, Inc’ to identify the root causes that impact badly on the environment and uncontrolled costs. The root cause analysis would help the project manager by becoming a road map for collecting data to concisely move ahead to achieve the objectives of the project by researching on avoiding/removing the root causes and recommending suitable software applications/solutions for the company. And finally, it is recommended that the cause and effect diagram should become part of the major research report. The second reason for selection of cause and effect quality tool that it would facilitate the project manager to easily identify the mainstream of the problems that would be faced during execution of the Green Computing project. In order to relate the quality tool with the project, the first problem that the project manager would face is the communication between the team with a webcam, as the team of the project is scattered and located at different geographical locations. The cause and effect diagram facilitates the project manager to write down the communication problem and the causes that generate the problem. In this way, the project manager would realize the root causes and develop a plan to remove/avoid the root causes so that the communication problem would not rise again. Furthermore, it is worthwhile to write down the stakeholders that are involved or affected by the problem, when and where the problem usually arises.

Learning New Things in Life - Process Analysis Essay

Learning New Things in Life - Process Analysis - Essay Example In effect, this chapter is instrumental in highlighting the importance of process analysis and its impact on the quality of a writer’s work. It is instructive to note that authors write in order to direct or inform their readers about various phenomena. This chapter is apt since it provides a guide on how writers can use process analysis in order to attain their objectives while writing. In effect, this makes the essay unique in that it provides the problem and informs while also directing the reader on the approaches that the reader should use in order to solve the highlighted problem. In order to achieve its uniqueness, a process analysis essay engages in a systematic approach in order to achieve the objectives of the writer while writing the essay.  In this case, a human being requires  satisfying their curiosity and learning about the processes that constitute the world. To do this, it is crucial for individuals to engage in a technique that provided the steps and the sequences involved in learning, which is known as process analysis. In effect, this chapter is instrumental in highlighting the importance of process analysis and its impact on the quality of a writer’s work. It is instructive to note that authors write in order to direct or inform their readers about various phenomena.

High School Dropout Rates Essay Example for Free

High School Dropout Rates Essay High School dropout is referred to student quitting high school prematurely or before graduation. Many reasons and factors are responsible for dropping out of school. Dropping out of school may be a singular reason of the child or a logical agreement between the child and the parent. Some reasons are due to intention to go find work, avoidance of bullying, depression from poor grades, and unplanned pregnancy at school. Most students find the easy way out of a monotony of life in getting themselves out of the normal routine, in a way this is a behavioral disorder. In lieu of psychologist argument, dropping out is the withdrawal from pulling out from a social institution most especially for the reason of â€Å"disillusion and development of apathy to the conventional values in such institution. Dropout Rate With the graduation rate of about 71%, number of dropout constitutes one of the factors for the non-graduating 29%. The rate of high school dropout is silently becoming an epidemic. Commonly, students’ age category is within the range of 16-24 years. According to the United State Department of Education, though the overall rate of dropout seems to be on a downward trend since 1960 till date, it is important to note however, that there exists a sharp uneven distribution in the record across regions, race and gender. For example, Hispanics high school dropout is put at 41 per cent of the existing figure of 9.  3% for both male and female since 2006. And it is worthy of note that this population sums about 17% of the entire population of youth in the stated age bracket. Male population makes up about 60% of dropout rate. Rate of dropout among Non- English speaking youth is higher than the English speaking youth, researched by Cardenas (Jay P. Greene 2002). Students from poor home with poor standard of living are economically disadvantaged constituting the major group among the incidence of dropouts in United States. The trend for Hispanics dropout rate is increasing yearly. The National Centre for Education Statistics submitted that Hispanics dropout rate doubles what is obtainable in about a decade ago. With the current progression and increased immigration, the Hispanics are expected to top the populous minority list in the United State totally about 21% from the present 17%. This will definitely deposit a significant increase in the growth of high school dropout for the youth age by the end of next year. Economic Importance of High School Dropout The worry about the incidence of dropout is the future implication of decreased human potentials to function productively in the growing complex world. Human technological advancement, compliance with ICT revolution, and human capacity empowerment all have their foundational preparatory ground from students leaving high school. It is crucial age in ones development that should not be corrupted with dropout. High school diploma in a way contributes to higher income and improved economic status. Moreover, their involvement in crime is a major menace posed to the society. In addition, they depend longer on State’s support whereas such support could have been invested into another productive arm of the economy. In conclusion, it is a collective issue; the society is yet to completely wipe out incidence of high school dropout. The failure to do so is endangering the future of the economy with unqualified generations of poorly educated ones. The need to safeguard the looming silent epidemic is here. Let us safe our tomorrow and say no to high school dropout.

Catcher in the Rye: Holdens Relationships Essay -- essays research pap

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout â€Å"The Catcher in the Rye†, Holden Caufield longs for intimacy with other human beings. One of Holden’s main problems is that he sees childhood as the ideal state of being. He thinks that all adults are phonies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One of the first relationships that is mentioned in the story, is Holden’s relationship with D.B., his brother. Throughout his childhood, it is obvious that Holden has idolized his older brother. Now that D.B. is a writer for Hollywood, Holden considers him a phony, and accuses him of prostituting himself by agreeing to work for the film industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Holden has a close relationship with his younger sister, Phobe. They are total opposites. She has a positive outlook on life, while Holden hates life and figures he’s doomed. Phobe was his â€Å"ray of hope†, and brought him true joy. To Holden, she is young, and hasn’t become phony. He would do anything to protect her and other children away from adulthood, and preserve their childish innocence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At Pencey, Holden meets Robert Ackley. Ackely has horrible hygiene, and does not hide it. Although this is disgusting, Holden has more respect for him than for his roommate, Stradlater. Holden calls Stradlater a â€Å"secret slob†. Stradlater is like many adults, because he tries to hide his imperfections. Holden is the complete opposite, because doesn’t care what people think of him, just as long as he feels go...

International Business in Japan

Abstract Capitalist and mostly single family centered, Zaibatsu led to a static system with weak competitive forces resulting in what is known as ‘cordial oligopoly’. (Niciejewska, 2007, pg 17) Keiretsu networks on the other hand, with its cross stockholdings is more dynamic and provided a more competitive business economy that continued to drive the Japanese economy during the post war period. The high cohesion that existed between the participating firms in the vertical keiretsu resulted in production and operational efficiency that gave Japanese manufacturers significant advantages in international markets. The impact of information technology and the internet in particular enabled the western countries implement modular production strategies and improved value chain management with setting up of contracted production centers across the globe. The japans keiretsu firms struggled to fight the American companies that specialized in single core functions leading to what is known as the mega competition. Keiretsu networks are unsuitable under modern, globally competitive, and technologically advanced market conditions. There is definitely a shift towards a more western centric business organization. Introduction Japanese corporate governance has undergone a lot of change since the Meiji restoration in 1868. It was during this time that the industrial revolution flourished across the world. The Zaibatsu originated when the Meiji government sold out certain government undertakings to a select few private and influential families namely Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Yasuda and Sumitomo. These government controlled firms slowly developed into different industries that helped Japan grow economically strong. During this period Japan practiced a closed economic system and foreign technology was totally shunned except in areas concerning domestic development (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). The Zaibatsu which could be loosely translated as monopolies emerged as the corporate structure that underlined the Japanese economy from this time till the end of the Second World War. In particular, the Zaibatsu or the industrial and financial conglomeration of the Japanese empire controlled a large percentage of the national economy during the first few decades of the twentieth century. In the aftermath of the World war 11 and the occupation of Japan by American forces, the Zaibatsu system was broken down and this gave rise to what is what is known as the Keiretsu system which is nothing but a group of companies with cross shareholdings and preferential business practices. Though the American government was bent on totally destroying the protectionary policies that the Zaibatsu system represented and proceeded with the dissolution of many Zaibatsu such as Asano, Furukawa, Nakajima, etc they stopped short of complete dissolution owing to fear of the intrusion of China’s communist practices into Japan. The formation of Keiretsu was an attempt to democratize the Japanese economy and to eliminate the restrictive policies (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). A brief overview of the firm structures in the Keiretsu and flourishing of Japanese economy between 1950-90, and its implications to the current Japanese economy would be discussed in this paper. Zaibatsu (Upto 1945) As briefly mentioned above, the Zaibatsu promoted a strong monopoly with holding companies at the top of the pyramid controlling all the operations between the various enterprises within the pyramid. Holding companies typically enjoyed the majority of the stocks of these businesses and more than 50% of the overall stocks of all the small companies that constitute the Zaibatsu were owned by its members (Thorson & Whitney, 2003). Stock options were never sold out to any third parties not connected with the zaibatsu making it a totally closed economic structure. The Zaibatsu was in short, a government led economic drive with strategies as well as resources provided for by the government. Japan’s industrial growth witnessed a rapid upswing under the Zaibatsu system. Buoyed by it success at home, the Japanese government forced the Zaibatsu system in Korea when it colonized the country (Shim & Lee, 2008, pg 49). The Zaibatsu enjoyed complete domination with Mitsui, Sumitomo and Mitsubishi, enjoying as much as 28% of the assets in Japanese companies by 1929. Just when the World War II was about to finish the Zaibatsu had 22.9% of the Japanese company stocks. Thus a handful of Japanese families had control over a vast majority of the Japanese enterprises under the Zaibatsu system. The structure of the Zaibatsu changed very quickly and soon there was intense diversification. For instance the single Mitsubishi Corporation rapidly diversified its business in to mining, shipping, insurance, trading, etc in a very short period of time and soon transformed into a holding company that was at the top of the Pyramid controlling a range of individual yet affiliated businesses. The Iwasaki family owned and controlled the entire business network of Mitsubishi (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Keiretsu Keiretsu represents a cluster of enterprises that are linked to each other by way of cross shareholdings and preferential trading practices creating mutual interests in the business progress. Keiretsu are basically divided into two main types’ namely Vertical keiretsu and horizontal keiretsu. However there are also other keiretsu such as the distribution keiretsu that relate to the distribution networks of big manufacturers. For instance the distribution networks of Matsushita, Fuji Photo Film, etc come under the distribution Keiretsu (Shimotani, 1995). Keiretsu emerged as a protective response to the dissolution and distribution of the largely family owned stocks of the Zaibatsu. When hostile companies were taking over the zaibatsu firms the three main Zaibatsu leaders convened and arranged a solution of cross shareholding and preferential trading policies that enabled them to retain the overall control of the enterprises among themselves. For instance the Mitsui, Sumitomo an d Mitsubishi zaibatsu formed this strategic pact of cross shareholdings to maintain their stronghold in the business. This is how the Keiretsu emerged from the Zaibatsu. Soon by the 1960’s a few big financial institutions in Japan such as Dai-Ichi Kangyo, Fuji and Sanwa joined with the Mitsubishi, Sumitomo and Mitsui to constitute what was popularly known as the six horizontal Keiretsu (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Periodic meetings between the president’s council (shacho-kai) members and executive exchanges and cross share holdings formed the glue between these six Keiretsu. The horizontal Keiretsu is centered around a large bank. On the other hand, the vertical Keiretsu are the large manufacturing companies and supply chain companies, the distributors etc. Unlike the Horizontal Keiretsu there is no president’s council in the vertical Keiretsu but the groups of suppliers of a manufacturing firm represent that role (Miwa and Ramsayer, 2006). Similar to the horizontal Keiretsu, the firms in the vertical keiretsu are also linked together by share holdings across firms and preferential business policies. In vertical Keiretsu there is improved knowledge sharing by way of business transfers including exchange of experts and technical staff members across the vertical network. Overall, vertical Keiretsu promotes improved cohesion among the network firms. In fact, the increased dependence of main firms on the supplier firms in the vertical Keiretsu even lead to large scale investments by these ancillary Japanese firms in US following the footsteps of the Japanese automobile manufacturing firms setting up their FDI in that Country (Banerji & Sambharya ,1996). In technology intensive industries of Japan vertical Keiretsu has greatly improved their international competitiveness by facilitating rapid knowledge sharing across the partnership firms. Empirical studies that measured the effects of such knowledge sharing across the firms in the vertical Keiretsu clearly suggest positive productive gains (Branstetter, 2000). One of the important advantages of the vertical keiretsu is the improved coordination between the suppliers and the assemblers. In the keiretsu automotive industries the suppliers receive plenty of support in products manufacturing , processing and people management. This is distinctly different from the US approach where the suppliers and the assembly line operate entirely independently. This model of operation facilitates both the parties as it helps to reduce the overall risk for either party. (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009) Thus the Keiretsu improved knowledge transfer among t he networked firms, improved productivity, reduced risk for the firms and gave the Japanese companies clear advantage in the international market. Furthermore, Gerlach (2004), also notes that the Keiretsus were particularly important due to their one-set principle and networking. For instance, synergies were achieved in input and output, especially in the case of manufacturing. Centralized systems and departments were used in conducting basic support operations, which helped all subsidiaries in cost savings (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Also, profit-trapping mechanisms were used in place, by distributing them effectively through subsidiaries (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Cross shareholdings were also particularly important as it helped avoid takeovers, encouraged risk taking amongst companies, and had a long term outlook on strategy (Sturgeon, 2006). One of the important examples of the vertical Keiretsu is the Toyota group. In fact, Toyota has a unique distinction of being both a horizontal keiretsu as well as a vertical keiretsu. They key difference is that the massive size of the Toyota organization makes it possible to exist without being controlled by a central bank as is the case with horizontal keiretsu. Toyota with more than $72 billion in annual revenue has the financial might to stand for itself without the dependence of any major funding source. However, it is associated with the Mitsui group horizontally. Toyota is also widely diversified like a horizontal keiretsu company with its firms representing industries as varied as real estate, computer development, aircraft development, nonlife insurance, etc. The disintegration of the Keiretsu (Why keiretsu failed?) The keiretsu system started to decline slowly by the early nineties and one study by Gerlach (2004) that analyzed the cluster networking pattern of 257 Japanese organizations between 1978 and 1998 found clear evidence indicating this shift away from the Keiretsu. Analysis of cross shareholdings further confirmed the decline of the keiretsu structure (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). By the late nineties many major banks that were previously the core of the Horizontal keiretsu had already sold off major portions of their shares to international financial institutions (Ahmadjian and Robinson, 2001). Several Bank mergers further shook the keiretsu structure. Starting with the Mitsui and Taiyo-Kobe Bank merger in 1990 to the 1998 merger of Industrial Bank of Japan, Fuji and Dai-ichi Kangyo bank the largescale mergers of Japanese financial institutions led to consolidation of the related keiretsu firms (Lincoln & Shimotani, 2009). Globalization and technological changes further led to the withering of the Keiretsu. The numbers of board of directors were reduced and many foreign personals took up the position. International investors further demanded the selling off of the stocks in supplier firms and other affiliate firms. Furthermore, the global shift towards modular production system and the production efficiency that it gave rise to, along with a degree of independence between the firms that are involved, kind of eroded the production line advantages that Japanese firms specialized in mass production under the keiretsu system had enjoyed for a long period. The growth of information technology and the adaptation of computer simulation technologies in production testing and experimentation and swift data exchange between the firms reduced the need for physical communication (which was key in Keiretsu) and drastically improved value chain management.(Sturgeon, 2006) Modular production is propelled by ease of systems integration facilitated by information technology. By the 1990’s modular production system was already in place in the US electronic industry with its contract manufacturers spread across the globe. While the American firms capitalized on the internet enabled modular production systems and dominated the electronics industry and related computer hardware industry, Japanese electronics industry was still sticking to the ‘components plus products’ strategy. Cisco systems for instance enjoyed total domination in the network routers market enjoying as much as 80% of the market share while simply outsourcing its device production to contracted producers such as Solectron and Flextronics. Often the production centers are located in low cost regions such as China giving a distinct advantage for the modular production strategy. This contrast between the modular production strategies of the American firms and the in house à ¢â‚¬Ëœintegrated production system’ of the Japanese keiretsu firms gave a clear advantage to the American firms. In other words, the Japanese keiretsu firms could not handle the ‘mega competition’ from the American firms which specialize in single core functions or narrow core competencies. The following figure 1 illustrates the loss suffered by the Japanese keiretsu electronic industries in the early years of the new millennium. (Sturgeon, 2006) Another factor that accompanied global trade is the fluctuation of the exchange rates and its influence on the profit margin. Furthermore, the expansion into international markets and the associated transportation costs motivated many of Japan’s manufacturing firms to move their production facilities abroad as a cost effective solution. Though some suppliers too moved and invested in these new countries, in most cases the central firms such as Toyota started building trust and relationships with the local suppliers. Furthermore, changes in Japanese economic reforms including the Tax policies did not tolerate risk sharing measures as they used to before which clearly undermined one of the key Keiretsu principles. Conclusion The Large capitalist and mostly single family based zaibatsu companies flourished during the early twentieth century creating industrial monopolies that were closely controlled by the government. Zaibatsu led to what is known as a static system as most of the stocks are retained by the family that controls the business. Furthermore Zaibatsu promoted weak competition leading to what is known as ‘cordial oligopoly’.) Keiretsu on the other hand with its cross stockholdings is more dynamic and provided a more competitive business economy that continued to drive the Japanese economy during the post war period. The high cohesion that existed between the participating firms in the vertical keiretsu resulted in production and operational efficiency that gave Japanese manufacturers significant advantages in international markets. However, the Keiretsu principles of ‘preferential business’ affected foreign companies from entering the Japanese markets. Globalization and increasing pressures from international organizations to sell off stocks in affiliated firms affected the cohesion that previously existed between the participating firms in the keiretsu network. Furthermore, the successful integration and mass production strategies of the keiretsu networks that helped Japanese manufacturing firms flourish were soon affected by the shift in global production strategies. Particularly, the concept of modular production where product design could be isolated from its manufacture and the shift towards outsourcing in the western world created a dent in the Japanese manufacturing sector which was still stuck with the ‘in house production’ policies. The impact of information technology and the internet in particular enabled the western countries implement modular production strategies and improved value chain management with setting up of contracted production centers across the globe. The japans keiretsu firms struggled to fi ght the American companies that specialized in single core functions leading to what is known as the mega competition. These fundamental shifts in organizational structure and strategies in the West have made the Keiretsu networks unsuitable under modern globally competitive and technologically advanced market conditions. There is definitely a shift towards a more western centric business organization. Bibliography Ahmadjian, Christina L and Patricia Robinson. (2001). Safety in Numbers: Downsizing and the New Political Economy of Structural Adjustment and Globalization, New York: M.E. Sharpe. Jae Seung Shim & Moosung lee, (2008), The Korean Economic System, Ashgate Publishing Ltd. England. James R Lincoln & Mashiro Shimotani, (2009), Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, Working Paper series, [online] University of California, viewed Mar 9th 2012, Katharina Niciejewska, (2007) The Influence of Social networks in Japanese business. Keiretsu as a Japanese Network. Auflage , Germany. Kunal Banerji PhD & Rakesh B Sambharya, (1996), Vertical Keiretsu and international market entry: The case of the Japanese automobile ancillary industry, Journal of international business studies. Vol 27, No 1. Lee Branstetter (2000), Vertical Keiretsu and Knowledge Spillovers in Japanese Manufacturing: An Empirical assessment, Journal of Japanese and International Economies , Vol 14, Issue 2, pg 73-104 Miwa, Yoshiro and J. Mark Ramsayer. 2006. The Fable of the Keiretsu: Urban Legends of the Japanese Economy. University of Chicago Press, 2006. Thayer Watkins, The Toyoto Group: The One and Only Horizontal and Vertical Keiretsu, [Online] San Jose State University, viewed Mar 9th 2012, Timothy J Sturgeon, (2006), Modular Productions Impact on Japan’s Electronic industry, MIT, IPC Working papers series. Viewed Mar 10th 2012,

Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) Security Essay

IPv4 is an end-to-end network model that supports the multicast operation. Multicast operations or communications involve information transfer from one node in as single transmission to multiple receivers within the network. Moreover, it facilitates the broadcasting of multimedia information like videos and audio teleconferences. IPv4 utilizes MAC addresses and IP addresses to send data packets within and outside the Local Area Network respectively. For security purposes, routers are used in the interconnection of multiple networks to map the IP addresses to related MAC addresses. IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses that are divided into octets, each octet separated by a period. This gives different address ranges that are used for different purposes. This protocol establishes the use of group access controls, router trusts and group center trusts. However, since information is being sent to group users sharing the same address, it becomes challenging to implement encryption standards and authentication infrastructures. Although sharing a public key may remedy the situation, it is only successful if the number of receivers is limited (Bachert, 2002). As a result, while some receivers get error-free transmissions other may not even see the data that has been transmitted. Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) provides a homogeneous security mechanism framework within the IP suite. IPsec offers a security protocols that operate independently from data origin authentication, cryptographic, replay protection and key exchange mechanisms used in protecting explicit applications. To be put into consideration, IPsec depends on the founding of Security Associations (SAs) between the individual hosts involved in sheltered communications. The SAs agree with clear-cut authentication algorithms, security and cryptographic features that the host uses to securely communicate with another host.

A Writers Best Friend

A Writers Best Friend A Writer’s Best Friend A Writer’s Best Friend By Mark Nichol I was bemused recently to read in the acknowledgments section of a book the author’s expression of gratitude toward someone who had read the manuscript before publication. The writer thanked the other person for â€Å"doing great proofreading,† but he followed that comment with â€Å"Not copy editing [sic]; we were both cautious about that, as our strongly held opinions don’t often match.† My first impression was that the book’s author has or had at the time a fundamental misunderstanding of copyediting (since the book was published, the closed-compound version of that term has come to prevail), as he implied that such a process would interfere with his expression of his views. (The person who assisted him is an expert in the book’s subject matter.) That’s absurd, because no editing role certainly not copyediting involves revisions of writers’ expressions of their beliefs or judgments. A developmental editor for a book publisher, or an assigning editor of a periodical, might discuss this issue with a writer but generally does not impose on the author’s convictions; presumably, the opportunity for the author to express these ideas is the reason the content is being published in the first place. But then I considered that perhaps, by â€Å"strongly held opinions,† the writer meant his notions of what constitutes good writing. Perhaps he was referring to the fact that his ideas about how to construct prose conflicts with those of the person who reviewed the manuscript for him. This possibility led me to reflect on my long-held opinion, acquired through decades of painful experience, that there’s a strong correlation between good writers and good grace when it comes to responding to grammatical and syntactical revisions, concomitant with the disturbing degree to which many poor writers protest such improvements. For in this case, the book suffered greatly not only from the fact it, at least before it was submitted to the publisher, was proofread but not copyedited. It also was compromised by the apparent lack of copyediting (or any editing) during the production phase of publication. The writing is verbose, repetitive, poorly organized, and clumsy (barely) competent, but dull and tiring to read, and in dire need of attention from both a developmental editor and a copy editor. This mediocrity was all the more disappointing because of the anticipation with which I had approached the book, which covers a topic of great interest to me. I was especially puzzled about the writing quality because the book dates to the early 1980s, the last period in which a reader could count on well-edited books before, for many but fortunately not all publishing companies, the bottom line became more important than the line edit. Ultimately, though, that this book is an exception to the rule is not the writer’s fault; the publisher let him and me and other readers of this book down. But writers aren’t helpless in the face of this trend; if they lack a partner or other close associate qualified and willing to review a manuscript (or even if such an ally is put to work), they can resort to pre-editing. That’s the now-widespread practice of preempting a publishing company’s possible neglect or short-changing of the editing process, and/or improving the chance of the manuscript’s acceptance, by hiring a freelance developmental editor and/or a freelance copy editor to polish it before submitting it to publishers. It’s unfortunate that the assembly-line model that now prevails in the publishing industry necessitates this step for one or both reasons stated, but though it requires a financial investment by the writer, it’s a wise strategy that enhances the likelihood both that the manuscript will be published and that the book will succeed. Another wise strategy is to have a little humility about one’s writing ability and the value of one or more objective second opinions. I’m a good writer, though not a great one, but even if I did claim (and perhaps actually have) more talent, I would, as I do in reality, welcome both substantial and mechanical revisions that make me look even better. For me and many good and great writers it’s a no-brainer, but that indirect reference to my earlier comment about the correlation of writing talent to amenability to editing reminds me of another observation: Common sense isn’t as common as it should be. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Fiction Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.3 Types of Headings8 Great Podcasts for Writers and Book Authors

How the specifics of social network relate to that of the Not So Essay

How the specifics of social network relate to that of the Not So collective associations - Essay Example These aspects include; our history, our culture, our religion, our traditions, our education and our political establishments. The reasons behind the evolution of such theories are as far stretched as the earth could be, but basically they depend on the beliefs which are held by diverse scholars and thinkers of our regions. With reference to the subject matter of the ‘Cultural Theory’, this paper will provide an interpretation in accordance to the formulation of the evolution of the social networks and how they relate to our cultural evaluations and representations. As Williams believed that some of the major historical and philosophical issues construct such statements (2003: pp.1) as that which is under presentation in this paper, thus, through brief examinations and verifications in the words of Williams presented by Ayrey and Everist â€Å"the specifics of works relate to structures which are not the works† (2007: pp.301) have been explicated in this paper. Af ter the examination of Williams’s outlook on the cultural theory various point of views can be put forth with regard to the subject of social networks which has been chosen. But in order to understand how the two areas or the focal points intersect the familiarization of the basic characterization and explanation of both the terms is necessary. Thus, the first or foremost term to be classified is ‘Culture’. This question and its answer hold immense importance as it is such a part of any community that identifies its existence. Hence, this statement itself verifies what culture is but to be on cleat terms the expression ‘Culture’ has been identified by Kalman as the way the human beings live and the roots which construct their methods of interaction, lifestyle and beliefs (2009: pp.4) Therefore, culture is essentially the part which makes the way of living the life for human beings and this major ingredient is put forth, and represented by human being s to signify their background and their relationship with their milieu. Whereas, the second term which needs to be classified is ‘Social Network’, thus, it has been elucidated as ‘all those sources or methods through which people communicate and interact with each other for both formal and informal causes’. Thus, these sources could be web-based technologies, applications or softwares which enable human beings to interrelate to each other. There is an enormous and astonishingly significant relationship between the above to mentioned terms. With the passage of time people are recognizing the values of their cultures and traditions and alongside they are being provided a large number of opportunities to represent their culture. These opportunities if devoured in a positive manner can cause an extremely constructive effect on the various cultures of the people throughout the world, on the other hand if consumed negatively could definitely prove as a root of of f-putting results. But the most important fact is that the cultural promotion and propagation is starting to be affected more and more by these advancements of the interactive sources. Thus the relationship of social network to that of the representation of our culture and our backgrounds is linked through the cultural theory of Williams. How so? This is due to the fact that along with the modernization of our society the methods of

In report format, prepare a Marketing Mix for the product or service Essay

In report format, prepare a Marketing Mix for the product or service on which you based assignment one. The Marketing Mix you de - Essay Example This research will be divided into sections each explaining how the case product has been placed for marketing. Product segmentation, targeting and position The term segmentation basically implies that there is grouping of potential buyers and customers in different categories (Masterson & Pickton, 2010; 88). By segmentation it will enable the Dell Company to actually place the potential buyers into different groups and therefore each group will perceive maximum value of the laptop differently from the others. In my segmentation of the Dell Laptop we can have for example three categories that will be the target market of the Dell products. The first group will be under homogeneity meaning that the particular segment the group will be having the same common needs when it comes to the Dell laptop. Under this group the Dell laptop that the group needs will be the basic ones with medium capacity hard disk, wide screen, long lasting battery and user friendly navigation on the laptop and o n top of all these features, the laptop will be relatively cheaper. The second group we can refer to them as the distinction group, under this group it can be made up of the higher end market of the consumers so that they are unique group of people as compared to the other members and potential buyers. Case in point will be the business fraternity and the upper class therefore for the Dell Company, the laptop in this range will be high end in terms of the needs for instance the business market would want a very fast laptop filled with more business features. With all these features the general outlook of the Dell laptop will have to be above par with the finishing being custom made in order to suit the potential consumer needs (Richter, 2012;44). The last group will be mainly be classified under the reaction group, this means that the target customers under this segment will consist of the buyers who have a similar response to a product in the market. The target will mostly consist of the youths who are mostly technologically savvy and would love to own the latest gadgets which include laptops and this is where the Dell laptop will come into focus as a gadget that the youths will fall in love with. Therefore the price will be worth the features that will be on the laptop (Mcdonald, 2007; 121). The main impact of all this will be to ensure that every potential buyer has been catered. Marketing mix and its relation to the target consumers can be summed up with the diagram below: Product Consideration With the Dell laptop, it is expected for the laptop to embrace all characteristics of service performance meant to create importance and value to the laptop itself and therefore enable it to sell to the potential buyers (Mcloughlin, & Aaker, 2010;67). It is expected by each design that the Dell laptop has will be a key factor to the key needs of the buyers. The technology in place of the Dell laptop will be expected to be of high end and furthermore very useful to t he consumers who will be using the product (Dibb, & Simkin, 1999; 78). The design should be made with the mindset that the significance of the Dell laptop will come from the usefulness it has to the potential buyers. Furthermore the Dell laptop will come with value added services and this will include warranties to ensure that the laptop can last the given time period and with the warranty the potential