Landfills - Fact Is More Ominous Than Fiction Essays - Landfill

Landfills - Fact is more ominous than fiction Title: Landfills - Fact is more ominous than fiction It has long been believed that the largest entity brought upon the Earth by humankind is the Pyramid of the Sun, constructed in Mexico around the start of the Christian era. The mammoth structure commands nearly thirty million cubic feet of space. In contrast, however, is the Durham Road Landfill, outside San Francisco, which occupies over seventy million cubic feet of the biosphere. It is a sad monument, indeed, to the excesses of modern society [Gore 151]. One might assume such a monstrous mound of garbage is the largest thing ever produced by human hands. Unhappily, this is not the case. The Fresh Kills Landfill, located on Staten Island, is the largest landfill in the world. It sports an elevation of 155 feet, an estimated mass of 100 million tons, and a volume of 2.9 billion cubic feet. In total acreage, it is equal to 16,000 baseball diamonds [Miller 526]. By the year 2005, when the landfill is projected to close, its elevation will reach 505 feet above sea level, making it the highest point along the Eastern Seaboard, Florida to Maine. At that height, the mound will constitute a hazard to air traffic at Newark airport [Rathje 3-4]. Fresh Kills (Kills is from the Dutch word for creek) was originally a tidal marsh. In 1948, New York City planner Robert Moses developed a highly praised project to deposit municipal garbage in the swamp until the level of the land was above sea level. A study of the area predicted the marsh would be filled by the year 1968. He then planned to develop the area, building houses and attracting light industry. Mayor Impelliteri issued a report titled "The Fresh Kills Landfill Project" in 1951. The report stated, in part, that the enterprise "cannot fail to affect constructively a wide area around it." The report ended by stating, "It is at once practical and idealistic" [Rathje 4]. One must appreciate the irony in the fact that Robert Moses was, in his day, considered a leading conservationist. His major accomplishments include asphalt parking lots throughout the New York metro area, paved roads in and out of city parks, and development of Jones Beach, now the most polluted, dirty, overcrowded piece of shoreline in the Northeast. In Stewart Udall's book The Quiet Crisis, the former Secretary of the Interior lavishes praise on Moses. The JFK cabinet member calls Jones Beach "an imaginative solution ... (the) supreme answer to the ever-present problems of overcrowding" [Udall 163-4]. JFK's introduction to the book provides this foreboding passage: "Each generation must deal anew with the raiders, with the scramble to use public resources for private profit, and with the tendency to prefer short-run profits to long-run necessities. The crisis may be quiet, but it is urgent" [Udall xii]. Oddly, the subject of landfills is never broached in Udall's book; in 1963, the issue was, in fact, a non-issue. A modern state-of-the-art sanitary landfill is a graveyard for garbage, where deposited wastes are compacted, spread in thin layers, and covered daily with clay or synthetic foam. The modern landfill is lined with multiple, impermeable layers of clay, sand, and plastic before any garbage is deposited. This liner prevents liquids, called leachates, from percolating into the groundwater. Leachates result from rain water mixing with fluids in the garbage, making a highly toxic "juice" containing inks, heavy metals, and other poisonous compounds. Ideally, leachates are pumped up from collection points along the bottom of the landfill and either shipped to liquid waste disposal points or re-introduced into the upper layers of garbage, to resume the cycle. Unfortunately, most landfills have no such pumping system [Miller 527]. Until the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency by Nixon in 1970, there were virtually no regulations governing the construction, operation, and closure of landfills. As a result, 85 percent of all landfills extant in this country are unlined. Many are located in close proximity to aquifers or other groundwater features, or near geologically unstable sites. Many older landfills are leaching toxins into our water supply at this very moment, with no way to stop them. For example, the Fresh Kills landfill leaks an estimated one million gallons of toxic ooze into the surrounding water table every day [Miller 527]. Sanitary landfills do offer certain advantages. Offensive odors, the mainstay of the old city dump, are dramatically reduced by the daily cover of clay or other material. Vermin and insects, both of the terrestrial and airborne varieties, are denied a free meal

Research paper about the RMS Titanic

Research paper about the RMS Titanic Ships and ocean liners have been man made all throughout history, but one stands out from the rest, the Titanic. It has been a mystery to many how the accidental sinking occurred and why the ship is on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1912, an Olympic-class ship, the Titanic, set sail for the United States. At the time, it was the largest and most luxurious passenger liner of its kind. The Royal Mail Ship Titanic was and perhaps still is one of the most captivating and legendary steamships that was built in the twentieth century, due to its ironic maiden and only voyage.English: RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic under constru...The plan for the lavish liner first came about during 1907, but the construction of the Titanic did not commence until March 31, 1909. The shipbuilding company, Harland and Wolff, was over the production of the ship in Belfast, Ireland. ("Was the Titanic Construction Responsible for her Sinking?" 1) The company, owned by Lord Pirrie, had to make shipyard adjustm ents in order to hold the Titanic and her sister ship, the Olympic. The principle designer of the Titanic was Thomas Andrews. "At the time, the construction methods used in the building of the Titanic were considered to be second to none." (1) It was intended to cater to the elite class and be the largest ship on the water. The building of the ship was completed three years later and it cost around seven and a half million dollars. Even while itHorne 2was being constructed, the White Star Line stated the ship was unsinkable. (1)The Titanic's hull consisted of sixteen watertight compartments and for this very reason others believed the ship was unsinkable. If two of the middle or four of the front compartments flooded, the ship...

Zara Case report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Zara Case report - Essay Example Porter’s Five Force analysis emphasizes that market trends of apparel and fashion industry are comparable to certain other industries and going to be more challenging in near future. The report critically explains the supply chain research as one of the strongest point of Zara; because it’s flexible structure entertains the primary activities to be executed smoothly. Primary supporting activities like human resource management, procurement, and research and development departments play a key role in formulating business and corporate level strategies. This case study highlights that Zara’s success is based on its low cost and product differentiation strategy. It further suggests that hybrid strategy could be more effectual for the company as it reduces the production cost of high quality products. The report also explains the two sad incidents which took place in recent years and have left a negative mark on the reputation of Zara. At the end of the case study, f ew suggestions are briefly presented for the further growth or expansion of the company. The reports also elaborates few techniques i.e. how to implement the internationalization strategy of Zara. In the context of Zara’s global expansion, few steps of corporate level strategy are discussed. By adopting these techniques, Zara can make maximize its speedy growth with respect to different regions. Table of Contents Contents Page No EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 02 1. INTRODUCTION 05 Question – 1: MACRO LEVEL ANALYSIS 06 2.1 PESTEL Analysis 06 2.1.1 Political Factors 06 2.1.2 Economic Factors 06 2.1.3 Social Factors 07 2.1.4 Technological Factors 08 2.1.5 Environmental Factors 08 2.1.6 Legal Factors 08 2.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis 08 2.2.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Moderate 09 2.2.2 Bargaining Power of Consumers: Moderate 09 2.2.3 Competition among Existing Rivals: High 09 2.2.4 Threat of New Entrants: Low 10 2.2.5 Threat of Substitutes: Low 10 Question – 2: ZARA VAL UE CHAIN 11 3.1 Primary Activities 11 3.1.1 Design 11 3.1.2 Production 12 3.1.3 Logistics 12 3.1.4 Marketing 12 3.1.5 Store Operations 12 3.2 Supporting Activities 12 3.2.1 Company infrastructure 12 3.2.2 Human Resource Management 13 3.2.3 Technology / Research and Development 13 3.2.4 Procurement 14 3.2.5 Cost Factor 14 Question – 3: ANALYSIS OF PR CRISIS 15 4.1 Sweatshops 15 4.2 Shop-staff Abused 16 Question – 4: STRATEGIC ANALYSIS 17 5.1 Zara Business Strategies 17 5.1.1 Low Cost Strategy 17 5.1.2 Product Differentiation Strategy 18 5.2 Zara Corporate Strategy 18 5.2.1 Market Growth 18 5.2.2 Diversification 19 5.2.3 Vertical Integration 19 5.2.4 Product and Market Development 19 5.3 Recommendations for Future Strategies 20 5.3.1 Hybrid Strategy 20 5.3.2 Growth Strategy 20 5.3.3 Online Retailing 21 5.4 Techniques to Implement Recommended 21 Strategies 5.4.1 Owned Subsidiary 21 5.4.2 Joint Venture 22 5.4.3 Franchising 22 CONCLUSION 23 BIBLIOGRAPHY 24 1. INTRODUCTION Z ara is one of the leading apparel and fashion retail companies which is based at Artexio, Galicia in Spain. It was established in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Roselia Mera. The company is characterized by its massive infrastructure (almost 1750 stores in more than 90 countries) and flexible internal environment. Zara is beautifully decorated with vertical integration system within the organization which is helpful in designing, manufacturing, transportation, and distribution of the products to the markets. The system has enabled the company to be less dependent on

Aggregational role of voting and majority rule Essay

Aggregational role of voting and majority rule - Essay Example Majority voting is a process that does not consider consensus during election. Its ideology is the majority number of people have a final say to determine the decision to be undertaken. Majority voting does not allow for compromise. This is a useful factor in decision making for such matters as those of technicality than just face reasons fuelled by emotion, impulse and personal interest (Emerson 1994). Majority rule inspires alliance building. It encourages challenges amongst these groups and brings out the best qualities in the final choice. This is because competition among coalition pushes for the most refined options compared to its alternatives. Challenges as these are useful in avoidance of situations where there is ‘tyranny by the majority’ to pursue their own personal interests. Alliances formed by the minority have been known to watch dog over the welfare of the society in frameworks like this. The election process requires that the community be informed on alt ernative sets than all other individuals. Final decisions made are resourceful and useful for incorporating collective ideas of aggregate persons. In economics, majority voting is especially popular for market creation. When consumers decide to cast currency votes for an item of consumption businesses are forced to produce more of it in order to make profit. The decision on such goods by consumers reflect their preference on products. Majority rule voting however, only applies in a few of market products. This is because it is not applicable where the market item in question is a public good due to the free riding problem. While majority rule is often associated with democracy, plurality is concerned with the large numbers as a sample of the population’s interest. Plurality considers ideas of the most population without taking into account the overall effect proportionately. Majority rule is therefore a creation of the population’s interest compared against standards o f quality so that more than half of the population agrees to the idea voted. Plurality on the other hand is a matter of the numbers whether less than half or more, this overlooks non-voters. Majority rule motivates the entire population to take part in a voting process and solidifies the final decision. To benefit from final decisions in majority rule, parties agree on the best outcome, whether the outcomes are favourable or not as long as they are outvoted. Majority rule does not provide an equilibrium decision. The concept of voting has inspired models with mathematical explanations to the given systems involved in the elections (Tideman, N 2006). In most situations, voters identify with characteristic qualities of the options in the set to be selected. When aggregate role in decision-making may de-motivate the will to participate in decision making for most of the members of the minority and the majority group, the final decision may as well be motivated by factors other than con tribution and the numbers. This will include reflective concepts of the parties voting on real need to deal with facts than just numbers during decision-making. Most of the population will therefore end up making a sober and weighted decision. Majority rule addresses contrasting preferences and often results in an arbitrary choice. This gives an advantage to democratic administrative policies in governance. Democratic Rule relates to the majority rule in a paternalistic manner but has implications that could lead to instability; therefore, the democratic governance is useful when it undertakes the least (Nitzan, S.2010). This again gives the advantage of ruling to the majority cause. Democracy should restrain majority

Critical Exploration by Using Gibbs Model Essay - 1

Critical Exploration by Using Gibbs Model - Essay Example A 2nd-year student is practicing as a nurse at a hospital. The girl is very sweet, caring and loving towards her patients. She is always up to help other staff members with a smile. However, she has trouble in being able to prioritize and co-ordinate the attention needs of patients that we both have duties for. She also seems to lack confidence in her nursing skills and has teething troubles in linking theory to practice.  The result of the study reveals that the girl needs to understand what she wants to achieve. In this case, it is very obvious what she wants to achieve but she is not sure how to achieve it. The consequences of not prioritizing her duties make her more frustrated and annoyed and at the end of the day, nothing has achieved the way she wants to achieve it. It is also expected that some of the patients end up saying that want a different nurse to take care of them. As frequently does not complete the instructions given to her by these other staff and leaves the care given to patients unfinished. At the second stage of the Gibbs model, it can be said that the girl needs this practice because she wants to end up at some great hospital but if she continues to give such results that are poor practices, poorly set priorities it is giving out a bad image of her and the further recommendation for her are at stake. The student for sure feels the responsibility she has but as an amateur, she is finding difficulties in some areas and usually panics. She needs someone to guide her for at least a week so that she improves her practice and give satisfying results. However, the good part is the girl is willing to help. She wants to be someone and never refuses to work. In short, the girl has proved to be a very hard working dedicated worker but needs to manage things a little more. Most nursing students will attain the expertise criterions they need to catalog but tutors may be faced with an apprentice whose  presentation is scrawny.

Toyota motor corporation strategy

Toyota motor corporation strategy I. Introduction of Toyota: Overview of Toyota Company Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. It is founded in August 28, 1937 in Japan. Akio Toyoda is the current president of Toyota motor company. As of March 31, 2009, the capital of Toyota is estimated as 397.05 billion yen. The major business undertaken by Toyota is Motor Vehicle Production and Sales. It has been estimated that around 320,808 employees working at present in Toyota and its affiliated companies all over the world as of March 31, 2009 (Toyota, 2009). Even though Toyota was able to maintain a steady growth rate both in sales and production of vehicles till 2008, because of global economic crisis both the sales and production of vehicles of Toyota has been come down in 2009. The company has produced 5,100,000 vehicles in Japan itself in 2007 and 5,160,000 in 2008. But the production has come down to 4,255,000 in 2009. On the other hand the company has recorded 23,948.0 million yen sales in 2007 and 26,289.2 million yen in 2008. But the sales have dipped to 20,529.5 million yen in 2009. 8,524,000 Toyota vehicles have been sold in the world in 2007 and 8,913,000 in 2008. But the number of vehicles sold has slipped to 7,567,000 in 2009 (Toyota, 2009). International, regional, industrial environment of Toyota Toyota Company is currently operating in five continents and in 27 countries with 53 manufacturing units apart from its main manufacturing units in Japan. It has operations in more than 170 countries all over the world at present. It always acquires a place in the top 10 Fortune Global 500 enterprises list. It has a good reputation as the most socially and environmentally responsible automaker in the world (Global Toyota, 2007) Toyota Financial Services (TFS) provides vehicle financing in 33 countries worldwide. Some of the most diverse and fastest-growing among our global network of offices are those in the Asia Oceania Region. Over the last 5 years, their average annual asset growth has been a staggering 30 percent (Toyota Financial Services Global Presence, 2009). Toyota is operating in one of the highly contested automotive sector. Apart from international automobile manufacturers like, BMW, GM, etc, Toyota is facing challenges from domestic automobile manufacturers such as Nissan, Mitsubishi, etc. Toyota believes in localising the vehicles in order to cater the specific needs of the regions in which it operates. For example, Indian business conditions and American business conditions are entirely different for Toyota and they have specific custom made vehicles for different regions. Toyota has implemented a Just in Time (JIT) production system which is highly debated in the global corporate sector. (Just in Time, or JIT Toyotas Manufacturing Technique, 2005) International and global strategy A company with multinational branches and head quarters can be referred as a global firm. (What is a global firm? n. d) It is not necessary that a company producing goods locally and sells it internationally, necessarily a global firm. A global firm always produces goods locally and internationally and sells it in different market across the world. Moreover, a global firm always look for making custom made goods for international market. For example, it is not possible for vehicle manufacturers to make a standard vehicle suitable for the international market. Even the same product needs customization for different market because of the difference in international markets with respect to culture, politics, legal aspects, environment conditions, economic conditions etc. Toyota is operating in more than 170 countries at present with 53 manufacturing units all over the world as mentioned earlier, which is clearly an indication that Toyota is a global firm. Moreover, Toyota is addressing the needs of the diverse customers around the world and they were able to make vehicles suitable for regional preferences. For example, for Indian conditions, Toyota has introduced two vehicles; Qualis and Innova which can accommodate more people in the same car whereas such vehicles may not suit for the American conditions. Americans like luxury cars more than the Indians and Toyota concentrated in making luxury cars for American market. Thus, Toyota was able to realize the tastes of local people and they succeeded in producing vehicles suitable for each country which made them a true global company in all senses. II. The external environment: 1. Toyota-Competitors/Rivals: Toyota is one of the leading automobile manufacturers in the world. Competitors are struggling to compete with Toyota because of the superior quality, excellent supply chain, and very good after sales support, Toyota offers to the consumers. In fact competitors are forming regional blocs to compete with Toyota. General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, Honda, Fiat, Renault, Nissan, BMW, Hyundai etc are some of the major competitors for Toyota in automobile industry all over the world. DaimlerChrysler and BMW accepted GMs invitation to cooperate in joint development of hybrid technology, in part to gang up on Toyota (Target, Toyota: Competitors Try To Trip Up the Carmaker on Its Way to No. 1, n. d.). In other words, the competitors are making all efforts to prevent Toyota from sustaining its superior performances. They have realized that nobody can compete with Toyota independently at present because of the superior technological advances and features incorporated to Toyota vehicles and that also at cheaper rates compared to the competitors. In America, General Motors is the main rivals for Toyota whereas in Europe it is BMW. In Asia the major challenges are coming from Hyundai whereas in the home country, Japan the major competitor for Toyota is Honda. Toyota is facing challenges not only from the American and European car manufacturers. In fact they are facing challenges from their Asian counterparts, Korean car manufacturers like Hyundai and Kia. These Korean companies are offering vehicles with nearly similar qualities as that of the Toyota vehicles at cheaper rate than the Toyota vehicles. They have advertised their vehicles in comparison with the Toyota vehicles; a direct attack on Toyota. In other words, Toyota is targeted from all the corners; Asia, America, Europe etc. While the domestics and Germans battle to hold their ground, Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia are attacking Toyota from a second front (Target, Toyota: Competitors Try To Trip Up the Carmaker on Its Way to No. 1, n. d.) Toyota company makes a hybrid-powered (gas and electric) sedan the Prius that is being snapped up in US and European markets (Toyota Motor Corporation: Toyota, Aichi Japan, 2009). This vehicle from Toyota is more environment friendly and fuel efficient and it is also in accordance with the Obamas proposal to rejuvenate the auto industries in America. GM and other European car manufacturers are already afraid of the new entry from Toyota. They are already on the verge of destruction because of the current global financial crisis. The new user friendly and environment friendly hi tech car from Toyota is a great challenge for the competitors. Toyota is not running blindly against the electric car technologies. They have lot of concerns about the success of electric cars. Mitsubishi Motors started leasing its all-electric vehicle, the i-MiEV, in June. Next year, Nissan Motor is set to release its electric car, the Leaf. But Toyota does not plan to introduce an all-electric car until 2012 (The New York times, 2009). If the experiments of Mitsubishi and Nissan found success, they can lead the car market in future at least for some time. But Toyota is anticipating certain problems in electric cars and unlike others they are not going all out for the electric cars. In short, Toyota was able to read the automotive market well so far, which helped them to keep the number one spot amidst stiff competitions from all over the regions in the world. 2. The market structure: III. The internal environment of the company: 1. Corporate strategy: Cooperative arrangement: Relationship with suppliers: Relationship with suppliers: Toyota believes that one of the most important factors which makes a long-term and stable procurement of the best products with the lowest price in the most speedy and timely manner is a close relationship with suppliers wherever Toyota operates. This relationship, which is called keiretsu in Japanese concept, bases on mutual respect and trust, communal growth and development between the company and suppliers. In order to build a deep relationship with supplier, Toyota ran a program, namely guest engineer program, in which Toyota allows suppliers engineer working in plant for two or three years. This plan helps suppliers increase their technological advantage, thus will fully meet the corporations technological standard demand in manufacturers processes. Toyota also often sends engineers, and occasionally senior executives, to the suppliers company to study their operation and culture. Through the information which was shared intensively, but selectively, and the understanding, supervising the operations of suppliers in this program, Toyota developed the capabilities of suppliers, which coupled with increasing value for the corporation. Although keiretsu is a time and money consuming process, and sometimes is a risk investment if supplier cannot meet the requirement after finishing the program, it allows suppliers control more in terms of cost, quality and delivering to the market than ever before. Because of that, Toyota believes that it is worth for spending resources in building a deep relationship with supplier. Relationship with sales networks: Toyota has made contract directly with about 300 dealers within Japan and approximately 7,500 overseas dealers. This sales network is considered as the first point for Toyota apply their Customers first policy. The corporation and dealers work together with mutual trust to enhance the customers satisfaction and convey Toyota values, which are emphasized in the superiority of Toyota product and service. In order to pursue customers satisfaction, Toyota and dealers engage in activities based on constant and close communication, including various forms of support from Toyota, customers feedback and comment of dealers. The Kaizen Development Support Division was established in January 2006 to cooperate with dealers in improving the operation and enhancing customers satisfaction by supporting activities at dealers at Japan and overseas. The divisions main activities are: Expanding Toyota Product System improvement activities to sales and distribution. Differentiating Toyota dealers from competitors through improvements. Enhancing customer satisfaction from the customers perspective by implementing on-site improvements. Fostering human resources with the ability to make improvements and reforms using their own skill. After being established, the division immediately held many activities in Japan and overseas countries to foster the development of industry-leading dealers. Diversifications: Besides concentrating on developing mainly motor, TMC also invested in a number of other industries. Most of the diversified businesss capital is the corporations own fund or joint venture with other companies who know clearly the market. The 2 following are the most intensively invested industries in Toyotas diversification: Housing: Toyota Motor Corporation entered the house-construction business in 1975. After that, this field of business was not intensively invested because the automobile market still was the biggest target of Toyota. The corporation just supplied some lineup of production, including condominiums, built using its unit building system, steel framework construction method or residential steel framing technique. However, when many earthquakes occurred in Japan in 2003 and others house-construction brand faced to difficulty to meet the requirements of customer, Toyota decided to take part in the market by establishing Toyota Housing Corporation. The corporation was completely invested by own fund of Toyota Corporation with 100 million yen at the establishment, and aimed the goal that Toyota Housing Corporation will become the number 1 seller detached house in Japan. Financial service: Since being established in 1983, Toyota Financial Services has developed from a small company with eight associates to one that currently employs approximately 3,000 associates nationwide with managed assets in excess of 65 billion dollars. The Toyota Financial Service brand identity was launched in 1999. It plays a role to market the productions of Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Motor Insurance Service (TMIS). TMCC was incorporated in California in 1982, started operating in 1983. The productions which the company provides are retail and wholesale financing, retail leasing, vehicle protection plans and certain other financial services to authorized Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers, Toyota forklift and Hino dealers as well as Toyota Material Handling, U.S.A. dealers, affiliates, and their customers in the United States (excluding Hawaii). Opening the Toyota Financial Service was the right move of the corporation in that time in order to increase total profitability from a new potential market. Toyota Financial Service made profit immediately after establishing, and now it contributed a considerable factor in total Toyotas income, which is 623 million dollars while Toyota loose approximately 5 billion dollar in fiscal year 2009 due to financial crisis. 2. Human resource management: The relationship with employees: The labor-management relationship in Toyota was strongly emphasized in 1950, when Kiichiro Toyoda and his executive staff were voluntary to resign with 2,000 other employees after the corporation suffers the sharp reduction of automobile demand. This incident had the strong impact on employees and built an absolute trust on the corporation because it represents the due care and sharing difficulty from the corporation with them. Since then, Toyota has been working to develop mutual understanding between employees and management. The relationship between Toyotas employees and manager is considered as one of the most factors contributing on its success. One concept has being intensively applied for building this relationship among Toyota members is Toyota Way, which is supported by two main pillars: Respect for people and Continuous improvement. All employees at any level in Toyota have been required to use these two values in their daily work. Human resource development: Toyota concentrates mainly on developing and conveying the Toyota Way between employees based on OJT (on-the-job training) in the human resource management policy. In 2002, the Toyota Institute was established in order to improve implementation of Toyota Way by overseas affiliates. The Institute develops and deploys training programs on the core aspects of the Toyota Group and also provides management training. Besides, a series of lectures, namely The things I learn from Mr. Ohno and Mr. Suzumura, are held, which base on the desire conveying the Toyota Way properly and accurately of Chairman Fujio Cho. These actions created a strong corporate culture, which has fundamental impact on the performance of the corporation. In 1988, the organizational restructuring was implemented to make the decision-making less vertical. This process was improved in 2006 when smaller groups were created to enhance teamwork and work-related skills, and reinforce the work ethic in light of the importance of raising the skills of organizations and groups. In 2006, TMC established RD Learning Centre and run the Pro-WIN education program, which is mechanism allowing individuals accomplish their goals in production and production engineering. The RD Learning Centre aim to reinforce the foundation for development of the production and to maintain and enhance Toyotas high-quality. 3. The value chain: Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the largest companies in the vehicle industry, and has branches in most of the worlds countries. In order to stay competitive, Toyota strives to provide clean and safe products, to provide fuel-efficient vehicles and to make use of advanced technology. http://www.toyota.com.au/toyota/events/environment/home The inbound logistics of Toyota: Toyota forms its culture and principles through continued growth. Therefore the most important step is to produce vehicles in accordance with sound environmental standards. The company continually improves the accuracy and the efficiency of the use of its resources. Toyota produces less than 2 kg of waste per vehicle, and is working to reduce it to less than 30 kg in the coming years. http://www.toyota.com/about/enviroreport2008/03_recycling.html The operation of Toyota: Toyota focuses on supervision in its industrial processes, and this improves the quality of every stage of manufacture and ensures the continual improvement of the companys standards. Visual observation is used to assess the process, and each team member is responsible for his or her work. Moreover, any team member is able to stop the process if any part of it is incorrect. http://www.toyotauk.com/main/how-we-manufacture/ Toyotas marketing and sales: Toyota is one of the largest automobile producers in the world. The company ensures reliable customer service, and consistent sales, by managing over 529 branches around the world. And they are looking forward to improving those sales as well. Toyota services: Toyotas services continue after the sale by ensuring that all of its vehicles are under warrantee for 3 years or 60,000 km, whichever comes. Any defects in the vehicles during this time are repaired without cost to the owner. Toyota also provides many financial services for the customer, such as vehicle loans that are repaid in monthly installments. Toyota provides additional services, such as being able to repair your car in any of its branches throughout the world. As well as Toyota always contact their costumer on phone or email to ask them about the services and how they find it. http://www.toyota.com.au/parts-and-service Vehicles manufactured in Toyotas factories are sent to authorize distributors. And also they have the genuine spare parts so that, they can fix the care in every branch. Outsourcing activities: In 1977, Toyota made a deal with Fujitsu, a Hong Kong-based company, where Toyota transferred about 77 employees to Fujitsu for training. Since then, Fujitsu has worked with Toyota to develop new technology and to improve the companys global business performance. Fujitsu is a giant in the field of technology. The partnership allows Toyota to develop new hardware and software as well as provides the ability to sustain a competitive advantage. As a result, the cooperation of Toyota and Fujitsu will enable Toyota to use the latest techniques in automobile production.

Rastafarianism in Jamaica Essay -- Religion

Rastafarianism arose in the slums of Jamaica around the time between the nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties. It has a lot of inspirations of Christianity combined into its culture. Rastafarianism is a very interesting religion; it’s followers known as Rastafarians as well as Rasta’s or Rastafaris, derived from Jamaica to form a unique clan of Jamaican-English. For most Rastafarians what they believe is not a religion, but simply just a way of life. Rastafarians share their emotions about oppression, poverty, and black discrimination along with their religion. The next few paragraphs will explain Rasta history, major beliefs, religious practices, and the religions subdivisions. In the early years of this religion a man by the name of Marcus Garvey, born in Jamaica in 1887, started teaching to other Jamaicans to stand up for their race and culture. He formed the Universal Negro Improvement Association in 1914. Marcus Garvey preached all over Jamaica, he believed that Jamaicans were really Israelites and were shunned to Jamaica as a punishment. Garvey wrote a very powerful play called â€Å"The Coronation of The King and Queen of Africa†. Many Rastafarians have said Garvey told them they need to go to Africa and there they will find the king they are looking for to save them. Soon after on the second of November 1930 they crowned Ras Tafari Makonnen as their emperor of Ethiopia. This emperor took the name of Haile Selassie, which by definition means â€Å"Might of The Trinity†. To many he was a form of Jesus Christ. On the other hand Marcus Garvey disliked emperor Selassie immensely, he thought that he was an unequipped leader. Haile Selassie s pread the thought that god created the black man before he even created the white man. â€Å"Rastaf... ...birthday and a certain color. Rastafarianism began on the principles of equality and black freedom. Over many years it has grown into a huge religion practiced by many. It has spread not only in Jamaica, but the Caribbean, England, the US and Canada also. There are now over one million people today that practice the religion of Rastafarianism. If someone wanted a calm, peaceful, and meaningful life without hatred they should defiantly consider practicing the religion of Rastafarianism. Overall this religion brings the unity of all ethnicities and the harmony and unity of its people with the environment. Works Cited Beyer, Catherine. "Rastafari." . N.p., 2012. Web. 6 Apr 2012. . . "Rastafari." . N.p., 2004. Web. 6 Apr 2012. . . "Rastafarian History." . BBC Religion, 21 Oct 2009. Web. 6 Apr 2012. .

Different Types of Business

1. Sole trader – the oldest form of trading there is, it’s also the simplest and the most common type of business you’ll find. The clue is in the name – meaning that you are solely responsible for everything the business does and you’re often known as the proprietor. This is the usual form for small shops and businesses that provide services such as beauticians, hairdressers, photographers, gardeners and so on. When you start out in business, most often you use your own money to fund the venture. However, as you start to grow, you may need to find funding elsewhere. When this happens you may want or need to enter into another kind of business model: 2. Partnership – these are made up of two or more people and any profits, debts and decisions related to the business are a shared responsibility. These are common for practices that offer services such as accountants, dentists, doctors, solicitors and so on. 3. Company – the correct name for this is a joint stock company and it’s made up of a number of people who put their money together to form a ‘joint stock’ of capital. These people are more commonly known as shareholders and, as the name suggests, they each own a share of the business and each expect a share of the profits too. Each shareholder puts money into the company and receives a portion of the company – shares – equivalent to what they put in. Despite each shareholder owning a piece of the company, in law it is seen as a legal entity – the same as an individual – that is entirely separate from the shareholders or members, as they are sometimes known. It can be sued, make a profit or loss, be held responsible for its employees’ actions and go into liquidation – the term used for companies that go bankrupt. Private Limited Companies Most small businesses are private limited companies with the shares only available privately, for example, to family members. The shares are not available to buy publically so they cannot be traded on the stock market. Public Limited Companies Being a Public Limited Company (PLC) is much more complex and is usually reserved for larger companies. To be called a PLC a company must have, amongst other things, more than one director and a trading certificate from Companies House. PLCs can sell their shares on the stock market so anyone can buy them. Whilst it is easier to raise money using this method it also means that the company accounts are in the public domain. The company must also be audited and make certain information available to Companies House. Plus, PLCs can be bought out by other shareholders. 4. Franchises A franchise involves you using another company’s successful business model to create your own shop, restaurant etc. Essentially, you buy the franchise and trade off the good name of the company you’ve bought into. For example Subway – you’d find a suitable location, Subway would provide you with their livery, food products and use of trademark. You make money because customers are already familiar with Subway; so you have an instant customer base. Franchises are for a fixed period of time – from five to 35 years – and cover a certain location known as a ‘territory’. You’ll have to pay fees to the franchisor: royalties for using the trademark ees for the training and advice received There are specific and complex laws relating to franchise contracts so entering into one is something that needs to be thought about very carefully. 5. Workers Co-operatives This is a truly egalitarian form of business that is formed to meet the mutual needs of the workers. Each person – from the managing director to the shop floor assistant – is equal ly important. All decisions are taken democratically and any profits are shared equally or ploughed back into the business. Co-operatives follow seven guiding principles: Voluntary and open membership Democratic control Member economic participation (financial interest) Autonomy and independence Education, training and information Co-operation among co-operatives Concern for the community http://www. ica. coop/coop/principles. html This should give you a pretty good idea of the ethical and moral stance of a co-operative. 6. Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) LLPs are a relatively new form of business as they’ve only been around since 2001. They are intended to benefit professional partnerships such as lawyers, accountants and the like, who are restricted from forming limited companies due to restrictions from their professional bodies. LLPs operate in much the same way as limited partnerships and allow the members to limit their personal liability if something goes wrong with the business. So, as you can see, businesses can be simple or complex but, once you know what all the terminology means, you should find it quite easy to decide which kind of business structure will best suit your needs.

Funny Valentines Day Quotes

Funny Valentines Day Quotes Remember the first time you met your sweetheart? How funny she was and how you were attracted to her witty lines? Lovers who share a sense of humor stay together longer, so if you want to win your lovers heart, use laughter. Make your day extra special with these funny Valentines Day quotes. Or maybe youre single and dreading that annual display of public affection known as Valentines Day. There are a few lines here that youll enjoy, too. Helen RowlandA bride at her second wedding does not wear a veil. She wants to see what she is getting. Groucho MarxBehind every successful man is a woman, behind her is his wife. Mickey RooneyGet married early in the morning. That way, if it doesnt work out, you havent wasted a whole day. Rita RudnerI love being married. It’s so great to find one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. Tracy SmithI wanted to make it really special on Valentines Day, so I tied my boyfriend up. And for three solid hours, I watched whatever I wanted on TV. Francis BaconIt is impossible to love and be wise. Ally McBealIt’s funny how we set qualifications for the right person to love when we know at the back of our heads the person whom we truly love will always be an exception. MirabeauLove has the power of making you believe what you would normally treat with the deepest suspicion. PlatoLove is a grave mental disease. The Hoosier Farmer magazineLove is the thing that enables a woman to sing while she mops up the floor after her husband has walked across it in his barn boots. Rita RudnerMy boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I didnt want him to. Phyllis DillerNever go to bed mad- stay up and fight. Joyce BrothersNo matter how love-sick a woman is, she shouldnt take the first pill that comes along. Oscar WildeOne should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry. Margaret AtwoodThe Eskimos have fifty-two words for snow because it is so special to them; there ought to be as many for love. Ann LandersThe poor wish to be rich, the rich wish to be happy, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead. Yiddish ProverbThree things cant be hidden: coughing, poverty, and love. H. L. MenckenTo be in love is merely to be in a state of perceptual anesthesia. Jay LenoToday is Valentines Day. Or, as men like to call it, ​Extortion day. Erich SegalTrue love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked. AnonymousValentine’s Day is when a lot of married men are reminded what a poor shot Cupid really is. Rosanne BarrWomen are cursed, and men are the proof. Mae WestWomen with pasts interest men. They hope history will repeat itself.

10 Interesting Sulfur Facts

10 Interesting Sulfur Facts Sulfur is element number 16 on the periodic table, with element symbol S and an atomic weight of 32.066. This common nonmetal occurs in food, many household products, and even your own body. Here are 10 interesting facts about sulfur. Sulfur is an essential element for life. Its found in amino acids (cysteine and methionine) and proteins. Sulfur compounds are why onions make you cry, why asparagus gives urine a weird odor, why garlic has a distinctive aroma, and why rotten eggs smell so horrible.Although many sulfur compounds have a strong smell, the pure element is actually odorless. Sulfur compounds also affect your sense of smell. For example, hydrogen sulfide (H2S, the culprit behind the rotten egg odor) actually deadens the sense of smell, so the odor is very strong at first and then vanishes. This is unfortunate, because hydrogen sulfide is a toxic and potentially deadly gas! Elemental sulfur is considered non-toxic.Mankind has known about sulfur since ancient times. The element, also known as brimstone, primarily comes from volcanoes. While most chemical elements only occur in compounds, sulfur is one of relatively few elements that occurs in pure form.At room temperature and pressure, sulfur is a yellow so lid. Its usually seen as a powder, but it forms crystals, too. One interesting feature of the crystals is that they spontaneously change shape according to temperature. All you need to do to observe the transition is melt sulfur, allow it to cool until it crystallizes, and observe the crystal shape over time. Were you surprised you could crystallize sulfur simply by cooling the melted powder? This is a common method of growing metal crystals. While sulfur is a nonmetal, like metals, it wont readily dissolve in water or other solvents (although it will dissolve in carbon disulfide). If you tried the crystal project, another surprise might have been the color of sulfur liquid when you heated the powder. Liquid sulfur can appear blood-red. Volcanoes that spew molten sulfur display another interesting feature of the element. It burns with a blue flame from the sulfur dioxide that is produced. Volcanoes with sulfur appear to run with blue lava.How you spell the name of element number 16 likely depends where and when you grew up. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) adopted the sulfur spelling in 1990, as did the Royal Society of Chemistry in 1992. Up to this point, the spelling was sulphur in Britain and in countries using the Roman languages. The original spelling was actually the Latin word sulfur, which was Hellenized to sulphur. Sulfur has many uses. Its a component of gunpowder and believed to have been used in the ancient flamethrower weapon called Greek Fire. Its a key component of sulfuric acid, which is used in labs and to make other chemicals. Its found in the antibiotic penicillin and is used for fumigation against diseases and pests. Sulfur is a component of fertilizers and also pharmaceuticals.Sulfur is created as part of the alpha process in massive stars. It is the 10th most abundant element in the universe. Its found in meteorites and on Earth mainly near volcanoes and hot springs. The abundance of the element is higher in the core than in the Earths crust. Its estimated there is enough sulfur on Earth to make two bodies the size of the Moon. Common minerals that contain sulfur include pyrite or fools gold (iron sulfide), cinnabar (mercury sulfide), galena (lead sulfide), and gypsum (calcium sulfate).Some organisms are able to use sulfur compounds as an energy source. An example are cave bacteria , which produce special stalactites called snottites that drip sulfuric acid. The acid is sufficiently concentrated that it can burn skin and eat holes through clothes if you stand beneath the minerals. Natural dissolution of minerals by the acid carves out new caves. Although people always knew about sulfur, it wasnt recognized as an element (except by alchemists, who also considered fire and earth elements). It was 1777 when Antoine Lavoisier provided convincing evidence the substance was indeed its own unique element, worthy of a place on the periodic table. The element has oxidation states ranging from -2 to 6, allowing it to form compounds with all of the other elements except the noble gases.

A report on a piece of qualitative research - The Impact of Price Essay - 1

A report on a piece of qualitative research - The Impact of Price Changes on the Brand Equity of Toyota in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example This chapter will explain the research methodology used for achieving the goals of this research study and the justifications for the methodology chosen. A qualitative case study is chosen for accomplishing the objectives of this study since it emphasizes the experiences and perspectives of the consumers who have purchased Toyota vehicles or other similar vehicles in Saudi Arabia. In this regard a qualitative study involves the exploration of a specific social setting or phenomenon involving the collection of â€Å"detailed, in-depth data† from multiple sources including interviews, observations, open-ended questionnaires and secondary data such as reports and records (Creswell, 2009, p. 43). A qualitative case study allows for an â€Å"analysis of a† specific â€Å"phenomenon† which may be programs, institutions, individuals, or social groups (Merriam, 2009, p. x). Since this study involves the collection of data relative to the experiences and perspectives of Toyota consumers in Saudi Arabia relative to price changes and its impact on brand and value, this study is a qualitative case study. Specifically, this s tudy investigates a bonded system. Choi and Hong (2002) conducted a qualitative case study using in-depth, semi-structured interviews among managers in Acura, Honda and DaimlerChrysler to determine the impact of operations cost on the structure of the supply network. In this regard, a qualitative case study was useful for gaining an understanding of how cost influenced the behavior of those directly impacted by costs. Likewise, my case study seeks to determine the impact of price changes on the behavior of consumers who are directly impacted by price changes. Beach, Muhlemann, Price, Paterson and Sharp (2001) argue that any research that can impact production channels and management decisions in production management is best suited to qualitative studies. This is because

Assignment Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Assignment Two - Essay Example The quality of the images of the DVD player is outstanding possibly because the LCD screen has very good resolution. One of the main reasons I purchased the item was because I do not own a smartphone, thus I needed a device to watch movies when I am outside my home. I was very impressed by the fact that the Coby portable DVD had a two year warranty with the manufacturer. My impression of the product after the purchase is that the Coby portable DVD player is a quality product that served my need to be able to watch movies on the road. Due to my experience with this DVD player in the future I plan on purchasing more products from the Coby brand. The company has quality products at good prices. I have been using my portable DVD player on a weekly basis. I always travel with the portable DVD player in my car. I showed the Coby portable DVD player to several of my friends and they liked it. Last month I purchased an Xbox 360 for $299.99. The video game industry generated $15.6 billion in the United States in 2010 (Plunkettresearchonline, 2011). The reason that I purchased the Xbox 360 was because I did not have a gaming console at my home. I am not a gamer, but I wanted to have a good gaming console to play with friends when they visited. I got a good deal on the Xbox 360 because it included the Kinect system which allows people to play games hand free. When I read about the Xbox Kinect I wanted it in order acquire games that allow you to perform exercises at home using the system. I am very satisfied with my purchase because the Xbox 360 has improved my entertainment options at home. When I was making the buy decision I choose the Xbox 360 over the Playstation 3 or Wii consoles because the Xbox 360 seemed to have a greater variety of games. I also noticed in my trips to gaming stores that there seemed to be more used games available for the Xbox 360 than other console s. This was very important to me because I do not plan on purchasing any new