CORPORATE RESEARCH PAPER Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

CORPORATE - Research Paper Example As of the financial year 2011, Chevron generated a sales value worth $244 billion and the net income attributable to the company during the same period was $27 billion. The profitability of the company can be gauged from the fact that the net income per share of the company during 2011 was $13.44, while the company also paid cash dividends worth $3.09 per share. The return on capital and the return on equity of Chevron during as of 2011 were 21.6% and 23.8% respectively (Chevron, 2012). Though the company is instituted in California, in the United States, Chevron has business activities throughout the world in over 120 countries. The following figure represents the geographic reach of Chevron across the world, by means of onshore operations, offshore operations, pipelines or refineries. Figure 1: Global Reach of Chevron Corporation (Juhasz, 2009) In 2011, the average net production of Chevron was 2.673 million oil barrels for every day, of which around 75% of the volume was produced from countries other than the United States (Chevron, 2012). This can be lucidly illustrated from the following figure: Figure 2: Geographic Segmentation of Chevron’s Production (Chevron, 2011) Chevron is present in various countries, such as the USA, the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Nigeria, Singapore and Australia to name a few. Chevron Corporation has a number of subsidiaries and associates for managing and operating its worldwide operations. Some of them are Chevron U.S.A. Inc. (CUSA), Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC, Chevron Transport Corporation Ltd. (CTC), and Tengizchevroil LLP (TCO) among others. Even though every subsidiary of Chevron is accountable for its individual affairs, Chevron Corporation handles its investments in its subsidiaries in addition to their affiliates. The operations and business activities of Chevron are categorised into two business divisions, namely, Upstream and Downstream. The upstream business segment comprise s of sale of crude oil and natural gas produced by the company itself, in addition to the sale of natural gas produced by other companies. On the other hand, the downstream segment comprises of activities related to the processing and marketing of various forms of petroleum products. The United States of America is the principal country of operation of Chevron Corporation. Hence, in its annual reports, the company presents its geographic breakdown of performance in terms of two categories, i.e., the United States, Chevron’s domicile nation while other countries where the company operates reported as ‘International’ (outside the United States). The following table represents the breakdown of sales, assets and income of Chevron Corporation for the year 2011, in terms of the above discussed segments: Year 2011 Sales Assets Earnings Upstream United States 27,738 37,108 6,512 International 55,098 98,540 18,274 Downstream United States 91,078 22,182 1,506 International 123,221 20,517 2,085 All others United States 1,598 8,824 - International 46 17,661 - Total United States 120,414 68,114 8018 International 178,365 136,718 20,359 (All values in millions of US dollars) (Chevron Corporation, 2011) In this context, it is should be noted that excluding the United States,

Water Report on Jakarta Essay Example for Free

Water Report on Jakarta Essay I am writing to you regarding water supplies for the residents in Jakarta. There are shortages of clean water around the area and residents have to walk miles away to get water for their businesses and family. However the local people want something closer so they don’t have to travel that extra mile. There are two options in which we can help there people in Jakarta: Option one is having a Global water company. (Global Water Company is when you have a contract and you pay for the amount of water you use. ) Option two is having water co-operative. (Water co-operative is when the members are the owners and they have the have a voice in the control of the organization, and the majority of the rules.) Having visited Jakarta I outline the benefits and drawbacks for residents and businesses. A mother, Andina Hamid has to travel miles for clean water for food, bathing, cleaning and so on. An ice-cream seller, Ali Firhand needs water for his businesses for making the ice-cream and also needs water for his family. One time Ali was unable to get hold of clean water and so he had no chose but to make his ice-cream with to water otherwise he would loose his businesses, however the next day all his costumers had complaints about stomach problems due to unclean water. Wisnu Wijaya is a food and drinks seller and she also needs clean water for her food and for hygiene. She needs clean water to make her food and drinks. However if she doesn’t have clean water so she would loose her costumers and loose her business. Finally a business man, Reynard Hanoppo who runs a furniture shop, has more than enough water. He has running taps at home and he has a swimming pool and was never short of water. The advantages and drawbacks for option one, the Global Water Company for the people above are: Andina Hamid who is mother would benefit from the Global Water Company because it would provide Andina and her family with fresh clean water and would improve health and hygiene conditions. However she would suffer when her contract with the company expires and she wouldn’t have anything to turn on to. Ali Firhand, an ice-cream seller would gain from the Global Water Company because it can work with local residents to improve health conditions and would provide him with clean water. However the same goes for him when the water company’s contract expires there may be problems to face with keeping the water system going. Wisnu Wijaya, a food and drinks seller would benefit from the company because she would only pay for the amount of water she uses and it would be safe as she knows it is clean. However it is a disadvantage as well because private water companies could take on the costs of laying the pipes and connecting to the homes to it main pipes and this may increase the cost. Reynard Hanoppo, a business man would benefit from the Global water company because the more water he uses the cheaper I would be, so piped water would be particularly good news for people who have a lot of water. However the same goes for him when the water company’s contract expires. The advantages and drawbacks for option two, the Water Co-operative for the residents in Jakarta are: Andina Hamid who is mother would benefit from the Water Co-operative because it would the people in Jakarta may get along better if they work together as part of a co-operative. However the commercial taps would be more expressive because you would have to dig massive holes in the ground for the pipes to carry the water to the homes. Ali Firhand, an ice-cream seller would gain from the Water Co-operative because it would be easier to look after and it would be good for the future. Though Ali may have to boil the water to kill the germs and bacteria so he could use the water for his ice-cream. Wisnu Wijaya, a food and drinks seller would benefit from the Water Co-operative because it would last longer and it is stronger. She also knows she will never get let down by the Water Co-operative than she might do with the Global Water company if her contract expires with them. However she may have to pay more for the water if she wants taps and so on. Reynard Hanoppo, a business man would benefit from the Water Co-operative because there would be water there for him 24 hours a day, through some of his water may be unclean and could get ill from it.   Keeping the things above in mind my suggestion are on the Global Water Company would be beneficial in the interest of Jakarta people. As a weakness of water cooperation could be that the mass of members may lose interest in running the organization and let a small group take it over and manage it for their own benefit. Also with the Global Water Company you would have no worries as there would always be 100% of clean water unlike the co-operative. The only drawback being is the renewal of the contract, however there is always going to be a demand of water.

Criminal Defense Attorney: Ethical Obligations

Criminal Defense Attorney: Ethical Obligations Thoroughly explain the difference between the ethical obligations of a defense attorney and the ethical obligations of a prosecutor. Explain how these different roles may affect their responsibilities in a criminal trial Obligations of the Defense Attorney The role of an attorney, as defined by society, can be seen threefold; a member of a legal profession, a representative of clients, and an officer of the judicial system with the responsibility of obtaining quality justice. These responsibilities do not differentiate based on the type of law that is practiced. These responsibilities go farther than merely representing a client in a criminal proceeding. An attorney must respect the need to seek the truth within a system that places justice as a core value. There are multiple roles that a criminal defense attorney must face and each role has distinct responsibilities in every action and every decision that is made. Role as Advocate The American Bar Association Criminal Justice Standards suggest that the defense attorney satisfies his duty to the administration of justice and as an officer of the court merely by serving as the accuseds counselor and advocate with courage and devotion and to render effective, quality representation. (Marcus, 2009) A few advocates take the position that the criminal lawyer has one assignment, enthusiastically speaking for the client, within the law, and state that the part of the criminal lawyers responsibility to secure the accused against the power of the government, directs the lawyers ethical commitments. Officer of the Court The criminal lawyer has obligations to the court and others to include the defendant. The officer of the court is required to decide on choices that reflect regard for the truth and the function of the trial procedure. The officer of the court is required to cease from including himself in distortion, misrepresentation, and deceptive nature. The officer of the court cant take an interest in perjurious declaration, and in the event that he gets to be distinctly mindful of his association then he should find a way to cure it. Minister of Justice The criminal defense lawyer is called to be a member of society with an extraordinary obligation to justice. Justice considers whether the issues of the substantive and procedural privileges of the accused have been ensured all through the legal procedure. Justice obliges adherence to the correct techniques and procedures, through which justice is proficient. Also, at last, it requires that false declaration or testimony would not be the premise of a fair conviction. Paying little mind to whether a criminal attorneys client is liable of the wrongdoing he or she is being accused or wrongly blamed, the lawyers occupation doesnt change: make the prosecution prove its case with sound contentions, genuine proof, and dependable declaration. Criminal lawyers have an impossibly troublesome task, as upsetting and candidly difficult as that of a Doctor who must save life, and have the capacity to watch a patient die under his surgical knife and come back to work again the following day. It doesnt deliver fulfillment or euphoria when lawyers see their blameworthy criminal client go free, ensured by the Constitutional denial against double jeopardy never to need to suffer discipline over shocking crimes. Be that as it may, they are not the villains and liars of the American justice system; they are its moral legends. Obligations of the Prosecutor The prosecutor must have the capacity to demonstrate the defendant is blameworthy past all doubt even though, prosecutors tend to be somewhat embellished and violate the laws of justice at any cost. Tragically, innocent individuals are put in a place of confessing to violations they didnt commit due to the attorney misconduct. Unfortunate behavior by prosecutors is typical inside the courts, a viable strategy that works to support them. It comprises of wrecking, changing or withholding proof, threatening defense witnesses in return for lesser sentences, training witnesses for the prosecution to give statements that help their evidence against the defendant. Eventually the defendant does not get a reasonable trial and is wrongly sentenced. Criminal convictions as of late have been toppled on account of violations by prosecutors regarding scientific evidence. A prosecutor has the ethical commitment to keep up a level of competent fitness in the courtroom. The Function of the Prosecutor The office of prosecutor is responsible with arraignments in its district. The prosecutor, along with the defense attorney, is a manager of justice, an advocate, and an officer of the court; the prosecutor must practice sound suspicion in the execution of his or her capacities. The obligation of the prosecutor is to look for justice, not simply to convict. It is an imperative of the prosecutor to look to change and enhance the organization of criminal justice. Whenever insufficiencies or treacheries in the substantive or procedural law become obvious, he or she must enhance endeavors for healing the negative activity. It is the obligation of the prosecutor to know and be guided by the guidelines of professional conduct as characterized by traditions, moral codes, and law in the prosecutors locale. In 1935, the case of Williams v. State cited a reasonable definition by stating; The prosecutor is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law, the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffers. He may prosecute with earnestness and vigor indeed, he should do so. But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one. References Marcus, M. (2009). The making of the ABA criminal justice standards. Criminal Justice, 23(4), 10. 295 U.S. 78, 88 (1935), cited in Williams v. State, 103 Nev. 106, 110, 734 P.2d 700, 703 (1987); see also RPC 3.8 (Special Responsibilities of Prosecutor); ABA Prosecution Function Standard ÂÂ § 3-1.2 (3d Ed. 1993); NDAA National Prosecution Standard ÂÂ § 1.1 (2d Ed. 1991).

How two chapters of Great Expectations reflect the influence of society :: Great Expectations Essays

How two chapters of Great Expectations reflect the influence of society in the time it was set. Charles Dickens is one of the most popular British novelists in the history of literature with many of his characters being recognised in British society today. His ability to combine pathos, comedy, and most of all, his social satire has won him many contemporary readers. Dickens was born in Portsmouth in 1812. At 12 he was sent to work for a few months at a shoe-polish warehouse on the banks of the Thames when his family hit financial difficulty. A few days later Dickens's father was sent to jail for debt. He recalled this painful experience in the early chapters of David Copperfield. While his father was imprisoned, all his family except himself and his sister, who was studying music, stayed at the Marshalsea Prison with his father, very much like the Dorrit family at the beginning of Little Dorrit. By the time he was 25 years old, Dickens was already famous. Dickens's life influenced his writing a lot, and many of the novels he wrote were based on real experiences during his lifetime. For example; in 1832 he met Marie Beadnell and wanted to marry her but she rejected him; the comic portrait of Flora Casby in Little Dorrit is said to have been inspired by Dickens's meeting with Maria again later in life. Dickens lived in Victorian times, times when there was a lot of focus on social class and status. Victorian society was, for all the change that was taking place, a stratified, hierarchical society with a great gap between rich and poor. In his childhood Dickens was part of a working class family who soon became low class due to their financial difficulty. But when he became an adult he was of high social class while his novels kept increasing in popularity and was earning him money all the time. Dickens had been from one end of society to the other and the contrast he saw was widely expressed in his novels. Victorian society had a constantly growing urban population, and with the pessimistic analyses of Thomas Malthus, this helped mould one of the most notorious Victorian institutions, the workhouse. This was based on a theoretical distinction between the "deserving" poor, who owed their poverty to misfortune, and the "undeserving" poor, who were to blame for their poverty: the workhouse was made as unpleasant as possible to deter the latter from seeking refuge there. Tight-fisted and callous administration made the institutions even worse, and the target of some of the bitterest controversial literature of Charles Dickens. Conditions gradually improved, but the dreaded "workhouse

“Kuso Culture Can Positively Uplift the Political Participation of Adolescents.” to What Extent Do You Agree with the Above Statement?

â€Å"Kuso culture can positively uplift the political participation of adolescents. † To what extent do you agree with the above statement? With references to the above sources and your own knowledge, explain your answer. To a large extent, I agree that â€Å"kuso culture† can positively uplift the political participation of adolescents. â€Å"Kuso culture† refers to people reorganizing other people’s cultural products with creativity, creating works that are humorous and sarcastic. Most of the â€Å"kuso culture† is pictures or photos. Adolescents can freely express their views on political events.They are the â€Å"second making† of the original pictures, and some of them are just for fun. But most of them reflect the problems or policies that we are facing. For example, when the Chief Executive of Hong Kong was still in the voting period, Harry Tang was discovered that he is telling lies. He built underground Unauthorized Building Works i n his house. It is illegal. After this news published, many people started their â€Å"kuso culture†. They made pictures to satirize Harry Tang. Making ironic pictures about Harry Tang is also one of the political participations. It can let adolescents care more about policies by â€Å"kuso† pictures.Nowadays, adolescents love surfing the Internet. â€Å"Kuso culture† can be easily found on the Internet. Due to it, it is not hard to let adolescents keep in touch with the political participation. Adolescents like watching humorous pictures or video. â€Å"Kuso culture’s† pictures are humorous and easy to remember. It is also the reason why â€Å"kuso culture† is popular and adolescents would like to gain more interests in the â€Å"kuso pictures†. â€Å"Kuso culture† is like comic books. There are full of pictures with funny charters and actions. But the difference between them is the meaning of the pictures.Comic books may not meaningful but â€Å"kuso pictures† are mostly with meaning. They remind people what happened or released in that period of time. For example, iPhone 5 was released in 2012. Many people think it was just a taller version of iPhone 4S, so they make â€Å"kuso† picture of â€Å"iPhone 10†, which is more like a laser sword. It is one of the examples that â€Å"kuso pictures† tell people what was released nowadays. There are also examples of â€Å"kuso culture† about policies in Hong Kong. For example, there is a picture that has two faces — James Holmes and Barack Obama (See figure 1).It was shown that James killed 12 people, everyone freaks out. But Obama killed thousands with his foreign policy, he won Nobel Peace prize. It shows that people care about policies of their government in every country or city. Figure 1 In conclusion, as â€Å"kuso culture† is one of the political participations in order to telling people the policies of th eir government and it is easy to find on the Internet, adolescents can easily get it and read it. It will directly uplift the political participation of adolescents. Therefore, to a large extent, I agree that â€Å"kuso culture can positively uplift the political participation of adolescents.

Management Control Systems at Air India Essay

1. Introduction Air India, a national carrier is characterized with an urge to excel and enthusiasm started its operations on October 15, 1932. The merger of Air India and Indian, the country’s leader in the domestic sector, has helped the airline in emerging as a major force in the airline industry. 1.1 Domestic Operations On the domestic front, Air India operates to 47 stations, and 17 are connected to international destinations. The 172-seater Airbus A321 aircraft connects all major metros. The Regional operations provide coverage to all the metros and many smaller cities across the nation. 1.2 Services Apart from the basic services that an airline provides, Air India also offers – Frequent Flyer Programme- â€Å"Flying Returns†. Members of the Flying Returns Programme (FRP), can accrue mileage points while flying on Air India, Lufthansa and flights of Air India’s code share partners, and redeem them for award tickets or avail other facilities available with the service provider on Air India or Lufthansa. Star Alliance – Air India has joined Star Alliance in mid 2010. Star Alliance, is a leading global airline alliance of 21 top international carriers. Air India passes the benefits to its passengers by becoming a member like seamless transfers while travelling across the world, more frequent flyer mileage points, code-sharing leading to a wider choice of flights and access to lounge facilities worldwide. The Star Alliance network offers more than 17,000 daily flights to 916 destinations in 160 countries. Air India Express – Air India’s international budget airline, Air India Express, was launched in April 2005. Air India Express operates 200 weekly flights on its network between 17 Indian and 14 international stations. 2. Organization Structure 2.1 Current Structure Source: www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/35931/1/Unit-29.pdf 2.2 Outgrowing the traditional model For airlines, the functional organizational model has worked well for decades. It helps by promoting deep technical expertise and economies of scale by grouping specialists together and focusing accountability for the direction and efficiency of all divisions on one person: the chief executive. Peripheral businesses and small customer segments got less attention from management, however, the mainstream passenger business received most of the attention. This functional model has been the best choice for some aviation groups, mainly those that outsource most of the support functions (such as catering and maintenance), lack the sophisticated information systems needed to manage more complex structures, or serve only a few homogeneous customer segments Yet many other carriers, like railroad and oil companies before them, have surpassed the traditional model. The rise of low-cost carriers is changing the nature of competition in the industry by letting some traditional airlines to expand into businesses that offer higher margins or require less capital than their core passenger operations. Functionally organized airlines often lack the flexibility to meet the varied needs of a diverse customer base—a problem that inhibits their ability to grow in ancillary businesses and in the fast-expanding market for budget travel. As the managers in a functional organization (with the exception of the CEO), aren’t responsible for profitability, costs can easily mismanaged. Moreover, labor agreements that cut across several parts of a company can lead to higher wages and benefits. This is because everyone from baggage handlers to the catering staff receives some of the same perks as the cockpit crew gets. To counter those shortcomings, aviation groups should analyze and take a hard look at the idea of implementing a new form of organization structured around separate business units, each with broad decision-making authority and responsibility for its own profitability. Such a decentralized structure resembles the classic business unit model of many diversified companies, retailers and banks, where individual units operate independently on a day-to-day basis and set their own strategic direction. For airlines, however, this structure must differ in one significant way: units operating as stand-alone businesses would quickly destroy the network value that comes, for example, from coordinating interconnecting flight schedules, efficiently allocating aircraft across a number of routes, and using the fare structure to maximize revenue throughout a large network. Airlines thus need a hybrid structure that reaps the benefits of independent business units while maintaining strong links among them. 3. Management Style And Culture 3.1 Attitude towards employees Air India is committed to provide its Employees a stable work environment with a scope of encouragement towards creativity and innovation to provide opportunity for learning and personal growth which helps the employees in improving their effectiveness. Above all, Employees are provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Air India customer. The management has created a culture where employees are treated as the valuable asset for the company. 3.2 Decision-making process * The procedure followed in decision making involves discussions among cross-section of departments and/or formal decisions by the Competent Authority on office notes in accordance with the Instrument of delegation of Financial and Administrative powers. * In respect of decision making on day to day basis at airports/stations, all the Duty Officers/Station Managers take spot decisions in accordance with the Instrument of delegation of Financial and Administrative powers and the established practices. * Decision making is by worker/management committees. * Employees are encouraged to be responsible and are given authority to make decisions. 3.3 Focus of Air India 1. Focus on relationships among the employees is the fundamental driver of leadership, culture, strategy, and coordination at Air India which allows them to coordinate more effectively across all functions. 2. Air India’s organizational competency is its ability to build and sustain relationships characterized by the following- * Shared goals: * Motivates individuals to move beyond what is best for their own narrow area of responsibility within their own function. * Motivates them to act in the best interests of the overall process of the organization and lessens competition between different functions within the organization * Shared knowledge: * Shared knowledge is about how the tasks of one person or group are related to all other tasks. * This enables the workforce to be more competent, efficient and coordinated than their competitors * Mutual respect: * Encourages all employees to value the contributions of their colleagues * Encourages all employees to consider the impact of their actions on others * Reinforces the tendency to act in the best interests of the overall work process 3.4 Credibility & Caring-Key to Air India’s Culture * At Air India, credibility and caring are the two critical ingredients of effective leadership. * Credibility and caring are the ability to inspire trust and the ability to inspire in employees the belief that their leaders care deeply about their well-being. * The top management team has gained the complete trust of managers in the field, and of frontline employees, by being forthright and consistent in their messages to employees. 3.5 Role of Supervisors * Air India supervisors are not obstacles to coordination among frontline employees, but play a valuable role in strengthening coordination through day-to-day coaching, counseling, and participation in frontline work, even baggage handling. * Supervisors go far beyond measuring performance and disciplining and focus on problem solving, advising, and providing support, encouragement, and recognition to individual subordinates. * Supervisors view their subordinates as internal customers who deserve help in doing their jobs better. 3.6 Role of Relational Competence * Teamwork at Air India is based on â€Å"relational competence†- the ability to relate effectively with others. * Relational competence is a critical ingredient of organizational success, though it tends to be undervalued in the world of work. * Other organizations usually underestimate the importance of relational competence, especially when it comes to people who perform highly skilled jobs. * Often excellent performers are hired, but they cannot integrate their work effectively with the work of others which results in undermining of the organization’s goals, which does not happen at Air India. 3.7 Official Language Implementation With respect to the internal culture of the company it continued to promote Hindi as official language. Various competitions like easy writing, debate, and quiz were organized during Hindi Pakhwara. In order to monitor progressive use of Hindi in the office, 57 Official Language Implementation Committees were constituted and meetings of these committees were held regularly. In order to facilitate officers/ employees in doing their official work in Hindi, seven Hindi Workshop training programmes were organized. NACIL’s In-house Magazine â€Å"Vimanika† was awarded second prize in the In-House Magazine Competition organized by Ministry Of Home Affairs, Department of Official Language. NACIL was conferred 2nd prize by a well known literary, Socio-cultural organization ‘Aashirwad’ for outstanding Hindi implementation in the category of Public Sector Undertakings (Large) of Government of India Mumbai. 4. Control Process of Air India The company has extensive internal control system which ensures optimal utilization and protection of resources, IT security, accurate reporting of financial transaction and compliance with applicable laws and regulations and internal policies and procedures. The internal control system is supplemented by extensive internal audit, regular reviews by management and well documented policies and guidelines to ensure reliability of financial and other records to prepare financial statements and other data. 4.1 Steps taken for effective control process/system in the organization * Air India has set up a special vigilance department headed by a vigilance officer whose main function is to initiate steps to curb corruption and malpractices in the organization. The prime functions to achieve this are as below: * Investigation of complaints against all categories of employees / travel agencies / handling agencies. * Monitor progress of action recommended by Vigilance against such employees. * Study and examine Systems & Procedures followed in various departments, identify corruption prone areas and suggest remedial measures to minimize scope for corruption or malpractices. * Organise, conduct surprise checks in sensitive & corruption prone areas. * Maintain Surveillance on employees of doubtful integrity * Ensure speedy processing of vigilance cases at all stages. * Ensure that there is no delay in the appointment of the Inquiring Officer, and that no tactics are adopted by the accused officer. These are few of the functions of the vigilance department to have proper check on instances pertaining to demand and acceptance of a BRIBE in any form or kind for providing any service. * SITA, to provide new Passenger Services System SITA, the aviation IT specialist, has been selected to provide Passenger Services System (PSS) to Air India on a turnkey basis. SITA’s Horizon platform provides PSS services to 140 airlines and will be used to deliver a single airline code in order to allow the seamless integration of Air India with Indian Airlines (as these two were merged under NACIL). SITA will also implement an efficient online booking engine, departure control system, and check-in and automated boarding control, baggage reconciliation system (BRS) and a frequent flyer programme. The booking engine will provide Air India full control over its own ticket distribution and drastically reduce costs.