SmartTool Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SmartTool Inc - Essay Example Doug has been taking high risks in business especially in bagging orders that cannot be delivered readily using the core competencies of the organization. Such orders would either require structured R&D mechanisms, or else uncontrolled costs in trial & errors. The findings of Elwood pertaining to a loss of $190000 on seven projects pertaining to 3D dies present the objective evidence against this conclusion. Also, the company took the route to ISO 9000 certification while the processes in a mess and were not automated. In this scenario, the certification doesn’t qualify the organization to have an efficient QMS system. Overall, Doug is competent to start a business and run it till enough cash is generated but his money management skills were not adequate. From the gravy stamping job, SmartTools achieved financial flexibility which means there was surplus cash for self-funding of the working capital. Doug could have made the company debt free but instead preferred to expand int o areas that were lesser known to SmartTools thus increasing risk of uncertainty in order processing.Doug was technology savvy person and he wanted to expand the technology horizon and competency of the organization. He did not value the value of self-reliance thus ensuring operating profitability. Moreover, he was poor in handling working capitals efficiently for the growth of the organization. He kept on realizing more and more working capital loans from the Bank and losing profits and cash in the backend. He along with Janet tried to cover up the slumping profitability by inducing the accounting discrepancies detailed below and in this process risked the wealth of the shareholders as well as serious legal issues that could have put both Doug and Eb behind bars. Accounting Issues Operationally, Doug and Eb didn’t manage the accounting system properly. Given the requirements of section 404 of Sarbanes Oxley, spreadsheets with macros cannot

Company law, study case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Company law, study case - Essay Example 1 Thus, in Rolled Steel Products (Holdings) Ltd v British Steel Corporation the disputed transaction was not held to be void. The court came to this decision as the transaction was not wholly beyond the capacity of the company.2 The directors of a private company with just one class of shares are permitted to allot the same class of shares. In addition, they can convert securities into such shares. 3 Moreover, such directors can grant rights to subscribe to such shares. However, these share allotment activities are subject to the prohibitions of the Companies Act 2006. 4 In all other instances, share allotment is permitted to the directors of the company, only if there is specific authorisation to do so by the Articles of Association of the company or there is a company resolution to that effect. Such authorisation has to specify the maximum number of shares that can be allotted under the authorisation. 5 As such, directors are instrumental in decision making and other critical funct ions of the company. The law relating to conflict of interests is intricate, and the director of a company should seek legal advice in this regard. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that the company’s constitution provides the required authority to a director in a specific situation. 6 However, Section 175 of the Companies Act 2006 does not cover all the functions of the directors. For instance, it does not deal with instances, where a director intends to have transactions with his company. This should be permitted by the constitution of the company. Moreover, under the provisions of section 177, the director has to make proper disclose to the board of the company. 7 There should be proper flow of information to the directors of a company. This is indispensable for the proper and efficient functioning of the company. As such, it is obligator for the company board to ensure that the directors have a proper flow of information. This is essential, as there is a statutory ob ligation on directors to take into consideration particular matters at the time of taking decisions. 8 Companies formed prior to the enactment of the Companies Act 2006, can acquire the same status regarding the issue of shares, by resolving to excise the clause relating to authorised share capital from their articles of association. In addition, these companies should resolve to bestow upon their directors the powers granted under section 550 of the Companies Act 2006.9 Companies formed under the Companies Act 2006 are not limited with regard to the number of shares that they can issue. 10 Section 550 of this Act provides that in the absence of a specific prohibition in the articles of association, the directors of a company with only one class of shares are at liberty to allot shares without requiring the authorisation of the shareholders.11 In addition, section 550 of the Companies Act 2006 empowers the allotment of shares by the directors of a private company that has only one c lass of shares. Such allotment of shares does not require prior authority from the members of the company. Furthermore, this power can be precluded or restricted by the members, via the Articles of Association of the company.12 In our problem, Ben and Holly realized that the Kingdom Ltd company would not be in a position to grow without the obtention of further financing for

What role does social class play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

What role does social class play - Essay Example Looking at the work of Jane Austen in her novel ‘Pride and Prejudice’ it could be said that the novel is one of the most quintessential novels of manners and etiquettes that has effectively and provocatively described the role of social classes in society. Austen has dealt with the issues of manners, education, marriage, principles and upbringing in a society of the elite gentry of the 19th century England. Similarly, one other novel that has also discussed the subject of social class and its role in the society in a different manner is Room at the Top by John Braine. The novel was written in 1957 and has discussed how social class, desires, and the socio-economic struggles can change the entire course of human life, particularly his love and passion. The novel rotates around a story of young, ambitious man who is struggling hard to find his place in the socially escalating society during the postwar Britain (Austen, 1853; Braine, 1957). In the essay, I would like to explore whether or not the social class as presented in the aforementioned novels, has a similar role in the society. Furthermore, I would also like to study what exactly were the reasons behind the urge to get socially equal in the society. Furthermore, the essay would also discuss whether the same techniques (as discussed in the novels) are being used for the socio-economic struggle in the present day societies or not (Braine, 1957). Considering these questions as the basis of my study, I would like to incorporate the essay with various researches and studies from the past in order to gain data and information on the subject. However, I would only stick to the two main novels that I have selected for this essay for discussing social class and its role. With the help of this essay, I would like to study the fundamentals and the concepts that are associated with the subject and in arts and humanities. It  will help me to broaden my horizon, knowledge and understanding

Do the UK opt-out from the Euro and EU enlargement make Britain less Essay

Do the UK opt-out from the Euro and EU enlargement make Britain less attractive for foreign investors - Essay Example Most importantly, the single currency i.e. the Euro is managed by the European Central Bank and is so far adopted by 12 of the 25 member states (Wikipedia, 2006). Initially, the primary purpose of liaison between the European countries was to avoid catastrophes such as the world wars which started in Europe and engulfed the world with time. However, the economic benefits also have to be considered because the European Economic Council and then the European Union have emerged as the world’s single largest developed market with a total population that is over 450 million. It also has the highest GDP i.e. more than six trillion British pounds (Wikipedia, 2006). The EU is certainly not resting on its laurels and is in the process of expanding its member base (27 countries by 2007). This expansion process makes the group more attractive to foreign investors since membership of the group signifies common laws, the advantages of uniform policies in a single market, the relatively free movement of goods and services, unhindered movement of skilled labour with similar employment and social policy between countries. For the financial and industrial sectors, the EU brings free movement of capital, uniform industrial and intellectual property rights, a liberalized energy market and uniform consumer protection policies. As a final step towards the union, European countries are adopting the single currency, Euro. There are numerous benefits of joining the Eurozone as discussed by Huhne (2004), adopting the single currency provides a better deal for consumers owing to competition and would also help in pension income, especially when the risk would be spread around the wider euro maket. UK will be able to focus on real monetary and economic environment instead of using interest rates to maintain over valuation of Pound Sterling. Alignment of interest rates will also lead to

Article Review (advertising) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Article Review (advertising) - Essay Example There are advertisements on the streets, on magazines, newspapers, debit or credit cards, televisions and radio stations, wall, buses, train stations, and all sorts of media forms. With this amount of advertisements, people are almost immune to their intended effect (Poynor, 2006). This paper aims to demonstrate that when people see the advertisements repeatedly, they get used to them, and become disinterested. Some of them may see the advertisements and assume they were intended for them to buy the product. Consumers get irritated and may no longer want to look at the adverts. Other consumers are now used to the advertisements, that they no longer consider them important. Take an example of an ATM card that a consumer uses for various purposes. The adverts printed on the card, like the brand names and logos, are expected to remind the customer, and entice others. These prints in the cards are no longer recognized, and consumers generalize such cards as either debit or credit cards, without much consideration of the brands, companies and difference in services (Poynor, 2006). The aim of advertisement has lost meaning. This paper will show this through a description of the effect of too many advertisements that people are exposed to, as described in Poynor’s article. In order to show how the purpose of advertisement is lost, it is important to know the purpose of an advertisement. There are various purposes of advertisements. The common aim, however, is to inform the consumer about a service or a product, so that the consumer can purchase the product. This contributes to increased sales. Advertisements do more than just informing the consumer. Advertisement can serve as a means of convincing the consumer to buy the product, a means of reminding the consumer that the product or service still exists, and a way of showing off what the company has got, and educating the consumers about the product or service. Parameswaran (2004) indicates that

Interview Settings Essay Example for Free

Interview Settings Essay Having a conversation with a potential employer or a doctor an individual unconsciously puts himself or herself below the level of his/her interlocutor due to the reason of their communication: applying for a job or sudden chickenpox. Therefore, it is important that the employer makes certain efforts with regard to the overall environment in the office or wherever the interview is carried out. To put theory into practice, I made a decision to call the faculty office and ask them whether they will be willing to answer some of my questions for my future report. Having accepted my offer, they asked me about the time. Eventually, the interview was appointed and I was supposed to come at 9am. Later it turned out that the period of time between 8am and 11am is the most productive one and the staff intentionally asked me to visit them in the morning. Immediately after I came in the faculty office, I was offered a coffee and a sit. The walls of the room were covered with pictures of relatives and friends of the faculty staff creating an atmosphere of warmth and friendliness. Cozy armchairs and quiet music contributed to the calmness of the overall environment. Regardless of the fact, that there were many staff members in the office, they were mostly reading and therefore nothing disturbed my interview with the professor who was extremely eager to help me. Unlike the faculty office, the atmosphere in my boss’s office was characterized by overwhelming noise of equipment (computers, laptops, scanners, etc). Additionally, I could see many people chatting, laughing, and going back and forth. Having notified my boss about my interview in advance, I found that the scheduling was inconvenient as he made an appointment at 7pm on Friday. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my date to visit the boss. When I came to the office, I asked the receptionist whether the previous meeting had already been finished so I could talk to the employer. Preliminarily, I had to wait until the receptionist finished talking on the phone with her friend about â€Å"that cute football player†. In a couple of minutes I was told that the boss could not talk to me right away as a part of our department was out of fix and needed some maintenance. It was not until 7. 40pm that he asked me to enter his room. Surprisingly enough, I noticed a group of people moving furniture a couple of feet away from us getting ready for the repairs. They did not keep silence and therefore my boss and me could not have a proper talk with potential valid evaluation of each other. According to the notes, it is a must for every employer to have in-depth knowledge in ethics. However, every now and then I saw his eyes moving towards the workers. The overall environment was distracting and he even yawned twice. As I found myself in a very uncomfortable situation from psychological point of view, I asked for a glass of water. However, it turned out that they had nothing to drink. The third place, doctor’s office, was similar to the first faculty office. The atmosphere was welcoming and peaceful. I suppose that the doctor’s office was the safest place among three places I have visited. Physicians were dressed in white with dry clean hands; the building was high with much light inside and office-cleaners taking care of the hygiene. The atmosphere was friendly and hospitable. During my conversation with the doctor he was examining me with various medical instruments. It worsened the situation and communication process in general as pulling up the t-shirt and breathing in and out made me feel as if the physician was not fully interested in my opinion. At this point, my boss’s office was much more convenient for the inte4rview and negotiations in general as I was sitting just in front of him. In conclusion it would be appropriate to note that interview settings include various significant aspects responsible for the outcome of the interview. REFERENCES †¢ Interview Questions And Answers Anticipating awkward interview questions. (2006). Accura Resumes. Retrieved March 6, 2007, from http://www. accuroresumes. com/articles-info/interview-articles/questions. html

Theory and the Principles of the Colorimeter

Theory and the Principles of the Colorimeter COLORIMETER Introduction Color of food is not a physical characteristic of food but it is an important quality attribute for foods. This is because color affects the acceptability and perception of consumer for the food and even preference and perception of flavor (Lewis, MJ. 1996). The color is determined by the selective absorption of different amounts of the wavelengths within the visible region. Changes of color can occur during food storage, maturation (ripeness), processing and others. Colorimetry is the scientific color measurement which used to express color in numerical terms and to measure the color differences between the specimens. The specimens can be paints, textiles, plastics, food and other products that may reflect or transmit color. Colorimeter is an instrument for psychophysical analysis by measuring the amount of light passing through a liquid. This instrument provides measurements that correlate with human eye-brain perception. Besides, the colorimeter is basically like a spectrophotometer but less complex as the spectrophotometer allows selection of any wavelength of light. Colorimeter measures the color through three wide-band filters which corresponding to the spectral sensitivity curves. A light source creates a beam of light that shines through a sample. The colorimeter then measures the amount of light transmitted or absorbed electronically and provides colorimetric data as tri-stimulus values (XYZ, L, a, b). The design of the Tristimulus colorimetry is about duplicate the response of the human eyes. A light source, three glass filters with transmittance spectra that duplicate the X, Y and Z curves and a photocell are required. This helps to get the reading of XYZ represents the color of the sample. Drawback of XYZ system is not visually uniform, that means one unit of color measurement in one area of the solid was visually different from the same unit in another area. Normally, the values of tristimulus are used to determine the direction and amount of any color difference if a color match is accurate. The colorimeter provided in this lab is Color Flex colorimeter from the Hunter Lab. Color Flex is a self-contained color measurement spectrophotometer which had been introduced in this lab. It can be used in production or in the laboratory for inspecting raw materials and evaluating the final product. Apart from this, the Color Flex is ideal for measuring powders, granules, pastes, liquids and opaque as it has its port-up or port-forward measurement orientations. The Color Flex require glass sample cup to hold the sample for measure and has a hole to insert the glass sample cup according to its size. Specialized versions of the Color Flex are available for the citrus industry and the tomato industry. These systems include specializes calibration standards and measurement scales appropriate for the industry. Based on nonlinearly compressed CIE XYZ color space coordinates, a Lab color space is a color-opponent space with the dimension L which for the lightness and the a and b are for the color-opponent dimensions (Hunter, Richard Sewall, 1948). This L, a, b values used in the system are calculated from tristimulus value (X, Y, Z) as the backbone of all mathematical color models. The first system which uses the opponent-color theory is the hunter Lab system (1958). This system states that the red, green and blue cone responses are remixed into opponent coders as they move up the optic nerve to the brain. Figure 4.0 Tristimulus colorimetr OBJECTIVES To measure the absorbance of particular wavelengths of light by a specific solution. To determine the concentration of a known solute in a given solution by the application of the Beer-Lambert law which state that the concentration of a solute is proportional to the absorbance. To understand the theory and the principles of the colorimeter. To understand the standard operation procedure to operate the colorimeter correctly. THEORY AND PRINCIPLE Color has various degrees of lightness and different values. Opponent-Colors Theory has been developed since the XYZ values are not easily to get understand in term of object. This theory is easier for the scientist perceive color, simplify understanding, improve communication of color differences and can be more linear thought out color space. Based on the basic of the opponent-color theory, the Hunter L, a, b color space is a three dimensional rectangular, where L (lightness) varies from 0 (black) to 100 (white), a which represent red-green axis with positive (redness) and negative (greenness) values, and b which represent yellow-blue axis with positive (yellowness) and negative (blueness) values. The values of 0 for the a* and b* always represent neutral. Once the L, a, b position of a standard color is determined, a rectangular tolerance box can be drawn around the standard. Today, there are two popular L, a, b color scales which are Hunter L, a, b and CIE L*, a*, b*. A color still has different numerical values between these two color scales even though these two are similar in the organization. In fact, the Hunter and CIE L*, a*, b* scales are both mathematically derived from the XYZ values. Neither scale is visually uniform, Hunter L, a, b is over expanded in the blue region of color space whereas CIE L*, a* and b* is over expanded in the yellow region. STANDARD OPERATION PROCEDURE ColorFlex Colorimeter The ColorFlex is placed on a flat and stable surface where near an electrical outlet. The system is turned on by pressing the Red (lightning bolt) key and is allowed to warm up for at least two hours before use. Before measuring sample, the instrument must be calibrated. Steps to standardize the colorimeter are carried out as below: The Down Arrow key is pressed until the menu is reached and then the Standardize is selected by pressing the Read key. As instructed, the sample pot should be covered with the black glass first. The black glass is covered at the sample port with the shiny side toward the port and the arrow on the glass should be pointed towards the scientist. The â€Å"thunderstorm† button is pressed. The sample pot then is covered with the white tile. Same with the black tile, the sample port is covered with the shiny side toward the port and the arrow on the glass should be pointed towards the scientist. The â€Å"thunderstorm† button is pressed and the values are showed on the periphery of the tile. A message which indicates the instrument is ready to read will be displayed when the standardization of the instrument is completed. The value of L*, a* and b* should be 50.87, -25.11 and 14.98 respectively. The sample cup must be cleaned before put the sample into it. Make sure that the sample must be at least fully covered the bottom surface of the cup. After closed the cover, the cup is put onto the sensor to measure the sample and take the reading. The L, a, b value will be show on the screen after the â€Å"thunderstorm† button is pressed and wait for a moment. The readings are recorded. Steps 5-7 are repeated for different samples. DATA Table 4.0 Standard Tristimulus Values . Table 4.1 Tristimulus Values of one-third volume of the Samples. Table 4.2 Tristimulus Values of two-third volume of the Samples. DISCUSSION From the demonstration, there are three samples which are green beans, red beans and dried red pumpkin seeds are used to measure by using the colorimeter. These three samples are also measure with different volumes. The L, a, b values are recorded. For the green bean, the small amount of the green bean sample shows the value of a* as 0.57 while the green bean sample with a higher volume get the value of a* as 0.46. This difference between the reading can be explained as the green bean with higher volume gives more greenness with it’s a* value is nearer to the negative values (low positive values). Moreover, the red bean with the low volume show the reading of the a* as 14.23 whereas the red bean with the higher volume show the reading of a* as 14.61. From this result, we can said that the red bean with higher volume are more redness than that of with the lower volume because it’s a* reading is more positive which indicate more redness. Same situation obtained from the dried red pumpkin seed. The high volume of red dried pumpkin seed has higher reading of a* as 27.11 compare than low volume of dried red pumpkin seed with reading of a* as 27.08. Next, green bean has showed that it is lightness with the value of L* as 37.13. It is more brightness than the red bean and also dried red pumpkin seed with the reading of L* as 22.89 and 26.46 respectively. In the demonstration, the value of a* of the green bean is 0.57 which means that are green in color in that sample. Besides, the b* values as 23.71 has showed that the green bean samples consists of more yellow color but less blue if compared to the standard value as it’s b* value is positive value and higher than that of the standard values. In the demonstration of red bean, it show that it consists of lowest lightness with the value L* as 22.89 if compared to others two samples. Thus, we can conclude that the red bean is the darkest among the samples. The a* value of red bean is 14.23 which means that there are red color in the sample and is more red than the standard which has the negative value of a* as -25.11. Moreover, the red bean has b* values as 8.16 and this showed that it consists of more yellow color but less blue color in it. Last, the dried red pumpkin seed has the L* value as 26.46 which is lower than that of green bean but higher than that of red bean. Among these three samples, the dried red pumpkin seed has the highest values of a* as 27.11. It showed that it consists of more red color than other samples. For the b* value, it’s b* value is about 13.82 which means that the dried red pumpkin seed also consist of more yellow color but less blue. Compare the results obtained, we can notice that the dried red pumpkin seed has higher values of L* and a* which showed it is more lightness and also more redness than the red bean. PRE-CAUTION STEP Make sure that the setting of the colorimeter is set as default setup before conduct the experiment to obtain accuracy data. The standard plates must be cleaned and make sure that it is free from dust and fingerprint. After done the calibration, put the black glass and the white tile back to the box to avoid scratching. The volume, size and weight of the sample must be standardized (constant). The amount of the samples must at least cover fully the bottom surface of the sample cup. The sample must be covered with the non-transparent black-coloured cover (light trap) when the readings are being taken. This helps to avoid the light sensitive colorimeter from the disturbance of other light sources. References Lewis, M. J. 2006. Physical Properties of Foods and Food Processing System. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing Limited. Murano, P. S. 2003. Understanding Food Science and Technology. USA: Wadsworth/ Thomson Learning. Pankaj B. Pathare, Colour Measurement and Analysis in Fresh and Processed Foods: A Review. 2012. http://works.bepress.com/pankaj_pathare/3/.