Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Geographical Division Essay Example

Geographical Division Essay Example Geographical Division Essay Geographical Division Essay I would entirely recommend this structure as there is a local decision making at the point of contact between the organisation and its customers (e. g. customer satisfaction from local dealer). It will also be cheaper to establish local distribution factories rather than to distribute from only one location (e. g. cost of transportation shipping, if so being the case is reduced)Nevertheless it could also be expensive to have a national organisation liaising with many different regional distribution factories, whereas if all customers liaise with Head office they might need fewer managerial staff. Also contradiction in standards may develop from one area to another. Having the accountability and flexibility advantages of product-based management without the duplication and the division of the functional departments will be somehow fabulous and this is where the Matrix structure comes in, it crosses both the functional and product structure. And one of the distinctive features of a matrix structure is that the employee will report to two bosses (sometimes more) rather than the traditional one. One of these authorities, usually the functional area will manage the formal side of the employment contract (e. g. salary, attendance, appraisals etc. ); they are responsible for their own activities and staff. The other line of authority product-based is used to involve the employees in the production, selling, distribution etc. of the product. The product managers will be the co-ordinators of all the different functions towards their particular objectives. Introducing a Matrix structure to Airgen plc could have a positive affect because it has a lot to offer. The mixing of skills and expertise will be a benefit of working together in functional areas. : It will avoid Airgen unnecessary costs, since the same employees can contribute to different company projects. The head of departments will be free to organise their staff, while the production managers will be responsible for delivering the product to customers (by customer expectations)One of the main objections to Matrix is the creation of confusion over who reports to whom and about the priorities that should be attached to different tasks, occupying two roles can cause conflict between the team members, and this could lead to emotional stress. It is also difficult to demonstrate their individual contribution as they are changing from team to team. Outsiders will struggle not knowing to which line manager they will have to speak/report to. Opportunities for promotion are very limited since the movement lateral. Although the matrix structure have much to offer there is a saying that no man can serve two masters

Sunday, March 1, 2020

All About Pirates and Their Treasure

All About Pirates and Their Treasure We’ve all seen the movies where one-eyed, peg-leg pirates make off with great wooden chests full of gold, silver, and jewels. But this image isnt really accurate. Pirates only rarely got their hands on treasure like this, but they did still take plunder from their victims. Pirates and their Victims During the so-called Golden Age of piracy, which lasted roughly from 1700 to 1725, hundreds of pirate ships plagued the waters of the world. These pirates, while generally associated with the Caribbean, did not limit their activities to that region. They also struck off the coast of Africa and even made forays into the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They would attack and rob any non-Navy ship that crossed their paths: mostly merchant and slave vessels plying the Atlantic. The plunder the pirates took from these ships mainly were trade goods profitable at the time. Food and Drink Pirates often plundered food and drink from their victims: Alcoholic drinks, in particular, were rarely if ever allowed to continue on their way. Casks of rice and other foodstuffs were taken on board as needed, although the less cruel pirates would leave enough food for their victims to survive. Fishing ships were often robbed when merchants were scarce, and in addition to the fish, pirates would sometimes take tackle and nets. Ship Materials Pirates rarely had access to ports or shipyards where they could repair their vessels. Their ships were often put to hard use, meaning that they were in constant need of new sails, ropes, rigging tackle, anchors, and other things necessary for the day-to-day maintenance of a wooden sailing vessel. They stole candles, thimbles, frying pans, thread, soap, kettles, and other mundane items and would often also plunder wood, masts, or parts of the ship if they needed them. Of course, if their own ship were in really bad shape, the pirates would sometimes simply swap ships with their victims! Trade Goods Most of the loot gained by pirates was trade goods being shipped by merchants. Pirates never knew what they would find on the ships they robbed. Popular trade goods at the time included bolts of cloth, tanned animal skins, spices, sugar, dyes, cocoa, tobacco, cotton, wood, and more. Pirates had to be choosy about what to take, as some items were easier to sell than others. Many pirates had clandestine contacts with merchants willing to purchase such stolen goods for a fraction of their true worth and then resell them for a profit. Pirate-friendly towns such as Port Royal, Jamaica, or Nassau, Bahamas, had many unscrupulous merchants willing to make such deals. Slaves Buying and selling slaves was a very profitable business during the Golden Age of piracy, and slave ships often were raided by pirates. Pirates might keep the slaves to work on the ship or sell them themselves. Often, the pirates would loot the slave ships of food, weapons, rigging, or other valuables and let the merchants keep the slaves, who were not always easy to sell and had to be fed and cared for. Weapons, Tools, and Medicine Weapons were very valuable. They were the tools of the trade for pirates. A pirate ship without cannons and a crew without pistols and swords were ineffective, so it was the rare pirate victim that got away with his weapon stores unplundered. Cannons were moved to the pirate ship and the holds cleared of gunpowder, small arms, and bullets. Tools were as good as gold, whether they be carpenters tools, surgeons knives, or navigational gear (such as maps and astrolabes). Likewise, medicines were often looted: Pirates were often injured or ill, and medicines were hard to come by. When Blackbeard held Charleston, North Carolina, hostage in 1718, he demanded- and received- a chest of medicines in exchange for lifting his blockade. Gold, Silver, and Jewels Of course, just because most of their victims didnt have any gold doesnt mean that the pirates never got any at all. Most ships had a little gold, silver, jewels, or some coins aboard, and the crew and captains were often tortured to get them to reveal the location of any such stash. Sometimes, pirates got lucky: In 1694, Henry Avery and his crew sacked the Ganj-i-Sawai, the treasure ship of the Grand Moghul of India. They captured chests of gold, silver, jewels, and other precious cargo worth a fortune. Pirates with gold or silver tended to spend it quickly when in port. Buried Treasure? Thanks to the popularity of Treasure Island, the most famous novel about pirates, most people think that the bandits went around burying treasure on remote islands. In fact, pirates rarely buried treasure. Captain William Kidd buried his loot, but hes one of the few known to have done so. Considering that most of the pirate treasure to be had was delicate, such as food, sugar, wood, ropes, or cloth, its not surprising that idea is mostly a myth. Sources Cordingly, David. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1996 Defoe, Daniel. A General History of the Pyrates. Dover Maritime, 60742nd edition, Dover Publications, January 26, 1999. Konstam, Angus. The World Atlas of Pirates. Guilford: The Lyons Press, 2009 Konstam, Angus. The Pirate Ship 1660-1730. New York: Osprey, 2003