... Executive Summary Black & Decker had always been a market leader in the power tools industry. Many changes took place that helped out in the company in the short run, but hurt in the long run. In 2000 Black and Decker Corporation was still reeling from the financial and strategic problems stemming from the company's acquisition of Emhart Corporation in 1989. In late 1998 Black & Decker management celebrated the completion of an almost decade-long effort to divest nonstrategic business gained through its 1989 acquisition of Emhart Corporation and expected the company to enter a long-awaited period of growth as its entire management refocused its attention on its core power tools, plumbing, and security hardware business. Archibald believed that "This portfolio restructuring will allow us to focus on core operations that can deliver dependable and superior operating and financial results." However the portfolio restructuring did little to improve the market performance of the company's securities. Yet Archibald and the management continued to express confidence that the company's streamline portfolio would allow Black & Decker to achieve revenue and earnings growth that the market would find impressive. So far the 1998 divestitures have not produced steady increases in the company's stock price, but look promising for the future due to the efforts to refocus efforts on the successful power tools line. Strategic planning team evaluation Over the years, Black &...
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...Introduction Dividends are payments to shareholders and represents a return on the shareholder’s investment in the company. As a general rule, shareholders cannot force a company to pay dividends even if it has sufficient surplus assets to do that. Burland vs Earle (1902) AC 83 is a typical example of this rule. However, in some exceptional cases, under the section 232 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), a refusal by a profitable company to pay dividends may amount to oppressive or unfair conduct for purposes of a remedy. Therefore, shareholders may be able to force the company to declare a dividend in some circumstances where the company is lawfully able to do so and the terms of the company’s constitution indicate that it was the intention of the parties that the shareholders would be entitled to a fixed, mandatory dividend. Inspired by the article “Wambo, Peabody forced to pay dividends” published on the Newcastle Herald on 19 September 2014 and intensively conducting research about the relevant case Wambo Coal Pty Ltd vs Sumiseki Materials Co Ltd (2014) NSWCA 326, my assignment of media reflection will set light on some certain circumstances for payment of dividends and member’s rights as well as determine relations between the article and the Corporation Law. Article Summary On 17 September 2014, the New South Wales Supreme Court dismissed an appeal brought by Wambo Coal Pty Ltd (“Wambo”) against a decision of the Equity Division in which it was held that Wambo had failed...
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...Stage microphone pack for choir/ presentation Wirelss microphone pack 2x Lapel 2x Handheld microphone Pa system cost Eng TNS Audio crew to rig and de rig system including engineering Audio systems transport - A trade discount of 30% has been applied to equipment hire costs 1.0 £1,900.00 1.0 2.0 1.0 £550.00 £300.00 £50.00 Notes: Quotations are valid for 30 days from date shown. The person dealing with your request is Mark Chant 01622 861 626 mark@phonophobiaonline.co.uk TOTAL ex Vat £2,800.00 Phonophobia Ltd UNIT1, ROEBUCK BUSINESS PARK, A20 ASHFORD ROAD, HARRIETSHAM,MAIDSTONE,KENT,ME171AB 01622 861 626 / 01622 863 344 F 01622 859 737 www.phonophobia-online.co.uk It is understood that the client is supplying mains power as required Client is to ensure safe close parking for two large vans PD’s are included in the staffing costs Show times are 12.30 till 16.hrs approx A morning arrival is required to ensure all systems are rigged and ready to go. Extra audio or lighting equipment is available if required A further discount of 12% has been applied to staff costs....
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...TP9 Electronic Central Heating Controller Programmable Room Thermostat plus Domestic Hot Water Timer, for the Control of Domestic Central Heating INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS Technical Specifications Temperature Range : 5-30°C or 16-30°C Power Supply : 220Vac/240Vac, 50/60Hz Switching Action : 2 x SPDT, type 1B Switch Rating : 220/240Vac, 50/60 Hz, 3(1)A Timing Accuracy : ± 1 min/month Power Reserve : Minimum 24 hours Enclosure Rating : IP30 Max. Ambient Temp : 45°C Control Pollution Situation : Pollution degree 2 Designed to meet BS EN60730-2-9 Overall Dimensions - Controller - Sensor Software classification Rated impulse voltage Ball pressure test : Width 136mm, Height 88mm, Depth 32mm. : Width 60mm, Height 45mm, Depth 21mm. : Class A : 2.5kV : 75°C The unit must be installed by a competent electrician and the installation should conform to IEE Wiring Regulations. The supply to this unit should by wired via a full disconnect in accordance with BS EN60730-1, i.e. one which provides air gaps of at least 3mm in both poles of the mains, and incorporates a 3 amp. fuse. It is strongly recommended that solid conductors be used. Installation and Wiring 1. Select the desired fixing position for the heating controller. 2. When fixing the wallplate remember the connections are at the top and the vertical centre line of the unit is at the position shown C/ L, (which is at the right hand edge of the terminal 4 recess.) 3. Fix the wallplate to the wall or flush mounted box as required...
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...kept repeating itself throughout the record. In today’s practical world, great powers are searching extensively and aggressively for opportunities to attain power over others, with hegemony being their ultimate goal. In present realistic and anarchic world system, power is all that matters to selfish and domination oriented states. In a very similar way, China, which has been making success by leaps and bounds, is in time aiming to gain the position of super power, the position which in the present day is being enjoyed and exercised by the United States of America. With around 1.3billion population; estimating for one-fifth of the world’s entire population, with world’s largest armed forces, China, while contributing about 13percent to the world economy, is at present the fastest developing country across the sphere, with raw potentials to becoming a super power down the line. (China: The 21st Century Super Power, September, 2005) China, for past few decades, has been observed making substantial progress in almost every sphere, not only with an aim to improve its international front, but also to maximize its share of international power and gain a position that is desired by a few of the known competing great powers. China has been implementing and devising a mix of very optimal agendas and policies to influence the world and counter the western capitalist approach. The fast paced and significant rise of China since the very start of its independence in 1949 has generated a...
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...American Response to Rising Powers in an Offensive Neo-Realist World: A Rising China and its challenge to American Interests The year is 2045, it’s a brisk December morning and the television is turned to CNN news in many American homes. China once again makes headlines as they have successfully landed a man on mars. The Chinese military has developed a missile defense system and is making plans to confront the Japanese military over fishing rights in the pacific. The Chinese market also makes headlines since it is the largest market in the world in terms of GDP and produces 30% of the products in the world. The effects of the Chinese military can be felt in the U.S since it has had to withdraw its navy from the pacific and now has smaller global reach. Three out of ten products picked up at Wal-Mart have the all too familiar “Made in China” printed on the back. This future is of course, fictional and too many may seem farfetched and impossible. However, this future is not all that unrealistic and with the current development of China, it may soon be a reality. China is headed towards a future where China is a global superpower economically, militarily and politically. How should American foreign policy address a rising China? Should we be accommodating and welcome a rising China or should we prevent China from ever reaching superpower status? Given the development of China, the way rising powers interact with world powers historically as well as theoretically and current...
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...China is one of the most ancient civilizations in the world that recorded about 3,000 years old. It has only in recent historical times become part of the “known world”- that is known to the West. More books had been published in Chinese than in all of the other world’s languages combined in recent time. Yet, even today Chinese literature remains unknown in the West except to specialists. The West was long ignorant of China, and the Chinese state was not inclined to initiate contacts with the West. The isolation and self-contained character of Chinese culture is epitomized by the Great Wall erected by the Chin dynasty, which made China more mysterious and attractive for other countries. Today’s China differed from old China greatly. Today’s...
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...China and New World Order Based on what you have learnt in this course, what kind of world order do you think we have now and to what extent a new world order is shaped by the rise of China? In what aspects is the rising China changing the existing world order? World order has a variety of definitions. In general, it refers the pattern of relations between states, behaved according to a set of institutional rules and principles. It changes over time when great powers rise and fall. Suggested by George Modelski, the Long Cycle Theory believes a war will emerge after the rising power threatens the original hegemony and might replace the existing world order. The challenge posed by the rise of China to the western dominance is felt worldwide as her second largest economic status. A question has been asked by an American scholar John Ikenberry – “Will China overthrow the existing order or become part of it?” This essay aims at introducing the current world order and investigating how it has been changed with the inclusion of China. One of the two major types of world order is the Westphalia order which is based on the modern state system. It is the concept of authority on the territory that the sovereignty of states and the fundamental right of politics is self-determined without any intervention from other states in internal affairs. This system highly respects the territorial integrity of states and the legal equality between states that is no matter the size of a country...
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...HOW PEACEFUL IS CHINA’S PEACEFUL RISE? 16 July 2014 at 17:01 HOW PEACEFUL IS CHINA’S PEACEFUL RISE? The People’s Republic of China has been taking great pains to point out to its neighbours specifically, and the world in general, that they have nothing to fear of its increasing power. This approach is epitomised by China’s emphasis on the term ‘peaceful rise’ to describe its expanding influence since 2004. Not only is ‘peaceful rise’ used to allay concerns that China will use its power to further its goals at the expense of other nations, it is also used to directly contrast the PRC with the United States who have been embroiled in the same period in the controversial War on Terror. Given the prominence of the claim of the claim it is clearly in the interests of understanding international and regional developments that we pose the question “How peaceful is China’s peaceful rise?” As this essay will show, in light of the PRC’s domestic aims and because of China’s historical and cultural experiences, any attempt to answer question is contradictory, and depends on the region. The question of China’s contradictory peaceful rise is explained most completely by the theory of neoclassical realism. Neoclassical realism argues that it is the aim of states to gain power to pursue what they deem is in their national interests. It breaks down the state’s efforts in that respect into two spheres, the internal and the external. The external sphere is similar to other theories of...
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...Distribution of power at the global level The United States has been the global leader since 1872, when they overtook the United Kingdom. There are discussions about “Americas decline” and the rise of multipolar power within the international state system. But actually I think that United States will stay as the world’s single great-power for some nearest time. It does not deny that some nation-states may grow more powerful in their respective regions. Although number of people around the world believes the economic balance of power is shifting, the United States is still seen as the world’s leading economic power. There are two main competitors for United States - one in the Pacific against China and the other in eastern Europe against Russia. America has to be afraid of these two countries getting togeather and building up their own global power. United States need to keep it’s allies, particularly the European countries, in line if the confrontation reaches a critical point. Economical statistics shows that China this year will displace the United States as the world's largest economy. The comparison is made by Purchasing Power Parity. It means that it takes into account the differing prices in the two countries. If a dollar is worth 7.2 renminbi today on the foreign exchange market, there is possibility that 7.2 renminbi can buy a lot more in China than one dollar can buy in the United States. The Purchasing Power Parity comparison shows - that is why...
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...occur. The purpose of this essay is to argue and prove that China will rise to power in a peaceful manner throughout the 21st century. This paper will first explain the current situation, which has left China in position to become a global leader as the new century unfolds. The essay will also examine military, economic and social issues that may positively contribute to this change and lead this Asian country to a new significant posture within the geo-political realm of international relations. The Rise of China towards the 21st Century Technology and communication improvements have changed the world for good. With new developments in these areas, the world has become much smaller and navigable in many ways when discussing China and their current rise to global prominence in recent times. The end of the Cold War which saw a bipolar world develop into a unipolar world has created opportunity for other powerful nations to step in and play a key role in global events that are unfolding. China’s massive population and natural resources have continued to organize and be directed towards more powerful means. Chinese leaders have seen this coming for years as the country began opening up to global interests in the 1970’s. As America’s place in the world has changed, leaders have grown confident that a new paradigm can exist where a peaceful rise of this country is likely and for the betterment of the rest of the world. As Lynch (155 ) points out, this “peaceful rise” is experienced...
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...Geopolitics and International Affairs “What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?” The Encyclopaedia Britannica describes Geopolitics as “analysis of the geographic influences on power relationships in international relations” (2010); therefore Geopolitical Power is the power certain nations have over other nations, based upon Geographic influences and advantages. Across the world the geographies of power shift from nation to nation over time (such as the shift in power from Britain to the USA after WWII) and the hegemonic structure has a huge effect on world dynamics such economy, politics, society and culture. The nation with the most power tends to have the greatest influence over these and other factors. Currently, and in recent years there has been a notable rise in power from nations in the geographic east (most notably China) simultaneous to the apparent decline in power by the worlds current top geopolitical power (the USA). This is raising serious questions as to the future of the current hegemonic structure. There are a number of key factors which are driving this shift in power and here I aim to address and analyse these so that I may answer the question “What are the key factors in contemporary redistributions of Geopolitical Power?” The USA is currently the world's dominant geopolitical power and has been since World War II. According to Fareed Zakaria (2008) “...the United States' [unrivalled economic status] has lasted more...
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...comparison of Germany and China Hofstede’s Five Dimensions Hofstede’s five dimensions are a useful tool to give someone an insight of different cultures. These elements give a country’s behaviour tendencies rather than an exact prescription. There are weaknesses to Hofstede’s Five Dimension theory as it may too easily encourage stereotyping. Even in countries as small as the UK, not all citizens are alike – e.g. it is argued that the culture in the North of England is quite different to the South. Hofstede has also been criticized for being too simplistic; however Hofstede’s theory does give us a general base to work from. 74 countries are listed on Hofstede’s website from which information can be drawn to make comparisons not only between countries but against the world average to give a broader picture. The following graph gives a comparison between Germany and China. It also allows for assessment against the Asian average and World average and our own British culture as benchmarks. Hofstede Comparison: UK, Germany, China Asian Average and World Average [pic] Comparison of Germany and China [pic] Power Distance Index Germany 35 LOW China 80 HIGH Individualism Germany 67 HIGH China 66 LOW Masculinity Germany 66 HIGH China 66 HIGH Uncertainty Avoidance Germany 65 HIGH China 30 LOW Long Term Orientation Germany 31LOW China 118 HIGH Power Distance Index – PDI Power Distance measures equality of power in society and how much...
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...latest Chinese five year plan sets strong goals in that regard. And wind energy plays a key role in the promotion of green energies. Harvard researchers have put forward that wind power could account for the totality of energy use in China within two decades (Michael B. McElroy). Wind energy could even provide 24 700 TWh of electricity annually which is seven times the current Chinese consumption. China has become the leading power in the field of wind energy. Once leader in that field with a production of 40 GW, the US have been surpassed by China with a production of 42,3 GW in 2010. As the growth in certain countries has considerably slowed down due to the global financial crisis (minus 50% in the US), China’s wind energy market has continued to soar. According to Li Junfeng, secretary general of China Renewable Energy Industry Association (CREIA), China could reach a production of 200 GW by 2020. Even though China’s market is developing incredibly quickly and that the Chinese market offers huge opportunities for Chinese and international companies there still remain important challenges which have to be met. * * * I- Market development: the'' boom'' of the Chinese wind * a) The Players in China China has become the world's largest producer of wind power and of wind power equipment, now surpassing worldwide leaders in the field such as the Danish Vestas, the American GE or the German...
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...comparison between China and India is a popular topic in social sciences. Since these two very similar countries gained independence around the same time, one democratic in 1947 and another communist in 1949, many world leaders and scholars have come to view the economic, social and political performance of the two Asian giants as the best testimony of which is the better approach to modernity for developing countries (Gilley 21). Current scholarly interest tends to focus more on evaluating the different development models that China and India embrace. It is easy to find works contrasting the two countries’ economic reforms, political systems, social progress and human development, yet direct comparison between China and India’s building of soft power is lacking. However, the understanding of how China and India build their soft power strength is essential as the two Asian giants, both of which have splendid cultures and a long history, are on the rise and eager to shine in the world stage. To address such inadequacy, this paper intends to present an assessment on China and India’s soft power building and find out who has the lead in the race. 1.2 Structure of the Study The paper is divided into several sections. It begins with a literature review that goes over studies on China and India’s soft power strength. Then, it proceeds to explain the key concept “soft power” using Nye’s classic theoretical framework. Concerning the different nature of the three soft power resources, the...
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