Boeing Aircraft Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Boeing Aircraft Company - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the company has been taking little interest on the satisfaction of the customer and segmentation of the market in order to concentrate on a specific market. Instead, the company has been generalizing the market in order to earn trust of all customers (Norris & Wagner, 2005). On the other hand, Airbus has concentrated on diversifying the market in order to increase its market size. In addition, the company has segmented the market an aspect that has enabled it to position itself strategically in the market and earn customer loyalty. Initially, airbus was struggling financially but the move by Boeing Company to concentrate on huge aircrafts that require heavy investment gave the company an advantage over its competitor. Instead, the company has concentrated on producing aircrafts of all sizes in order to satisfying the varying demands in the market (Newhouse, 2007). One of the major similarities between two companies is that if one removes the name of the company in the specification sheet, the forthcoming Airbus A350 XWB commercial jet can easily be confused with that of Bowing 787 Dreamliner. The production process is so similar that it will take someone sometime before distinguishing the two (Norris & Wagner, 2005). Secondly, A350 of Airbus will be manufactured with approximately 53% of carbon fiber while 787 aircraft that belong to Boeing Company will be made of 50% of carbon fiber. Both aircrafts have the ability to fly for eight thousands miles without the need of being refueled (Norris & Wagner, 2005). In terms of fuel consumption, A350 has the capacity to consume 25% less in comparison with that of Boeing. Nevertheless, Boeing 787 is claimed to have been made to consume 15% fuel less in comparison to a similar-sized Boeing 767 (Peng, 2009). With the increasing rivalry between the two companies, mostly, the companies are

Australia Should Not Reintroduce Capital Punishment Essay Example for Free

Australia Should Not Reintroduce Capital Punishment Essay Capital punishment or the death penalty as it is also known refers to the legally authorized killing of someone as punishment for a crime. The most common forms of capital punishment include electrocution, gas, firing squads, lethal injections and hanging. Australia abolished the death penalty in 1975 and since then, there have been many debates about whether it should be re-introduced. Capital punishment is uncivilised, represents solely revenge and is commonly a miscarriage of justice. Consequently, Australia should not re-introduce capital punishment. Capital punishment is both uncivilised and barbaric. Firstly, it brutalises witnesses. An example of this is Dr Phillip Opus, the man who defended Ronald Ryan and was present at his execution. He never got over Ryan going to the gallows and says â€Å"Before the Ryan case, I favoured capital punishment†¦ when he died, a little bit of me died too.† Secondly, capital punishment brutalises the executioner. When an execution is carried out through a firing squad, a blindfold is placed over the firing squads eyes. This was done so that the shooters did not know who fired the killing shot, therefore, they didn’t have to live with the guilt and shame of killing someone. Australia believes in justice, but we don’t believe that a brutal hanging is the type of justice that we feel comfortable with as a nation. Capital punishment represents only revenge and we are all human, thus, we don’t have the right to determine who lives and who dies. There is nothing in the world that gives another human being the right to kill another, and when it’s done out of revenge, it’s worse. There is also a human rights issue as capital punishment breaks the declaration of Human Rights. This is like the government breaking its own laws. Capital punishment is stooping to the level of the criminal and killing offenders only lowers us to their standard. Is it right to punish violence with more violence? Killing another human being is wrong; â€Å"he did it first† is not a valid excuse. The worst thing about capital punishment is that it is possible to make tragic mistakes; hence, it is a miscarriage of justice. Executions cannot be reversed or undone. There are atleast 40 confirmed cases of wrongful executions in the US alone. Colin Ross was a wine bar owner executed for the rape and murder of a child despite there being evidence that he was innocent. In the 1990’s, old evidence was re-examined with modern forensic technology which showed that Ross was innocent. This proves that capital punishment is a miscarriage of justice and we should only consider re-introducing Capital punishment in Australia when dead people can be brought back to life after being executed through wrong convictions. Capital punishment is also a miscarriage of justice in being that an execution is sometimes a punishment not fitting the crime. This is shown through Van Nguyen an Australian from Melbourne, Victoria convicted of drug-trafficking in Singapore. Drug trafficking carries the mandatory death sentence in Singapore’s Misuse of Drugs Act and despite pleas of clemency from the Australian government, Nguyen was hanged on the 2nd December 2005. Evidently, capital punishment also raises the issue of disproportionate punishment. 111 countries including Australia have abandoned the death penalty. From 1900 – 1967, 115 criminals were executed in Australia alone and there should never be anymore. Capital punishment is brutal, represents just revenge and is regularly a miscarriage of justice. This clearly shows, that Australia should not re-introduce capital punishment.

Findings on marketing for Maxis

Findings on marketing for Maxis The objectives of this report is to present the findings of the strategic analysis conducted for Maxis company and recommend the key strategies that the organisation should embark in order to remain competitive. This report is also to allow us, Management of Strategy students to apply the fundamental concepts and skills of strategic management to a real-life scenario in order to get a better understanding. This practical approach of learning would allow us to gain better understanding compared to theoretical way of learning. Other than that, this assignment gave us the opportunity to demonstrate competency in both written and oral communication skills in formal business settings. Lastly, it helps us to gain more knowledge in create and integrate business knowledge, decision making, interpersonal, leadership and entrepreneurial skills in proposing strategies and evaluating them. This assignment is a really great opportunity for us to know more about outside world which is not in books . Scope This report shall cover the operations of Maxis company in Malaysia. In this report, all the significant information required for business and competitor analysis are included. It also contains the study of analysing an organisation, its industry, its closest competitors (immediate, impending, invisible) before devising several strategies for it to pursue, selecting the most appropriate strategy and outlining recommendations for its implementation in a formal business report which will also involve a formal business presentation at completion of these tasks. Limitations The limitations of this report are the short duration for the assignment to be completed. The short duration of this assignment did not permit us the time to conduct an interview with Maxis for more accurate information. However, we find information based on valid sources through online. Some information may be outdated with the current company situation so our knowledge of the current situation would not be as accurate as first-hand information. 2.0 Background to the organization Maxis Berhad, with its consolidated subsidiaries is the leading mobile communications service provider in Malaysia with over 11.4 million subscribers starting from 30 June 2009.  [1]  It is established in year 1993 and has been publicly listed in year 2002. The company started its operation in the year 1995. 012, 017 and 0142 dialing prefix is normally identified as Maxis dialing prefix.  [2]  The company mobile services are provided over different Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) such as 900 1800 MHz GSM band. As of July 2005, the 2100 MHz Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) band was used by Maxis. Other than that, Maxis is also the pioneered in the Malaysian market in delivering innovative mobile products and services. In July 2005, Maxis was the first to launch 3G services in Malaysia. In September 2006, Maxis became one of the worlds first to use High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), a high-speed enhanced version of its 3G network, to provide wireless broadband services. The 3G services coverage is up to 740 sites across Malaysia and still expanding now. The 3G services of Maxis enable the users to enjoy the internet access throughout Malaysia. Maxis was also the first operator to bring in and sell the Blackberry and Apple iPhone smart phones to Malaysia. Maxis was also the first to unveiled near field communications (NFC) service in Malaysia. Maxis vision is to bring advanced communications services to enhance its customers lives and businesses, in a way that is simple and personalised, by efficiently and creatively harnessing leading edge technology, and delivering a brand of service experience that is reliable and enchanting.  [3]   3.0 Situation Analysis Situation analysis is a systematic collection and evaluation of past and present economical, political, social, and technological data. It is aimed at the identification of internal and external forces that may influence the organizations performance and choice of strategies, and the assessment of the organizations current and future strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.  [4]   3.1 General environment analysis General environment analysis includes factors such as demographic, economic, political/legal, sociocultural, technological, global and physical environment that generally affect everyone in an industry or market in a similar manner. 3.1.1 Demographic Maxis invested RM1.24 billion to upgrade and modernize their 3G network in year 2009 in order to increase the population coverage from 50% to 57%, which represents the single largest yearly deployment in Maxis history. In the first quater of 2010, Maxis mobile internet users grew from 1.2 million to 6.4 million which is a large increase in customers accessing the internet from their mobiles. The statistics showed that more than 50% of the Malaysias population is under the age of 25 years old, a sizeable number of whom enter the phone owning category each year. It is because the youth segments are now the largest and fastest growing segment. Maxis is a leading regional content player with 39.2% of non-voice revenue as part of mobile revenue and 7.1 million active mobile internet users, more than 50% of its customer base. As a result, Maxis became the most attractive in high-growth, low-penetration markets and diversifying the market base as well. http://i.pictr.com/rjw9vg6zsl.jpg http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWQfeG7nn0fvz1I_YW6VQ53_r0iiRNNeY66EGgX0euoeEMUbQ-TA 3.1.2 Economic In year 2010, Malaysias economy was expected to grow. This improved outlook is expected to stimulate consumer and business spending for telecommunication services. Malaysias determine to achieve a broadband household penetration rate of 50% by 2010 for Maxis growth in the immediate future. The Malaysian telecommunications industry remains flexible even though the challenging global economic climate. In 2009, the overall growth of the mobile industry was satisfactory and the mobile subscriber penetration crossed 100%. The basic salary of the Maxis employees are fixed for the duration of contract. It can be reviewed into account the individual performance, the inflation price index, and information from independent sources on the rates of salary for similar positions in other comparable companies. Maxis is returning to list on Bursa Malaysia in November or December and its draft prospectus is posted on the Securities Commission website. Maxis was taken private in 2007 and de-listed from Bursa the same year. In a challenging global economic climate in year 2009, Maxis delivered another strong year. http://biz.thestar.com.my/archives/2009/11/20/business/p1-maxischt.JPG 3.1.3 Political/ Legal The government had chosen Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) and Maxis Broadband Shd Bhd (Maxis) at 14th December 2010 to sign a landmark of 10 years agreement for TM to undertake the High Speed Broadband (HSBB) services to Maxis. As we know that, this project was able to offer more quality broadband services. Malaysia government limits the level of playing field for foreign players in the industry. The countrys major telecom players, Maxis and Celcom won the bid together with subsidiary of Time Dot Com and MiTV Corp for the 3G license. However, DiGi was not awarded a 3G license as it has a high foreign ownership. The Maxis website contents are owned or controlled for the purposes by Maxis or its content suppliers and are protected by copyright, trademarks and other laws. The compilation of all content on the website and the service are the exclusive property of Maxis or its content supplier and protected by copyright. Maxis also has a strict condition to avoid broadband user abuse, that is why Maxis specify that every customer must be at least 18 years old to be a Maxis customer. Sub-users under this age must have authorization from the account owner to access the Maxis Broadband service. Before using the Maxis Broadband service, the person must obtain permission from the registered customer. Customers also must not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any computer system. 3.1.4 Sociocultural Maxis provides guidelines for the manner in which all employees should conduct themselves at the work place, while performing their daily duties for Maxis and as a Maxis employee in order to provide better services to customers. Key factors of this growth included the availability of more advanced smartphone models in Malaysia and the strong growth of social networking. Maxis was the first to offer the popular iPhone to Malaysians, achieving annual targets, and it continued to boost the sale of BlackBerry phones. Maxis has Business Value Plus Plans for business people. Business Value Plus Plans have many ways to help save money when calling. Data Plans exclusive to iPad for iPad users to enjoy online entertainment with a much lower price. Maxis prepaid Hotlink come out with a new plan which is much cheaper than other competitors. Maxis focused on minimizing carbon footprint to care for the environment. As such, Maxis partners with Malaysia Airline Systems to reduce the impact to the environment, as well as an in-house recycling campaign. At their work place, efforts are taken to reduce wastage and disposal, reuse existing resources and recycle fully exhausted materials. 3.1.5 Technological Malaysia is set to get a HSBB internet support allowing fast internet access by utilizing fiber optic technology to transfer data. It will allow network operators to take part in and compete with each other in this new network. TM had already commissioned foreign major vendors to lead the project. RM11.3bil national HSBB project is a partnership between TM and our government to expand next-generation, high-speed broadband infrastructure and services for the country. As we know that, HSBB offers bandwidth at network speeds of 10Mbps and above, through fixed line only, as compared to regular broadband services which are delivered at network speeds ranging from 384Kbps to less than 10Mbps through fixed line which also known as DSL and wireless mode, such as 3G, HSDPA, WiMAX and WiFi. Maxis commercially launched the first-in-the-world contactless integrated mobile payment services that utilizes Near Field Communication technology, with partners Nokia, Visa, Maybank and Touch n Go to pay for purchases and transportation charges using mobile phones in year 9 April 2009. 3.1.6 Global Maxis brings excellent coverage in almost every corner of the country and their services are rapidly expanding. In addition to voice, GPRS and EDGE coverage, Maxis also offer Maxis 3G in Penang, Langkawi, Alor Setar, Kuantan, Genting, Klang Valley, Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Kota Bahru, Ipoh, Malacca and Kuala Terengganu. In India, Global Communication Services Holdings (GCSHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysian telco, Maxis Communications Berhad, has applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) to increase its direct and indirect shareholding in Aircel from 26 percent to 73.9 percent. In year 2009, Maxis and the Western Union Company announce to launch of mobile money transfer service In Malaysia. It allows 11 million Maxis subscribers and 1.9 million foreign workers in Malaysia to send cross-border remittances directly from their mobile phones. 3.1.7 Physical environment The issues that Maxis concern is effective and efficient services, operating hours, and user-friendly facilities in order to improve the values the company can provide to its customers. Maxiss main challenge today is adapting well to a fast changing and often hostile environment of telecommunication industry. Things change very fast until the company is unable to cope with the rapid pace. As a result Maxis shifts at the top management team in order to tackle the changing business environment and global competition. As we all know that, the changes in Maxis is because of trying to deal with shifting market environment and to shift to the updated telecommunication technology, 3G. With the increasing demand for IT to achieve and support corporate objectives, IT department of Maxis must manage with a continuous barrage of changes such as changes in product requirements, technology, development processes, and deployment environments. As a result Maxis deliver newer technology assets and applications to their current customers and attract new customer base through proactive management of change. 3.2 Industry conditions (Porters Five Forces Analysis) Five forces which would impact an organizations behaviour in the market. Understanding the nature of these forces provides organizations the required insights to enable them to formulate the appropriate strategies to be successful in their market (Thurlby, 1998). 3.2.1 Threat of new entrants (high entry barriers) High capital investment for competitor entry into telecommunication industry. Companies in this industry incurred high fixed costs and spend fairly large amount of capital on network equipment and maintain development. Besides, technologies are also considered as barriers for new companies to enter the market. Maxiss reputation has been built around their superior customer service and quality network. Due to high expectations and standards that come with the Maxis brand it is not without reason that customers are more demanding of Maxis. As a result, Maxis always think that their business on being the customers first choice. Capital requirement usually build up a firm which is the high capability to compete in the industry. However, telecommunication is a high competitive industry in order to gain large market share. Therefore, new entrants have to ensure that they have ample financial resource to sustain in this industry. 3.2.2 Bargaining power of suppliers (high bargaining power of suppliers) Telecommunications industry in Malaysia is dependent on imports for the majority of its network components as most of the network equipment cannot be sourced locally. Maxis networks utilize standard equipment which is available from a limited number of suppliers. Most of the GSM equipment for Maxis mobile network operations is purchased from Motorola, Siemens and Trisilco Folec, and Maxis maintains close working relationships with its key network equipment suppliers. Since the suppliers of Maxis are limited, hence Maxis suppliers are powerful when the product they provide are differentiated or it has built up by switching cost. When there is occasional requirement by the buyers such as high investment in submarine fiber optic cable, and replace the copper cable and old satellite dishes that may provide reliable broadband connectivity. Maxis have high competitive environment causes existing entrants need to invest in high modernization technologies to enable the company to support and compete in this industry. Therefore, it is important for service providers to make sure the quality of the technology equipment. This makes the supplier group become more powerful. 3.2.3 Bargaining power of buyers (low bargaining power of buyers) In the era of globalization, advance of technology could increase the bargaining power of buyer, high available of information make it easier for buyer to evaluate sources of materials about telecommunication. There are many alternatives product such as fax, email, and internet which enhance the bargaining power of buyer to the mobile service provider. For the moment, high level of competition between the major telecommunication companies that exists in current market leads to low switching cost for the buyer to change their mobile service provider. Customers are highly price sensitive and easy to switch brand. It also means that customer will not be faithful to Maxis if they find out other brand provides better services than Maxis so they will change brand. As a result, this contributes to concentration of the buyers industry. Besides this, the buyers have high switching cost in this industry. As a result, the industry is more profitable when the buyers have low bargaining power which means the buyers are unable to affect the setting of prices in the industry. Maxis has came out with many Business Value Plus Plans for business people. It has so many methods to help save money when talking on the phone. Maxis wants to make sure that their customers can enjoy using Maxis services with a much lower price than other competitors. 3.2.4 Threat of substitute product (high threats of substitute) Maxis have many substitutes in the mobile industry. For instance, from traditional way which are using the letter, fixed home line telephone, fax and email to communication with other people till currently mostly everyone using broadband Internet services, which enable faster and always-on connection to the worldwide web, offer more promising growth potential. Furthermore, the pressure on the very low cost to use the phone calling via internet or communicate via online messenger had threatened the mobile industry. For example, nowadays many people use MSN, Facebook, and Skype to communicate rather than use their mobile. Threat of substitute product also will directly affect the profitability of Maxis. Substitute product is the product or services in other industries that is different from the existing product or services but serves the similar needs. Hence, threat of substitutes exists when a products demand is affected by the price change of a substitute product. This threat is supposed to be a strong point for Maxis because these substitute products such as letter or e-mail are unable to fulfill or completely replace the mobile services. 3.2.5 Intensity of rivalry among competitors (low intensity of rivalry) Telecommunication industry consists of only several mobile operators such as TM, Maxis, Digi, Celcom, Umobile and so on due to the entry restriction that imposed by the government. Profitability of the industry also affected greatly by the intensity of competition among existing competitors in the industry. Therefore, rivalry among competitors telecommunication industry in Malaysia is oligopoly structure nowadays and the level of competition in this particular industry is believed that to be low one. Maxis have two main competitors, they are Digi and Celcom. Cannot be denied that, Maxis lead the telecommunication industry. They largely compete on differentiate product and services on how to improve their features and implementing innovation to the customers. In addition, Maxis will definitely compete on the call rates, package price and so on with other two main competitors. Hence, Maxis try to gain competitive advantage through low call rate and price such as Youth Club. As we all know that Maxis, Digi and Celcom invested a lump sum of the money on advertising to promote their products and to attract more customers choose them. Summary of environmental scanning Basically, environmental scanning is about the careful examining of a firms internal and external environment for spotting early signs of opportunities and threats that may influence an organisations decision making process and its current and future plans. In the case of Maxis, they can spread and even penetrate into new market or other countries. Too much dependence on Malaysia as their main market is not enough in order to compete with its close competitors. Thus, Maxis can somehow implement its weakness into opportunities that might bring them into a new future plan. Plans such as adjustments to interconnect rates and ways to overcome the threats from its competitors are soon to be implemented. In the sense of customer care, lots of threats such as worms, Trojans, spyware and so forth would harm the special rights of customers as a Maxis user. Thus, Maxis requires certain software and devices so as to protect their customers from being tracked or harmed by unnecessary parties. Experts who can trace hackers or protect customers from being hacked are encouraged to stay in the management team in order to help overcome this threat. Although Maxis is the first telecommunication company to launch iPhone, the recent launch of Digis iPhone had posed further pressure on Maxis. In order to retain and attract more customers, Maxis would have to execute a better package with affordable rates for its users. Customer services must be improved to cater most of its customers needs. Also, they must keep upgrading their features or functions of its technological devices so as to lure more people in purchasing their products. It is normal to see some aggressive broadband promotions by wireless competitors. Therefore, Maxis must stand out as being more important than the rest to win over this challenging game. In addition to promotions, some other marketing strategies like collaboration with big companies in organizing an event, sponsorship from government agencies and what not can be carried out in order to gain good image from the public as a whole. 3.3 Description of key stakeholders Key Stakeholders are a subset of Stakeholders who, if their support were to be withdrawn, would cause the project to fail.  [5]   3.3.1 Capital Market Stakeholders Major suppliers of capital (e.g: banks) Shareholders Individuals, Bank/Finance Companies, Investment Trusts/Foundations/Charities, Other types of companies, Government Agencies/Institutions/Nominees In the company (Directors Interest in Shares) (Maxis Berhad Annual Report 2009, 2009) -Raja Tan Sri Dato Seri Arshad bin Raja Tun Uda -Robert William Boyle -Dato Mokhzani bin Mahathir -Asgari bin Mohd Fuad Stephens -Eng. Saud Majed A. AlDaweesh -Dr. Fahad Hussain S. Mushayt -Ghassan Hasbani -Augustus Ralph Marshall -Chan Chee Beng -Sandip Das 30 Largest Shareholders (Maxis Berhad Annual Report 2009, 2009) 1. Maxis Communications Berhad 2. Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) 3. Employees Provident Fund Board 4. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Skim Amanah Saham Bumiputera 5. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (U.S.A) 6. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Amanah Saham Wawasan 2020 7. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Amanah Saham Malaysia 8. Citigroup Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For Prudential Fund Management Berhad 9. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Amanah Saham Didik 10. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For J.P. Morgan Bank Luxembourg S.A 11. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For The Bank Of New York Mellon (Mellon Acct) 12. Malaysia Nominees (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia) Berhad (Par 1) 13. Permodalan Nasional Berhad 14. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd BBH And Co Boston For Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Fund 15. Valuecap Sdn Bhd 16. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad A s 1Malaysia 17. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (U.A.E) 18. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Public Islamic Dividend Fund 19. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd TNTC For Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency 20. Citigroup Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd Exempt AN For American International Assurance Berhad 21. DB (Malaysia) Nominee (Tempatan) Sendirian Berhad Exempt AN For Deutsche Trustees Malaysia Berhad (MYET F-DJIM25) 22. HSBC Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd Nomura Asset Mgmt Malaysia For Malaysia For Employees Provident Fund 23. HSBC Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd TNTC For Mondrian Emerging Markets Equity Fund L.P 24. Cartaban Nominees (Asing) Sdn Bhd State Street For IS hares, Inc. 25. Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera 26. SBB Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) 27. CIMSEC Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd CIMB For Gegas Cekap Sdn Bhd (PB) 28. CIMSEC Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd CIMB For Tiara Gateway Sdn. Bhd. (PB) 29. Amanahraya Trustees Berhad Public Islamic Equity Fund 30. Citigroup Nominees (Tempatan) Sdn Bhd ING Insurance Berhad (INV -IL PAR ) 3.3.2 Product Market Stakeholders Primary customers All users which subscribe Maxis line (either prepaid, postpaid or 3G) or buy the products such as Mobile Internet, Iphone, Blackberry, Android, Wireless and Wired broadband from Maxis. Primary customers for Maxis IP VPN (IP VPN, 2010) Customers Name Van Wijnen Groep N.V. Solvay Group Industry Construction Pharmaceuticals, chemicals, plastics Business Challenge Develop employee and customer satisfaction by establishing an ERP system and enhancing information flows through an improved private network. Facilitate business restructuring and support innovation. Network Solution Versatels IP VPN service is based on a Cisco MPLS network to provide a data solution that is managed end to end and gives excellent capabilities for supporting ERP. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ BT Infonets IP VPN service is brought over an MPLS network built end to end with Cisco equipment and possesses a Cisco Powered Network designation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The service sustains Solvays global ERP and intranet developments. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The managed network offers a flexible and protected foundation for new services, such as voice and video over IP. Suppliers (Authorised Distributors, 2010) ZyXEL Communications Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd ZyXEL, founded in 1989 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, is a pioneer manufacturer and supplier of DSL Customer Premise Equipment. ZyXEL is now worlds largest DSL router vendor and Europes second largest router supplier. In addition to its innovative products and solutions, ZyXEL has strong relationships with worldwide COE vendors such as Alcatel, Lucent and Nokia; ILECs such as Verizon and Chunghwa Telecom; international carriers such as France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, and Telefonica; ISPs such as EarthLink, Worldonline, Hinet, Seednet, Maxis and many others. Working closely with these and other partners, ZyXEL is committed to helping businesses succeed in the booming broadband market by providing them with value-added service and outstanding performance solutions at the most competitive price. Advanced Broadband Communications Sdn Bhd Advanced Broadband Communications Sdn Bhd is a newly formed company incorporated in April 2001. The company is a private joint venture, high-tech based company between Advanced Broadband Communication Sdn Bhd and Prestige Sierra Sdn Bhd. The company is 100% locally owned to provide total telecommunication solutions and services for both conventional IP Systems. The new technology that bridges conventional Circuit Switch communication to Internet Protocol (IP) communication. All IP-based solutions and services that will be developed and deployed by the company are targeted at business and personal users at all levels. Host communions Unions 3.3.3 Organizational Stakeholders Employees All employees who work under Maxis Managers (Malaysia Equity Research PP, 2010) Name Positions Sandip Das Chief Executive Officer Jean Pascal Emmanuel Dominique Van Overbeke Chief Operating Office Rossana Annizah binti Ahmad Rashid Chief Financial Officer Mark Guy Dioguardi Head of Network and Technology Stephen John Mead General Counsel Mohamed Fitri bin Abdullah Head of Enterprise Carrier Business Matthew Charles Willsher Chief Marketing Officer Azmi bin Ujang Head of Human Resources Chow Chee Yan Head of Internal Audit Chua Seok Theng Chief Information Officer Non-managers 3.4 SWOT analysis based on stakeholder groups 3.4.1 Capital Market Stakeholders Strengths Strong and competitive regional player. Association with MEASAT Satellite System. Weaknesses Depends too much on Malaysia as their main market. Opportunities Potential for triple play if tie-up with content provider/broadcaster, e.g. Astro. Association with Microsoft. Broadband market in Malaysia is growing. Wireless market in Asia Pacific has experienced a rapid growth. Threats Modifications to interconnect rates may pressure Maxis earnings as the company is a net receiver of calls. Regulatory framework. Mobile number portability in Malaysia. Intense competition from other telecommunication companies. 3.4.2 Product Market Stakeholders Strengths Premium branding and customer care persist to attract and retain subscribers. This is further followed by long term iPhone plans. Much broader 3G/3.5G coverage than Digi and similar coverage as Celcom. Largest subscriber base in Malaysia with c. 39% share. Largest postpaid subscriber base of c. 43% is vital to future market trend towards more postpaid subscribers. Its transparency and ability to deliver performance. Good loyalty programmes and perhaps the best family plan in Malaysia in our view. Weaknesses Maxis does not offer triple play of mobile, broadband and pay TV. Opportunities 32% of the Malaysian population is under 15 years old, which is a main target for broadband services over the next 15 years. New mobile devices, e.g. iPhone (4G) and recently launched iPad drive demand for broadband services. Under-served broadband population provides great growth opportunities. Selective enterprise opportunities as Maxis build backhaul capacity mainly for wireless broadband, thus it can target some lucrative enterprise businesses by using the same backhaul network. Threa

Unilever and Coke: Impact on the Environment and Workers

Unilever and Coke: Impact on the Environment and Workers A multinational corporation or MNC is a large joint stock company or a firm that has operations and assets in at least one foreign country other than its home country. They are characterized by having multi product portfolio, worldwide market, selling billions of worth goods services, large consumer base, worldwide competitors, global perspective, large RD base, employing thousands of workers globally, with only one motive i.e. Profit making. According to recent statistics the combined sales of top 200 MNC’s were around 28% of world’s GDP. Least developing country, or LDC’s, symbolise the weakest section of the international economic community comprising of almost 12% of world population, about 880 million people, accounting for only 2% world GDP 1% global trade (UN-OHRLLS). These countries are lacking in infrastructure, have poor economy inadequate industrial base, large population below poverty line. As per the 2012 UN list, there are 48 least developed coun tries in the world with countries like Africa, Latin America being a part of the list. A multinational companies’ primary motive is to reap profits by employing cheaper, efficient and reliable resources, for which LDC’s or developing economies are ideal as they are economically weak, burdened by unemployment, debt and structural instability. To woo these investors and bring in FDI, the governments lower trade restrictions and give a free reign to the country’s resources to boost their weak economy. While MNC’S are perceived as a positive force that bring employment, economic growth, better technology living standards in the developing economies, but their greed for profit maximisation has led them to exploit the natural resources, human resource, and environment of these developing countries. Coke and its Impact on India’s Economy, Natural resource (water), Environment India’s Reliance on Coke: The worldwide markets in 1990’s for soft drinks industry was shrinking and Coca Cola faced a shrinking market in the US and EU as the western consumer got more health conscious and started banning such products. The market focus shifted to India as it was a developing market with a large middle class population base. Coke returned back to India in 1993 and invested more than 1 billion US$ in 10 years’ time making it the country’s top international investor. With a record growth of â€Å"16% sales volume in India in 2012, 59 bottling operations, 21 contract packers manufacturers, 700,000 retail outlets†, (The Coca-Cola Company) Coke has created millions of jobs through its contract manufacturing, procurement, supply, and distribution networks. The company plans to â€Å"invest another $5 billion† to double its revenue and volume by 2020 making it one of the most promising MNC to boost the Indian economy. (The Coca-Col a Company) Access to natural Resources: Coca Cola, the American multinational invested in India to reap heavy profits and gets access to cheap ground water, low extraction and labour cost. Coca-Cola extracts about 2.5 million litres of water/day, equivalent to meet the basic needs of 100,000 residents every day (India Resource Centre).The use of ground water for bottling Coke and its products in various regions in India has led to drought leading to inability of farmers to continue farming. Indians face extreme water shortages due to unequal distribution of water and also because it’s a highly agrarian economy where 70% people rely on agriculture (Srivastava, 2008). Coke’s plant in Kala Dera, Rajasthan, has caused severe water shortages resulting in depletion of groundwater levels. TERI (The Energy Resources Institute), India’s largest NGO, in its report in 2008 said that in the peak summer months of its production, the plant accounted for using 8% of water extraction with in 2 km radius of the plant making it non-sustainable. Another bottling plant in Kerala, Palakkad, draws 1.5 million litres of water daily (Arjun Sen, The Statesman) resulting in drying up of irrigation wells and producing thousands of gallons of toxic sludge (BBC). Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited (HCCBPL), the bottling partner of Coke India, has a plant near Mehdiganj, UP. The plant’s annual requirement is 50,000 cubic metres of water, and uses 2 bore wells of depths 103 and 137 meters, drawing almost 12,290 cubic meters/month of water during its peak season (Central Groundwater Authority, India). As part of ‘Replenishment Policy’, the company has initiated 400 rainwater harvesting projects to restore groundwater resources, provide potable water to over 100 schools, restored traditional water bodies and is pioneering sustainable agricultural practices. Coca Cola also installed Rain Water Harvesting systems in 39 SOS children’s villages in it s bid to give back the water they are using. Environmental impact – A multinationals’ primary aim is profit and utilisation of production practices that are cheap and efficient, even though they might have a negative impact on environment. The contaminated farmlands comprising of toxic-laden waste and unacceptable levels of pesticides in Coke products, leaves toxic environmental footprints in India. Coca Cola has been discharging its waste and effluent into the fields, rivers around the plant areas indiscriminately resulting in the pollution of ground water and soil, making the water of wells and hand pumps unfit for consumption. In Plachimada and Mehdiganj areas Coke distributed its waste to farmers as Fertilisers. Tests conducted by BBC found traces of cadmium and lead in the waste proving its toxicity. Coke products have been proved to have high level of pesticides including DDT, lindane and Malathion with the pesticides and insecticides averaging 0.0150 mg/l, 30 times higher than the European Economic Commissi on (EEC) limit (Pollution Monitoring Laboratory), infact Coke’s Ballia plant is located in an area with a severe contamination of arsenic in its groundwater. Coca-Cola has introduced various initiatives for sustainable supply of agricultural crops, green manufacturing and packaging practices to support the farmers in improved yields and to protect the natural resources across the supply chain. Project ‘Unnati’ in Chittoor, has piloted ultrahigh-density plantations (UHDP) in mango cultivation, to raise productivity, conserve water land resources and increase the incomes of around 25,000 small farmers covering 50,000 acres. Unilever and its Impact on Workers and Environment Impact on Workers: The Unilever can be found across 150 countries, it’s a trusted name in nutrition, hygiene and personal care. They have been in 3 key countries (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya). Unilever has made an employee programme called, Lamplighter employee programme to improve the fitness, nutrition, and mental health of employees. (Employee Health, Nutrition Well-being.) This programme had already been used in 30 countries, reaching 35,000 people. In 2012, they restricted Smoking for employees whilst at work due to health issues, reaching a â€Å"100% compliance by 2013† (Employee Health, Nutrition Well-being.) According to the labour act, the maximum working hours is 8 hours/day, 40 hours/week. Also the employers working engaged in the harvesting the oil palms need to work on Saturdays but are paid twice the daily wage for working on Saturday. The wage paid to the workers in Ghana is relatively good as their â€Å"daily minimum wage in Ghana is  ¢13,200 (about â⠀š ¬1.25)† (Enu-Kwesi). Unilever’s labour act strictly prohibits the employment of children but the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) found children working in oil palms and rubber plantations. These children confront hazards like exposure to toxic substances, sexual abuse, violence, snake bites and accidents, such as from falling fruits, and cuts. Impact on Environment: Unilever is highly dependent on the environment as the raw materials it requires directly come from nature. According to Greenpeace, Unilever drives deforestation in Borneo by buying palm oil. Unilever is clearing the countrys rainforests, threatening native people and wildlife. Borneo is very important to Unilever because of the presence of palm oil, a common ingredient used in soaps and many other personal care products. Unilever purchases â€Å"1.3 million tons of palm oil each year.† (Hance, Jeremy.) Deforestation is endangering species and resulting in climate change through greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In Sumatra and Borneo, palm-oil expansion threatens elephants, tigers and rhinos, as well as orang-utans. (The Other Oil Spill.) However, Unilever has taken various initiatives to save the environment by reducing their emissions GHG in the atmosphere, with acts like reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transport, they will achieve this by reduci ng truck mileage, employing alternative transport such as rail or ship. There has been â€Å"18% improvement in CO2 efficiency since 2010 and 7% reduction of CO2 emissions in 2013 compared to 2012.† (TARGETS PERFORMANCE.) As Unilever is the largest producer of ice cream, making their consumption of refrigerators very high, they have tried to reduce gas emissions from refrigerators by using the hydrocarbon climate friendly refrigerators. Unilever has already bought â€Å"1.5 million refrigerator, exceeding their target of 850,000 units.† (TARGETS PERFORMANCE.) Conclusion: While MNC’S are perceived as a positive force that bring employment, economic growth, better technology living standards in the developing countries, but their greed for profit maximisation has led them to exploit the natural resources, human resource, and environment of these developing countries. The overwhelming data proves that the MNC’s are indeed taking due advantage of the weak regulatory authority of these countries at the cost of human health, well-being global environment. In India, Coca Cola may claim to ‘replenish water’ but the glaring truth is reflected by drying hand pumps, bore wells, ponds low ground-water levels and the drying agricultural farms because of lack of irrigation water. The environmental initiatives taken by the company are motivated by the intent to improve the productivity and yields, rest are all side benefits. Rather than bringing in economic prosperity, Coca-Cola has managed to bring in environmental degradat ion, toxic dumping, economic and health problems in Indian communities. Similarly Unilever boasts of many environmental human initiatives but it cannot balance out the damage it’s causing to the environment and the human labour, especially children of these developing countries. Is blatant liberalisation the answer to all the problems of these developing countries? Does the blame of over exploitation lies only at the doorsteps of the MNC’s and not the local governments, who give a free reign to these MNC’s to boost their economies? Who is accountable for the human and environmental damage these companies are incurring? When will we see the real â€Å"Responsible Corporate Citizen MNC’s† that are dictated by a moral code and not just the profit mode?

Ontological Shift :: essays research papers

Ontological Shift   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Michael Heim’s essay â€Å"The Cyber Space Dialectic†, he discusses how our culture is going through an ontological shift fashioned by the Internet. Heim articulates his theory of what dialectic is and how this ontological shift is creating a new dialectic. The Internet is the main place today where people from all over the world exchange and communicate their ideas and feelings. The Internet is a new community in itself. The ontological shift into the cyberspace times will change the way we think, and the way we act; it will change our overall sense of being. These change that Heim calls an â€Å"ontological shift† has brought on questions about changing society. These are similar to the questions that Peter Drucker and Benjamin Barber brought up when they discussed about creating a new society. Will society benefit from this new society in which its central being is cyberspace? This is a serious question since we are living in the phase t hat is changing into the cyber world now. How will this change affect this new technologically inclined society?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We have all used the Internet to talk to other people, either using chat or emails. We converse with people with different backgrounds and cultures. When interacting with different types of people, it means that we are working in groups and collaborating. This is what the Internet is all about. Interacting with each other in new ways, and learning how to open yourself to other points of views and new ideas. In his essay Heim states, â€Å"Computer networks foster virtual communities that cut across geography time zones. Virtual community seems a cure-all for isolated people who complain about their isolation. Locked in metal boxes on urban freeways, a population enjoys socializing with fellow humans through computer networks†(Heim 374). As Heim explains in his essay, the Internet can bring together communities that are isolated from the rest of the world. It helps communities and different types of people communicate with each other. It creates the idea of group work through computer networks. This was also one theme in Barbers essay; Group work is what makes ideas carry through and productive. In Barber’s â€Å"Making Civil Society Real† he states, â€Å"Civic responsibility, being a partnership between government, civil society, and the private market necessarily depends on the active collaboration of political leaders, citizens and business people†(Barber 106). Our responsibility as a society is to collaborate our selves with all the groups that make this society function.

Essay --

Science project: Creating a cell Cell membrane The cell membrane in the plant controls what comes into the cell. If something is needed the membrane lets the cell get past. In a plant, the membrane is surrounding the cytoplasm and the cell itself. The main function: The cell membrane has the important job to support the cell membrane and cytoskeleton inside of it. The membrane does the same job to the cytoplasm as it does to the cell. It lets some proteins in and keeps others out. In a plant, the membrane also serves an attachment to the cytoplasm. This means the membrane supports the cell and keeps it in shape. The membrane is made up of two parts, the internal and outer membrane. The outer membrane controls what comes in of the cell and how much of it is needed. The inner membrane supports the cell and controls the exchange of organelles from its cell to another. However, membranes are semi-permeable. This means that they allow very small molecules in even if not needed. Like oxygen and carbon molecules. The cell transport proteins to other cells that keeps the cell healthier. Other parts that help the membrane transport organelles are transmembrane proteins. These proteins are spread around the whole membrane. There are four types of transme mbrane proteins transporters, receptors, anchor and enzyme. Transporters carry one molecule to another. The enzyme transforms a molecule to a different form. An anchor protein can connect an outer molecule with an inner molecule. What are they made of; Cell membranes are made up of a phospholipids bilayer. The bilayer is made of many phospholipids side by side. The phospholipids has one glycerol two fatty acids and one phosphate heads. This compares to a †¦ Laser alarm: ... ...reate a chemical reaction to make NADPH and ATP. Now the dark reaction. The ATP from the light reaction is used to make carbohydrates from hydrogen. The carbohydrates posses and energy that are given by the ATP and NADPH. This carbohydrate has the chemical energy to make glucose (sugar) that is the main source of their food. The chloroplast’s ability to do the process photosynthesis is not only helpful to plant but to animals that eat plants. This because a plant cannot live without food and an animal’s food is a plant. What is it made of: A chloroplast is made up of lipids and protein membranes that are folded in a complex way. This compares to a: Solar panel: Similarities: †¢ Converts sun light to energy †¢ Just like the chloroplast, the solar panel stores the energy from the day so they can use it for the night too. †¢

Island of the Sequined Love Nun Chapter 39~41

39 Showtime The Sky Priestess rolled over in bed and slapped the beeping intercom as if it was a mouthy stepchild. â€Å"I'm sleeping here,† she said. â€Å"Get in character, Beth. We have an order, due in Japan in six hours.† â€Å"Why don't these fuckers ever call at a civilized hour?† â€Å"We guarantee freshness. We have to deliver.† â€Å"Don't grow a sense of humor on me at this point, Sebastian. The shock might kill me. Who's the chosen?† â€Å"Sepie, female, nineteen, a hundred and ten pounds.† â€Å"I know her,† the Sky Priestess said. â€Å"What about our pilot?† â€Å"I'm putting two of the staff on him to make sure he stays in his bungalow.† â€Å"He's still going to hear it. Are you sure you don't want to sedate him?† â€Å"Use your head, Beth. He has to fly. We'll do it with smaller explosions. Maybe he'll sleep through it.† She was wide awake now and starting to feel the excitement and anxiety of a performance. â€Å"I'll be ready in twenty minutes. Have the ninjas start my music.† Tuck had Favo in a headlock and was administering affectionate noogies to the old man's scalp. â€Å"I love this fuckin' guy. This fuckin' guy is the best. I love all you fuckin' guys.† Malink had never seen noogies and wondered why this bizarre ritual had never showed up in the party scenes in People. He prided himself on understanding white people's habits, but this was a new one. Favo didn't seem to be enjoying the ritual nearly as much as Tuck was. The tuba had all been drunk. Maybe it was time to rescue his friend. â€Å"Now we go find the girl-man,† Malink said. Tuck looked up, still holding Favo, whose eyes were starting to bug out a little. â€Å"‘Kay,† the pilot said. Malink led them into the village, his bowlegged gait more wobbly than normal. A dozen Shark men and Tucker crashed and staggered behind him. As they passed by the bachelors' house and onto the trail that led to Sarapul's side of the island, the music started: big band sounds with easy liquid rhythms echoed through the jungle. The Shark men stopped in their tracks and when the music paused, just for a second, they shouted, â€Å"Pennsylvania 6-5000!† and the music began again. â€Å"What's that?† Tucker asked. Women and children were stirring from their sleep, creeping off into the bushes to pee, rubbing sleepy eyes and stretching creaky backs. Malink said, â€Å"The Sky Priestess is coming.† â€Å"Who?† Tuck finally released Favo, who he had been dragging by his head. The old man gasped, then grinned and sat splayed-legged on the trail. â€Å"We have to go,† Malink said. â€Å"You should go back now.† The music paused and Malink, along with the rest of the Shark People, shouted, â€Å"Pennsylvania 6-5000!† â€Å"Go now,† Malink ordered, once again the chief. â€Å"The Sky Priestess comes. We must get ready.† He turned and strode back into the village. The other Shark men scattered, leaving Tucker standing on the trail by himself. Tuck heard the sound of large prop planes mixing with the big band music. The Shark People were draining out of the village onto the trails that led to the runway. Within seconds, the village was deserted. Tuck staggered back to the beach where he'd left his fins and mask. As he stepped over the logs of the drinking circle, there was an explosion and he thought for a moment that he'd found another land mine until he realized that the sound had come from the direction of the runway. Not trusting himself to find the path through the village, Tucker decided to follow the beach back to the compound. After he'd gone a hundred yards or so, he saw something white lying on the beach and bent to pick it up. A long spiral notebook. The moon was high in the sky and he could see a name printed on the cover in bold permanent marker: JEFFERSON PARDEE. Beth Curtis, dressed in surgical greens, waved the guards away from Tuck's door and knocked. She waited a few seconds and knocked again, then walked in. She could just make out a sleeping figure through the mosquito net. â€Å"Case, get up. We've got to fly.† The body did not stir. â€Å"Case?† She pulled aside the netting and poked the sleeping figure. A green coconut rolled out of the bed and thumped at her feet. â€Å"You sleep with a coconut? You pathetic bastard.† She jumped back and a groggy Tucker Case groaned. â€Å"What?† â€Å"Wake up. We fly in half an hour.† Tuck rolled over and blinked through the hangover fog. The sun was coming up and the roosters were going off all over the island. The room was only half-lit. â€Å"What time is it?† â€Å"It's time to go. Get the plane ready.† Beth Curtis walked out. Tuck rolled out of bed, crawled to the bathroom, and emptied his stomach into the bowl with a trumpeting heave. 40 Unfriendly Skies Tuck spooled up the jets as he watched the guards scramble around the Lear. Each time one walked past the nose, Tuck flipped on the radar and chuckled. The microwave energy wasn't enough to boil the guards in their skins, which was Tuck's fantasy, but he could be reasonably certain that they would never have any children and he might have planted the seeds of a few choice tumors. Once in Houston a maintenance man made the mistake of walking in front of Mary Jean's jet with an armload of fluorescent bulbs meant for the hangar, and Jake Skye had shown Tucker a little trick. â€Å"Watch this, Jake had said.† He flipped on the radar and the bulbs, bombarded by the microwaves from the radar, lit up in the maintenance man's arms. The poor guy threw the bulbs in the air and ran off the field, leaving a pile of glass shards and white powder behind. It was the second-coolest thing Tucker had ever seen, the first being the time they had used the Gulfstream's jets to sandblast the paint off a Porsche whose owner in-sisted on parking on the tarmac. Tuck was waiting for one of the guards to walk behind the jets when Beth Curtis came on board. She wore her business suit and carried the briefcase and the cooler, but this time she sat in one of the passenger seats in the back and fell asleep before they took off. Tuck took the opportunity to suck some oxygen from the emergency supply to help cut through his hangover. When they were five hundred miles out over the Pacific, Tuck peeked into the passenger compartment to make sure Beth Curtis was still sleeping. When he was sure she was still out, he checked the fuel gauges, then pushed the yoke forward and dropped the Lear down to level off at a hundred feet. Traveling at almost six hundred miles per hour at only a hundred feet off the water did exactly what Tuck had hoped it would. He was absolutely ecstatic with an adrenaline rush that chased his hangover back to the Dark Ages. He dropped another fifty feet and laughed out loud when some salt spray dashed the windscreen. It was a clear sunny day with only a few wispy columnar clouds rising off the water. Tuck flew under and through them as if they were enemy ghosts. Then a speck appeared on the horizon. A second later Tuck recog-nized it as a ship and pulled the jet up to two hundred feet. Suddenly something rose off the ship's deck. A helicopter, going out to spot and herd schools of tuna for the factory ship. Tuck pulled up on the yoke, but the helicopter rose directly into his path. There wasn't even time to key the radio to warn the pilot. Tuck threw the Lear into a tight turn while pulling the jet up and whizzed by the helicopter close enough to see the pilot's eyes go wide. He could just make out men shaking fists at him from the deck of the factory ship. â€Å"Eee-haa!† he shouted (a bad habit he'd picked up in Texas cowboy bars, and if this wasn't cowboy flying, what was?). He steered the jet back on course and leveled off at two hundred feet. He was still dangerously low and burning fuel four times faster than he would at altitude, but hell, a guy had to have some fun. He wasn't paying for the fuel, and there hadn't been much low-level flying when he'd worked for Mary Jean. People on the ground might have trouble remembering the numbers on the side of the plane to report to the FAA, but you don't soon forget a pink jet flying close enough to the ground to cool your soup. â€Å"What in the hell was that?† Beth Curtis appeared in the cockpit doorway. â€Å"Why are we so low?† A wave of panic akin to being caught smoking in the boys' room swept over Tuck, but he couldn't think fast enough to come up with a viable lie. He said, â€Å"You haven't surfed until you've surfed in a Learjet.† Much to his amazement, Beth Curtis said, â€Å"Cool!† and strapped herself into the copilot's seat. Tuck grinned and eased the jet down to fifty feet. Beth Curtis clapped her hands like an excited child. â€Å"This is great!† â€Å"We can't do it for long. Burns too much fuel.† â€Å"A little while longer, okay?† Tuck smiled. â€Å"Maybe five more minutes. We can catch a tailwind at altitude that'll save us some time and fuel.† â€Å"Is this what you were doing the night you crashed?† Tuck winced. â€Å"No.† â€Å"Because I could understand if it was. What a rush!† She reached out and grabbed his shoulder affectionately. â€Å"I love this. How could you let me sleep through this?† â€Å"We can surf some more on the way back,† Tuck said. And with that his resolve was gone. He'd planned to ask her about the music and explosions from last night. He'd planned to ask her about Jefferson Pardee's notebook, which he carried in his back pocket, but he didn't want to break this mood. It had been too long since he'd had any attention from a beautiful woman, and he gave himself to it like a jonesing junkie. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she said, â€Å"but you'll have to wait here.† Beth Curtis retrieved her briefcase and cooler from the back of the plane and met the dark-suited Japanese on the tarmac. There was another Lear spooling up nearby and a couple of workmen in coveralls waited beside a large cardboard carton. Tuck watched as Beth Curtis handed the cooler to one of the suits, who ran to the waiting Lear. Within seconds, the door was pulled shut and the other Lear was taxied out to the runway. Another one of the suits handed Beth a thick manila envelope, which she stashed in her briefcase. She turned and ran back into the plane. She stepped into the cockpit and put her briefcase behind the copilot's seat. â€Å"I'll be right back, ten minutes max. I've got to make sure these guys get my TV on board unbroken.† â€Å"TV?† â€Å"Thirty-two-inch Trinitron,† she said with a smile. â€Å"To replace the one that you're using.† â€Å"I want a thirty-two-inch Trinitron,† Tuck said to her back, but she was already out the door. He looked out the window to make sure she was busy with the television, then pulled her briefcase from behind the seat and threw the latches. To his amazement, it was unlocked. He removed the manila envelope. Under it lay a small automatic pistol. He could take it, but then what? Hold it on Beth Curtis until she confessed to whatever she and the doctor were doing? And what was that? Research? There was no law against that. He left the gun untouched and opened the envelope. He wasn't sure what he expected to find: research notes, bearer bonds, stock certificates, cash, something that would shed some light on all this clandestine behavior for sure. What he found was four issues of People magazine and four issues of Us. Beth Curtis was smuggling American cheese out of Japan and that was it. He put the envelope back into the briefcase and slid it behind the seat, then pulled Jefferson Pardee's notebook out of his pocket. Perhaps there was something inside that would tell him how the notebook had gotten to a beach some seven hundred miles from where its owner was supposed to be. He flipped though the pages where Pardee had scribbled phone numbers, dates, and a few notes, but the only things he recognized were his own name, the names of Sebastian Curtis and his wife, and the word â€Å"Learjet,† followed by â€Å"Why? How? Who paid?† and â€Å"Find other pilot.† Pardee was obviously asking the same questions that were circling in Tuck's mind, but what was this about another pilot? Had Pardee come to Alualu looking for the answers? And if he did, where was he now? â€Å"What's that?† Beth Curtis said as she came through the cockpit door. Tuck flipped the notebook shut and stuffed it in his back pocket. â€Å"Some flight notes. I'm used to keeping a log for the FAA. I guess I brought this along out of habit.† In the midst of the lie, he almost panicked. If she asked where he had gotten the notebook in the first place, he was dead. Maybe better to confront her here in Japan anyway – while he knew where the gun was. She said, â€Å"I didn't realize there was any paperwork to flying a plane.† â€Å"More than you'd think,† Tuck said. â€Å"I'm still getting used to how this plane handles. I'm just writing down things I need to remember, you know, climb rates and engine exhaust pressures, fuel consumption per hour at altitude, stuff like that.† Right, he thought. Baffle her with bullshit. â€Å"Oh,† she said with what Tuck thought was indifference until she reached behind her seat and pulled out her briefcase. He held his breath, waiting for the gun to appear. She took out an issue of People and opened it on her lap. She didn't look away from the magazine until they were well over the Pacific, heading home. â€Å"You know, we haven't seen much of you lately. Maybe you should come up to the house and have dinner with Sebastian and me tonight.† She had slipped on her fifties housewife personality. Tuck had been thinking about Pardee's notebook and where he'd found it. He wanted to get back to the village tonight. If Pardee had come to Alualu, maybe the old chief knew something about it. â€Å"I'm a little tired. We got a pretty early start. I think maybe I'll just fix up something quick at my place and get to bed early.† She yawned. â€Å"Maybe tomorrow night. Around seven. Maybe we can try out my new TV.† â€Å"That'll be fine.† Tuck said. â€Å"I have a few things I'd like to discuss with you and the doc anyway.† â€Å"Good,† she said. â€Å"I think we should spend more time together. Now explain to me what all these gauges mean.† 41 What's a Kidney? Privacy is a rare commodity on a small island and secrets weigh heavy on their keepers. Malink was weary with the burden of too many secrets. If he could only go to the drinking circle and let his secrets out, let the coconut telegraph carry his secrets to the edges of the island and let him walk light. But that wasn't going to happen. Secrets sought him out now, even from the old cannibal. He stood with Sarapul and Kimi examining an eighty-four-foot breadfruit tree with a trunk you couldn't get your arms around. Kimi held an ax on his shoulder, waiting for Malink's judgment. â€Å"Why so big?† Malink asked. â€Å"This tree will give much breadfruit.† â€Å"This is the tree,† Sarapul said. â€Å"The navigator has chosen it.† Kimi said, â€Å"We will plant ten trees to take its place, but this is the one.† â€Å"Why do you need such a big tree?† â€Å"I can't tell you,† Sarapul said. â€Å"You will tell me or you won't cut the tree.† â€Å"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone else?† Malink sighed. Yet another secret. â€Å"I will tell no one.† â€Å"Come. We'll show you.† Sarapul led Malink and Kimi through the jungle to an overgrown spot piled with dried palm leaves. Malink leaned on a tree while the old cannibal pulled away the palm fronds to reveal the prow of a canoe. Not just any canoe. A forty-foot-long sailing canoe. Malink hadn't seen one since he was a small boy. â€Å"This is why we need the tree,† Sarapul said. â€Å"I have hidden it here for many years, but the hull is rotten and we need to fix it.† Malink felt something stir in him at the sight of the big eye painted on the prow. Something that went back to a time before he could remember, when his people sailed thousands of miles by the eye of the canoe and the guidance of the great navigators. Lost arts made sad by this reminder. He shook his head. â€Å"No one knows how to build a sailing canoe anymore, Sarapul. You are so old you don't remember what you've forgotten.† â€Å"He can fix it,† Sarapul said, pointing to Kimi. Kimi grinned. â€Å"My father taught me. He was a great navigator from Satawan.† Malink raised a grizzled eyebrow. â€Å"That is where you learned our language?† â€Å"I can fix it. And I can sail it.† â€Å"He's teaching me,† Sarapul said. Malink felt the stirring inside him grow into excitement. There was something here he hadn't felt since the arrival of Vincent. This was a secret that lifted him rather than weighing him down. But he was chief and dignity forbade him from shouting joy to the sky. â€Å"You may cut the tree, but there is a condition.† â€Å"You can't tell anyone,† Sarapul said. â€Å"I will not tell anyone. But when the canoe is fixed, you must teach one of the young ones to be a navigator.† He looked at Kimi. â€Å"Will you do that?† Kimi nodded. â€Å"You have your tree, old man,† Malink said. â€Å"I will tell no one.† He turned and walked and fell into a light bowlegged amble down the path. Kimi called to him, â€Å"I hear my friend, the pilot, was in the village last night.† Malink turned. The coconut telegraph evidently ran even to Sarapul's little corner of the island. â€Å"He asked about you. He said he will come back.† â€Å"Did he have a bat with him?† â€Å"No bat,† Malink said. â€Å"Come tonight to the drinking circle. Maybe he will come.† â€Å"I can't,† Kimi said. â€Å"The boys from the bachelors' house hate me.† â€Å"They hate the girl-man,† Malink said, â€Å"not the navigator. You come.† After a nutritious dinner of canned peaches and instant coffee, Tuck checked the position of the guards, turned out the lights, and built his coconut-headed surrogate under the mosquito netting. Only the second time and already it seemed routine. There was none of the nervousness or anxiety of the night before as he crawled below window level to the bathroom and pried up the metal shower tray. He dropped through the opening and was reaching up to grab his mask and fins when he heard the knock on the front door and froze. He heard the door open and Beth Curtis call, â€Å"Mr. Case, are you asleep already?† He couldn't let her see the dummy in his bed. â€Å"I'm in the bathroom. Just a second.† He caught the edges of the shower opening and vaulted back into the bathroom. The metal tray fell back over the opening, sounding like the Tin Man trying to escape from a garbage can. He heard Beth Curtis pad to the bathroom door. â€Å"Are you all right in there?† â€Å"Fine,† Tuck said. â€Å"Just dropped the soap.† He snagged a bar of soap off the sink and placed it in the bottom of the shower tray, then threw open the bathroom door. Beth Curtis stood there in a long red silk kimono that was open in a narrow canyon of white flesh to her navel. Whatever Tuck was going to say, he forgot. â€Å"Sebastian wanted me to bring you this.† She held out a check. Tuck tore his eyes from her cleavage and took the check. â€Å"Five thousand dollars. Mrs. Curtis, this is really more than I bargained for.† â€Å"You deserve it. You were very sweet to take the time to explain all the instrumentation to me.† She leaned over and kissed him on the forehead, keeping the warm pressure of her lips there a little too long. Tuck imagined her tongue darting though his skull and licking his brain's pleasure center. He could smell her perfume, something deep and musky, and his eyes locked on her breasts, which were completely exposed when she leaned forward. He felt as if he had been staring at an arc welder and that creamy powdered image would travel across his field of vision for hours. A chasm of silence opened up and wrenched his attention back into the room. â€Å"This is very generous,† he said. â€Å"But it could have waited. It's not like I have anywhere to spend it.† â€Å"I know. I just wanted to thank you again. Personally, without Sebastian around. And I thought you might be able to explain some of the finer points of flying a jet. It's all so exciting.† Never a man of strong resolve, the combination of sight, scent, and flattery activated Tuck's seduction autopilot. He glanced toward the bed and the switch clicked off. Sexual response was replaced by the dummy Tuck shaking its coconut head. He looked back at her and locked on her eyes – only her eyes. â€Å"Maybe tomorrow,† he said. â€Å"I'm really bushed. I was just going to catch a shower and go right to bed.† For an instant her pouty smile disappeared and her lips seemed to tighten into a red line, then just as quickly the smile was back, and Tuck wasn't sure he'd seen the change at all. â€Å"Well, tomorrow, then,† she said, pulling the front of her kimono together as if she had only just noticed that it had fallen open. â€Å"We'll see you at seven.† She turned at the door and threw Tuck a parade queen wave as she left, once again the darling of the Eisenhower era. When she was safely out of the bungalow, Tuck ran to the bed and picked up the green coconut. â€Å"What in the hell was that about?† The coconut didn't answer. â€Å"Fine,† Tuck said, fitting the head back on the sleeping dummy. â€Å"I am not impressed. I am not shaken, nor am I stirred. Weirdness is my business.† Even as he said it, he dismissed the hallucination as his own good sense manifesting a warning, but the duel cravings for a drink and a woman yanked at his insides like dull fishhooks. He turned off the light and let the cravings lead him out the bathroom hatch to the moonlit sea. Forty minutes later he took his place in the circle of the Shark men. Chief Malink stood and greeted Tuck with a jarring backslap. â€Å"Good to see you, my friend. How's it hanging?† â€Å"It hangs with magnificent splendor,† Tuck said, his programmed response to the truck drivers and cowboys who used that expression, although he wondered where Malink had heard it. â€Å"But I'm a little parched,† he said. A fat young man named Vincent was pouring tonight and he handed Tucker the coconut cup with a smile. Tuck sipped at first, fighting that first gag, then gulped down the coconut liquor and gritted his teeth to keep it from coming back up. The older men in the group seemed festive and yattered back and forth in their native language, but Tuck noticed that the younger men were sulking, digging their toes into the sand like pouting little boys. â€Å"Why so glum, guys? Someone kill you dog?† â€Å"No,† Malink said, not quite understanding the question. â€Å"We eat a turtle today.† Having your dog killed must mean something different here than it means back in Texas, Tuck realized. Malink sensed Tuck's confusion. â€Å"They are sad because the Sky Priestess has chosen the mispel from their house and she will be gone many days now.† â€Å"Mispel?† â€Å"The girl you followed last night is mispel of the bachelors' house.† â€Å"Sorry to hear that, guys,† Tuck said, acting as if he had the slightest idea what a mispel or being chosen was. He figured that maybe it had something to do with PMS. Maybe when the women started getting cranky with the old Sky Priestess cramps, they just checked her into a special â€Å"chosen† hut until she mellowed out. He waited until the cup came around the circle before he brought it up again. â€Å"So she was chosen by the old Sky Priestess, huh? Tough luck there. Did you try giving her chocolate? That takes the edge off sometimes.† â€Å"We give her special tuba when she comes,† Malink said. â€Å"Tastes like shit!† several of the men chanted. Abo, the fierce one, said, â€Å"I am chosen and now Sepie is chosen. I will marry her.† Several of the other young men seemed less than pleased at Abo's announcement. â€Å"Come on, man,† Tuck said. â€Å"You might need a little attitude adjustment, but you're not chosen.† â€Å"I am,† Abo insisted. â€Å"Look.† He turned his back to the group and ran his finger across a long pink scar that ran diagonally across his ribs. â€Å"The Sky Priestess chose me for Vincent in the time of the ripe breadfruit.† Tuck stared at the scar, stunned, hoping that what he was thinking was as far off as his PMS theory had been. â€Å"The Sky Priestess? That was the music last night, all the noise?† â€Å"Yes,† Malink said, â€Å"Vincent brings her in his airplane. We never see it, but we hear it.† â€Å"And when someone is chosen, then does the jet always fly the next day?† Malink nodded. â€Å"No one was chosen for a long time until Vin cent sent you to fly the white airplane. We thought Vincent was angry with us.† Tuck looked to Abo, who seemed satisfied that the chief was backing him up. â€Å"Where do you go when you are chosen?† â€Å"You go to the white house where the Sorcerer lives. There are many machine.† â€Å"And then what? What happens in the white house?† â€Å"It is secret.† Tuck was across the circle in Abo's face. â€Å"What happens there?† Abo seemed frightened and turned away. Tuck looked around at the other men. â€Å"Who else here has been chosen?† The fat kid who had been pouring twisted so Tuck could see the scar on his back. â€Å"What's your name, kid?† â€Å"Vincent.† â€Å"I should have known. Vincent, what happens in the white house?† Young Vincent shook his head. Tuck turned to Malink. â€Å"What happens?† Malink shook his head. â€Å"I don't know. I have not been chosen.† A familiar voice called out of the dark, â€Å"They make them sleep.† Everyone turned to see Kimi coming down the path from the village. The old cannibal creaked along behind him. Abo barked a reproach to Kimi in his native tongue. Kimi barked back something in the same language. Tuck didn't have to know the language to know that Kimi had told the fierce one to fuck off. â€Å"Kimi, are you okay?† Tuck barely recognized the navigator. He was wearing the blue loincloth of the Shark men and he seemed to have put on some muscle. Tuck was genuinely delighted to see him. The navigator ran to him and threw his arms around the pilot. Tuck found himself returning the embrace. Several of the young men had stood and were glaring at Kimi. One of the jugs of tuba had been kicked over, but no one seemed to notice the liquor running out on the sand. â€Å"Kimi, do you know what's going on here?† â€Å"A pretty white woman with yellow hair. She come out of the fence and take the girl away. They will put her to sleep and when she wakes up she will have a cut here.† He drew his finger across the back of his ribs. â€Å"No!† Abo screamed. He leaped over the crouching Malink to get to Kimi. Without thinking, Tuck swung around and caught Abo under the jaw with a roundhouse punch. Abo's feet flew out from under him and he landed on his back. Tuck rubbed his hand. Abo tried to struggle to his feet and Malink barked an order to two of the young Vincents. Re-luctantly, they restrained their friend. â€Å"Vincent has sent the pilot,† Malink reminded them. Tuck turned back to Kimi. â€Å"What happens then?† â€Å"You owe me five hundred dollars.† â€Å"You'll get it. What happens then?† â€Å"The chosen has to stay in bed for many days. There are tube stuck in them and they are in much pain. Then they come back.† â€Å"That's it?† â€Å"Yes,† Kimi said. Malink stood now and addressed Kimi. â€Å"How do you know this?† Kimi shrugged. â€Å"Sepie tells me.† Malink turned to Abo, who had stopped struggling and now looked terrified. â€Å"She said she would not tell. The girl-man put a spell on her.† Tuck stood rubbing his knuckles, watching this little tropical opera and feeling like someone had snapped on a light and found him french-kissing a maggoty corpse. The cooler, the surgical garb, the flights on short notice, the second jet waiting on the tarmac in Japan, the guards, the secrecy, the money. How had he been so fucking stupid? Malink was hurling a string of native curses at Abo, who looked as if he would burst into tears any second. â€Å"You dumb motherfuckers!† Tuck shouted. Malink stopped talking. â€Å"She's selling your kidneys. The doc is taking out your kidneys and selling them in Japan.† This revelation didn't have quite the effect that Tuck thought it would. In fact, he seemed to be the only one concerned about it at all. â€Å"Did you hear me?† Malink looked a little embarrassed. â€Å"What is a kidney?†