Inception Film Analysis Essay

Inception came out to theaters last 2010. It is an action, adventure and sci-fi film starring Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb), Joseph Gordon Levitt (Arthur) and Ellen Page (Ariadne). The movie revolves around Cobb, whose job is to steal information from the minds of people through their dreams. He was given the task to perform the reverse called Inception on a businessman named Fischer in exchange for having the charges against him dropped and going back to America to finally see his children again. In the process of doing his job, Mal (Cobb’s wife who already passed away) keeps on appearing in the dreams as a projection of Cobb’s subconscious and becomes a danger to Cobb and his team. Christopher Nolan Born in London in 1970, Christopher Nolan began making films at the age of seven using his father’s super 8mm camera and an assortment of male-action figures. He graduated to making films involving real people, and his super 8mm surreal short ‘tarantella’ was shown on PBS’ ‘image union’ in 1989. Chris studied English Literature at University College London while starting to make 16mm films at the college film society. His short film ‘larceny’ was shown at the Cambridge Film Festival in 1996, and his other 16mm shorts include a three- minute surreal film called â€Å"doodlebug. † He directed other genuis films such as Following, Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises. Christopher Nolan usually starts his movies by introducing the main character/s with a Close-up shot of their hands. He is known for making use of flashbacks or scenes from the end of the movie as an opening. The movies that he directs are also usually about characters who have psychological disorders or who develop a physical or psychological handicap throughout the film. In the case of Inception, the lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio wakes up on the shore with his hands trying to reach or point out to his children who were playing with the sand. This scene reappears again in the end and plays an important role to explain the essence of the movie. Finally, Mal represents the psychologically deranged character since she was not able to tell the difference between reality and dreams anymore thus leading to her death. The scenes altogether is about seven minutes long. Cobb and Ariadne go into a fourth dream layer and try to find Mal because she has captured Fischer. Mal is still trying to convince Cobb that he does not know what reality is anymore but Cobb is very certain that Mal is just a projection of his subconscious. This is also the part when Cobb confesses the reason behind his projection of Mal and his feeling of guilt. This is the essence of the scene- letting the audience know what Cobb was feeling inside. The first Inception actually took place when Cobb tried to plant an idea in Mal’s mind. Mal could not accept the fact that they were still in a dream so Cobb went deep into her mind and made her think that her world was not real and that death was the only way to come back to reality. When they awoke, Mal felt as if she was possessed by an idea – an idea that her world is still not real. She felt as if she was still dreaming so she killed herself again in the real world. By telling this truth that Cobb has been keeping, he is now then able to let go of the idea of Mal. This scene explains Cobb’s motive in pursuing the task given to him. It was not only to come back to America and see his children but also to be able to let go of Mal and the fact that she has passed away. It also introduces to the audience what the root of everything is – discovering Inception that lead to Mal’s death. The scene revolves around Cobb and Mal talking while Ariadne listens to their conversation. As the audience, we see what is happening through the point of view of Ariadne. Cobb and Ariadne are the protagonists whose goal is to find Fischer so they could continue with their mission. Mal acts as an antagonist and prevents them from reaching their goal. She has captured Fischer and is only willing to give him up in exchange for Cobb staying with her. In the course of their dialogue, Mal asked Cobb what he was feeling. Cobb explained that he was feeling so much guilt because he was the one who caused Mal to question her reality. When they were stuck in a dream, he wanted to help her realize that they were still in a dream so he planted this idea in her mind not knowing that the idea would still linger after she awoke. This confrontation is a way of Cobb breaking free from the guilt he has kept for a long time. Upon finding out, Mal feels betrayed. On the other hand, Ariadne is also shocked by the confession of Cobb. Their relationships intertwine except between Ariadne and Mal who seem to have no connection at all. When the flashback started, there had been a detachment mostly from the part of Mal because of her delusion but at one point, we can also see the relationship of the couple being intimate and personal. Mal still wants Cobb to keep their promise of being together despite having him performed inception on her. At the beginning of the scene, Ariadne and Cobb expect to find and get Fischer from Mal and Mal expected Cobb to stay and believe that she was real. In the end, they all got what they wanted except for Mal. Cobb being a really skilled mind extractor, was so sure that Mal is not real and that in reality, she is already gone. Mal was not successful in her attempt to make him stay. Ariadne was able to give herself and Fischer the â€Å"kick† while Cobb stayed and went into limbo to find Saito, another member of their team who died in the third dream layer. He was also able to reach his underlying goal – which was to talk to Mal, accept that they cannot be together anymore and let her go.

Coyote Blue Chapter 27

CHAPTER 27 Food, Gas, Enlightenment, Next Right King's Lake, Nevada The exit sign said, King's Lake, but when they pulled off and followed the ramp around the base of a mesa, there was no lake, no life at all, just a dirt road and a strip of gray wooden buildings with faded facades. A weathered wooden sign read, Emergency, Nevada. The population had been crossed out and repainted a dozen times until, finally, someone had painted a big zero at the bottom and the words We gived up. Coyote stopped the car. â€Å"What do you want to do here?† â€Å"I don't know, but we had to get off the highway before they caught up with us.† Sam got out of the car and peered down the empty dirt street, shielding his eyes against the sun with his hand. A prairie dog scampered across the road and under the wooden sidewalk. â€Å"This road continues out of town. Maybe it joins up with another major road somewhere else. We need a map.† â€Å"No map in the car,† Coyote said. â€Å"We can ask someone.† Sam looked around at the empty buildings. â€Å"Right, let's just stop in at the chamber of commerce and ask someone that's been dead for a hundred years.† â€Å"Can we do that?† Coyote asked, with complete sincerity. â€Å"No, we can't do that! It's a ghost town. There's no one here.† â€Å"I was going to ask that prairie dog.† Coyote walked to where the prairie dog had disappeared under the walkway. â€Å"Hey, little one, come out.† Sam stood behind the trickster, shaking his head. He heard a squeak from under the walk. Coyote looked to Sam. â€Å"He doesn't trust you. He won't come out unless you go away.† â€Å"Tell him we're in a hurry.† Sam couldn't believe he was being snubbed by a rodent. â€Å"He knows that, but he says you have shifty eyes. Go over there and wait.† Coyote pointed down the sidewalk. Sam walked past a hitching post and sat on a bench in front of the abandoned saloon. He watched the road leading to the highway, waiting for the dust cloud from pursuing police cars. The road remained empty. He watched the prairie dog scamper out from under the sidewalk and stand on his hind legs as Coyote talked to him. Maybe he had been a little hasty in thinking Calliope nuts for talking to her kitchen pals. They probably thought he had shifty eyes as well. After a few moments of talking and chattering Coyote threw his head back and laughed, then left the prairie dog in the street and came to where Sam was sitting. â€Å"You've got to hear this one,† Coyote said. â€Å"This farmer has a pig with a wooden leg-â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† Sam interrupted. â€Å"Does he know where the road goes?† â€Å"Oh, yeah. But this is a really good joke. You see-â€Å" â€Å"Coyote!† Sam shouted. Coyote looked hurt. â€Å"You're nasty. No wonder he doesn't trust you. He says that he saw an orange sports car go by a while ago. He says that there's a repair place down the road.† â€Å"Tell him thanks,† Sam said. Coyote headed back toward the prairie dog. Sam dug into his windbreaker for his cigarettes and found a chocolate mint he had taken from the hotel room pillow the night before. â€Å"Wait,† Sam called. He ran to Coyote's side. The prairie dog bolted under the sidewalk. â€Å"Let me talk to him.† Sam bent down and placed the mint in the dirt by the sidewalk. â€Å"Look, we really appreciate your help.† The prairie dog didn't answer. â€Å"I'm not a bad guy once you get to know me,† Sam said. He waited, wondering what exactly he was waiting for. After a minute he started feeling really stupid. â€Å"Okay then, have a nice day.† He went back to where Coyote stood looking at a sign on the saloon door. No Indians or Dogs Allowed. Coyote said, â€Å"What do they have against dogs?† â€Å"What about the Indians part?† Coyote shrugged. â€Å"It pisses me off.† Sam yanked the sign off the door and threw it into the street. â€Å"Good, you're still alive. Let's go.† Coyote turned and headed for the car. â€Å"I'll drive,† Sam said. Coyote threw the keys over his shoulder. Sam snatched them out of the air. As they pulled away the prairie dog dashed into the street and grabbed the mint thinking, That pig joke works every time. -=*=- They drove for twenty minutes, bouncing the big Lincoln over ruts and rocks, and pushing it through washed-out, wind-eroded terrain where the road was reduced to the mere suggestion of tire tracks. The cellular phone rang twice more, but they did not answer it. Sam was suspecting that, once again, Coyote was playing some sort of trick when he spotted the corrugated steel building sticking up out of the desert. The building consisted of one story, roughly the size of a two-car garage. The steel walls were striped with rust and pulling away from the frame in places. The area around the building was littered with abandoned vehicles, some dating back fifty years. Above the doorway, a ragged hole that had been cut with a torch, hung an elegantly hand-lettered sign that read, Satori Japanese Auto Repair. In the doorway stood a slightly built Oriental man in saffron robes, grinning as they pulled up. Calliope's Z was parked in front. Sam stopped the car and got out. The Oriental man folded his hands and bowed. Sam nodded in return and approached the man. â€Å"Do you know where the girl is that was driving that car?† â€Å"What is the sound of one hand clapping?† the monk said. Sam said, â€Å"Excuse me?† The monk ran to Sam and jumped up, screaming in Sam's face, â€Å"Don't think. Act!† Thinking he was being attacked, Sam raised his arms to cover his face and inadvertently hit the monk in the mouth with his elbow, knocking the little man to the ground. The monk looked up at Sam and smiled. â€Å"That was the right answer.† His teeth were red with blood. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Sam said, offering his hand to help the monk up. â€Å"I didn't know what you were doing.† The monk waved Sam away, climbed to his feet, and began to dust himself off. â€Å"The first step to knowledge is not knowing. The girl is inside with the Master.† â€Å"Thanks,† Sam said. He motioned for Coyote to follow and went into the building. It was one room, dimly lit from the doorway and by sunlight filtering through the gaps in the walls. Around the edges, workbenches were stacked with greasy car parts and tools. In the center of the room, on a grass mat, Calliope sat with another monk, this one ancient, drinking tea from tiny cups. She looked up and saw Sam, then without a word ran into his arms. â€Å"I lost him, Sam. The car started making this horrible noise and I had to pull off the highway. Lonnie took Grubb and he's gone.† Sam held her and patted her head, telling her it would be okay, not really believing it, but knowing that was what you were supposed to say. She was soft and warm against him and a musky smell of girl sweat and jasmine was coming off her hair. He felt himself getting aroused and hated himself for the inappropriateness of the feeling, thinking, You sick bastard. Almost as in answer, Calliope said, â€Å"You feel too good,† and buried her face in his chest. She was crying. Behind them, still standing in the doorway, Coyote said, â€Å"Let's go.† Calliope looked around at him, then to Sam. Sam said, â€Å"A friend. Calliope, this is Coyote. Coyote, Calliope.† â€Å"Howdy,† Coyote said. Calliope smiled. â€Å"The Master will now fix the car,† the younger monk said. Sam looked to the tatami mat; the old monk was gone. The young monk turned and went out into the sun. Outside, the Z's hood was open and the old monk was bent over the engine, running his hands over the hoses and wires, but staring off into the distance. Sam realized that he was blind, and noticed that there were fingers missing from each of his hands. â€Å"What's he doing?† Coyote asked. â€Å"Quiet,† the young monk said. â€Å"He is finding the problem.† â€Å"We really have to get going,† Sam said. â€Å"Can we leave the car here and pick it up later?† The monk said, â€Å"Does a dog have a Buddha nature?† â€Å"Does a fish have a watertight asshole?† said Coyote. The young monk turned to the trickster and bowed. â€Å"You are wise,† he said. â€Å"This is nuts,† Sam said. â€Å"We've got another car. Let's go.† â€Å"We've lost them,† Calliope said. â€Å"No, we haven't. We know where they're going, Cal.† â€Å"How do you know?† â€Å"It's a long story. Coyote helped.† â€Å"Not enough,† Coyote said. He pointed to the police cruiser that was bouncing across the desert toward them. Sam looked to the limo and realized that they had run out of time, and, more important, places to run. The cruiser slid to a stop by the limo and they were all engulfed by a cloud of dust. When it cleared, a seven-foot black man stood beside the limo. A bald man in a sport coat was leveling a riot shotgun over the hood at them. â€Å"I'd like the keys to the limousine, please,† Minty said. Calliope looked at Sam. â€Å"Are we in trouble?† â€Å"This is not good,† Sam said. The monk said, â€Å"Life is suffering.† â€Å"You need to get laid,† Coyote said. Sam dug into his pocket for the keys. â€Å"Careful,† said the man with the gun. Minty Fresh approached Sam. â€Å"Relax, Jake,† he said. Then to Sam, â€Å"Mr. Hunter, the police are not really involved in this. I just want two things. I want the keys to the car, and I want to know what the hell is going on here.† â€Å"Quiet!† the monk said. â€Å"The Master is finished.† They looked to the Z, where the old monk was staring blankly in their direction. â€Å"Disharmony in the cam chakra,† he announced. The young monk bowed. Sam wondered about the Master's missing fingers. â€Å"Well?† Minty said. Sam said, â€Å"Do you have a little time?† -=*=- Minty Fresh sat on the tatami mat with Sam while the young monk, who they had found out was named Steve, served them tea. He'd sent Jake back to town and the others were outside fiddling with the broken sports car. Minty wanted some answers. â€Å"Mr. Hunter,† he began. â€Å"There is something very strange about your friend.† â€Å"Really? He seems fine to me. Tell me, though. Do you think I have shifty eyes?† Sam affected his best innocent look. Oh, no, two of them, Minty thought. â€Å"They look normal to me.† They didn't look normal at all – they were golden. Minty hadn't noticed before. Sam said, â€Å"I mean, do I look untrustworthy to you?† â€Å"Mr. Hunter, you stole my employer's car.† â€Å"I'm really sorry about that. Besides that, though. Do I look shifty?† Minty sighed. â€Å"No, not particularly.† â€Å"How about if you were shorter, say, eight inches tall.† â€Å"Mr. Hunter, what is this all about?† â€Å"We really needed the car. It doesn't justify taking it, but we would have brought it back.† â€Å"Look, I'm not going to involve the police in this. Just tell me.† Sam took Minty through the story of Lonnie taking Grubb and the chase, leaving out as many details about Coyote as he could, making their destination in South Dakota seem close, easy. The story was slanted, however; Sam told it with a purpose in mind, thinking as he spoke, You can't sell if you don't pitch. Sam closed, â€Å"If we don't have the limo we won't be able to find Lonnie and get Calliope's baby back. You have a mother, don't you?† Sam waited. â€Å"I'm sorry, Mr. Hunter, I can't let you have it. It's not mine. I'd lose my job.† â€Å"We'll bring it back after we get Grubb.† â€Å"I'm sorry,† Minty said. He climbed to his feet and walked to the door, then turned. â€Å"I'm really sorry.† He pushed his sunglasses up on his face and ducked through the hole in the steel. Sam followed him out. â€Å"Mr. F.,† Sam called. Minty looked up as he reached the car. â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"Thanks for not going to the cops. I understand your position.† Minty nodded and got in the Lincoln. Calliope came up beside Sam and stood with him watching Minty drive away. She said, â€Å"Grubb is all I have.† Sam reached out and took her hand, not knowing what to say, having failed at the only thing he was really good at, talking people into doing things they didn't want to do. The young monk came out of the door behind them. â€Å"The Master is fixing your car,† he said. He was stirring some green tea into an earthenware bowl with a bamboo whisk. â€Å"More tea?† -=*=- They stood together in the sun, watching the old man work. He fingered each bolt carefully before fitting a wrench to it, then removed the bolt so quickly that his hands blurred with the movement. Sam said, â€Å"How long†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don't talk to him when he works,† Steve cautioned. â€Å"He will finish when he finishes. But don't talk to him. When you work, work. When you talk, talk.† â€Å"Do you get many customers? I mean, you are pretty far out here.† â€Å"Three,† Steve said. He was wearing a straw hat to protect his shaved head. â€Å"Three today?† â€Å"No, just three.† â€Å"Then what do you do in the meantime?† â€Å"We wait.† â€Å"That's all?† Steve said, â€Å"Is that all the patriarch Daruma did at the wall for nine years?† There was no anger in his voice. â€Å"We wait.† â€Å"But how do you pay your rent, buy food?† â€Å"There is no rent. The owner of King's Lake, Augustus Brine, brings us food. He is a fisherman.† â€Å"King's Lake is up the road, right? What is it, a resort?† â€Å"A house of pleasure.† â€Å"A whorehouse that supports Buddhist monks?† â€Å"How sweet,† Calliope said. â€Å"He's got it,† Coyote said, pointing to the Master, who was holding up a rod of polished metal. â€Å"A bent push rod,† Steve said. The master carried the push rod into the shop. They all followed and watched as the old man tightened the rod into a vise. He picked up a hammer and stood over the vise, his free hand feeling the rod. Without warning the old man screamed and delivered a clanging blow to the push rod, then bowed and set the hammer on the bench. â€Å"Fixed,† Steve said, bowing. â€Å"Is that how he lost his fingers?† â€Å"To achieve enlightenment, one must give up the things of this world.† â€Å"Like piano lessons,† Coyote said.

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Culture of a place in California - Essay Example During and after the WWII, there was immense growth as entrepreneurs boosted the economy which is still running as military, tourism, defence industries, manufacturing, and international trade. A number of cultural groups and monuments exist in California throughout the history. San Diego has been a very lively and energetic city because of its people. It consists of people who migrated from several different areas and formed their communities in the city in order to earn money and send back home to their families. These individuals eventually migrated to the city with their families and the economy boosted. Today, the city is full of entrepreneurs, cheap labour, artists, and several communities that make San Diego what it is. The Californios community took hold of a numerical majority in 1848 as they owned a major part of the property and secured the social and cultural recognition; however they failed to take control of the political system and thus by 1860, the area had declined economically. The Hispanics made huge breakthroughs in the WWI in San Diego farm districts. Their skills, experiences from military, and contacts lead to profits and improved the economy (Lockwood 95). Many other cultural groups that settled in San Diego were mainly in order to boost the economy. San Diego also welcomed the Chinese immigrants in the 1860s as they settled in two fishing villages; Point Loma and New Town. These Chinese immigrants became the pioneers in 1860s in the industry and their peak time was in the 1880s. By the 1890s, the Chinese settled and found more jobs in the fishing industry as well as the service industry, railroad construction and general construction, merchandising, and food industry. District associations, family associations, business guilds, and secret societies were eventually formed. San Diego consists of several Chinese immigrants who have now achieved the status of a community and are

The Impact Of Intellectual Properties Protection Essay Example for Free

The Impact Of Intellectual Properties Protection Essay Some of the aims and objectives of the project include: Determine the responsibility and functioning of the intellectual property domain in the IT and automobile industry. The manner in which each type of Intellectual property (IP) instrument could be applied in the software and automobile industry. The extent and level of protection various other intellectual property rights instruments (such as copyrights, database protection, IC protection, trade secrets, designs, trademarks, etc) that could be provided. The obstacles, hurdles, ideas, conceptions, etc, that could oppose the implementation of the various intellectual property instruments for protection in the software and automobile fields. The impact and scope patents and other intellectual property right instruments could have in the IT and automobile industry. Determining the ways in which IP could act as a hindrance to the development of the software and the automobile fields To promote an inter-professional relationship that could exist between IP, management, technology and law. To equip the stakeholders in the technological field about the way they could protect their applications or intelligence of their mind. To suggest potential ways in which the hindrance and monotony caused by IP could be removed in the software and the automobile industry. To promote healthy competition between organizations in the field of technology such that it would be a win-win situation for them and for the public. The application of antitrust laws in the field of IP especially for patent nonuse To determine the circumstances under which Procedures used to benefit the public (such as revocation of the patent and compulsory licensing) can be imposed (especially to ensure that a healthy competition exists in the market). Technology is improving each and every day.   It is very important that IP is protected completely so that the owner reaps the fruits of the intellectual labor.   Each intellectual property instrument (such as patent, copyright, trade secrets, designs, trademarks, database protection, chip protection, etc) tries to protect certain aspects of technology.   For example patents try to protect the revolutionary aspect (such as inventions), whereas Semi-conductor protections tries to protect evolutionary aspects (as the development in semi-conductor technology is incremental in nature).   To a certain extent the trademark and copyright laws flow automatically and several other IP instruments have to compulsorily be registered.  Ã‚   However, copyrights may not offer complete protection (it may also be difficult to apply copyrights to the field of software or the internet as websites and software is constantly updated).   A certain amount of trade secret is lost whenever an emp loyee quits a company. A company’s intellectual property forms a very important resource.   However, the company should be able to determine the nature of its resources and the manner in which it could be exploited.   A company with a good IP strategy could gain a competitive edge in the industry to a certain extent and within varying periods of time (depending on its competitiveness). It can be seen that a company having a single patent would have a distinct advantage in the market.   The opponents of the company may begin to take up alternative strategies that may be ineffective in nature, consume a lot of time or prove to be very costly.   A company should conduct a SWOT analysis of its IP situation.   Even small corporate are beginning to identify IP as an invaluable assets and are using it to enable growth.   The key to success of a company would be to manage it IP resources effectively (through proper identification, maintenance, evaluation, protection, sharing and utilization). In such a competitive age, could the IT and the automobile industry ignore IP and related laws?   I do feel that this could be a very good research question, and each and every aspect including past cases, benefits and limitations of each IP instrument and the manner in which a company could develop an effective IP strategy may be discussed.   Even the potential ways in which the IP owner could misuse his/her laws could be suggested, so that unhealthy competition or monotony is created in the market.   In such circumstances, the law-makers need to bring about certain laws that would create a balance between public interest and the owner of the IP. A company can possess various IP’s and in different fields.   The IP may be a technology which is new and revolutionary or a slight modification of evolution of current technology.   Some of the IP’s that a company could possess include patents, copyrights, database protection, designs protection, trademarks, IC protection, trade secrets, etc.   A company can protect it’s IP in several ways:- Use the trade-secret mechanism to protect its IP (in this way the company would just be protecting its property and not be using it to gain extensive profits). Disclose its IP to the appropriate statutory authorities and obtain relevant IP registrations. Protect it’s IP through contractual means (e.g. licensing of a software) – The contract for use may be for a certain periods of time or may be restricted for use within a certain geographical area. Contents Table of Cases -Table of Statues I.e. 1.Chapter one: Literature Review 1.1. Introduction to intellectual property 1.1.1. What is inventions and what’s not? 1.1.2. Protecting inventions 1.2. Forms of intellectual properties protection 1.3. Cost of the protection, durability, and its effectiveness 1.4. Confidentiality 1. Chapter two: Need to Protect IP in the software and the automobile industry 2.1.1. Secrecy and confidentiality 2.1.2. Need to reward the owner for helping develop and advance technology for the benefit of the society 2.1.3. Creating a health business environment in the Market 2.1.4. Public Benefit (duty of the patent owner to make known new and useful technology for the benefit of the public i.e. to work the invention, and not to wrongfully suppress or hide the technology from the public after obtaining a patent from the patent office), Relevant cases Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co.; Pfizer V. Government of India [434 US 308 (1978)]; Remington Products V. North American Philips corporation; Image Technical Services V. Eastman Kodak Co. [504 U.S. 451 (1992)]; Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. v. Michelson case, etc. 3.1. Chapter three: Ways in which the different IP instruments could be implemented and the level of protection provided by each instrument 3.1.1. Patents 3.1.2. Copyrights 3.1.2.1. Database protection 3.1.4. Trademarks 3.1.5. Trade secrets 3.1.6. IC protection 3.1.7. A combination of these 4.1. Chapter four: Business Competition and IP 4.1.1. Instances in which IP has created a healthy competition in the Market 4.1.2. Instances in which IP has created an unhealthy competition in the Market 4.1.3. Manner in which IP has helped to develop technology further 4.1.4. Manner in which IP is acting as a hindrance to the development of technology Case Studies IBM (they currently hold the most number of patents in the US) http://www.ibm.com/ibm/governmentalprograms/ippatent.html#resources; Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/intellectualproperty/default.mspx; Dell 5.1. Chapter five: Problems concerning the Use of IP 5.1. 1 Public Interest 5.1.2. Unhealthy competition 5.2. Ways in which the problems could be solved 6.1. Chapter six: IP Processes in a Company 6.1.1. IP Policy 6.1.2. IP Resources at the Company 6.1.3. Planning and Strategizing 6.1.4. Monitoring and Evaluation 6.1.5. SWOT analysis 6.2. Problems-solving 6.2.1. Infringement Situations or Issues Concerning IP – Sega Enterprises V. Richards; Apple Computers V. Computer Edge, IBcos V. Barclay, Lotus V. Lotus V. Paperback, Lotus V. Borland, Whelan V. Jaslow, Computer Associates V. Altai (1992), John Richardson V. Flanders (1993), Gottschalk V. Benson (1972), Parker V. Flock (1978), in re Abele (1982), Canter Fitzgerald V. Tradition (UK), Lab Corp v Metabolite, in re Walter (1980), in re Freeman (1978), Microsoft Clipboard Application (2006), Arryhythmia Reascarhe V. Corazonix (1992), Re Alapatt (1994), Softman v. Adobe, Koch and Sterzelix-ray apparatus (1988), VICOM Application (1987), Fujistu’s Application (1997), MAI V. Peak Computers, State Bank V. Signature Financial (1998), ATT V. Excell Comm. (1999), Amazon V. Barnes and noble.com (1999), Mark and Spencer V. One in a Million (1998), Tata Tea V. Gem Lifts (D2000-1823), Novell V. CPU, IBM Text processing Appication (1989), Geodynamik device (2002), 7.1. Conclusion 7.1.1. The Future of IP in the software and automobile industry 7.1.2. The unanswered questions -Bibliography References: Calton, J. 2001, â€Å"Dissolving the Digital Dilemma: metatheory and intellectual property†, Human Systems Management, vol. 20, pp. 19-23. Edward Lowe Foundation 2003, How to Gain a Competitive Edge, [Online], Available: http://www.lowe.org/index.elf?page=ssercstoryid=8869function=story, [Accessed: 2007, May 17]. Kurth, A. 2005, Software/Electrical Lawyers, [Online], Available: http://www.andrews-kurth.com/Page.aspx?BD_ID=5555, [Accessed: 2007, May 17]. Maheswari, U. 2002, Implications of Biotechnology on Patents and Food Security, [Online], Available: http://www.altlawforum.org/Resources/lexlib/biotech, [Accessed: 2007, May 17]. NSW 2007, Intellectual Property (IP), [Online], Available: http://www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/smallbusiness/Technology+in+Business/Intellectual+Property/, [Accessed: 2007, May 17]. Ramakrishna, T. 2005, Basic principles and Acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights, NLSIU, Bangalore. Ramakrishna, T. 2005, Information Technology Related Intellectual Property Rights, NLSIU, Bangalore. USPTO 2005, General Information Concerning Patents, [Online], Available: http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/doc/general/novelty, [Accessed: 2007, May 17]. WIPO 2007, What is Intellectual Property?, [Online], Available: http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/index.html, [Accessed: 2007, May 17].

Desulfurization Simulated Gasoil

Desulfurization Simulated Gasoil Desulfurization Simulated Gasoil by Polyoxometalate/H2O2/Ionic Liquid System Arouna Dolo, Yu-Hui Luo, Wen-Wen Ma, Xin-Xin Lu, Yan Xu, Kaiwen Ma, Nah Traorà ©, Hong Zhang Abstract The Keggin-type catalysts (Q)3+nPW12-nVnO40 (n= 1-3) were synthesized by ionic exchange for oil extraction/catalytic oxidation desulfurization (ECODS) of DBT, BT and 4,6-DMDBT. The samples were characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectra analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra analysis. The experimental results indicated that (STA)6PW9V3 exhibits superior catalytic activity and durability with about 99.14% desulfurization rate from the 500 ppm model oil within 1 h at 40 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™, and no obviously decrease in its catalytic performance was observed after five consecutive ECODS recycles with about 98% recovery rate. Therefore, the Keggin-type material is a promising and efficient catalyst for the catalytic oxidation desulfurization of diesel fuel. Keywords: Catalysts, Polyvanadotungstates, Extraction/oxidation desulfurization, Ionic liquid, Keggin-type polyoxometalates 1. Introduction The combustion of hydrocarbon generates gaseous contaminants, such as SOx and NOx species, which lead to environmental hazards, including acid rain, air contamination and ozone consumption [1]. Hydrodesulfurization (HDS), a standard refining technology, is very efficient in removal of thiols, sulfides and disulfides. However, it is less effective when dealing with refractory sulfur compounds such as benzothiophene (BT), dibenzothiophene (DBT) and 4,6-dimethyldibenzothiophene (4,6-DMDBT) [2]. This attracts noteworthy efforts to explore an efficient approach for sulfur removal from oil, including extractive desulfurization (EDS), oxidative desulfurization (ODS), biodesulfurization (BDS) and absorptive desulfurization (ADS) or their combination. Among them, extractive/catalytic oxidative desulfurization (ECODS) has emerged as an intriguing approach due to its superior desulfurization activity, selectivity and stability [3]. Various catalysts, such as commercially available molybdic compound [4], phosphotungstic acid,[5] peroxotungsten complex [6] and polymolybdates [7] have demonstrated good efficiency with ECODS. However, phase-transfer limitation across the interface and lack of adaptive reaction environment in the hydrophobic ILs are the main drawbacks in these systems. The Keggin-type containing-vanadium POMs PMo12-nVnO40(3+n)- and PW12-nVnO40(3+n)− have demonstrated to be an effective and robust catalyst for various oxidation reactions, including ketones, aldehydes, alcohols and sulfur under mild conditions [8, 9]. However, few reports on the catalytic oxidative desulfurization by PW12-nVnO40(3+n)− encapsulated with organic alkyl chains have been reported. In this work, we used Keggin-type containing-vanadium POMs H3+nPW12-nVnO40 (n= 1-3) grafted with a series of alkyl chains, including stearyltrimethylammonium bromide (STA ·Br), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (HDAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br), and dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DDA ·Br) as catalysts, [Bmim]PF6 as extractant solvent in the presence of H2O2 as oxidant for desulfurization. The results show that, among the synthesized catalysts (STA)6PW9V3 exhibited superior activity. Reaction parameters, such as the influence of vanadium structure, oil/catalyst mass ratio and H2O2 dosage on the desulfurization were investigated. From our experiments, it suggests that the higher number of vanadium-substituted to the catalyst results the better catalytic activity. 2. Experimental 2.1. Materials preparation Synthesis of H4PW11VO40 (PW11V), H5PW10V2O40 (PW10V2) and K6PW9V3O40 (PW9V3): PW11V , PW10V2 and PW9V3 were synthesized as reported in the literature [11, 12]. Surfactant-Encapsulated POMs (SEPs) were synthesized via ionic exchange of method of PW12-nVn and surfactants (STAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br, HDAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br and DDAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢B), respectively. PW12-nVn were dissolved in water, whereas surfactants were dissolved in alcohol. The two solutions were mixed, filtered, washed with water and ethanol before drying for 24 h to obtain the final products. All catalysts used in this work were characterized according to the reported literatures. 2.2. ECODS for oil model Synthesis of ionic liquid and model oil: Ionic liquid [Bmim]PF6 was synthesized as mentioned in the literature [10]. The ECODS was conducted via initially mixing model oil with [Bmim]PF6 inside two-necked round-bottomed flask immersed in water bath at various temperature 40, 50 and 60  °C, respectively. The ECODS commenced after addition of H2O2 30 wt. % into the (STA)6PW9V3 under stirring for 3h. Intermediate samples were collected at different reaction times from 10 min to 160 min. The remained sulfur-containing compounds in model oil after the reaction were analyzed by GC. 2.3. Characterization FT-IR spectra were measured on a Mattson Alpha-Centauri spectrometer in the range of 4000-400 cm-1. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed on Perkin-Elmer Thermal Analyzer under nitrogen atmosphere at heating of 5  °C/min till 600  °C. UV absorption was measured with Cary 500 UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer. 3. Results and discussion The ECODS was tested in comparison with other desulfurization systems, such as the extraction, the chemical oxidation and the catalytic oxidation (Table 1). Interestingly, the ECODS system was superior to others desulfurization systems. This is due to the persistence of catalyst with IL and oxidant in the same reaction somehow stimulates legend effect, which stabilizes the oxidant and subsequently enhances activity. In addition, the high oil-model solubility in ionic liquid results in less binding energy of adsorbents on the system, thus contributing to a much higher sulfur removal. Three different surfactants were used to synthesize (Q)6PW9V3, (Q)6PW10V2 and (Q)6PW11V (Q = STAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br, HDAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br and DDAà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â€ž ¢Br) to investigate the influence of surfactant alkyl-chain length on the catalytic performance. As shown in Fig. 1, the efficiency of DBT removal in ECODS are about 99.14%, 95% and 81% by using (STA)6PW9V3, (HDA)6PW9V3 and (DDA)6PW9V3 as catalysts, correspondingly. In contrast, surfactant-encapsulated POMs (Q)5PW10V2 and (Q) are slightly less efficient than (STA)6PW9V3. Fig 2 shows the removal of DBT at 40, 50 and 60  ºC, respectively. The results show that removal of DBT via ECODS increases with temperature rising. After 10 minutes for the ECODS reaction, the DBT removal efficiency was 38.47% at 40  °C, while 80.36% at 60  °C. Also, the DBT removal efficiency became stable for all three temperatures after an hour. These results depict the superior catalytic activity at 60  °C. However, the excessive higher temperature will lead to thermal decomposition of H2O2, thus low desulfurization efficiency [14]. As a result, although the catalytic effect is sluggish at 40  °C, which took around 1 h to remove about 99% of sulfur, it is economically preferred due to low energy cost and higher H2O2 stability. In addition, the durability of (STA)6PW9V3 was investigated on DBT removal for five interval cycles. The results show that, the catalyst keeps around 98 % of its activity after consecutive 5 cycles (Fig S8). Furthermore, the catalyst, (STA)6PW9V3 , reserved all its characteristic peaks without significant shift after the durability test (Fig S9). The ECODS capability of DBT, BT, 4,6-DMDBT were evaluated using (STA)6PW9V3 as catalyst. The achieved desulfurization efficiency were about 99.14%, 91.09% and 71.06% for DBT, 4,6-DMDBT and BT at 40  ºC within 1 h, respectively, as shown in Fig 3. The data reflects the superior ECODS efficiency of DBT compared to 4,6-DMDBT and BT resulting from distinct electron density of BT (5.739), DBT (5.758) and 4,6-DMDBT (5.760) [15]. Thereby, high electron density eases up sulfur removal and vice versa. However, 4,6-DMBT is the exception due to the persistence of two methyl groups in carbon chain, which cause steric hindrance [16]. 4. Conclusion In summary, the Keggin-type organic-inorganic framework catalysts, (Q)6PW11V, (Q)6PW10V2, (Q)6PW9V3 [Q=C18H37N(CH3)3 (STA), C16H42N(CH3)3 (HDA], C12H3N(CH3)3 (DDA)], were synthesized by ionic exchange approach for oil extraction/catalytic oxidation desulfurization. Their desulfurization efficiencies were investigated by varing reactants concentration and reaction parameters. Intriguingly, (STA)6PW9V3 with longer carbon chain and higher V content exhibits superior catalytic activity compared to its counterparts. The ECODS presents better performance compared to others systems. Furthermore, (STA)6PW9V3 exhibits a drastic durability. From the experiment, it maintained catalytic activity with 98% recovery rate after five consecutive ECODS cycles. Acknowledgment We gratefully acknowledge financial support by the NSF of China (21271038, 21071027), the China High-Tech Development 863 Program (2007AA03Z218) and analysis and testing foundation of Northeast Normal University. References [1] R. Martinez-Palou, R. Luque, Applications of ionic liquids in the removal of contaminants from refinery feedstocks: an industrial perspective, Energy Environ. Sci. 7 (2014) 2414-2447. [2] W. Jiang, W. Zhu, Y. Chang, Y. Chao, S. Yin, H. Liu, F. Zhu, H. Li, Ionic liquid extraction and catalytic oxidative desulfurization of fuels using dialkylpiperidinium tetrachloroferrates catalysts, Chem. Eng. J. 250 (2014) 48-54. [3] S. Ribeiro, A.D.S. Barbosa, A.C. Gomes, M. Pillinger, I.S. Gonà §alves, L. Cunha-Silva, S.S. Balula, Catalytic oxidative desulfurization systems based on Keggin phosphotungstate and metal-organic framework MIL-101, Fuel Process. Technol. 116 (2013) 350-357. [4] W. Zhu, H. Li, X. Jiang, Y. Yan, J. Lu, L. He, J. Xia, Commercially available molybdic compound-catalyzed ultra-deep desulfurization of fuels in ionic liquids, Green Chem. 10 (2008) 641-646. [5] H. Li, L. He, J. Lu, W. Zhu, X. Jiang, Y. Wang, Y. Yan, Deep Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuels Catalyzed by Phosphotungstic Acid in Ionic Liquids at Room Temperature, Energy Fuels 23 (2009) 1354-1357. [6] X. Jiang, H. Li, W. Zhu, L. He, H. Shu, J. Lu, Deep desulfurization of fuels catalyzed by surfactant-type decatungstates using H2O2 as oxidant, Fuel 88 (2009) 431-436. [7] L. He, H. Li, W. Zhu, J. Guo, X. Jiang, J. Lu, Y. Yan, Deep Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuels Using Peroxophosphomolybdate Catalysts in Ionic Liquids, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 47 (2008) 6890-6895. [8] W. Guo, Z. Luo, H. Lv, C.L. Hill, Aerobic Oxidation of Formaldehyde Catalyzed by Polyvanadotungstates, ACS Catal. 4 (2014) 1154-1161. [9] Y. Liu, S. Liu, S. Liu, D. Liang, S. Li, Q. Tang, X. Wang, J. Miao, Z. Shi, Z. Zheng, Facile Synthesis of a Nanocrystalline Metal–Organic Framework Impregnated with a Phosphovanadomolybdate and Its Remarkable Catalytic Performance in Ultradeep Oxidative Desulfurization, ChemCatChem 5 (2013) 3086-3091. [10] S. Carda–Broch, A. Berthod, D.W. Armstrong, Solvent properties of the 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid, Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 375 (2003) 191-199. [11] P.J. Domaille, G. Herva, A. Taza, Vanadium(V) Substituted Dodecatungstophosphates, Inorganic Syntheses, New York: John Wiley Sons; 1990, p 96-104. [12] G.A. Tsigdinos, C.J. Hallada, Molybdovanadophosphoric acids and their salts. I. Investigation of methods of preparation and characterization, Inorg. Chem. 7 (1968) 437-441. [13] M. Akimoto, H. Ikeda, A. Okabe, E. Echigoya, 12-Heteropolymolybdates as catalysts for vapor-phase oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutyric acid: 3. Molybdotungstophosphoric and molybdovanadophosphoric acids, J. Catal. 89 (1984) 196-208. [14] D. Fang, Q. Wang, Y. Liu, L. Xia, S. Zang, High-Efficient Oxidation–Extraction Desulfurization Process by Ionic Liquid 1-Butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium Trifluoroacetic Acid, Energy Fuels 28 (2014) 6677-6682. [15] Z. Jiang, H. LÃÅ", Y. Zhang, C. Li, Oxidative Desulfurization of Fuel Oils, Chin. J. Catal. 32 (2011) 707-715. [16] M. Zhang, W. Zhu, S. Xun, H. Li, Q. Gu, Z. Zhao, Q. Wang, Deep oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene with POM-based hybrid materials in ionic liquids, Chem. Eng. J. 220 (2013) 328-336. Highlights A series of Keggin-type catalyst was successfully synthesized; The influence factors for catalytic oxidation desulfurization were discussed in detail; As synthesized catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity and durability. Figure captions Fig. 1 Influence of surfactant alkyl-chain length on the catalytic oxidation of DBT. Reaction conditions: 5 mL model oil (S content = 500 ppm); time = 1 h; T = 40  °C; H2O2 = 64  µL, [Bmim]PF6 = 1 mL. Fig. 2 Influence of temperature on the removal of DBT. Reaction conditions: 5 mL model oil (S content = 500 ppm); (STA)6PW9V3 = 3.5 mg; time=3 h; H2O2 = 64  µL, [Bmim]PF6 = 1 mL. Fig. 3 Influence of different sulfur-containing compounds. Reaction conditions: 5 mL model oil; S content (BT, DBT and 4,6-DMDBT was 250, 500 and 250 ppm respectively); (STA)6PW9V3 = 3.5 mg; time = 3 h; T = 40  °C; H2O2 = 64  µL; [Bmim]PF6 = 1mL. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Tables Table 1 Influence of different desulfurization systems on removal of DBT Reaction conditions: 5 mL model oil (S content=500 ppm); t=1 h; T =40  °C; H2O2= 64  µL, catalyst = 3.5 mg, [Bmim]PF6=1 mL 1

Indias Economy and Infrastructure :: India Economy

India's Economy and Infrastructure OVERVIEW India is rich in natural resources and manpower and has made significant economic progress since attaining independence in 1947. India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, forestry, fishing, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. Economy transformed from primarily agriculture, forestry, fishing, and textile manufacturing in 1947 to major heavy industry, transportation, and telecommunications industries by late 1970s. Central government planning in 1950 through late 1970s giving way to economic reforms and more private-sector initiatives in 1980s and 1990s. A sophisticated industrial base has been created and a large pool of skilled manpower has emerged. Nevertheless, 67% of India's labor force (nearly 400 million) works in agriculture, which contributes 30% of the country's GDP. Production, trade, and investment reforms since 1991 have provided new opportunities for Indian businesspersons and an estimated 300 million middle class consumers. New Delhi has avoided debt rescheduling, attracted foreign investment, and revived confidence in India's economic prospects since 1991. Many of the country's fundamentals - including savings rates (26% of GDP) and reserves (now about $24 billion) - are healthy. Inflation eased to 7% in 1997, and interest rates dropped to between 10% and 13%. Even so, the Indian Government needs to restore the early momentum of reform, especially by continuing reductions in the extensive remaining government regulations. Moreover, economic policy changes have not yet significantly increased jobs or reduced the risk that international financial strains will reemerge within the next few years. Nearly 40% of the Indian population remains too poor to afford an adequate diet. India's exports, currency, and foreign institutional investment were affected by the East Asian crisis in late 1997 and early 1998, but capital account controls, a low ratio of short-term debt to reserves, and enhanced supervision of the financial sector helped insulate it from near term balance-of-payments problems. Export growth, has been slipping in 1996-97, averaging only about 4% to 5%Ââ€"a large drop from the more than 20% increases it was experiencing over the prior three yearsÂâ€"mainly because of the fall in Asian currencies relative to the rupee. Energy, telecommunications, and transportation shortages and the legacy of inefficient factories constrain industrial growth, which expanded only 6.7% in 1997Ââ€"down from more than 11% in 1996. Growth of the agricultural sector is still fairly slow rebounding to only 5.7% in 1997 from a fall of 0.1% in 1996. Agricultural investment has slowed, while costly subsidies on fertilizer, food distribution, and rural electricity remain .

Analysis of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Essay -- Ted Conover Prisons S

Analysis of Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing Unable to get official permission to interview and write about correctional officers, Ted Conover, author of the book Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing, â€Å"got in" by applying for a correctional officer position. After training, he and his fellow rookies, known as "newjacks," were randomly assigned to Sing Sing, one of the country's most famous -- and infamous -- prisons. Sing Sing, a maximum-security male prison, was built in 1828 by prisoners themselves, kept at their task by frequent use of the whip. Today, the chaos, the backbiting, the rundown building and equipment, the disrespect and the relentless stress that Conover experienced in his year at Sing Sing show, quite well, how the increase of prisons in the U.S. brutalizes more than just the prisoners. Some of the individuals in Conover's entering "class" of corrections trainees had always wanted to work in law enforcement. Others were ex-military, looking for a civilian job that they thought would reward structure and discipline. But most came looking for a steady job with good benefits. To get it, they were desperate enough to commute hours each way, or even to live apart from their families during the work week. Their job consists of long days locking and unlocking cells, moving prisoners to and from various locations while the prisoners beg, hassle and abuse them. Sometimes, the prisoners' requests are simple, but against the rules: an extra shower, some contraband cigarettes. Other times, they are appropriate, but unbelievably complicated: it can take months to get information about property lost in the transfer from one prison to another. Meanwhile, the orders officers give are ignored. Discipline -- even among the officers themselves -- is non-existent. And with the money and benefits of this "good" job come nightmares and family stress, daily uncertainty about one's job and duties, and pent-up frustration that, every so often, explodes in violence -- instigated by staff as w ell as by prisoners. The picture this book paints would no doubt bother corrections professionals in prisons where prisoner-staff relationships and officer solidarity are more developed. In training, Conover is told that "the most important thing you can learn here is to communicate with inmates." And the Sing Sing staff who enjoy the most success and fulfillment i... ...ing of their feeling about Sing Sing. After reading Newjack, I clearly appreciate the difficulty, the chaos and the stress of an officers' job. I am less sure how they manage to do it, and I wonder at what cost to their sense of self it has on them. By contrast, with a few well-chosen stories, Conover humanizes individual prisoners: one who has lines from Anne Frank's diary tattooed on his back; a prisoner on the serving line who tries to sneak extra food to his friends; a young, emotionally needy prisoner grasping for attention from anyone, even an officer. As a result, the prisoners are often drawn â€Å"with more humanity† than the staff. I feel that this book gives a rough, inspiring and passionate warning that the rush to imprison offenders hurts the guards as well as the guarded. Conover reminds us that when we treat prisoners like the garbage of society, we are bound to treat prison staff as garbage men -- best out of sight, their own dirt surpassed only by the dirt they handle. Conover says in one part of his book, â€Å"Eventually admitting that being in a position of power and danger brings out a side of myself I don’t like.† I feel both prisoners and officers deserve better.

My Self Improvement Project: Time Management Essays -- time management

I write this clear and concise reflection to identify and evaluate an academic problem that I feel is negatively impacting my studies which is time management; otherwise, I find lot of difficulty to manage my time. This problem influences my academic and personal life because I cannot manage my time correctly in order to be successful. Firstly I am not organized and I don’t have any plan to set and apply. This shows clearly the difficulty of my critical situation. I became to feel anxious and nervous all the time and also it affects on my grade. According to this I must change the way I deal with my time by changing the methodology and follow other time management strategies. The reality that I never have manage my time and now I regret deeply that I don’t have any schedule to follow then I realize that managing time is necessary and very important. I find myself rushing at the last minute to complete my assignments and do my homework without being ready to do them physically and morally. I also find my self forgetting what I have to do , missing deadlines, putting some unrealistic goals, worrying about an exam if I don’t prepare for it. I often waste my energy on less important tasks; consequently, I fail to complete successfully the more important ones. I sleep very late then I don’t have enough hours to sleep ,so I cant wake up freshly ,therefore I come not following normally my courses, concentrating ,and focusing on my works. I am easily distracted by my gadgets and other external tendencies. I face some anxiety and health problems. I feel embarrassed and stressed because I don’t have time to accomplish my goals, because I have a great part of time in my leisure time; take for instance, I spend lot of time talking on... ...nize my targets by classify them by the authority, then succeed and be successful. The strategies that I used and the strategies that I have implement to reduce are efficient. But the most effective are create week schedule and plan my work each day because in this two strategies I can make adjustment at the weekend because as we know the weekend is the largest block of spare time, it may be helpful to complete tasks that take longer than planned and I also use the daily activity table with column of tasks prioritizing. The least effective strategies are testing my work each fifteen days and adjusting my plans each day. After I achieve in reducing this academic problem, I still also have some academic problems but not with the same difficulty; take for instance, procrastination. But I think in managing my time effectively I will not be procrastinator anymore.

Corporate Structure of Yamaha

October 28, 2010 Message from the President Management Emphasis on CSR Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy Group-wide Quality Management System Corporate Governan Compliance Group-wide Quality Assurance Structure Quality Management System Quality Risk Management Quality Improvement Measures Stronger Customer Support System Improving Convenience by Standardizing Customer Helpdesks Policies for Retained Earnings and Returns to Shareholders Proactive Investor Relations Efforts to Promote Understanding of the Company Inclusion in Socially Responsible Investment IndexesInitiatives for Employees Basic Policy on Hiring and Employment Job-Tailored Training and Education Systematic Transmission of Skills Initiatives for a Better Work-Life Balance Assisting Women's Careers Measures to Prevent Harassment Occupational Health and Safety Policy Administration Initiatives for Business Partners Fair Evaluation and Selection in Partner Relationships Survey of CSR Measures of Business Partners Contrib uting to Society Through Sound and MusicSupport for Aspiring Young Musicians Hamamatsu Jazz Week Reaching Out to Schools with Lessons on the Science of Sound Environmental Management Environmental Management Promotion Structure Material Balance Goals and Achievements Environmental Accounting Management of Chemical Substances Management of Chemical Substances and Reduction of Emissions Environmental Accounting (Environmental Accounting)Yamaha Group (Environmental Accounting)Resort Facilities (Environmental Accounting)Group Manufacturing Companies Located OverseasContributing to Local Communities Donations in Response to the Sumatra Earthquake Yamaha Kakegawa Grand Piano Factory Restarts Factory Tours Third Round of Tree-PlantingShizuoka Contribution Activities at a Local Train Station Handmade Guitar Workshop in Cooperation with College Student Accepting Students for On-theJob Contributing to Training for Junior High School Teachers Joining to Support the Society to Send Instruments to Developing Countries Global Warming Countermeasures Global Warming Countermeasures Initiatives at OfficesManagement of Water Resources Effective Use and Conservation of Water Resources Waste Management Waste Reduction and Resource Recycling Environmentally Friendly Products and Services Environmentally Friendly Products Conserving Wood Resources Environmental Communication Environmental Risk Management Environmental Education and Training Environmental Data (Environmental Data)Yamaha Group(1) (Environmental Data)Yamaha Group(2) (Environmental Data)Resort Facilities (Environmental Data)Group Manufacturing Companies Located Overseas Environmental Data by Site Environmental Data by Site)(1) (Environmental Data by Site)(2) (Environmental Data by Site)Resort Facilities (Environmental Data by Site)Sales Offices,Overseas Contributing to Social Welfare Proceeds from Musical Charities Support Children Marathon Fundraising in Support of Measures to Combat Childhood Disease ISO 14001-Certif ied Sites History of Environmental Initiatives Management Emphasis on CSR Message from the President Management Emphasis on CSR Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy Group-wide Quality Management System Corporate Governance Compliance Message from the PresidentYamaha Group CSR Through business activities founded on sound and music, the Yamaha Group strives to achieve its corporate objective of â€Å"Creating ‘Kando*' Together. † Yamaha Group’s philosophy of management is customer-oriented and quality-conscious, transparent and sound, values people and is in harmony with society, and we work to fulfill this philosophy in our activities. We consider corporate activities in alignment with this philosophy to be CSR-oriented management. In February 2010, we established the Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy, a summary of the Group’s approach to CSR.Based on this policy, we intend to work as a whole to further promote CSR activities. *'Kando' (is a Japanese word that) signifies an inspired state of mind. In April 2010, we launched our new medium-term management plan, â€Å"Yamaha Management Plan 125† (YMP125), under which we will aim to create the foundations for future growth in the lead up to Yamaha's 125th anniversary in 2013. We also established a vision for what Yamaha should be: a trusted and admired brand, with operations centered on sound and music, and an achiever of growth through both products and services.Promoting CSR-oriented management is a crucial component of our effort to be a trusted and admired brand. CSR-oriented management as practiced by the Yamaha Group is distinguished by the fact that we contribute to the development of musical culture and the enrichment of society through our business activities themselves, not as an afterthought. By making the most of Yamaha’s strengths to provide products and services that satisfy all customers who love music, we can contribute to the development of musical culture s and enrich lives worldwide.In tandem, as the Yamaha Group develops operations on a global scale, we believe it is vital to do our part to address the issues faced by local communities, as well as worldwide concerns such as global warming and biodiversity. The Yamaha Group will continue promoting efforts to address social problems in a variety of ways, focusing on those activities best suited to the particular nature of our businesses. We will make efforts to support cultural and educational development in each region, use raw materials more efficiently, and reduce the environmental impact of our development and production activities.We will also support forest revitalization as a company that utilizes wood materials to manufacture its products. 2010 CSR Report This fiscal year, our CSR Report includes features an effective utilization of wood materials and tree-planting, representing Yamaha's relationship to trees in our quest to achieve a sustainable society. We also offer exampl es of social contribution through sound and music, contributions to local communities, and environmental conservation initiatives, among others.The policies and systems underlying these activities, as well as environmental data and other basic information, can be found in the digital version of the report available on Yamaha’s corporate website. We welcome any opinions or suggestions you may have. September 2010 President and Representative Director, Yamaha Corporation Management Emphasis on CSR The Yamaha Group seeks to implement our corporate philosophy, pursue sustainable business, leverage our core technologies and assets and deepen communication with all stakeholders. Constantly creating ‘Kando*' and enriching culture—that is the Yamaha Group's CSR. ‘Kando' (is a Japanese word that) signifies an inspired state of mind. Yamaha Corporation Group CSR Policy – Our Aim is â€Å"Creating ‘Kando' Together† The objective of the Yamaha Corpo ration Group is to continue to createâ€Å"Kando*† and enrich culture with technology and passion born of sound and music, together with people all over the world. Based on this Corporate Objective, Yamaha conducts its CSR activities according to the following guidelines to further strengthen the bonds of trust with its stakeholders through its corporate activities and contribute to the sustainable development of society. . Yamaha provides support to people who want to perform music and people who want to enjoy it by contributing to the popularization and development of music and musical culture. 2. Yamaha works to maintain a healthy global environment by understanding the significance of protecting the natural environment, maintaining biodiversity, and reducing the burden on the environment, as well as promoting the proper use of wood resources, and cooperating with forest protection activities. . As a â€Å"corporate citizen† that is a member of society, Yamaha contr ibutes to creating a better society by actively participating in many kinds of activities that further the development of the community and culture. 4. Yamaha complies with laws and high ethical standards, works to create an environment in which its personnel can draw fully on their sensitivities and creativity, and aims to build a corporate culture that will enable it to offer better products and services. 5.For its shareholders, who support its corporate activities financially, Yamaha aims for a high degree of transparency by disclosing management information and engaging in active and sustained communication. For its business partners, Yamaha conducts transactions fairly and transparently, endeavors to deepen mutual understanding, and works to build strong relationships of trust. (Established in February 2010) Corporate Governance Yamaha seeks not only to pursue efficient management and to ensure global competitiveness and a high level of profitability, but also to fulfill its so cial responsibility through fair and sustainable management.In keeping with its corporate philosophy, Yamaha is working to develop an organizational structure and mechanisms for management that will form the basis for transparent and high quality corporate governance. Creating a Management Structure Through the Board of Directors and Executive Officers As of June 25, 2010, Yamaha has five directors, including two outside directors. In order to accelerate decision-making by the Board of Directors and enhance supervisory functions, in fiscal 2011 we have decreased the number of directors serving concurrently as executive officers by four, and added one outside director.Outside directors also act as members of the Corporate Governance Committees and serve to ensure transparency of management decision-making. The Board convenes once monthly in principle, and is responsible for the Group's management functions, including proposing Group strategy and the monitoring and directing of busine ss execution carried out by the divisions. In order to clarify responsibilities, directors are appointed for a term of one year. Yamaha also employs an executive officer system, with the purpose of strengthening consolidated Group management and business execution functions by divisions.As of June 25, 2010, the executive officer system comprises 16 executive officers, including two managing executive officers, who are allocated to business or administrative divisions dealing with important management issues. The executive officers support the President, the chief officer in charge of business execution. Managing executive officers, who serve concurrently as Company directors, are assigned to oversee the operation of businesses and administrative divisions, in accordance with the importance of these responsibilities.In addition, five senior executive officers oversee the entire Company organization. As group managers, they are responsible for the performance of key divisions within t he Company, and manage and direct in a manner appropriate for bringing the functions of each group to the fore. An Audit System to Ensure Fair and Transparent Business Practices Yamaha is a company with a Board of Auditors as defined under Japanese law, and has worked to enhance governance functions by introducing an executive officer system, as well as by setting up Corporate Governance Committees and an internal control system.These actions, in conjunction with consistent audits conducted by the Company's system of fulltime auditors, combine to raise the effectiveness of governance. As of June 25, 2010, Yamaha has four auditors, including two outside auditors. In principle, the Board of Auditors convenes once monthly. Based on audit plans, auditors periodically perform comprehensive audits of all divisions and Group companies, and participate in Board of Directors' meetings and other important meetings such as management councils.Yamaha has also established a Corporate Auditors' O ffice (with one staff member as of June 25, 2010) as a dedicated staff for the auditors, to ensure an environment conducive for performing effective audits. With respect to accounting audits, the suitability of such audits is determined based on periodic progress reports from the accounting auditors of their audits of the Company's financial statements. The Internal Auditing Division (10 staff members as of June 25, 2010) is under the direct control of the President and Representative Director.Its role is to closely examine and evaluate systems pertaining to management and operations, as well as operational execution, for all management activities undertaken by the Company and Group companies from the perspective of legal compliance and rationality. The evaluation results are then used to provide information for the formulation of suggestions and proposals for rationalization and improvement. In parallel, Yamaha strives to boost audit efficiency by encouraging close contact and coor dination among the corporate auditors and the accounting auditors. ;;Click to enlargeRegistration of Independent Officers Yamaha has registered outside director Haruo Kitamura and outsideauditor Kunio Miura as independent officers in accordance with the stipulations of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Fiscal 2009 Activities by Outside Director and Outside Corporate Auditors Outside director Takashi Kajikawa attended 13 of the 14 meetings of the Board of Directors held in fiscal 2009. Utilizing his ample experience and considerable insight as a representative director of a publicly owned company, he made necessary statements as appropriate during the consideration of meeting agenda items.Outside corporate auditor Kunio Miura attended 12 of the 14 meetings of the Board of Directors held in fiscal 2009. He also attended 12 of the 15 Board of Auditors' meetings, and made statements mainly from his specialist standpoint as an attorney. Outside corporate auditor Yasuharu Terai attended all 14 of the meetings of the Board of Directors held in fiscal 2009. He also attended all 15 Board of Auditors' meetings, making statements based primarily on his experience and insight as a management executive. Outside corporate auditor Haruo Kitamura attended 10 of the 11 meetings of the Board of Directors held after his appointment.He also attended all 10 of the Board of Auditors' meetings held during his term, and made statements based primarily on his experience and insight as a chartered accountant. Support System for Outside Directors and Outside Corporate Auditors For agenda items at meetings of the Board of Directors and the Board of Auditors to be attended by outside directors and corporate auditors, full-time staff members send documents and other materials to the outside directors and corporate auditors prior to the meeting and provide explanations as necessary to enable them to perform a complete preliminary study.When necessary, outside directors are also individually provide d explanations regarding proposals and reports to be submitted to the Board of Directors. As for outside corporate auditors, with regard to other material matters, the Company strives at all times to maintain an effective auditing environment, including by providing information, supplying materials, listening to opinions, and supporting research and data collection. Fundamental Concept of the Internal Control SystemYamaha has established an internal control system pursuant to Japan's Company Law and the Enforcement Regulations of the Company Law. Along with pursuit of the optimal corporate governance for enhancing both corporate value and the Yamaha brand, the Company endeavors to qualitatively enhance the internal control system, in recognition that doing so will improve the efficiency of business activities, increase the trustworthiness of Yamaha's accounting and financial data, and lead to stronger compliance, asset soundness, and risk management capabilities.The Yamaha Group has defined an internal control policy as a specific measure pertaining to the Group-wide internal control system. In line with this policy, the Company is standardizing the rules in place at its subsidiaries, and implementing Company-wide monitoring liaison committees in connection with the internal control system operated by corporate staff divisions, with the goal of making monitoring activities more comprehensive. Business Continuity Plan (BCP)From fiscal 2008, Yamaha has embarked on the development of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP), designed to enable it to quickly resume operations in the event of an earthquake in Japan's Tokai region or other major natural disasters that could cause damage to its structures or facilities. Yamaha has formulated its BCP Guidelines as a fundamental Company-wide policy in this regard. In April 2009, Yamaha established and initiated activities by the Corporate Committee, chaired by the President and Representative Director.In June 2010 the Risk Man agement Committee began activities at all operational sites and at Group companies, while putting the necessary systems and countermeasures in place to respond to new flu strains and various other risks. Compliance The Yamaha Group aims to achieve a high level of compliance management not only by conforming with laws and regulations, but also through adherence to social norms and corporate ethics. Compliance Oriented ManagementYamaha began conducting compliance activities in Japan in 2003 with the establishment of the Compliance Committee and the formulation of the Compliance Code of Conduct. Revisions were made to the Compliance Code of Conduct in fiscal 2006, including additions regarding the prohibition of forced and child labor, and other information essential for Group Companies with overseas business interests in order to contribute to the establishment of a structure suitable for global business development.In April 2008 we enhanced this structure to incorporate unified princ iples and guidelines for the entire Yamaha Group, including completion of codes of conduct that reflect the various local laws and regulations governing overseas Group companies. In fiscal 2009, we pushed compliance forward with the slogan â€Å"Compliance and Communication: Creating a Corporate Culture of Doing the Right Thing in High Spirits. † In June 2010, we reorganized the companywide Governance Committees and the compliance activities are now steered by the newly set-up Risk Management Committee through its CSR and Compliance Subcommittee.For details on Compliance Initiatives, see: http://www. yamaha. co. jp/about/corporate/compliance/ (Japanese only) Fiscal 2009 Compliance Measures Compliance and communication: Creating an environment where employees can do the right thing, transparently and correctly The results of the Fourth Compliance Survey conducted in fiscal 2008 showed the need to fostering a healthy organizational culture and promote communication. Based on th is recognition, from fiscal 2009, Yamaha has been conducting compliance promotion activities based on the keywords above.Feedback was provided to various divisions and Group companies on the aspects of their organizational culture and compliance issues that came to light during the fiscal 2008 survey. The Compliance Committee (Secretariat) subsequently conducted follow-up interviews with the responsible managers, in order to reconfirm the features of the organizational culture and promote the resolution of individual issues. Starting with a lecture in Compliance Promotion Month (October), Yamaha has implemented the following initiatives to promote communication in the workplace. (1) 4th Compliance Seminar (lecture)In addition to the 345 participants who attended the original lecture, a DVD recording of the lecture was screened at all workplaces, allowing a total of around 2,000 employees, mainly managers and executives, to benefit from the seminar. (2) Promoting Compliance e-Learnin g for All Managers and Executives This e-learning program incorporates the concept of â€Å"assertion† as it encourages participants to think about ways of communication when faced with compliance issues. A total of 1,247 people took part in this training between November 2009 and June 2010 (96. 1% completion rate). (3) Group Compliance MeetingsApproximately 70 responsible managers and others in charge of compliance at key divisions and domestic Group companies participated in the Compliance Meeting to share understanding of and information about compliance promotion activities. Participants both reviewed initiatives to date and were requested to provide training for all employees at their places of work. (4) Transparent and Correct Compliance Meetings (Training for all employees) The committee secretariat provided training tools, including presentation materials, for this training, which had been held 224 times as of April 2010, training a total of 3,340 employees.The secret ariat is providing individual support for all workplaces that have yet to hold the training, and working to ensure that all workplaces implement it successfully. ?Yamaha Music (Russia) LLC established in 2007) formulates a compliance code of conduct ? Conducted compliance survey (self-administered progress check) at overseas subsidiaries Overseas Initiatives Compliance Help Line (April 2009 to March 2010) A total of 43 communications were received throughout the year, 8 fewer than in the previous year. Of these, 37% were reports, and three came from overseas subsidiaries (one from Indonesia and two from Russia).There have been 344 communications over the past 7 years. With Our Customers Group-wide Quality Assurance Structure Quality Management System Quality Risk Management Quality Improvement Measures Stronger Customer Support System Improving Convenience by Standardizing Customer Helpdesks Quality Management System The Yamaha Group considers customer satisfaction to be its top pri ority, and has put in place a Company-wide quality management system to ensure the production of high quality products that meet the high expectations of our customers.Under the Company-wide quality management system, quality policies and targets and important quality-related measures are deliberated by the Quality Committee, and then issued from the president to the operating divisions. Each business division is responsible for the quality of its own products and establishes its own divisional targets in line with the quality policies and objectives set by the president. Each business division follows ISO 9001 international standards for quality management systems and conducts activities designed to achieve quality targets.The Quality Assurance Division, established in April 2010, audits whether the quality assurance systems of each operating division and the quality of their products meet the standard to which Yamaha aspires. The results of these audits are taken into account in i mproving the Company-wide quality management system. The Quality Management Representatives conference comprises people in charge of quality management for the operating divisions and works to disseminate Company-wide quality policies, targets and important quality-related measures.The conference also conducts joint research with the operating divisions on improvement case studies. In January 2010, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the Company-wide quality management system, the Yamaha Group established Product Quality Guidelines, which stipulate the level of quality which all Yamaha products should meet. ;;Click to enlarge Acquiring ISO 9001 Certification As of March 31, 2010, the Yamaha Group had acquired certification under the ISO9001 international standards for quality management systems at 25 business divisions, covering approximately 63% of the workforce on a consolidated basis.Quality Risk Management Measures to Prevent Product – Safety Issues The Yamaha Group takes precautions during the development, design, and production stages to prevent any product safety issues. Development and design divisions have also tightened their design reviews concerning product safety while production divisions have introduced measures to strengthen FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) during production processes. The Yamaha Group has put in place a system that enables faster responses to ensure the safety of customers.For example, a product safety information database has been developed. In the event of a product safety issue in the marketplace, this database allows employees receiving information on a safety problem to report it immediately to the applicable department and the head of the Quality Assurance Division, who convenes an Emergency Action Committee Meeting*. The committee then advances instructions on necessary inspections and corrective measures, decides a proper response with respect to customers, and notifies top management of the situati on.In fiscal 2009, we decided to directly notify customers and repair free of charge possible defects in one product that could have potentially resulted in injury to customers, filing a recall report with Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. * Emergency Action Committee Meeting: A meeting attended by representatives from relevant production and sales divisions, the Service, Legal, and Public Relations Divisions, as well as from any other division named by the head of the Quality Assurance Division.Conformance with Product Regulations and Standards Worldwide Yamaha has developed a structure for full compliance with regulations and standards worldwide pertaining to product quality and safety, and environmental protection. Under this structure, the Company is able to collect information on regulations and standards in each country and to respond quickly to these regulations or issues that may arise.In addition, to monitor the status of legal compliance while developing pro ducts that conform to standards, Yamaha Corporation's headquarters includes a quality evaluation facility equipped with an array of measuring, analytical, and evaluation devices, including state-of-the-art electromagnetic wave-measuring facilities. Anechoic chamber used for electromagnetic wave measurement Quality Improvement Measures The Yamaha Group strives to ensure product safety and improve quality. At the same time, the Yamaha Group works to strengthen quality management training, while pursuing quality, ease of use and convenience in order to satisfy customers.Quality Management Training To develop quality human resources, Yamaha's personnel training system contains expert training related to â€Å"quality assurance,† as well as training tailored to individual job positions. The goal of this system is to raise awareness and enhance skills with respect to quality management. In fiscal 2009, approximately 150 people took courses offered in various areas, including Qualit y Engineering and FMEA/FTA*1. Furthermore, the Yamaha Group revised its training program in order toward enhance the training system geared to enhancing safety and environmental awareness and skills. 1 FMEA:Failure Mode and Effect Analysis FTA:Fault Tree Analysis Methods of systematically analyzing potential malfunctions and defects in products and other items Measures to Improve Usability The Yamaha Group always makes an effort to develop products from the customer's perspective. For example, employees act as product testers, and the results of their tests are reflected into product specifications. In this and other ways, Yamaha is working to improve usability. Piano Division, Yamaha CorporationYamaha's Piano Division is developing new types of pianos that incorporate digital technologies into a traditional piano. Examples include the Disklavierâ„ ¢ E3 player piano released in 2009, as well as silent pianos and hybrid pianos. The Disklavier in particular actively incorporates ne w functions such as Internet connection and simultaneous video recording and playback, offering users a multitude of ways to enjoy the product. The most important question for any product, however, is whether such functions are easy for customers to use and operate.The Piano Division is conducting usability tests*2, with the aim of making the Disklavier a more approachable and user-friendly product. These tests involve not only the product development division, but also sales divisions and the Quality Assurance Division. Sharing issues with each other facilitates a rapid response to any problems by the relevant division. For usability tests, the division creates a situation in which testers can try all the functions included in the Disklavier. Test subjects operate the products or prototypes in a special testing room.Representatives from the various divisions watch the test subjects from a separate room, taking notes. Observers pay particular attention to details such as hand moveme nts, which are recorded on video, and following the test they analyze and verify the results. This type of testing identifies unanticipated problems and allows the relevant divisions to modify specifications in order to enable more user-friendly, natural operation by customers. *2 Usability tests: In-house tests to confirm product usability have employees operate the product on a trial basis.Improving Convenience by Standardizing Customer Helpdesks Customer Support Department, Domestic Sales & Marketing Division, Yamaha Corporation The Yamaha Group has numerous business divisions, and has taken steps to put a robust support structure in place. Among other actions, in April 2008, the Group reorganized the Customer Support Department within the Domestic Sales & Marketing Division, coupled with the opening of a Customer Communication Center, as a means of integrating product-specific helpdesks in an effort to improve customer convenience.Moreover, in fiscal 2008, we took steps to impro ve our support structure, building a unified nationwide support system by clarifying helpdesk names and installing a standardized phone system using navi-dial,*1 among other means. For customers, these changes have resulted in more intuitive helpdesks for each product, and enabled a smoother customer service response. In fiscal 2009, we overhauled our phone management system by transitioning to a cloud model, supervising phone response service levels and strengthening system maintenance.Through these and other initiatives, we are constantly working to improve the system. At the same time, in order to improve the level of service, we have attached numerical values for various aspects of service quality, such as ease of reaching a representative by telephone and the speed of response to e-mail inquiries, and we are managing service based on these indicators. Through steady efforts in operator training and creating databases of the details of customer inquiries, we are continuously str iving to improve the indicators for service quality. 1 â€Å"Phone system using navi-dial†: A phone system that utilizes a â€Å"navi-dial† number, which automatically connects callers to helpdesks at local dialing rates wherever they call from in Japan, resulting in a more efficient provision of guidance and services to customers. >>Click to enlarge Staff field calls at the Customer Communication Center With Our Shareholders Policies for Retained Earnings and Returns to Shareholders Proactive Investor Relations Efforts to Promote Understanding of the Company Inclusion in Socially Responsible Investment Indexes Policies for Retained Earnings and Returns to ShareholdersYamaha Corporation has adopted a basic profit allocation policy linked to the level of consolidated net income in the medium term that provides for increasing return on equity (ROE) by retaining earnings as appropriate for strengthening Yamaha's management position through investments in R, sales capabili ties, capital equipment and facilities, and other areas, while also emphasizing higher shareholder returns to reflect consolidated performance. Specifically, Yamaha endeavors to provide continuous, stable dividends and has set a target consolidated dividend payout ratio of 40%.We also apply information gained from shareholders and investors to the management of our businesses, with the aim of improving corporate and shareholder value always in mind. Personnel responsible for investor relations support management by supplying top management with opinions and suggestions gathered through communication with market participants, institutional investors and shareholders. Proactive Investor Relations Efforts to Promote Understanding of the Company Yamaha Corporation adheres to a disclosure policy that ensures fair and timely disclosure of information to institutional and individual investors around the world.In addition to holding quarterly results conferences for institutional investors in Japan, Yamaha conducts conferences and briefings for individual business segments as well as factory and facility tours on occasion. For institutional investors in other countries, along with making available English translations of all information provided to institutional investors in Japan, we visit investors overseas several times a year to foster mutual understanding through direct communication.For individual shareholders Yamaha runs a special benefit plan designed to encourage more shareholders to become active proponents of Yamaha's products and philosophy. Additionally, we utilize our website to provide corporate information in an easy-tounderstand format, distribute an e-mail magazine with important information, and are stepping up other activities, including Yamaha's active participation in events for individual shareholders. Through these initiatives, we work to enhance communication with investors, and use the results of feedback and other information gained to impro ve investor relations activities and management performance.Inclusion in Socially Responsible Investment Indexes Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) indexes and funds in Japan and other countries evaluate potential investments not only from a financial perspective, but from CSR environmental viewpoints as well. Yamaha Corporation continues to be listed in some of the world's most prominent SRI indexes, including the FTSE4Good Global Index (managed by Britain's FTSE), and the Morningstar Social Responsibility Index (MS-SRI). As one way of measuring financial soundness, each year Yamaha Corporation requests a long-term bond credit assessment from bond ratings agencies.The results are shown below. For the People We Work with Initiatives for Employees Basic Policy on Hiring and Employment Job-Tailored Training and Education Systematic Transmission of Skills Initiatives for a Better Work-Life Balance Assisting Women's Careers Measures to Prevent Harassment Occupational Health and Safet y Policy Administration Initiatives for Business Partners Fair Evaluation and Selection in Partner Relationships Survey of CSR Measures of Business Partners Basic Policy on Hiring and EmploymentThe Yamaha Group observes employment and labors laws in the countries where it does business and conducts appropriate labor management based on labor practices and labor-management relations. We respect human rights in hiring and employment and work to maintain fair hiring practices and provide employment opportunities to a diverse range of people. Utilizing the Senior Partner System Yamaha Corporation instituted an employment extension program in April 2004 called the Senior Partner System that provides willing employees with the opportunity to work beyond age 60, the normal retirement age.There were 195 people working under the system as of the end of March 2010. The system allows us to effectively utilize personnel with a wealth of operational knowledge, skills and experience, and it provi des financial benefits to employees past the normal retirement age. Younger employees also receive instruction and training through the system. We revised the application process and how benefits are structured in fiscal 2008 in order to facilitate more active use of the system. Group companies have also established similar programs in an effort to provide employment to people beyond the normal retirement age.Employing People with Disabilities Yamaha Corporation established a special subsidiary*1 in 1989, Yamaha Ai Works Co. , Ltd, to promote employment for people with disabilities and the development of conducive working conditions. An application was made in fiscal 2008 for Yamaha Business Support Corporation under the Group Application system*2 and the scope was expanded accordingly. *1 Subsidiaries recognized under the Act for Employment Promotion, etc. of Persons with Disabilities. Special subsidiaries must meet certain criteria in connection with the number and ratio of employ ees with disabilities.People with disabilities employed by such subsidiaries are counted as employees of the parent company when calculating its employment ratio. *2 A system under which the parent company of a special subsidiary may treat other related subsidiaries as a single unit when calculating employment ratios, etc. upon approval by the director of the public employment security office. Job-Tailored Training and Education Yamaha believes that creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the employee and the Company inspires motivation.Therefore, the Company works to create a system that is equally focused on education and training and career development. Each training program is tailored to a specific objective in one of the following categories:Strategic Personnel Development, Function-Specific Training,Stratified Training, and SelfDevelopment Education. The Strategic Personnel Development program includes the flagship Yamaha Global Institute, which aims to mold the p ersonnel who will be the backbone of the Company in the future, both in Japan and overseas.Another program designed to cultivate the next generation of core employees is the Yamaha Advanced Skill School, held at production facilities in Japan. The Function-Specific Training program trains employees in core technologies, Monozukuri Education seminars and international awareness. The Stratified Training program, meanwhile, provides training at career turning points, such as when an employee has been promoted or made a manager. Finally, in the Self-Development Education program, Yamaha provides support for employees' self-directed studies, including through the Yamaha Business School, a distance learning-based program.Yamaha also provides employees approaching the age of 50 opportunities and information to help them consider their individual life paths, and offers â€Å"Life Design Seminars† to support their future careers. Going forward, Yamaha will further strengthen its progr ams for providing each employee with the highly specialized job-specific training and education they need to perform at a higher level in fulfilling the Yamaha values of being customer-oriented and qualityconscious. Systematic Transmission of SkillsMany highly skilled employees in manufacturing positions have been reaching the retirement age in recent years. Moreover, over the next several years, around 100 employees a year will be leaving the production floor. Given this state of affairs, Yamaha Corporation has been conducting skill transmission initiatives to ensure that core production skills are faithfully passed down to younger workers. In order to develop a framework for skill transmission and personnel development, in 1996 we first registered the skills possessed by the Company using the Skill Registration System, which was created for that purpose.Registered skills are categorized and prioritized, and the data is used to make lists of essential skills and who possesses them and to design programs for their transmission. The From-To Program was created to aid in the transmission of especially important skills in a very practical way. Under the program skilled veterans pair up with younger workers on a man-to-man basis (sometimes in groups depending on the skill) and provide systematic training in order to pass down their skills. To date, around 150 sets of workers have completed training.Workers in their thirties and forties who received training when the program was initiated are now in the position of conveying their knowledge to younger workers and are doing their best to maintain and pass down their skills. In recent years, more and more employees in their teens and twenties who have only been with the Company for a short time are succeeding our veteran employees, so the program is also helping to foster a younger generation of employees who will support production activities in the years to come.We will continue to promote skill transmission initia tives and develop our personnel with the goal of being a world-leading manufacturer in our core field of sound and music. Initiatives for a Better Work-Life Balance The Yamaha Group considers cooperation between labor and management in achieving a better work-life balance to be fundamental to realizing corporate growth and a fuller life for all employees. Based on this philosophy, Yamaha Corporation has for many years worked on a range of initiatives to shorten total work hours and provide support for both work and family.In order to help employees combine work with caring for a family, Yamaha has made proactive efforts, including the introduction of child care and nursing care leave ahead of statutory requirements. In April 2006 Yamaha established the Work-Life Balance Committee to provide individual employees with support for both work and a fuller life outside of work, and to help them combine the two. Specific measures focused on reducing working hours and implementation and imp rovement of work/family support systems for the variety of circumstances encountered by employees. Basic Policy on Work-Life BalanceIn order to realize both expanded business activities and lifestyles that offer personal fulfillment, we will proactively promote work-life balance that respects a wide range of values and lifestyles. People can use the extra time created by increases in the quality and productivity of work in many different ways, and doing so leads to enhancement of overall quality of life and energize body and mind. This energy can provide the power for new value creation, and serves as a source for a continued good work, enhancement of corporate value, and the realization of a fulfilling life.We will work toward the creation of this type of virtuous cycle at Yamaha. Self-Directed and Highly Productive Work Styles (Reduced working hours) In an effort to prevent overwork, management and labor have jointly established and implemented guidelines for overtime, and encoura ged employees to utilize paid holidays, take special leave, and revise their work styles. We have established structures and conduct ongoing operational checks aimed at reducing the work hours of each employee, and allowing for a self-directed, highly productive work style.In fiscal 2007, we re-introduced a system allowing employees to take their accumulated paid vacation time all at once, which increased the average number of holidays taken by all employees during the year by two days. In fiscal 2008, we added an initiative that mandates at least one â€Å"No Overtime† day per week throughout the entire Company, in an effort to further reduce the number of hours worked. We have continued these efforts, including reducing overtime and holiday working hours, maintaining the â€Å"No Overtime† day, and prohibiting work past 10 p. . , and as a result, the total number of hours worked per employee in fiscal 2009 declined by 64. 4 hours year on year. A Dynamic Organization with Flexible Working Conditions(Building and improving work-life balance support systems responsive to the diverse circumstances of individual employees) In response to the enactment in 2003 of the Act for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation, Yamaha created a three-year action plan starting in fiscal 2005 and submitted it to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.Through consultations with labor, the Company established concrete goals for the three-year period, and began working to achieve its objectives, receiving Ministry recognition of its efforts in 2008. Yamaha also formulated a new five-year plan that began in fiscal 2008, and is working to achieve its objectives. As the first step, during the spring 2008 labor negotiations, management and labor reached an agreement on further expanding systems for a work-life balance.We extended the period of eligibility for shortened work hours for employees with small children, and established a scheme of shorten ed work hours for parents to participate in school events. We also implemented a program of shortened work hours for employees enrolled in adult self-development courses, as well as introduced an employee assistance program (EAP). Yamaha will continue to pursue measures to develop its corporate culture and implement programs responsive to the varied situation of individual employees, promoting the establishment of a friendlier work environment and seeking to create a truly dynamic organization.Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare mark recognizing Yamaha's support for the development of the next generation Principal Measures for Better Work-Life Balance (from fiscal 2005) Fiscal 2005 Revision of programs for childcare leave and shortened work hours for childcare Flexible work hours introduced for employees raising small children. Receipt of the Fiscal 2005 Family Friendly Company Award from the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare The award recognized Yamaha's programs to provide broad support for work and family, and to create a friendlier work environment.Fiscal 2006 Extensive revision to employee benefit programs Lifestyle-related benefits were newly established or revised, providing expanded support to employees struggling with economic burdens arising from childcare, education, disability or nursing care. A wide range of membership-based welfare benefit services were also introduced. Fiscal 2007 Introduction of Company-wide vacation The Company has established a labor agreement stipulating three days per year when all workers take paid vacation, two days more than in the previous fiscal year.Fiscal 2008 Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Recognition for Yamaha's support for the development of the next generation Extension of period of eligibility for shortened work hours for employees with small children Introduction of system for shorter work hours for parents to participate in school events Introduction of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Intro duction of a system for reemployment of spouses of employees on overseas assignment Childcare Leave for Male Employees Development Management Group Production Technology Department Digital Musical Instruments DivisionI took one month of childcare leave when my first child was born in 2007 and when my next was born in 2009. The company has been encouraging male employees to take childcare leave, and I got on board with the idea. I wanted it to be my wife and I who raised our children and did not want to depend on my parents. I also wanted to go on record as taking childcare leave because I believe that an increase in childcare leave for men would make it easier for people raising children to work, for both men and women.Taking this leave time, although shorter than the amount of childcare leave generally taken by women, allowed me to care for my children with my wife and gave me a real understanding of how hard it is, something I only had an abstract understanding of before. I also t hink I was able to partially share in how my wife was feeling, as she had to leave, albeit temporarily, a workplace where she was a key member. More and more male employees at our company are taking childcare leave, and I got the sense when I took time off for my second child that everyone's acceptance had progressed from the time I took the leave time for my first child.I think for future generations, it will be the norm for fathers to take the time to help raise their children like this. Balancing Work and Caring for a Loved One CP Production Management Section CP Business Department Automotive Component Division Yamaha Fine Technologies Co. , Ltd. My mother, who was full of life even in her eighties, was suddenly hospitalized last year and diagnosed with dementia. I currently care for her at home and use a nursing care facility during the day. At first I didn't now what to do at all. For about three months after she returned home from the hospital, I would be awakened in the midd le of the night and had many sleepless nights. I consulted a care manager referred to me by my boss, who had experience with nursing care. That very day, the care manager arranged for a special nursing care bed and wheelchair and gave me instructions on how to apply for longterm care certification. It was at that time that I realized how important it was to have someone you could consult with.After that, I reoriented myself to fully accepting my mother as she is now, and since that time her symptoms have been better. I have been blessed with understanding managers and an accommodating workplace, so I have been able to continue my job while caring for my mother. Of course, I prioritize my job. It is because of my job that I am able to provide nursing care for my mother while also supporting my family. And it is because of my situation that I have come to be attentive to my own health and the health of my family.In our house, my wife takes care of housework and childcare, and I take r esponsibility for caring for my mother. In the morning I wake my mother up and care for her by changing her clothes and feeding her. I then take her to a daytime care facility and head off to work. During the day I have the peace of mind to totally dedicate myself to my job. After returning home, I resume caring for my mother, and in the evening we all try to have dinner together as a family. An hour before going to bed, I make time to talk with my mother.We talk about her day at the care facility, memories from childhood and all sorts of other things. I believe that this is helping her recover. I have found that nursing care goes more smoothly when you don't think too hard on your own and find someone to consult with, and when you don't strain too hard and ease up on things when you can. Assisting Women's Careers The Yamaha Group holds the diversity of its employees in high regard, and aims to be a place where all employees can make the most of their abilities, regardless of their gender, nationality or other factors.Measures implemented in the past have resulted in nearly an equal average number of years of continuous employment for male and female employees at Yamaha Corporation, and the proportion of women returning to work after childcare leave is nearly 100%. Positive Action Projects Establishment of the Diversity Development Department Yamaha Corporation inaugurated the Positive Action Project in May 2004 by inviting employees to apply for a position on the project group.Over the course of a year, the project group examined the situation of women at Yamaha and other companies, held lectures and created an internal website in an effort to create a comfortable working environment and employment system for women. The results of the activities over the course of the year were compiled into a recommended action plan. In order to further accelerate support for women's careers, based on this action plan, in March 2006 Yamaha established the Diversity Planning Department as a dedicated organization within the Human Resources Division.The department is carrying out the following measures aimed at broadening opportunities for women to develop their abilities and play an active role, and creating a more comfortable working environment. Major Measures to Assist Women's Careers Proactive hiring of female employees Increase ratio of female new graduate hires, targeting 30% for the immediate future Securing outstanding human resources through hiring activities that include information about the active roles played by female employees and by creating a more comfortable working environment for women.Actively recruiting and increasing opportunities to develop the abilities of female employees Increasing recruitment of women for managerial positions Planning and implementing various training programs Creating working environments that are comfortable for women Responding to next-generation laws on gender equality in employment, childcare and nursing leave Implementing the Yamaha Action Plans Promoting the operation of a balanced support system and revision and creation of structuresChanging workplace awareness and fostering a corporate culture Providing information through an internal website Conducting educational activities through training, conferences, and pamphlets Promoting efforts in the Yamaha Group Promoting Action Plans to support the careers of women throughout the Yamaha Group The Yamaha Group seeks to create workplaces where every employee can perform to his or her fullest potential. In order to achieve this goal, we will build comfortable workplaces, create more opportunities for both women and men to succeed, and support them in every challenge they take on.Action Statement from the Yamaha Group’s Action Plan to Support Women's Careers Report on Women's Career Support Project Yamaha Travel Service Co. , Ltd. Members and associates of the Women's Career Support Project In April 2009, Yamaha Travel Service Co. , Ltd. launched a Women's Career Support Project. The team, led by and consisting entirely of women, worked on project activities for approximately ten months. The team focused their efforts on learning what kind of awareness women need to have active careers, and what kinds of obstacles they face.First, to get a better understanding of current conditions, the team conducted interviews with all employees. This not only helped to narrow the focus of the project, but also proved effective in generating more lively communication between employees. The team also held in-house lectures, attended seminars outside the company, and visited other companies. These activities enabled them to meet with a wide variety of people both inside and outside the company, and were a great source of inspiration. By February 2010, the team had compiled its final report, proposing new systems and activities.As a result of these proposals, we are now working on concrete steps to implement a program enco uraging employees to take their holiday time, improve the visibility of our employee evaluation system, and other measures. In the fall of 2009, Yamaha Travel Service Co. , Ltd. established a gender equality declaration, which was subsequently registered with Shizuoka Prefecture. Measures to Prevent Harassment The Yamaha Group Compliance Code of Conduct prohibits any language, behavior, or unfair discrimination that could be construed as sexual harassment or other impropriety.In an effort to prevent sexual harassment and other forms of harassment in the workplace, Yamaha has distributed the Code of Conduct to all employees, as well as clarifying and making all employees aware of the consequences for failure to comply with company rules and regulations. We also work to prevent harassment through workplace meetings and management training to better educate employees about the issues involved. We set up a counseling desk and helpline, and respond promptly in working to solve any proble ms that are brought up through these channels.In 2008, we revised our company rules and regulations, altering them to more concisely and unequivocally prohibit sexual and other forms of harassment. These revisions provided an opportunity to embark again on awareness-raising campaigns to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Going forward, we remain committed to establishing a work environment that enables employees to fully utilize their skills, regardless of gender. Occupational Health and Safety Policy Administration Based on its management charter, on September 1, 2009 the Yamaha Group established its Group Health and Safety Management Policy.This policy sets for the Yamaha Group’s basic philosophy regarding health and safety, recognizing that ensuring the health and safety of everyone involved in Yamaha's business activities constitutes the foundation of those activities, that all employees should work together to promote the formation of a healthy, safe, and comfor table working environment, while also maintaining our health and safety management standards with respect to our customers. Health and safety are fundamental conditions for leading a happy and rewarding life.Based on this philosophy, the Yamaha Group has formed an Industrial Safety and Health Committee, headed by the Director in Charge of Industrial Safety and Health, with membership comprising branch managers, area leaders, and the chairs of various subcommittees. This committee is charged with managing occupational health and safety, traffic safety, and activities to promote good health. Striving for Accident-Free Workplaces To ensure employee safety, the Yamaha Group not only has in place safety measures related to machinery and equipment, but also promotes programs to dentify and remove potential causes of accidents. For example, there is a set of routine confirmation motions and statements to ensure that all equipment is prepared properly, and a range of other activities design ed to avoid near-miss incidents. In fiscal 2008–2009, Yamaha Corporation’s headquarters and factories cooperated with specialists and worksite managers in conducting inspections based on the Occupational Health and Safety Work Standards Checklist*1, a tool designed to enhance work safety, making improvements with reference to the actual work being conducted.We also conducted training at each business site to stress the importance of occupational health and safety, targeting relatively inexperienced employees and recent transfers, as well as contracted and temporary employees at Yamaha Corporation. In fiscal 2010, as part of our efforts to reduce work-related risks, we rolled out our Risk Assessment Program*2, positioned it as a key priority for our domestic Group companies, and promoted it along with our other activities in this area. 1 Occupational Health and Safety Work Standards Checklist: A document listing critical points for performing each work procedure more sa fely, as well as the rationale behind each point. Particularly for production sites, this list is in place for every work procedure. *2 Risk Assessment Program: For each work procedure, factors including frequency, potential for injury, and degree of severity are assessed numerically. Activities then focus on reducing risk by making improvements in those areas with the highest numerical score.Ensuring Employee Health Viewing both periodic health checks and special screenings as an opportunity to improve lifestyle habits, ensure greater caution at work, and improve workplace environments and procedures, the Yamaha Group has worked proactively to promote prevention of a number of lifestyle and work-related conditions. In fiscal 2009, for example, we offered individualized health guidance to employees working with organic solvents, using a health interview sheet as part of a special screening.Workplace health training based on workplace ranking data collated from screening results can then be linked to enhancing worker awareness and improving workplace methods and conditions. To protect the health of all of our workers, smokers and non-smokers alike, in 2008 Yamaha Corporation established a resolution introducing a policy that will ban smoking on all Yamaha Corporation property, including the removal of all smoking areas, beginning April 1, 2011.In preparation for this move, in fiscal 2009 we began offering individual quitsmoking support, established smoke-free days once a month, sponsored no-smoking events, began plans to reduce the number of smoking areas, and promoted a variety of other anti-smoking activities. As a result, in ten years the percentage of smokers at Yamaha Corporation factories has fallen from 32. 3% (40. 1% for men) to 19. 7% (23. 1% for men).In fiscal 2010, we will continue this push with weekly smoke-free days, group health education and support for smokers trying to quit, as we work towards achieving a completely smoke-free environment. In addition, we are also initiating measures to prevent workers from smoking outside of the workplace, contributing to the health of not only our employees, but of our customers and the people in our communities. Concerning mental health initiatives, in fiscal 2009 we worked to raise awareness by including a self-assessment and lectures on workplace stress in our employees' regularly scheduled health checkups.We also worked to further enhance mental health care by providing internal training for production-line workers, individual services from our own industrial physician and counselors, a mental health counseling desk staffed by psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, and counseling provided by outside institutions through our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). In addition, we continued our efforts on both a Company-wide and individual business site level to encourage a self-help approach to promoting good health, including the Walk for Health, the Indiaca Tournament, and other eve nts.Fair Evaluation and Selection