Companies In England Research Articles

Liberty, Insolence and Rum: Cape Coast and the American Revolution

In early 1787, as American vessels flooded the Gold Coast with rum and as the French worked to extend their coastal position, the Cape Coast Castle governor Thomas Price, reported that the Fante, England's coastal allies, ‘are too politic a people, and too well acquainted with their own interests, ever to wish to confine their trade to one nation’. Price's summation of the issues affecting Anglo-Fante relations on the late eighteenth-century Gold Coast (modern Ghana) provides the foundation for this article. This article contributes to West African coastal historiography in that it examines the relationship between the Gold Coast and the Atlantic World through the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The article expands upon this foundation by narrowing the focus to one Gold Coast trade/administrative enclave. It examines the enclave during a period of change, the 1770s to the early 1800s that culminated in radical reconstruction of coastal relations. The article utilises the Fetu city of Cape Coast, also the administrative centre for England's Company of Merchants Trading to Africa (hereafter CMTA), to examine the relationship between Atlantic (external) and coastal (internal) factors within an African trade enclave. To accomplish this, it eliminates the dichotomy that exists between exploring general coastal trends within a diverse coastal region. This raises a question concerning the consequence of these general trends upon diverse states, cultures and peoples. Do the general trends affect each group similarly or differently and, if so, why? The focus upon one Gold Coast enclave expands our understanding of the consequences caused by the interaction of Atlantic and coastal factors.

Africa, Asia and Australasia

Books reviewed: Robin Law, The English in West Africa 1685–1688: The Local Correspondence of the Royal African Company of England, 1681–1699 Part 2. Ruth Watson, ‘Civil Disorder is the Disease of Ibadan’: Chieftaincy and Civic Culture in a Yoruba City. A. Adu Boahen, Emmanuel Akyeampong, Nancy Lawler, T. C. McCaskie and Ivor Wilks (eds), ‘The History of Ashanti Kings and the Whole Country Itself’ and Other Writings by Otumfuo, Nana Agyeman Prempeh I. Deryck Schreuder and Jeffrey Butler, Sir Graham Bower's Secret History of the Jameson Raid and the South African Crisis, 1895–1902. Ronald Hyam and Peter Henshaw, The Lion and the Springbok: Britain and South Africa since the Boer War. Justin Willis, Potent Brews: A Social History of Alcohol in East Africa 1850–1999. Paul Dresch, A History of Modern Yemen. Claude Markovits, A History of Modern India, 1480–1950. P. J. Marshall, The Eighteenth Century in Indian History: Evolution or Revolution? Seema Alavi, The Eighteenth Century in India. Milo Kearney, The Indian Ocean in World History. Paul A. Cohen, China Unbound: Evolving Perspectives on the Chinese Past. Philip Huang, Code, Custom and Legal Practice in China. Xiaoqun Xu, Chinese Professionals and the Republican State: The Rise of Professional Associations in Shanghai, 1912–1937. Merle Goldman and Elizabeth Perry (eds), Changing Meanings of Citizenship in Modern China.

Putting action into biodiversity planning: assessing preferences towards funding

Water companies in England and Wales are responsible for the management of large areas of land. This land is under little pressure for development and is often free from the pollutants associated with conventional agriculture and is therefore a potentially valuable resource for biodiversity conservation. The value of this resource will only be realized if sufficient investment is made in the management of the habitats associated with these sites. This paper reports an exploratory case study based on customers of Southern Water which uses a mixture of questionnaire surveys and focus groups to investigate whether or not consumers are willing to pay higher utility bills to fund such management. In particular, it explores the public's willingness to forgo potential bill reductions in order to fund biodiversity conservation and examines how payment instruments could be designed to maximize and maintain the agreement from consumers. Results suggest that customers are willing to forgo a proportion of a potential bill reduction to pay for biodiversity schemes but are not necessarily willing to face a bill increase for the same public good benefits. Participants in the focus groups suggested that schemes could be made more acceptable to customers by ensuring that the outcomes were both visible and local and that their achievements were well publicized. Similarly, administration of the scheme through a trust fund alleviates some of the concerns of consumers while raising several new ones.

Lead ingots from a shipwreck off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India: evidence for overseas trade and their significance

Various types of lead ingots have been reported from a number of shipwrecks from different parts of the world. In 1991 exploration of a wreck off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India, at a depth of 19 m yielded a gun, rudder gudgeon, gunpowder boxes and a variety of lead ingots. The most significant ingots are those marked W: Blackett and D with a crown symbol on the obverse and 1791, 1792 and some merchant marks on the reverse. These are similar to Blackett lead ingots found in England, the Netherlands and Sumatra. Pb-isotopic analysis has revealed their source as the North Pennine lead mines of England. Further, the lead used was of high purity ∼93%. Records show that Blackett was a well-known lead-exporting company in England since 1694. The wreck off Poompuhar may be a Toni type cargo ship carrying traded lead ingots of different manufacturers.

Lead ingots from a shipwreck Off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India: evidence for overseas trade and their significance

Abstract Various types of lead ingots have been reported from a number of shipwrecks from different parts of the world. In 1991 exploration of a wreck off Poompuhar, Tamil Nadu, East Coast of India, at a depth of 19 m yielded a gun, rudder gudgeon, gunpowder boxes and a variety of lead ingots. The most significant ingots are those marked W: Blackett and D with a crown symbol on the obverse and 1791, 1792 and some merchant marks on the reverse. These are similar to Blackett lead ingots found in England, the Netherlands and Sumatra. Pb-isotopic analysis has revealed their source as the North Pennine lead mines of England. Further, the lead used was of high purity ∼93%. Records show that Blackett was a well-known lead-exporting company in England since 1694. The wreck off Poompuhar may be a Toni type cargo ship carrying traded lead ingots of different manufacturers.

CHLORINATION DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS AND ADVERSE BIRTH OUTCOMES

Recent epidemiological studies of the relationship between disinfection by-products (DBPs), from chlorination, in public drinking water supply and adverse birth outcomes, have reported inconsistent and inconclusive findings. We report here on the largest study to date to examine the relationship of total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) and the individual trihalomethanes (THMs) to birth weight and still birth prevalence, between 1993 and 1998, for regions covered by three water companies in England. Initial results from this ongoing study using modelled annual TTHM estimates were found to differ between each of the three water supply areas. There was some evidence of confounding by social deprivation and ethnicity, which was further explored by analysis of information on the lifestyle characteristics of all women of reproductive age in the study regions from National survey data. Here, we report on the next stage of the study using modelled quarterly (3 monthly) estimates of the individual THMs in water zones. We modelled THM measurements using a Bayesian hierarchical mixture model, taking into account heterogeneity in THM levels between water originating from different source types (e.g. ground, lowland surface or upland surface), quarterly variation in THM levels and uncertainty in the true value of undetected and rounded measurements. These modelled estimates were linked using Geographical Information Systems to routine birth and stillbirth records based on location of maternal residence at the time of birth to obtain a weighted third trimester exposure estimate for each birth. Exposure categories were constructed as follows: for chloroform (low ( 40 mg/l), bromodichloromethane (low ( 12 mg/l), dibromoehloromethane (low ( 5 mg/l) and total brominated compounds low ( 12 mg/l) respectively. After exclusion of multiple births and births from water zones without valid THM data, we studied a total of 934,843 live and stillbirths. Exposure-response relationships were explored using multiple logistic regression analysis with weighted third trimester individual THM estimates and adjustment for e.g. gender, maternal age and deprivation. Analysis of the individual THMs, as opposed to TTHMs. is essential to characterise more precisely the effects of complex mixtures of DBPs on the developing foctus, and refine our understanding of this important area of research.

A note on the interregional movement of new companies

This note presents some new data on the extent and nature of the interregional movement of new companies in England and Wales. It shows that Wales is by far the largest gross exporter of new companies, followed by Greater London and Eastern England. Eastern England and the East Midlands have the highest rates of inward migration. Greater London and the North West have the lowest inward migration rates. Wales, Greater London and the North East all have negative net migration rates. Survey work is now required to identify any differences in the characteristics and performance of ‘stayers’ and movers and the factors behind regional differences.

Book Review: The English in West Africa, 1685–1688: The Local Correspondence of the Royal African Company of England 1681–1699, Part 2

Book Review: The English in West Africa, 1685–1688: The Local Correspondence of the Royal African Company of England 1681–1699, Part 2

Earnings Management in Response to a Windfall Tax in the Water and Sewerage Utility Companies in England and Wales

This study examines whether the ten Water and Sewerage group Companies (WaSCs) in England and Wales used accounting accruals to decrease earnings and in turn reduce political costs in response to the Windfall Tax. In particular, this study encompasses a sample period when there was widespread speculation about a potential Windfall Tax and the monopolistic level of utility company profits. Therefore considerable incentives existed for managers to use the accounting discretion available to them to reduce potential political costs. The results show that WaSCs did not use income-decreasing earnings management in response to the Windfall Tax in the year prior to the 1992 or the 1997 General Election. In contrast the evidence obtained in this study suggests that income-increasing accruals were adopted. The results suggest other pressures were more important to these large group plcs than the threat of politically imposed wealth transfers.

FromCentrostoUeberseering: Free Movement of Companies, Private, International Law, and Community

Not many decisions of the Court of Justice have stirred such an intensive academic debate in Germany1as the Court's well-knownCentrosjudgment,2dealing with a Danish couple that had registered a private limited company in England and had then applied to register a branch in Denmark. The Danish authorities refused a registration for the reason that under Danish law a ‘foreign limited company’ which does not transact business in its state of incorporation has to fulfil certain requirements of Danish company law, in particular the paying-up of the minimum capital fixed at DKK 200.000. The competent Danish Court referred the question to the Court of Justice whether the Danish regulation was compatible with Article 52 (now Article 43) ECT in conjunction with Article 58 (now Article 48) ECT.

New Regulations on Directors' Remuneration in Quoted Companies in England

New Regulations on Directors' Remuneration in Quoted Companies in England

ROBIN LAW (ed.): The English in West Africa 1685–1688: the local correspondence of the Royal African Company of England, 1681–1699. Part 2. (Fontes Historiae Africanae, New Series. Sources of African History, 5.) xvi, 468 pp. Oxford: Oxford University Press for The British Academy, 2001. £45.

ROBIN LAW (ed.): The English in West Africa 1685–1688: the local correspondence of the Royal African Company of England, 1681–1699. Part 2. (Fontes Historiae Africanae, New Series. Sources of African History, 5.) xvi, 468 pp. Oxford: Oxford University Press for The British Academy, 2001. £45. - Volume 65 Issue 3

STATCOM: a new era of reactive compensation

The unbundling of the generation and transmission functions in England and Wales into separate shareholder-owned companies has inevitably resulted in far less predictability in terms of generator siting and closure. National Grid, as the sole transmission company in England and Wales, is required to plan and respond quickly to changing system patterns to maintain both security and power quality standards. This has been achieved by an extensive programme of investment in reactive compensation. To supplement the existing fixed static VAr compensators installed in the last 10-15 years, National Grid has, to date, installed a further 12 relocatable SVCs at sites in England and Wales as part of a planned programme of work to meet these changing system needs.

Moving Industry Boundaries: The Multimedia Industry in England and Romania

ABSTRACT The diffusion of the Internet has transformed B2B and B2C relationships, changing industry boundaries. Multimedia companies provide the products and services essential for these new forms of business. This article conceptualises the industry in terms of cottage, craft, creativity and copyright characteristics. Based on empirical data, it compares aspects of multimedia companies in Romania and England, relating to products, skills, employees, future developments and success factors. The findings confirm that notwithstanding differences relating to the respective countries' economic environment, the conceptualisation is supported and multimedia has many of the characteristics of an emerging industry.

Synthesis and properties of nickel borate acylate as a new rubber-steel cord adhesion promoter

The synthetic method of nickel borate acylate (NBA), a kind of rubber-steel cord adhesion promoter (AP), through nickel carbonate, borate and mixed carboxylic acid was studied. The preparation of nickel carbonate could be performed through reaction of nickel sulfate with sodium carbonate in aqueous solution, in which fractional conversion of nickel was more than 99.9%. The mixed nickel carboxylate was prepared by the reaction of nickel carbonate with isooctanoic acid and acetic acid, under strong stirring for 2 h, the mole ratio of these chemicals were 1:1:1.1 respectively, and water should be removed completely by adding of inert organic solvent after reaction was finished so as to avoid hydrolysis of tributyl borate in the second reaction. NBA was synthesized by reaction of mixed nickel carboxylate with tributyl borate under strong stirring at 200–250 °C for 6 h. By detection and comparison with 680C product from Manobond Company of England, the NBA synthesized through isooctanoic acid and tributyl borate was very similar to product 680C in IR data, 300% fixed extension strength, tensile strength, hardness and cure curve, and was slightly lower than those of product 680C in tensile failure extensibility and hot air aging. The experimental results show that the prepared NBA can be used as rubber-steel cord AP.

Environmental Performance Indicators: The Water Industry of England and Wales

AbstractWater companies in England and Wales produce reports using environmental performance indicators which have been developed in‐house. However, there is no recognised methodology for the development of these indicators, and an analysis of available guidance led to the proposal of an appropriate model. This model was tested by semi‐structured interviews of water‐company managers, and a questionnaire was completed by managers from other industries. The responses from the interviews supported the inclusive, quality‐driven approach advocated by the model, and indicated a need to examine (a) the style of management, (b) the staffing structure in water companies, (c) the connection between environmental management systems and indicator development, (d) types of objectives and targets, and (e) the use of indicators as public‐relations tools. The result is a methodology for indicator development which can be applied by managers in industry.

The characteristics and features of corporate environmental performance indicators – a case study of the water industry of England and Wales

AbstractA popular approach to environmental management is to develop a set of environmental performance indicators, which will illustrate progress against targets, inform management and communicate the company's position. Given this wide range of roles for an indicator, it is important to recognize the characteristics and features that make them effective.This paper identifies the characteristics and features of effective environmental performance indicators in a literature review. To test whether indicators were used effectively, content analysis was used to examine the environmental reports of water service companies in England and Wales.The results show that the environmental performance indicators used in the water industry are legislation driven, lack sophistication and are mainly quantitative. The conclusion was that water company indicators must become more sophisticated and less focused on external reporting. They should be directed to measuring environmental impacts and be seen as tools to improve the environmental performance of their company. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Experiences of a small to medium size enterprise in the design and implementation of manufacturing cells

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) have gained competitive advantage by using Just-in-Time, Total Quality Management, and Information Technology. Cellular Manufacturing (CM) has received less attention from SMEs. This paper reports the findings of a case study of the application of Group Technology in an SME. A framework for the design and implementation of Cellular Manufacturing Systems (CMSs) is proposed. The framework is examined and explained in the context of the case study. The first part of the paper examines the nature of CM as well as its strategic value to manufacturing firms. The second part focuses on the design and implementation of CMSs. The third part presents a framework for the design and implementation of CMSs. Finally, a case study conducted at a small company in England is used in demonstrating the application of the framework.

Abnormal Returns in the UK Water Industry Since Privatisation

This paper explores the scale and behaviour of abnormal returns observed in the equity of the 10 Water and Sewerage Companies (WASCs) in England and Wales that were formed at privatisation of the UK water industry in 1989. The paper uses the CAPM and employs techniques of the Kalman Filter to generate estimates of time-variation in both systematic risk (beta) and abnormal returns (alpha) coefficients. It is demonstrated, first, that there is substantial time variation to both risk and abnormal returns; and, second, that there is evidence of political and regulatory impacts upon both risk and returns. The paper also confirms that significant excess returns were generated in the early history of the privatised water industry, although it suggests that these have not been substantial since the early 1990s. It suggests that over-estimation of the systematic risk faced by investors in the sector may imply further excess returns in the next regulatory review period.

DEA and its use in the regulation of water companies

This paper begins with an introduction to the basic principles of data envelopment analysis (DEA). DEA is a linear programming-based method for assessing the productive efficiencies of operating units such as bank branches, sales outlets, schools or individuals. This paper then goes on to describe the use of DEA in the regulatory framework. Regulation, employed to safeguard the public interest, is increasingly playing an major role in Great Britain and other countries in the aftermath of the privatisation of publicly owned companies including utilities which still enjoy a good degree of monopoly power. This paper gives an account of the use of DEA to estimate potential cost savings at water companies in the context of the price review conducted by the regulator of water companies in England and Wales in 1994. It also highlights certain generic issues arising in the use of DEA in the regulatory context. This paper should prove of interest both to those who want to know about DEA as a tool in general and to those interested in efficiency measurement under regulation.