National Westminster Bank Essay Example for Free

National Westminster Bank Essay Q1. Analyse the customer contact process during the account opening procedure. What aspects of the branchs operation impact on each stage? From analysing the branchs operation it is clear to see which parts of the banks operation impacts each stage of the account opening procedure. Firstly the customer arrives into the bank, usually customers go to the cashiers section, they are then referred over to the enquiries counter, where they are greeted by enquiry personnel who find out which of the banks service the customer requires. If the customer wishes to open a new account, a member of the records staff comes to administer the account opening procedure. It is the records staff who deals mostly with new customers. The records staff must to have a good basic knowledge of all the banks operations to be able to advise the new customer which account is best suited for them. They must find out if the customer wishes to invest money or if they wish to avail of the banks credit facilities. The records staff would not have an in depth knowledge of the investments available to new customers so more often than not a member of the investment section is called over to advise the new customer. Read more:Â  Bankers Draft Natwest For credit facilities, the new customer is referred to the lending section for processing, as this operation is outside the record section staff jurisdiction. Once they account type has been established, the formalities begin (processing of customer details). Records staff go through forms to ensure that all key information has been gathered. This is probably the longest part of the account opening procedure with the customer as a lot of details need to be processed. Once all the details have been gathered by the records staff, the direct customer contact finishes. Customer details are then passed onto the administrative section and the machine room to finalise the opening of a new account and the paper printing (cheque books, log books, ATM cards etc.) How the different operations interact upon the Records section: Q2. How would you improve the process? Once the bank identified their problems the set out an improvement plan. They key areas identified for improvement were identified: Signage Inexperienced Staff Limited staff for rush hours Uneven flow of walk-in customers at peak times From a recent survey customers identified the following problems: Account opening forms were not properly explained Banks standard account pack was not sent out to customers Some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive cheque book and bank card Customer personal details were recorded incorrectly Staff seemed uninterested in the customers needs Customers wouldnt recommend the bank to others All of the above points were taken into account in the banks improvement plan. Firstly the signage issue was tackled. This issue was clearly a problem when we visited the bank, see fig.1 It was evident from this, that the enquiries desk wasnt clearly noticeable or signposted. To eliminate the problem of new customers queuing at the cashiers desk (adding to queue delays in the bank) new signage was positioned around the bank clearly highlighting where the new customers were to go. While it was unfeasible to move staff permanently from section to section, records staff who are generally young and junior members of staff could be temporarily move around each of the banks operations. This would add to their training knowledge and enable them to give more specialised advice to customers. By doing this staff will get to know each others jobs, they will become more confident in their work, giving the sense of importance to the banks operation. This increases staff motivation which reduces boredom as boredom leads to mistakes. To assess the overall performance of staffs training and progress, the bank could introduce mystery shoppers, a member of staff from another of the banks branches comes to open an account, goes through the whole procedure and at the end evaluates the staffs performance, identifies areas for improvement etc. As it was, the cashiers would go for their lunch, and it was the job of the records section to cover the cashier positions during lunch. This however was the busiest period for new customers wishing to open accounts. During the lunchtime rush customers could feel they were been rushed, inevitably resulting in mistakes occurring. To deal with this issue, lunch time for the bank staff could be divided up more evenly. Only a set amount of cashiers go for lunch at any one time, these cashiers do not take their lunch until the first group comes back, this way there is always somebody covering the records section to deal with new potential customers if they arrive during the lunch time period. To ensure the records section were not over burdened by new customers during the lunch time period, a system of appointment only during the lunch time rush was set up. This way the records section could easily deal with walk-in customers in the mornings and afternoons, and during lunch time they knew how many customers to expect and spend the required time needed with each customer opening an account. This way the customer feels more at ease and the records section staff do not feel under pressure and rushed, reducing the amount of mistakes made. Customers felt that the account opening forms were not properly explained to them. This issue was tackled by more staff training and the mystery shopper also helped by giving feedback. This helps the junior staff in training to interpret the forms better and be much more capable of explaining the forms to customers. In terms of the banks standard account pack not been sent out to customers, the bank set up a system of having all the leaflets on hand so the member of staff dealing with the new customer could make up a package there and then to suit the customers needs. It was identified that some customers waited more than the standard 9 days to receive their cheque books or ATM cards. This waiting period was improved by a more clear line of communication set up between the records staff, administration staff and the machine room. This was also helped as now there were fewer mistakes and the records staff had more time to process the forms during the day as the by appointment only and not having to cover the cashier positions fully during lunch had clearly freed up some extra time for them. To deal with the problem of customers personal details not been recorded properly, the customer was asked to fill in a form which clearly legible showing how to spell their name address etc. Once all the forms had been filled out, it was advised that the supervisor provided an extra check on the forms before they were sent for processing. To assist with the implementation of this system a sort of a Kanban system could be set up, In-Kanban, Out-Kanban this way everything was fully completed before it was sent for processing, and there would be no mix ups, on what was processed and what has to be processed. Also as part of this kanban system to finalise the last step, approval by the manager must be signed on the form. The problem of the customers feeling rushed was solved when the records section were released from other duties such as fully covering the cashiers during lunch. If all of the above points are implemented successfully, the bank will be back on track to a successful and complimentary word of mouth.

Comparing The Enthalpy Change Of Combustion Of Different Alcohols :: GCSE Chemistry Coursework Investigation

Comparing The Enthalpy Change Of Combustion Of Different Alcohols The aim of my experiment is to investigate the enthalpy of combustion of a range of alcohols. The standard enthalpy of combustion is the enthalpy change that occurs when 1 mole of a fuel is burned completely in oxygen under standard conditions – 1 atmosphere pressure and 298K. All combustion reactions are exothermic which is why I am expecting all the values for the enthalpy change of combustion to always be negative. Prediction ========== I predict that the greater the number of carbon atoms there are in the alcohol molecule, the greater the enthalpy change of combustion it will have. This is because in a chemical reaction energy is needed in order to break bonds and energy is released when bonds are made. If I were to look at these two values; the energy required to break the bonds of the reactants and the energy released when the bonds of the product are made then I am able to work out the enthalpy change of combustion of the alcohol. In order to do this we need to know the bong enthalpies of the bonds in the process. The quantity of energy needed to break a particular bond in a molecule is called the bond enthalpy. Below is a table containing the bond enthalpies of the bonds that occur in the combustion of an alcohol. Bonds We use the average bond enthalpies as the exact value of a bond enthalpy depends on the particular compound in which the bond is found. GRAPH DH1 By looking at the equation for the reaction that occurs when an alcohol burns, we realise that the reaction involves both breaking bonds and making new ones. From the equation of the process we can tell how many of the different number of bonds are broken and made and so work out the enthalpy change of combustion. We can work out the enthalpy of combustion of methanol by using the bond enthalpy values: CH3OH + 1.5O2 CO2 + 2H2O We can use the enthalpy cycle above to work out the value for the enthalpy change of combustion of methanol, represented by DH1. The calculation is done as shown below: DH2 = enthalpy change when bonds are broken = 3 Â ´ E(C-H) + 1 Â ´ E(C-O) + 1 Â ´ E(O-H) + 1.5 Â ´ E(O=O) = 3(413) + 358 + 464 + 1.5(498) = 2808 kJ mol-1 DH3 = enthalpy change when bonds are made

Ethical Behavior in Business Essay

In the business world employers and business owners should know that there is no room to be dishonest, or greedy dealing with a business. In reality people need to be held responsible and accountable for making sure that they are holding up and following ethical business practices. There is no reason that any business owner or manager should not follow the golden rule at work just like they would at home, treat people the way you want to be treated should work at all times. Thinking about the old saying â€Å"Ignorance is no excuse† would apply in business as well as in our personal life. (Mautner, 2005) It is best to study the business culture of all businesses all over the world, when dealing with International business, all avenues should be addressed before conducting business in different locations. There could be all kinds of bad business practices lawsuits if someone was to go to another country and did not understand the culture of that country. For instance in Mexico they believe that having a siesta during midday production that will help increase their production. Siesta time is usually from 12pm – 2pm and it’s the time to eat or sleep. In the United States most employers give their employees one hour for lunch, it would cause someone to lose their job if they told their supervisor that they was taking a siesta for 2 hours. That is why it is very important to study the culture and all the business practices of all countries so that companies would not be involved in bad or corrupt business transactions. Just because something is legal in the U.S. does not mean that it would be legal in another country. Most places follow different ethic rules and regulations based on their morals. When showing concern for good behavior that is the best way to describe ethics, showing consideration and making sure others are treated the same and equal are the best way to have good business ethics. It’s very much the same as the way we treat our family and friends on a day to day basis, whatever people do in life has consequences because of how we act or not act is another way to describe business ethics, mainly by following the regulations and rules that are expected to be followed by laws and other authority. Knowing that if your business earned only $10,000 for the week and you have earned only $7,000 from sales that week and your payroll office process (checks to the employees and companies that distribute products on a weekly basis) and knowing that all the checks will not clear because there is not enough money to pay all the expenses, this would be unethical and not good for the business. To have good business ethics would be shown by the views of other businesses that do take their business serious and follow the rules of good business ethics. Its best to work with people that have great business goals and taking care of the needs and necessities of the business versus working with someone that really do not care about goals only about how much money they can earn. When a business has good ethical behavior is will show because it would be positive and appropriate. Morally anyone would rather go to a clothing store that is neat and clean and the clothes are matching in colors and styles and accessories are available. As a woman I would not feel comfortable shopping in a store that was messy and not clean and everything look like it had been on the floor and not on hangers, the appearance would be unethical and I would not shop where I felt the morals were low or that the owners seem to not care or have any business ethics. The way you can tell if a business is running under good ethical business tactics would be by the employees work and the overall concept of the organizational actions. A business that does not have good ethics can be spotted right away, if the managers are lazy and don’t have any care about helping their clients or customers and the other employees act the same way, the sales will not be great because of all the negativity. When you see employees that are happy, and enjoy their jobs and all the perks and benefits they will take care of their clients or customers. Each job should make sure that all their employees, including supervisors, managers and everyone Keep high work ethics standards 100% of the time, this helps the business or organization moving in a positive direction. By keeping employees involved with the organization such as conducting training and keeping courses available to improve their performance by communication the mission, and the objectives and actions as an employee there this most definitely would keep the encouragement of positive ethical behaviors to help all benefits for the employees and the organization as well as clients or customers. It’s sad that all business and organization do not have good business ethics and that is why they have a revolving door as far as keeping good employees. Business ethics have been shown through study of all human conduct, as far as emphasis on being right or wrong, this shows that they follows the rules dealing with principles and standards by the way they handle business ethics. The principles and standards that shows marketing conduct that is acceptable is called marketing ethics and its determined by the organization different owners and stakeholders that relate to all the marketing activity. The three main principles that help a business earn trust and have long marketing relationships are the following: * Advertising * Sales * Distribution For instance Fox News Channel always seem to talk negative about democrats, or anyone that is associated with the democratic party. â€Å"I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel.† (Rupert Murdoch (Salon, 3/1/01) Ethical behavior and code of ethics requires people to act appropriate and follow the law of the land, which shows exactly what the business ethics are on a day to day basis. â€Å"Business ethics and the codes that formally define it always include elements that go beyond strict legality; they demand adherence to a higher standard† (USLegal.com) People know that we are not supposed to steal or lie to employers on their job, but they continue to do so with no regrets until they are caught. In 2002, legislation passed the (SOX) Sarbanes-Oxley Act which requires all corporation to publish their code of ethics to ensure that people who trade in stock, must publish their code of ethics with any changes to the codes when they are updated, most small businesses are not required to publish their code of ethics, only because they do not have an option with public trade. I feel that organizations should always show and perform with positive ethical conduct all the time, this shows that their business practices are consistently and appropriate for their business ethics. Whenever you see a business that is not doing well the first thing you should look at would be how ethically sound is that business, from the start of dealing with the business, if you notice the business that do not have good morale or work ethics instilled. You will find that this business do not keep employees long because the positive employees with good ethics will leave and find a company that has the needs and business ethics they are looking for as far as a good work environment. In my opinion a business that does not operate with ethics will not function right and when you earn money that has not been earned in an honest way it will not last long because people do reap what they sow, if you plant negative a crooked seeds that is what you will grow in the long run. The best policy would be for a company to have good business ethics and integrity, without these Two main factors for any business they will surely have problems with their business running without issues. The definition lists ethical as â€Å"pertaining to or dealing with morals, or the principles of morality; pertaining to right and wrong in conduct†¦being in accordance with the rules and standards, for right conduct or practice, especially the standards of a profession.†

Economic Consequences of Software Crime

In 1996 worldwide illegal copying of domestic and international software cost $15. 2 billion to the software industry, with a loss of $5. 1 billion in the North America alone. Some sources put the total up-to-date losses, due to software crime, as high as $4. 7 trillion. On the next page is a regional breakdown of software piracy losses for 1994. Estimates show that over 40 percent of North American software company revenues are generated overseas, yet nearly 85 percent of the software industry†s piracy losses occurred outside of North America. The Software Publishers Association (SPA) indicated that approximately 35 percent of the business software in the North America was obtained illegally. In fact, 30 percent of the piracy occurs in corporate settings. In a corporate setting or business, every computer must have its own set of original software and the appropriate number of manuals. It is illegal for a corporation or business to purchase a single set of original s! oftware and then load that software onto more than one computer, or lend, copy or distribute software for any reason without the prior written consent of the software manufacturer. Many software managers are concerned with the legal compliance, along with asset management and costs to their organizations. Many firms involve their legal departments and human resources in regards to software distribution and licensing. Information can qualify to be property in two ways; patent law and copyright laws which are creations of federal statutes, which are subject to Constitutional authority. In order for the government to prosecute the unauthorized copying of computerized information as theft, it must first rely on other theories of information-as-property. Trade secret laws are created by provincial law, and most jurisdictions have laws that criminalize the violations of a trade-secret holder†s rights. The definition of a trade secret varies somewhat from province to province, but commonly have the same elements. For example, the information must be secret, not of public knowledge or of general knowledge in the trade or business. A court will allow a trade secret to be used by someone who discovered or developed the trade secret independently if the holder takes adequate precautions to protect the secret. In 1964, the National Copyright Office began to register software as a form of literary expression. The office based its decision on White-Smith Music Co. v. Apollo, where the Supreme Court determined that a piano roll used in a player piano did not infringe upon copyrighted music because the roll was part of a mechanical device. Since a computer program is textual, like a book, yet also mechanical, like the piano roll in White-Smith, the Copyright Office granted copyright protection under the rule of doubt. In 1974, the government created the Natural Commission on New Technological Uses (CONTU) to investigate whether the evolving computer technology field outpaced the existing copyright laws and also to determine the extent of copyright protection for computer programs. CONTU concluded that while copyright protection should extend beyond the literal source code of a computer program, evolving case law should determine the extent of protection. The commission also felt copyright was the best alternative among existing intellectual property protective mechanisms. CONTU rejected trade secret and patents as viable protective mechanisms. The CONTU report resulted in the 1980 Computer Software Act, and the report acts as informal legislative history to aid the courts in interpreting the Act. In 1980, the Copyright Act was amended to explicitly include computer programs. It now states that it is illegal to make or to distribute copies of copyrighted material without authorization, except for the user†s right to make a single backup copy for archival purposes. Any written material (including computer programs) fixed in a tangible form (written somewhere – i. . printout) is considered copyrighted without any additional action on the part of the author. Therefore, it is not necessary that a copy of the software program be deposited with the National Copyright Office for the program to be protected as copyrighted. With that in mind a copyright is a property right only. In order to prevent anyone from selling your software programs, you must ask a (federal) court to stop that person by an injunction and to give you damages for the injury they have done to you by selling the program. The Software Rental Amendments Act was approved in 1990. This Act prohibits the commercial rental, leasing or lending of software without the express written permission of the copyright holder. Another amendment to the Copyright Act was passed in 1992. This amendment made software piracy a federal offense, and instituted criminal penalties for copyright infringement of software. The penalties can include imprisonment of up to five years, fines up to $250,000 or both for unauthorized reproduction or distribution of 10 or more copies of software with a total retail value exceeding $2,500 or more. According to federal law duplicating software for profit, making multiple copies for use by different users within an organization, and giving an unauthorized copy to someone else is prohibited. Under this law if anyone is caught with the pirated software, an individual or the individual†s company can be tried under both civil and criminal law. A Civil action may be established for injunction, actual damages (which includes the infringer†s profits) or statutory damages up to $100,000 per infringement. The criminal penalties for copyright infringement can result in fines up to $250,000 and a jail term up to five years for the first offense and ten years for a second offense. When software is counterfeit or copied, the software developer loses their revenue and the whole software industry feels the effect of piracy. All software developers spend a lot of time and money in developing software for public use. A portion of every dollar spent in purchasing original softwar! e is funneled back into research and development of new software. Software piracy can be found in three forms: software counterfeiting, which is the illegal duplication and sale of copyrighted software in a form that is designed to make it appear to be a legitimate program; Hard disk loading, whereby computer dealers load unauthorized copies of software onto the hard disks of personal computers, which acts as an incentive for the end user to buy the hardware from that particular dealer; and downloading of copyrighted software to users connected by modem to electronic bulletin boards and/or the Internet. When software is pirated the consumer pays for that cost by new software and/or upgrade version being more expensive. Federal appellate courts have determined that operating systems, object code and software contained in ROMs are protected by copyright. Some lower federal courts have also determined that microcode (the instructions set on microprocessor chips) and the look and feel of computer screens is subject to copyright protection. Which has created major problems for the widespread development of multimedia applications with regards to clearing copyright for small elements of text, images, video and sound. The United States Government has been an active participant in protecting the rights of the software industry. When the Business Software Alliance (BSA) conducts a raid, Federal Marshals or local law enforcement officials participate as well. An organization known as the Software Publishers Association (SPA) is the principal trade association of the PC software industry. SPA works closely with the FBI and has also written an enforcement manual for the FBI to help them investigate pirate bulletin board systems and organizations (audits). With the help of the FBI, the result of enforcement actions resulted in recoveries from anti-piracy actions totaling $16 million since the program started in 1990. The Software Publishers Association (SPA) funds an educational program to inform individuals and corporations about software use and the law. This program provides all PC users with the tools needed to comply with copyright law and become software legal. The SPA also publishes brochures free of charge about the legal use of software for individuals and businesses. Also available to help corporations understand the copyright law is a 12-minute videotape, which is composed of the most commonly asked questions and answers to them. The video tape is available in French and Spanish and all together over 35,000 copies of the tape had been sold. The SPA has also compiled a free Self-Audit Kit with which organizations can examine their software use practices. Included in the kit, is a software inventory management program designed to help an organization track their commercial software programs that are on all their hard disks. The program searches the PC†s hard disk for more than 1300 of the most common programs used in business. Also available is the SPA Software Management Guide which helps companies audit their current software policies, educate employees about the legal use of software, and establish procedures to purchase, register, upgrade and backup computing systems. The guide, in addition, provides an Internal Controls Analysis and Questionnaire. The guide also contains all of the SPA†s current anti-piracy materials. The software industry is facing the challenges of more sophisticated network environments, greater competition among software companies along with hardware manufacturers. At this moment more software than ever before is distributed on a high volume, mass marketed basis. There are many types of software out on the market and the amount is increasing every day. They range from graphical user interfaces for application programs such as mass-market spreadsheets, to more sophisticated technical software used to design integrated circuits. The use of software plays a more vital role in our daily lives than it ever has. Such as embedded software, which is critical to equipment in such locations as a doctor†s office or an automotive shop. The instrument and devices found there depend more and more on software, because software provides the flexibility to meet the many different needs to the end user. As our lives our shaped and enhanced more by technology, there is already a greater demand that impacts the software industry. One of the main concerns of the software industry is how to deal with the issues of software licensing. More and more customers want customized software suited for their business or personal need, and expect the software development firms to accommodate to their wishes. The other side of this issue is that software development firms are concerned with unrealized revenue and excess costs in the form of software piracy, unauthorized use, excess discounts and lengthened sales cycles. For the customer and the software development firm, all of these have high administrative costs in regards to software programs. Software licensing policies were originally a result of software developer†s need to protect their revenue base in the face of potential piracy. Product delivery for software is made up of a number of different components, which are referred to as software licensing. The following factors are taken into consideration when determining a cost for a software license; physical delivery pricing, metric discounts, license periods support and maintenance, license management Tech support, change in use bug fixes and Platform Migration Product enhancements. The most commonly found type of software license found in business is known as a network license. There are four types of categories that are classified as a network license. Concurrent use licenses authorize a specified number of users to access and execute licensed software at any time. Site licenses authorize use at a single site, but are slowly being phased out and replaced by enterprise licenses. Enterprise licenses cover all sites within a corporation because of more virtual computing environments. Node licenses are also slowly being phased out because they are mainly used in a client/server environment, since the licensed software may be used only on a specified workstation in which a user must log on to in order to access and execute the software application. Currently the trend in a network system is to use measurement software, which allows vendors to be more flexible in licensing arrangements. This management software monitors and restricts the number of users or clients who may access and execute the application software at any one time. This is significant because a user pays only for needed use and a vendor can monitor such use to protect intellectual property. A new type of license that is emerging is known as a currency-based license. This type of license works on the basis that it provides to the end user a specified dollar amount of software licenses. This allows licenses to cover different business application software, so long as the total value in use at a given time is less than the amount stipulated in the license. Another type of license emerging is known as a platform-independent licensing. Which permits software to be used on a variety of different computer systems within a business, instead of buying a different license for each version of the same software used by different systems. The most common type of licensing is known as shrink-wrap, the concept behind this that the licenses terms are deemed accepted once the end user breaks a shrink-wrap seal or opens a sealed envelope containing the software. A reason for these new types of licensing is that when software licensing was first introduced, the software development firms assumed that most businesses would use the software for a 8 to 10 hour period. Yet, did not take into consideration that with the advancement of technology, more businesses would want a floating license across the world for 24 hours. This made it so it was not cost effective for the software development firm. A floating license is a license that is made available to anyone on a network. The licenses are not locked to particular workstations, instead they float to modes on the network. Shareware, freeware and public domain are different types of software available to the end user, and are distinguished by different rules about how programs may be distributed, copied, used and modified. The term shareware refers to software that is distributed at a low cost, but which usually requires a payment after a certain time period and registration for full use. Copies of this software are offered on a trial basis, the end user is free to try a scaled down version of the program. If the end user wants the shareware program, included in the program is information specifying how to register the program and what fee is required. Once registered the end user will typically receive a printed manual, an updated copy of the software (often with additional features), and the legal right to use the program in their home or business. The advantage that shareware has is that it lets the end user thoroughly test a program to see if it†s useful before making a purchase. The ! authors of shareware programs retain their copyright on the contents, and as other copyrighted software should not be pirated. Freeware is also distributed at a very low cost and like shareware is found mainly on the Internet. The authors of the freeware program do not expect payment for their software. Typically, freeware programs are small utilities or incomplete programs that are released by authors for the potential benefit to others, but the drawback to this is that there is no technical support. Public domain software is generally found on the Internet and is released without any condition upon its use. It may be copied, modified and distributed as the end user wishes to do. A license manager is a system utility-like application that controls or monitors the use of another end-user application. It is generally implemented to protect intellectual property (meaning to stop illegal copying) and/or to become more competitive by offering new ways in which to evaluate, purchase and pay for software. Since the license manager controls the number of application users, there is not a need to control the number of application copies. This process lets the end user run one or more applications between machines, without violating the terms of the license agreement.

How useful is the term avant-garde in explaining the development of art in Europe between

How useful is the term avant-garde in explaining the development of art in Europe between 1900-1939? Between 1900-1939 there were many different movements in art mainly due to two reasons, modernisation and the First World War. The term avant-garde does not have one single meaning and has become synonymous with the evolving modern movement of art. Although art for arts sake is a term not often used positively today this modernist sense of the avant-garde relates to that tradition insofar as art is not seen to require any external justification ethical or political for its products . However looking at the term in historical context the term has a different provenance. The term was used for the first time in the 1830s not in a debate concerning art but in the early socialist tradition as left-wing intellectuals and politicians tried to think through concepts of progress and freedom in emerging modern societies . In his book Opinions litteraires, philosophiques et industrielles Henri de Saint Simon the French Utopian Socialist philosopher used for the first time the term av ant-garde in the relation to art. Saint-Simon constructed an imaginary debate between an artist, a savant (a scie!ntific or technical intellectual) and an industrialist. The artist proposes that he, the savant and the industrialist should join forces and ensure social progress rather than relying on ruling classes to exercise leadership in society. We, the artists, will serve as the avant-garde: for amongst all the arms at our disposal, the power of the Arts is the swiftest and most expeditious. When we wish to spread new ideas amongst men, we use, in turn, the lyre, ode or song, story or novel; we inscribe those ideas on marble or canvas, and we popularise them in poetry them in poetry and in song.... If today our role seems limited or...

Bristol Blenheim in World War II

Bristol Blenheim in World War II Specifications - Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV: General Length: 42 ft. 7 in. Wingspan: 56 ft. 4 in. Height: 9 ft. 10 in. Wing Area: 469 sq. ft. Empty Weight: 9,790 lbs. Loaded Weight: 14,000 lbs. Crew: 3 Performance Power Plant: 2 Ãâ€" Bristol Mercury XV radial engine, 920 hp Range: 1,460 miles Max Speed: 266 mph Ceiling: 27,260 ft. Armament Guns: 1 Ãâ€" .303 in. Browning machine gun in port wing, 1 or 2 Ãâ€" .303 in. Browning guns in rear-firing under-nose blister or Nash Thomson FN.54 turret, 2 Ãâ€" .303 in. Browning guns in dorsal turret Bombs/Rockets: 1,200 lbs. of bombs Bristol Blenheim: Origins: In 1933, the chief designer at the Bristol Aircraft Company, Frank Barnwell, began preliminary designs for a new aircraft capable of carrying a crew of two and six passengers while maintaining a cruising speed of 250 mph. This was a bold step as the Royal Air Forces fastest fighter of the day, the Hawker Fury II, could only achieve 223 mph. Creating an all-metal monocoque monoplane, Barnwells design was powered by two engines mounted in a low wing. Though dubbed the Type 135 by Bristol, no efforts were made to build a prototype. This changed the next year when noted newspaper owner Lord Rothermere took an interest. Aware of advances overseas, Rothermere was an outspoken critic of the British aviation industry which he believed was falling behind its foreign competitors. Seeking to make a political point, he approached Bristol on March 26, 1934, regarding purchasing a single Type 135 in order to have a personal aircraft superior to any flown by the RAF. After consulting with the Air Ministry, which encouraged the project, Bristol agreed and offered Rothermere a Type 135 for  £18,500. Construction of two prototypes soon began with Rothermeres aircraft dubbed the Type 142 and powered by two Bristol Mercury 650 hp engines. Bristol Blenheim - From Civil to Military: A second prototype, the Type 143, was also built. Slightly shorter and powered by twin 500 hp Aquila engines, this design was ultimately scrapped in favor of the Type 142. As development moved forward, interest in the aircraft grew and the Finnish government inquired regarding a militarized version of the Type 142. This led to Bristol beginning a study to assess adapting the aircraft for military use. The result was the creation of the Type 142F which incorporated guns and interchangeable fuselage sections which would allow it to be used as transport, light bomber, or ambulance. As Barnwell explored these options, the Air Ministry expressed interest in a bomber variant of the aircraft. Rothermeres aircraft, which he dubbed Britain First was completed and first took to sky from Filton on April 12, 1935. Delighted with the performance, he donated it to the Air Ministry to help push the project forward. As a result, the aircraft was transferred to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (AAEE) at Martlesham Heath for acceptance trials. Impressing the test pilots, it achieved speeds reaching 307 mph. Due to its performance, civil applications were discarded in favor military. Working to adapt the aircraft as a light bomber, Barnwell raised the wing to create space for a bomb bay and added a dorsal turret featuring a .30 cal. Lewis gun. A second .30 cal machine gun was added in the port wing. Designated the Type 142M, the bomber required a crew of three: pilot, bombardier/navigator, and radioman/gunner. Desperate to have a modern bomber in service, the Air Ministry ordered 150 Type 142Ms in August 1935 before the prototype flew. Dubbed the Blenheim, the named commemorated the Duke of Marlboroughs 1704 victory at Blenheim, Bavaria. Bristol Blenheim - Variants: Entering RAF service in March 1937, the Blenheim Mk I was also built under license in Finland (where it served during the Winter War) and Yugoslavia. As the political situation in Europe deteriorated, production of the Blenheim continued as the RAF sought to re-equip with modern aircraft. One early modification was the addition of a gun pack mounted on the aircrafts belly which featured four .30 cal. machine guns. While this negated the use of the bomb bay, it allowed the Blenheim to be used a long range fighter (Mk IF). While the Blenheim Mk I series filled a void in the RAFs inventory, problems quickly arose. Most notable of these was a dramatic loss of speed due to the increased weight of the military equipment. As a result, the Mk I could only reach around 260 mph while the Mk IF topped out at 282 mph. To address the problems of the Mk I, work began on what was eventually dubbed the Mk IV. This aircraft featured a revised and elongated nose, heavier defensive armament, additional fuel capacity, as well as more powerful Mercury XV engines. First flying in 1937, the Mk IV became the most produced variant of the aircraft with 3,307 built. As with the earlier model, the Mk VI could mount a gun pack for use as the Mk IVF. Bristol Blenheim - Operational History: With the outbreak of World War II, the Blenheim flew the RAFs first wartime sortie on September 3, 1939 when a single aircraft made a reconnaissance of the German fleet at Wilhelmshaven. The type also flew the RAFs first bombing mission when 15 Mk IVs attacked German ships in Schilling Roads. During the wars early months, the Blenheim was the mainstay of the RAFs light bombers forces despite taking increasingly heavy losses. Due to its slow speed and light armament, it proved particularly vulnerable to German fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Blenheims continued to operate after the Fall of France and raided German airfields during the Battle of Britain. On August 21, 1941 a flight of 54 Blenheims conducted an audacious raid against the power station at Cologne though lost 12 aircraft in the process. As losses continued to mount, crews developed several ad hoc methods for improving the aircrafts defenses. A final variant, the Mk V was developed as a ground attack aircraft and light bomber but proved unpopular with crews and saw only brief service. By mid-1942, it was clear that the aircraft were too vulnerable for use in Europe and the type flew its last bombing mission on the night of August 18, 1942. Use in North Africa and the Far East continued through the end of the year, but in both cases the Blenheim faced similar challenges. With the arrival of the De Havilland Mosquito, the Blenheim was largely withdrawn from service. The Blenheim Mk IF and IVFs faired better as night fighters. Achieving some success in this role, several were fitted with the Airborne Intercept Mk III radar in July 1940. Operating in this configuration, and later with the Mk IV radar, Blenheims proved capable night fighters and were invaluable in this role until the arrival of the Bristol Beaufighter in large numbers. Blenheims also saw service as long-range reconnaissance aircraft, thought they proved as vulnerable in this mission as when serving as bombers. Other aircraft were assigned to Coastal Command where they operated in a maritime patrol role and aided in protecting Allied convoys. Outclassed in all roles by newer and more modern aircraft, the Blenheim was effectively removed from frontline service in 1943 and used in a training role. British production of the aircraft during the war was supported by factories in Canada where the Blenheim was built as the Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke light bomber/maritime patrol aircraft. Selected Sources The Blenheim Society Warbird Alley: Bristol Blenheim

Biology DB 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biology DB 5 - Essay Example Support is a function that is mainly conducted by the stem, and for this reason a yam is modification of a normal plant. Botanically yams are in the family of monocotyledonous referred to as Dioscoreaceae and genus Dioscorea. The main reason as to why they are grown is because of their tuber or storage organs. The root cortex of a yam as compared to that of a corn is huge, which enables it to store sugar, starch and other substances. Casparian strip, which is water-impermeable strip of waxy material situated in the endodermis does not control uptake of minerals into the xylem as compared to other plants such as corn plants. This is because most of the minerals are stored and retained in the root, which functions as a stem. Yam as a plant can be said to support leaves because a stem is absent, the anatomy of yam as a plant can be said to be a modification of other standard plant. Animals and animal products are beneficial to human beings for different purposes other than for food. Animal products are highly beneficial in production of materials for clothes. Pigs are essential in production of valuable products such as suede for manufacture of clothes and production of shoes. Cattle produce leather which is sourced from the hides in the animal skin. The leather is used in the manufacture of clothes, shoes, purses, wallets and car upholstery. Feathers from poultry especially from geese and ducks are important in stuffing down clothes such as pillows and jackets. Sheep is a great source of wool that is used in processing yarn for knitting socks, shirts and other different cloths. Rabbits are a source of far used in knitting socks, yarn and other types of clothing. The most important benefit of animals is medicinal applications. Animal products have been tested methodically as a source of drugs especially in modern medicine. For instance, a snake venom is used as an