Japan Political System Essay

Japan is a constitutional monarchy like British government, which is a parliamentary democracy country with ceremonial emperor. The Empire of Japan was dissolved in Japan’s 1947 constitution. After the defeat of Japan in the Second World War, the Japanese political system was being constructed, which is based on the principles of sovereignty that respect human rights and the encouragement of peace. According to separation of powers, the political system of Japan officially divided into executive, legislative and judicial branches. This essay will discuss and classify the political system of Japan, followed by the argument whether Japan is better to describe as a democracy or a monarchy. The monarch, in other words, the Emperor is the head of state and no longer holds a real power. The role Emperor of Japan is the symbol of the country and focuses for unity of the people. The head of government and Cabinet is the prime minister who holds the executive power. The prime minster has the right to nominate the Cabinet members. The Cabinet is composed of prime minster and ministers of state, which is responsible to the National Diet. The main political power is held by the prime minister and the elected members of the National Diet. The prime minister is elected with winning a majority vote in the National Diet through single-member plurality for a 4-year term. Single-member plurality refers the candidate win most votes on the first in the election that only ballot in each single-member district. Legislative power is vested in the National Diet which consists of an upper house, named the House of Councillors, and a lower house, named the House of Representatives. The House of Councillors is composed of 242 members for 6-year term. The House of Representatives is the powerful house in National Diet and comprised of 480 members for 4-year term. The national Diet is designated as the highest organ of state power that the political responsibility is decided by elected legislature. Unlike the political system of Japan in wartime, the political responsibility was rested with the emperor and a cabinet (Ishida and Krauss 1989:39). The Supreme Court is the highest judicial branch that is independent. The judicial members are nominated by the emperor with the agreement of prime minister and cabinet. The major function of Supreme Court is to settle the legal disputes by establishing judicial polices and rules for lower courts. The judicial conference consists of 15 members, which is responsible for decision-making about proposing rules and regulations and in charge of the general secretariats of the Supreme Courts (Itoh 2010:40-41). Japanese political system can be classified as democratic country. Liberal democracy refers a system of government that is elected through free and fair election and limited by law to place on the power of democratically elected government (Hague and Harrop 2010:84). For instance, The House of Representatives in comprised of 480 members. In 480 seats, 300 seats are elected from single-member voters and the other 180 seats are elected 11 multi-member voters by a system of proportional representation. Proportional representation means the number of seats won by a party is proportionate to the number of votes received (Hague and Harrop 2010:184). The House of Representatives can be dissolved by the no confidence vote of the Prime Minister or a Cabinet. 42 seats of the House of Councillors, 146 seats are elected by electoral district system and the remaining 96 seats are elected based on a proportional representation system (Schoppa 2011:47). A half of members from the House of Councillors are re-elected every three years by parallel voting system. Parallel voting is two separate elections without mechanism to get a proportional result (Diamond and Plattner 2006:205). Another feature of liberal democracy is to prevent the government from becoming too powerful. The executive, legislative and judicial powers in Japan’s political system are separated. The judicial is totally independent (Dean 2002:347). Unlike the independent judiciary in most of the western countries, the independent judiciary in Japan is the principle that judicial power of a state is to be implemented independently and fairly by the courts (Goodman 2008:191-193). Even the head of government cannot use his power to control the judicial system. The separation of power of Japan’s government is to avoid the abuse of power. Moreover, based on the Article 20 of Japanese law, Japanese citizens are free to choose their religions. It reflects one of the features of liberal democracy that is to ensure the minorities not being repressed by majority. For example, Christian cannot repress Muslin. All the people deserve equal chance to choose the religion. The advantage of separation of power is to prevent the members of the National Diet or the government become too big and abuse the power. In addition, the different branches will regulate the members from other branches. However, there are some drawbacks. The disadvantage of complying with separation of power affects the effectiveness of implementation of the legislation. The process of implementing the policy is rather rigid. One of the significant features of liberal democracy is that the individual human rights are being guaranteed. According to article 21 the Japanese law, Japanese enjoys wide ranges of rights and freedoms. One of the ‘rights and freedoms of the spirit’ is that Japanese enjoys freedom of assembly and association as well as speech; press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed (Foote 2007:263). These are the examples of rights that should be guaranteed. Nevertheless, some people argue that whether is better describing Japan as a monarchy or a democracy. Japan still has the emperor as the head of state although it is a liberal democratic country with all the features about liberal democracy. A monarchy represents that a government is ruled by only one single absolute hereditary ruler. The ruler held an absolute power in hand. The Japan in pre-wartime was a monarchy. The monarch is the emperor, known as Tenno, who had the whole political power to make the decisions of the whole country. However, the defeat of Second World War led to the Japan’s government reconstructed. The political system reform led to the change from a monarchy to a constitutional monarchy. The form of modern Japan’s government is belonging to constitutional monarchy. That is different from a monarchy. Constitutional monarchy refers to separate out the duties of the head of state and the head of government. The head of state is only ceremonial in nature and their political power is very little, even they no longer have the political power. While the head of government is the prime minister and his cabinets, all the decisions of a country are drawn by the head of overnment and the national Diet. According to Aristotle’s the classification of governments (Kelsen 2009:283), a government ruled by one ruler is monarchy while a government ruled by many rulers is a called democracy. The parliamentary government reflects that the government is ruled by all rulers, which is a democracy. Unlike a monarchy, is ruled by only one ruler. It is clearly show that Japan is better described as a democracy. Aristotle’s classification based on two dimensions which are the number of people involved governing. It captured the extent of involvement in a political system. Besides, the second dimension is whether rulers governed by common interest or in their own interests. Although the emperor of Japan still exists, the emperor has no political power to control the government by himself. Only the head of government can exercise the political power and the national Diet is the highest decision-maker as the national Diet holds the most political power. Moreover, the political system of Japan is divided into three branches, including executive, judicial and legislative branches. Each branches composed of a large group of people to make decisions and handle national activities. All the decisions are made by the constitution instead of the emperor in Japan. As the emperor in Japan has no political power, Japan cannot be described as a monarchy. Overall speaking, Japan is a parliamentary government with ceremonial emperor and it is a liberal democracy based on the theory of Aristotle. Liberal democracy is free to express the views as well as the individual rights are being protected. In addition, people in Japan can enjoy freedom of expressions and they will have a free and fair election to select the preferred government. These are the main features of a liberal democracy. Furthermore, Japan is better to describe as a democracy rather than a monarchy. Since the emperor has no real political power and the government consists of a large group of people to handle different kinds of national activities, such as establish and pass new policy, international cooperation and make decisions. The political power of a country is being separated into different constitutions, which means all rulers, such as legislature, executive council and judicial courts, control the government.

A summary of wal-mart chapter

Wal-Mart, the largest corporate organization in the world and the largest employer in the private sector in the United States, is a success story in the corporate world.The history of Wal-Mart dates back to the year 1962. Initially, it was a single store which was the initiative of one Sam Walton who has since died. It has weathered the storm of competition and has now grown in size to a worldwide corporation. Walton had at the time of starting Wal-Mart opened 20 stores which were competing against 250 from Kmart.Walton was dynamic in operating the organization. He made sure that he maintained the principles of marketing and those of customer satisfaction, a factor that made Wal-Mart become the single biggest retailer worldwide.International sales have been increasing at an impressive average of 13 percent, which is a dream for any company or any corporation anywhere in the world, no matter how large it is. In the year 2000, Wal-Mart realized an increase of 46 percent in internationa l sales which translates to 16.8 percent of all the corporate sales combined.This corporation however has its shortcomings in the way it relates with its employees and the obligations to its corporate responsibilities. On the part of human resource, Wal-Mart gives its employees lows benefits even though they add great value to the corporation, and health benefits have been lost. Wal-Mart does not consider the values of the grassroots community but rather of more importance to it is profit together with economic growth.Wal-Mart’s contribution to the local communities is enormous given that it employs many people. When it opens a new outlet, it employs people from the surrounding local community and in this way it improves the living conditions of the people from these communities.Given the current rate of unemployment and job losses, Wal-Mart has taken the lead role in solving this problem and has helped many people who otherwise would not have been in any form of gainful empl oyment to at least get something to do for the sustenance of their lives and those of their dependants.  But there is the negative side to this employment issue. Wal-Mart has for all the years been an insensitive employer. Besides poor pay, the working hours are inconsistent and this is a great inconvenience to the workers. Long working hours and unpredictable working schedule characterizes the experiences the employees of Wal-Mart have to go through.This retail outlet giant has made it a rule that its employees should not join any labor organization or union of any kind.Several attempts by the workers’ representatives to force Wal-Mart allow them to join labor organizations have all come cropper. Court cases have been ruled in favor of the employer to the detriment of the employee, and this seems not to bother the management of Wal-Mart.Wal-Mart has adopted capitalist as its politico-economic approach. This therefore means that in any venture, it is guided not necessarily by the interests of the general society or more specifically those of the local communities, but rather by what gains they stand to get from them in terns of profits from the investment.This is capitalism per excellence and this approach has made Wal-Mart to have an edge over its competitors, who seem to favor a combination of both reasonable profits and good conditions for the workers.Wal-Mart is not a good neighbor. It thrives on capitalizing on the weaknesses of and inability of its competitors. Five years after Wal-Mart enters into a new market, all the existing retail businesses start recording losses and others close shop.This leaves Wal-Mart to monopolize the market and therefore the customers have no alternative but to consume what is on offer at the Wal-Mart outlets. This amounts to monoculture as it thrives on cultural homogenization.It manages to draw away attention from a local competitor by selling its commodities at very low prices, in fact at prices below the actual p rice making it impossible for any other business, however strong and committed it may be, to lose out and leaving Wal-Mart to dominate the market.This homogenization is actually due in part to confusion. While its intention on the one hand is to ensure that it has an upper hand in the market share, it also genuinely thinks that this is good corporate practice (Jacques et al pp 7-10).

The changing interaction of finance information and technology Essay

The changing interaction of finance information and technology - Essay Example The test life cycle of the system is divided in different scenarios from 1 through 11. The significant feature of the system is that it validates the data at every step. The process is completed by following scenarios which are defined below (Dan Lemus, April 13, 2011): Scenario 1 starts by creating a new project or working on the existing project. System assigns a unique user name for the user and stored it in the database of the system for later validation. To start a project we first define a project and system assigns a unique project code following with the details of Project principal, description and initiator of the project. When the project is formally initiated we move to Scenario 2. This phase of system is wholly related to the transfers funding for the project initiated. In this phase all accounting credentials are added against project initiated. Accounting information includes the accounting numbers â€Å"From Accounting Number† from which the fund will be transferred and the â€Å"To Account Number†. In this phase an important feature is also available to import accounting line information from a Comma Separated Value (CSV) file. Then final step is to submit the eDoc of transfer fund for routing to get approvals from the concerned. While proceeding to Scenario 3 the approvals will see the eDoc routed in their â€Å"Action List†. The approvers can approve/reject the document. They can leave remarks, if needed. When all the approvers have approved the eDoc the initiator will be able to see the Final status of the document in â€Å"Document Search† option at the top of the page. In Scenario 4 we can check the General Ledger Balance to see the current balance of the company. This detail can further be evaluated to monthly financial information. This information can help the managers to have a bigger picture of the funds available that could be consumed for a project. Next scenario (Scenario 5) is to make disbursement voucher in

NetFlix company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

NetFlix company - Essay Example To overlook this essential aspect would lead to misdirection in the company’s plans for the future. This obvious neglect of the customer’s welfare in the mission statement might have been the underlying reason why in 2011 Netflix committed the mistake of increasing its subscription prices. Netflix had to pay greatly for the said oversight which resulted in a sharp decline in its subscriber base and its stock price. Due to Netflix’s CEO Reed Hasting’s huge desire to slowly abandon its DVD operations, he decided to separate the DVD business from the streaming business and to increase the price of their subscription plans (Sandoval , par 4). Clearly, there was a blunder on Hasting’s part to do such move. What led him to commit such a major slip-up? What can be said is that it all goes back to the mission statement. There is no concern for the market that they serve. Hasting’s main concern was to be aggressive and focus on streaming, before their competitors get ahead of them. It is what is stated in their vision, to be the global leader in the enter tainment distribution service, no matter what their customers feel. Given this background, it is highly recommended that Netflix restate its mission statement to take into account the people who have made them where they are today, their subscribers. It is suggested that Netflix’s mission statement and vision for the future should be: Netflix is dedicated to becoming the best global entertainment distribution service by entering into licensing agreements with television and movie producers and distributors around the world; by creating markets that are accessible to film makers and by assisting content creators around the world to find a global audience, but at all times, recognizing that our responsibility first and foremost is to offer stellar service to our subscribers, through quantity and quality

INSURANCE MARKETS & OPERATIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

INSURANCE MARKETS & OPERATIONS - Essay Example The various impacts of the risks that affect the insurance industry are analyzed along with their impact upon the demand and supply of insurance. Nonetheless the impact of the demand and supply upon the insurance and upon the industry as a whole is examined along with their impacts upon alternation of the industry structure. Factors that affect various insurance operations are determined with the intensity of their impact regarding the change in supply and change in the insurance industry thus resulting in the change in the structure. The future of the insurance amounting to various factors that accounts for the change in the industry and how they shall be impacting the industry in the future is analyzed. The scope of the industry in the future regarding changes in the demand and supply along with the structural changes that shall be evolved so as to benefit from the external factors is determined (Rejda, n.d.). The response of the industry regarding the factors is analyzed in curren t and future terms and the future of the insurance industry is determined regarding change and the external factors. ... Amal, et al., 2012). The external factors of the insurance industry are discussed in detail below. Risks The insurance industry is to account and tackle risks that are faced by various entities. The change in the intensity of the risk determines the demand and supply of insurance. The structural risks that have evolved in the recent years when the company mergers enhanced and various companies started consolidating the risk increased. There are various risks factors affecting the insurance industry and they are categorized differentially along with the nature and impact (Coomber, 2006). The change in the risks that are to be faced the insurance industry changed in accordance so as to manage those risks. Economic Risks The economic risks increased when the global crises in various economies increased and thus impacted the insurance industry. Major systematic financial failures resulting in the closure of many corporates such as Enron and Lehman Brothers Bank has gathered the intention towards reconsideration of risk (Jeffrey & Amy, 2004). The economic changes around the world have caused the insurance industry to realize the intensity of the risks that in increasing and thus account for the changing and increasing risk of economy to incorporate in its operations and structures. The financial imbalances around the globe and the change in the incomes have caused the insurance industry to reanalyze the demand of the insurance. Environmental Risks The definition of the risks totally changed when the environmental changes in the globe began much of a concern. The development and the impact of the risks that is faced by the environment caused the insurance industry as how the

Manager in a Big Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Manager in a Big Corporation - Essay Example The product of Nestle mostly contains baby food, packed water, cereals, coffee confectionary, dairy products and snacks. It is considered that the company has 28 brands under its umbrella that includes well-known brands like Nescafe, Kit Kat, Smarties, Nesquik, and Maggi among others (Kowitt, 2010). It has also been viewed that the company nearby has 450 manufacturing plants that operates in more than 86 countries globally providing employment opportunities to more than 328,000 people. Nestle holds around 24.5% share of L’Oreal Group which is considered to be the world’s largest cosmetic group (Mulier, 2011). It is worth mentioning that Google have announced that it would name the next android after the ever popular chocolate wafer of nestle i.e. Kit Kat. However, over the year the company has been under varies controversies that have affected the brand image to a great extent (Kelion, 2013). Problem Definition Despite Nestle’s best effort to design, manufacture and sell safe and reliable products there stills remains probabilities that the product manufactured may contain dangerous and defective aspect and that may reach the consumer or the final customer. Correspondingly, there have been several instances when the company has to recall its products causing financial loss and hampering the goodwill of the company. Notably, a product recall is a situation or recall made by a company to return a batch or an entire production made of a particular product range usually resulting from the discovery of safety issues or a product defect (Foerster & et al., 2011). Product recall is usually a way of decreasing the liability resulting from... This paper stresses that unique liability challenges co-exist for every organization despite of conducting business in sales, manufacturing or distribution of products to the final customers. It is vital for every organization to provide the best quality product to their customers. In certain cases, it has been viewed that lack of proper operational aspects results in certain activities which sometimes affects the organizations brand image. Among all product recall is considered to one such corporate situation that could disturb a manager. The major reason behind product recall is considered to be resulting from lack of proper guidance and poor working condition. Additionally, it is believed that good knowledge of the standard packaging measures also leads in product recall by a company. This report makes a conclusion that in today’s corporate world Product recall is considered to be more prevalent that it was decades ago and has therefore become an inevitable part of business. In this competitive business world the issue of product recall plays a vital role as it not only helps in maintaining the leading position amid its customers but also helps in understanding the role and responsibility of an organization towards the society. With reference to the above discussion and finding obtained from the research conducted, it can be stated that adaption of modern technological aspects would serve as an effective way of mitigating the issues contributing towards the product defects and thereby reducing the challenges of product recall.

Estuary Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Estuary Project - Essay Example The first step is to engage measures that aim to reduce, completely, the pollution to which the estuary is prone. This entails the employment of toxic reduction programs, which have the long time goals of reducing the load of toxic pollutants. Other additional measures include engaging in economic incentives that discourage the use of toxic raw materials and subsequently the production of harmful waste products. People and industries should be made accountable to their waste disposal mechanisms lest they wilfully engage in polluting the estuary, which are environmental audits. Environmentally friendly agricultural practises should be encouraged and advertised for those who are ignorant. These agricultural practises might need to include the creation of means via which pesticides will not penetrate the estuary. A disturbing fact is that new commercial products are being created and sold in the market daily. Some of these new products will be a source of pollution. Thus, pollution prev ention will not be complete if this avenue is not analysed. In this regard, stewardship programs should be employed that seek to guide on the reduction of pollution attributed to new commercial products in the market. ... Additionally, the accumulation of mercury and selenium should be controlled in respect to the source and sinks. A major concern, in pollution control, will be to manage the amount of run off arising from public and private establishments. Appropriate measures have been put in place to check on this, it varies from the implementation of ordinance and education the general public on the appropriate ways of managing run-offs. Additionally, measures have been proposed to curb and control the amount of pollution arising from energy and transportation systems. In the context of controlling pollution, the role played by mines and agricultural toxic waste has also been analyzed. Various avenues have been proposed in reaching this goal (Gordon Becker, 2011). When all this is done, it is of fundamental importance to check on the significance of pollution on the life of wildlife and the human population. This entails the cleaning up of pollutants of the aquatic species in the estuary. Additiona lly, the source of food for these species should be checked. Subsequently, the deposits or hot spots of the sediments be it mercury or selenium should be controlled if not completely eradicated. All these measures mentioned above are being employed in the endeavour of finally making the water quality better and conducive for life. An additional objective is to improve the water quality via the restoration and improvement of the tidal wetland functions. Subsequently, the riparian and floodplain actions in the wetland will also be improved. Aside from the aspect of pollution, biotic and abiotic factors impede on the productivity and diversity of life present and dependent on the estuary. The abiotic factors that affect the estuary consist of the amount of sunshine that is