Introduction to Stocks and Shares

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The concepts involving stocks and shares are often baffling to people. However, it is not quite as complex as people make out. At its most basic, a share of stock is a share of ownership in a corporation, when someone owns more than one such stock, they are known as a shareholder. These shares can take a number of forms and can influence whether or not a person owning them can vote in corporate decisions. Like most things in our society, however, the concepts involved have a long history dating back to Roman times and play large role in shaping everyday life.

The Roman Empire contracted many of its services to private groups called publicani. Shares in these were called socci when the cooperatives were large, and particulae for smaller companies (like todays Over-The-Counter shares). Records are small for this time but there is an account of it in Edward Chancellor’s Devil Take The Hindmost. In this book he refers to speculation that these shares were very widespread, possibly causing the first of what is known as speculative bubble in stocks, when price of stocks rise and become overvalued by any measure. From the Middle Ages onwards the first company to issue shares of stock was the Dutch East India Company in 1606. This is notable as it is of great interest to historians due to the legalities of their actions.

But what about today How are shares managed in modern Britain First it should be noted that shares can be held not just in stock, but also in mutual funds, limited partnerships, and REIT’s (Real Estate Investment Trust), but shares in stock are the most well known forms and there are some different versions of it in the modern day: Common Stock: This normally carries voting rights that can be used in corporate decisions.

Preferred Stock: This does not typically carry a voting right, but the owner of preferred stock is legally allowed receive a certain amount of dividend (payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members) before any can be issued to others. One of the largest stock exchanges in the world is the LSE, or London Stock Exchange near St. Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London. Founded in 1801 it deals with the stocks of around 3,233 corporations, showing the sheer size and infrastructure that shares have today.

State of the lift and escalator sector

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Escalators are basically conveyer belts that carry passengers between floors. They can be found in supermarkets, train stations, airports or any other busy location that requires users to have access to more than one floor with ease. The not only allow access, but also act as a bottleneck to ease congestion. A crowd of people can be sorted into a manageable and orderly queue after using an escalator. They carry many passengers and ensure a constant flow of movement, unlike a passenger lift. Passenger lifts have a limited capacity and can only do a certain amount of journeys within any given time period; escalators operate continuously, making sure that they are always ready to take passengers and perform their service. They are suitable for many locations where passengers find it difficult or simply a hassle to use a staircase, and where another method of between-floor transport is impractical.

A good example of where an escalator is an ideal solution, and is almost essential is in an underground train station. It is unrealistic to expect passengers to climb such huge flights of stairs, and this can often lead to accidents, not to mention making the station entirely inaccessible to many disabled passengers. Underground stations can be very big, and will often see hundreds of passengers at any one time, especially in big cities. These passengers need quick and easy access to the platforms, and it is extremely advantageous for those managing the station to install an escalator to ease the massive congestion caused by this many people. It is clear that an escalator can benefit all involved in such an environment, and without one everything would simply grind to a halt.

Another application of an escalator would be in a shopping centre. This is a hugely different environment. It could see large numbers of shoppers at one time, but it would never experience the average usage of an escalator in an underground train station. Therefore the escalator must be made accordingly. This location would require a light-duty escalator, as opposed to the heavy-duty ones that are made to withstand a huge amount of wear and tear. Factors such as height, length and expected capacity must be taken into account to ensure the elevator is installed correctly and can function with as little trouble as possible. It’s not good having to call maintenance time after time due to an escalator which doesn’t suit the requirements of its location, or that has many technical faults.