JumpCorp Charters
Charters and Conglomerates
JumpCorp charters are typically limited to a given star system, but any number of systems within a galaxy may join together to form a galactic conglomerate. The universal mega- conglomerate is usually just called “JumpCorp.” Just how big a charter or conglomerate is depends far more on the number of active operations under its control than it does on the size of territory covered. Some JumpCorp charters provide services for just a few planets in a single system. They may be relatively new to the region, there may not be enough resources to make a large presence profitable, or there may be so much work focused on a few key regions that it requires the corporation’s entire focus—at least until it has enough time to expand appropriately. Once charters grow large enough to form conglomerates, they find themselves servicing a mix of active and empty systems. They might provide escorts to fend off pirates in the busy shipping lanes of one system, mine the lonely asteroid belt on its fringes, and visit the unexplored planets of the next system over.Structure
Charter Leadership
Each charter has a Board of Directors, led by a System Administrator who is typically elected once every cycle (roughly one Earth year, depending on local circumstances). The exact responsibilities of the Administrator, checks and balances on her power, budget, and authority, are set by the board, though most follow long- established precedents. In a conglomerate, the System Administrators choose an Executive Administrator to serve above their own station. These men and women are usually former System Administrators who have proven their leadership and non-partisanship during a previous term.Bureaucracy and Infrastructure
JumpCorp charters have all the mundane divisions any other corporation does—human resources, network technology, training, management, logistics, transportation, and so forth. But charters often operate outside planetary governments’ jurisdictions and therefore must maintain their own banks, financial services, and even courts. One of the few JumpCorp constants is the agreement to honor and maintain these services between charters. In fact, it is largely because of JumpCorp’s pan-galactic stability that credits are accepted and have the same relative value in most of the Known Worlds.Titles, Ranks, and Seniority
JumpCorp’s various hierarchies are generally independent of each other’s structures with the exception of the Administration Division. Its less-than-flashy name underlies its importance to each charter or conglomerate, for the “AD” is effectively in charge of an individual charter, which can often number millions of employees and contractors. The Executive or System Administrator sits at the top of this chain, then the Board of Directors, the President of each major division, then the presidents of lesser divisions, and finally directors of localized operations. Of course, corporate structure is suborned in emergencies. In those cases, the person with the most relevant job title must take responsibility for the safety of all other personnel and the mission. In space, for example, a ship’s captain is master of his vessel—as long as it remains within its mission parameters. Similarly, a security person might take charge of the most senior ADs in the event of a hostile attack. In these cases, it is often a match of willpower as much as areas of responsibility. Ranks vary by division, but here are some of the most common, in order of seniority: Exploration Teams: Team Leader, Officer (Security, Science, Technical, Reconnaissance, and Flight Officers are most common), Team Member. Research & Development: Director, Senior Scientist, Scientist, Researcher, Technician. Security (Civil): Director, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant of the Watch, Sergeant, Corporal, Constable. Security (Military): Director General, General, Colonel, Major, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant Major, Master Sergeant, Sergeant, Corporal, Trooper.Culture
JumpCorp is very multi-cultural. It will accept members of any race into it's staff. Though their main headquarters are located on Earth.
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