Discuss issues in accounting measurement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Discuss issues in accounting measurement - Essay Example izations in making their financial statements among other things, they are viewed as problematic because most of them have to be derived (Neely, 2007, pg. 98). An analysis done with regards to the International accounting Standard Board shows that the use of fair measurement base in financial accounting is likely to increase. The increase of using the fair value as a measurement best will help in the transformation of the way assets including intangible assets and liabilities are measured. Financial accounting measurements are recorded at historical or adjusted cost to the market values through adjusting entries. Management accounting uses measurements to help in calculating the number of labour hours needed or the cost of materials used to produce goods and services. When determining management accounting measurements accountants use special cost allocation methods such as standard costing, job process costing or Activity-based costing. There is no specific method that is used by accountants as the measurements depend on the entity and how they conduct their business. Therefore, accountants determine the best accounting measurement method by identifying and reviewing each production procedure and breaking down the procedures into allocation drivers. Measurement accounting is a continuous or never ending process make it relevant in accounting for its users because each day there are new standards that are set by the ISAFB and FASB. Additionally, it is an evolutionary process because different bodies use different practices in the world for their external financial reporting. By so doing, they use different approaches to measurements in that, different jurisdictions have developed their financial reporting requirements that are influenced by the differences in the uses made for financial reporting information found in regulation and business environments. Measurement accounts evolve even within one jurisdiction because different approaches are adopted by

Financial Ratios and Division Managers Essay Example for Free

Financial Ratios and Division Managers Essay The front desk receptionist routinely takes an extra 20 minutes of lunch to run personal errands. Agency Problem: she took an extra 20 minutes to do her personal errands instead of working, which she puts her own self interests before the best interests of the company. Occurred cost: the salary that the company pays to her. The solution would depend on the boss on her work performance in the past. If she has an important personal errand to do during that time, then boss might need to talk to her and explain the solution for her. This problem can be final dealt by clocking-in and clocking-out even time for lunch hours. B) Division managers are padding cost estimates so as to show short-term efficiency gains when the costs come in lower than the estimates. Agency Problem: Division managers use their authority to mislead information and a problem exists when management and stockholders have conflicting ideas on how the company should be run in short-term. It will mess up the management in order to plan costs. Also it might ruin the number balance sheets and which could affect future gains. This might mean that the division managers who wish to engage in capital expenditures can now secure a short-term benefit from lower estimates. Occurred cost: The solution is management should monitor division managers performance and might give managers the performance shares which result in meeting the stated performance goals. These goals must be more efficient and accurate in order for management to plan goal to generate profit. Agency cost: By reducing and by providing appropriate incentives to align the interests to division managers. C) The firm’s chief executive officer has secret talks with a competitor about the possibility of a merger in which he would become the CEO of the combined firms. Agency Problem: The chief executive officer risks negative behavior because of dealing with the competition and did not involve his company’s best interests. He is putting his needs of planning a secret merger with his competition, which most likely can result potential profit for him, and possibly his company, if the merger is a positive one. Since he knows that his merger will occur (due to the fact of his direct â€Å"under the table† dealings with his competition), he can then go forward openly with his own company to promote the merger. Occurred cost: The CEO should know himself and the risks of CEO overconfidence. His behavior results in exactly this type of good faith mismanagement of the business. It is very important that the company should continue improving both legal and non-legal mechanisms that remedy conflict-of-interest problems by guarding against looting, fraud, and other forms of corporate corruption and disloyalty and by incentivizing managers to maximize shareholder value. The added challenge for corporate governance is to move beyond managerial motives to account more for human psychology and how managers actually behave and make business decisions when they are well-intentioned. D) A branch manager lay off experienced fulltime employees and staffs customer service positions with part-time or temporary workers to lower employment costs and raise this year’s branch profit. The manager’s bonus is based on profitability. Agency Problem: the branch manager created the personal goal to get more bonuses which depends on profitability and did not look into the company’s performance. Occurred cost: the management should be able to see that profitability does not come from sales. The cross section analysis helps the analyst to find out as to how a particular firm has performed in relation to its competitors. Time-Series analysis evaluates performance overtime by comparing current to the past performance. To look at significant year-to-year changes may be symptomatic of a major problem. Time series analysis helps to the firm to assess whether the firm is approaching the long-term goals or not. The Time series analysis looks for (1) important trends in financial performance (2) shift in trend over the years (3) significant deviation if any from the other set of data. So, I will compare the actual year 2007, 2008 and 2009. Liquidity by look at the current ratio and quick ratio that evaluating the speed with which certain accounts are converted into cash and its look at the ability of a company to meet its short-term obligations. As actual year 2009 the current ratio (2. 48) and quick ratio (1. 35) higher than the industry average and the higher is the better for company. If we look at the balance sheet we will see that the current asset and the current liability is decreased which is the big decreased from accounts payable. This shows that Marin Manufacturing Company have enough quick assets to pay off all current liabilities. Activity It shows relationship between the sales the assets. By evaluate inventory turnover, average collection period, and total asset turnover. As the inventory turnover of the Marin Manufacturing Company is less the industry average which I recommends that the company should manage inventory more efficiently. The average collection period is higher than both industry average and the past year which the manager should emphasis on the collection to decrease this number. It means that they have to change their policy of lending business for more efficiency of debt collection. The total asset turnover for the actual year is 1. 6 which more then the past year but it still less than the industry average. So, the company needs to increase sakes to meet the industry average. Debt can analyze by debt ratio and time interest earned ratio. The debt ratio of actual year 2009 is higher than the industry average it continue increasing since year 2007-2008. Its means that the company has high leveraged and might borrows more money in the year 2008. Also the higher debt ratio means higher risk for lenders and investors. For the time interest ratio which decrease from year 2008 at 1. 9 to be 1. 6 in year 2009 and lower than industry average it means the company might facing the risk that cash flows from operations will be insufficient to cover interest and principal payment. Profitability by evaluate gross profit margin, net profit margin, ROA and ROE. Gross Profit Margin is measuring how much amount is left to meet other expenses earn net profit which actual 2009 is at 27% that higher than the industry average (26%). Its mean that the company has high ability to sell goods at intended selling price. At 0. 65 % of net profit margin that decrease from 1. 1 % in 2007 to 1. 0% in year 2008 and less than industry average (1. 2%) that create low safety to the company. The higher risk that a decline in sales will erase profits and might result in net loss. The ROA and ROE both in year 2009 are decreasing to be less than the industry average and decresing from the past year. This show that the managerment is not managing asset effeicincy or assets are not being utilized effectively and lower ROE might caused by high debt. It seem like when this company are not very attractive for invertor if they looking at return on stockholders investment which is decreasing to be lower than industry averange. Market can analyze from P/E ratio and M/B ratio. For P/E in year 2009 is 34. 4 compare with the industry average at 43. 4 which lower and if compare to the past year it lower than year 2008. It means that investors are not perceive good growth potential of Marin Manufacturing Company.

The Monk Essays -- Essays Papers

CHARACTER ANALYSIS The Monk When one thinks of a monk, he may imagine someone who studies, prays, and performs manual labor. The Monk, one of the thirty pilgrims travelling on a pilgrimage to Canterbury in The Canterbury Tales, is nothing like the usual monk many people imagine. He is rebellious, ignores rules, and lives and controls his own life. Chaucer, the narrator and author of The Canterbury Tales, shows these characteristics in the way the Monk looks, the things he says and does, and in the things the host, a character in "The Monk's Prologue," and Chaucer say about him. The Monk is nothing like the usual monk many people imagine. He hunts hares and rides horses instead of studying, praying, and working. He does not follow the rules of the monastery which say that monks should not hunt, be reckless, nor leave the monastery. Instead,they should study and perform manual labor. The Monk ignores these rules. Chaucer shows that the Monk does not care about the rules when he says, "He yaf nought of that text a pulled hen"(Norton, p.85) and when he says, "Of priking and of ...

The One and Only :: essays research papers

Here at Archiving Early America, you will discover a wealth of resources -- a unique array of primary source material from 18th Century America. Scenes and portraits from original newspapers, maps and writings come to life on your screen just as they appeared to this country's forebears more than two centuries ago. As you browse through these pages, you will find it easier to understand the people, places and events of this significant time in the American experience. I honestly don't think I have ever seen a better movie than American History X in my entire life! I may only be 14, but I have seen a lot of movies. I am an avid fan of them, and this one just takes the cake. Edward Norton is just unbelievable. He is the most talented actor I've ever laid eyes on. His performance in the movie is phenomenal. He delves so deep into his character that he can convince the whole audience easily of his neo-nazi role. The look on his face as he walks back from killing one man in the first seen is purely horrifying. The entire move was dramatic, intriguing, and powerful. It really is moving and emotional as well as scary. It is so true to life, and provides the viewer with such insight into the life and events that create a monster such as Derek Vinyard. It answers many questions I have long awaited an answer to such as what could possibly make someone act as Derek did in this movie, yet left open-ended many others that people such as myself may have. Almost every single scene in the movie was extremely captivating. I can't even go on to say more about the acting, other than if Edward Norton does not win best actor this year, I will go absolutely nuts. It's bad enough he lost it to Cuba Gooding Jr. when he was in Primal Fear, which was yet another incredible performance by him. Edward Furlong, the little kid from T2 is astounding as the confused brother of Derek. I was stunned walking out of the theater after seeing American History X, and I don't think I will ever have the benefit of seeing another movie as good as this one as long as I live.

Soil Liquefaction Dangers During Arthquake

Ground shaking and shifting can cause major damage, tearing apart houses, buildings, and roads. †¢Flooding that arises from broken water dams or river levees is another hazard. †¢Tsunamis, triggered by an undersea earthquake as well as seiches – waves coming from lakes shaken by a temblor – can submerge whole communities, sweep away edifices, topple trees and drown people. †¢Fire is another seismic hazard. It can flare up from broken gas and power lines, or from overturned wood, coal, or gas stoves. But there’s another major earthquake danger that not many are familiar with. Soil liquefaction is a phenomenon that occurs when soil mixes with groundwater during a moderate or strong earthquake, turning the ground into quicksand in minutes. Soil Liquefaction in Low-Elevation Areas Because the soil must be saturated for liquefaction to take place, it is more likely to occur in low-lying areas that are near bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, bays and oceans. It happens most often in areas with sandy soil, where water takes hours to wend its way through the tiny channels of the mixture. More resistant to liquefaction are large-grained, permeable soils like gravel, which drains quickly, and clay soil, where particles are packed closely together.. It was in 1964, when earthquakes shook Niigata, Japan, and Anchorage, Alaska, that soil liquefaction was recognized as a major cause of earthquake damage. Scientists have since linked it to major historical earthquakes worldwide. Soil liquefaction inflicts great damage to property. Since the ground is too unstable to withstand pressure, anything resting above the mush—a building, a bridge, a house, a pier, a runway, a nuclear power plant, an earth dam—may lean, tip over, split open, or sink several feet. Ways to Reduce Soil Liquefaction Risks What can be done if a soil has been identified as susceptible to liquefaction? An undergraduate research paper written by Alisha Kaplan lists three ways to reduce liquefaction risks when constructing new buildings and structures. †¢Avoid building on liquefaction-susceptible soils. Besides soil tests, vulnerable places can also be pinpointed by investigating past events in an area. Soils that had liquefied in previous seismic events can liquefy again if another quake occurs. †¢Erect liquefaction-proof structures. If construction on weak soil cannot be avoided, the structure’s foundation should be designed to resist the damaging effects of liquefaction. The building must be made ductile, equipped with adjustable supports, and constructed to withstand large deformations and span soft locations on the ground. †¢Improve the soil. Improvements should increase ground strength, density and draining capacity. Installing vibroflotation, vertical wick drains, compact piles, and stone columns can lower the possibility of liquefaction. Soil liquefaction cannot be taken lightly, especially by those living in suspected liquefaction-prone areas. With earthquakes seemingly in the news more often, it serves residents and authorities alike to take a look around them and assess if they are standing on firm ground, literally. Taking safety measures in advance can save lives and property should a calamity strike.

Free Essays on Communication And Race

Communication and Race The most critical aspects of media performance with regards to race and ethnicity are issues that relate to the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color. Accuracy and diversity are aspects of media performance that will allow for a careful evaluation of how it represents people of color. Evaluating media performance is important because of the utilization and reliance on the mass media for much of society's reflexive monitoring and evaluation of reality. The performance of mass media is important in regards to race and ethnicity because the mass media are the primary source of indirect or mediated experiences that reinforce racial attitudes and beliefs that are integrated into cognitive structures (Gandy, 1998). Thus, mass media can be viewed as places where reality is constructed and racism may be reproduced. Accuracy Accuracy is an important aspect of media performance to consider in assessing the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color be cause of its assumed consequences of developing self-image and personal identity and its reflection of social reality that informs social policy (Gandy 1998). Shan and Thorton (1994) state that previous research of minority groups has shown that minorities are sometimes depicted as being "violent, primitive, and politically unsophisticated." Furthermore, they postulate that certain types of behaviors among minorities may be "understood by whites as pathological or deviant" because of how the news media represent them. This representation is inaccurate because it ignores historical context and structural explanations for social trends. In addition, Shan and Thorton state that newsmagazines reproduce racism by perpetuating a racial hierarchy carried out by mainly whites and consumed by mainly whites that positioned blacks at the bottom. Entman (1990) found that local news stimulated the production of modern racism. Violent crimes comm... Free Essays on Communication And Race Free Essays on Communication And Race Communication and Race The most critical aspects of media performance with regards to race and ethnicity are issues that relate to the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color. Accuracy and diversity are aspects of media performance that will allow for a careful evaluation of how it represents people of color. Evaluating media performance is important because of the utilization and reliance on the mass media for much of society's reflexive monitoring and evaluation of reality. The performance of mass media is important in regards to race and ethnicity because the mass media are the primary source of indirect or mediated experiences that reinforce racial attitudes and beliefs that are integrated into cognitive structures (Gandy, 1998). Thus, mass media can be viewed as places where reality is constructed and racism may be reproduced. Accuracy Accuracy is an important aspect of media performance to consider in assessing the quality of its representation of the lives of people of color be cause of its assumed consequences of developing self-image and personal identity and its reflection of social reality that informs social policy (Gandy 1998). Shan and Thorton (1994) state that previous research of minority groups has shown that minorities are sometimes depicted as being "violent, primitive, and politically unsophisticated." Furthermore, they postulate that certain types of behaviors among minorities may be "understood by whites as pathological or deviant" because of how the news media represent them. This representation is inaccurate because it ignores historical context and structural explanations for social trends. In addition, Shan and Thorton state that newsmagazines reproduce racism by perpetuating a racial hierarchy carried out by mainly whites and consumed by mainly whites that positioned blacks at the bottom. Entman (1990) found that local news stimulated the production of modern racism. Violent crimes comm...

Benjamin Bloom and Critical Thinking Skills

Benjamin Bloom and Critical Thinking Skills Benjamin Bloom was a U.S. psychiatrist who made several significant contributions to education, mastery learning, and talent development. Born in 1913 in Lansford, Pennsylvania, he exhibited a passion for reading and research from an early age. Bloom attended Pennsylvania State University and earned a bachelor’s degree and a masters degree, then he became a member of the University of Chicago’s Board of Examinations in 1940. He also served internationally as an educational adviser, working with Israel, India and several other nations. The Ford Foundation sent him to India in 1957 where he ran workshops on educational evaluation.   Model of Critical Thinking Blooms taxonomy, in which he describes the major areas in the cognitive domain, is perhaps the most familiar of his  work. This information is drawn from the Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain (1956). The taxonomy begins by defining knowledge as remembering previously learned material. According to Bloom, knowledge represents the lowest level of learning outcomes in the cognitive domain. Knowledge is followed by comprehension, or  the ability to grasp the meaning of material. This goes just beyond the knowledge level. Comprehension is the lowest level of understanding. Application is the next area in the hierarchy. It refers to the ability to use learned material in new and concrete principles and theories. Application requires a higher level of understanding than comprehension. Analysis is the next area of the taxonomy in which  the learning outcomes require an understanding of both the content and the structural form of material. Next is synthesis, which refers to the ability to put parts together to form a new whole. Learning outcomes at this level stress creative behaviors with a major emphasis on the formulation of new patterns or structures. The last level of the taxonomy is evaluation, which concerns the ability to judge the value of material for a given purpose. The judgments are to be based on definite criteria. Learning outcomes in this area are the highest in the cognitive hierarchy because they incorporate or contain elements of knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, and synthesis. In addition, they contain conscious value judgments based on clearly defined criteria. Inventing encourages the four highest levels of learning- application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation- in addition to knowledge and comprehension. Blooms Publications Bloom’s contributions to education have been memorialized in a series of books over the years.   Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook 1: Cognitive Domain. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Bloom, Benjamin S. 1956.  Taxonomy of Educational Objectives: The Classification of Educational Goals. Longman. Bloom, Benjamin S. 1956.  All Our Children Learning. New York: McGraw-Hill. Bloom, Benjamin S. 1980.  Developing Talent in Young People. New York: Ballantine Books. Bloom, B. S., Sosniak, L.A. 1985.   One of Bloom’s last studies was conducted in 1985. It concluded that recognition in a respected field requires 10 years of dedication and learning at a minimum, regardless of IQ, innate abilities or talents. Bloom died in 1999 at the age of 86.

Compare and Contrast the Response of Economic Policymakers to the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Financial Crisis Today. Essay Example

Compare and Contrast the Response of Economic Policymakers to the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Financial Crisis Today. Essay Example Compare and Contrast the Response of Economic Policymakers to the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Financial Crisis Today. Essay Compare and Contrast the Response of Economic Policymakers to the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Financial Crisis Today. Essay David Pattinson ‘Industrialisation, Imperialism and Globalisation: The World Economy since 1800’ Professor John Singleton Compare and contrast the response of economic policymakers to the Great Depression of the 1930’s and the Great Financial Crisis today. Essay 2 10/1/13 Word count: 2,299 The financial crisis that began in 2007-8 was the first time since the 1930’s that both the major European countries and the US had been involved in a financial crisis. In comparison, the disastrous 1931 banking crisis involved countries that accounted for 55. 6 per cent of world GDP, whereas the banking crisis of 2007-8 only involved countries that accounted for 33. 5 per cent of world GDP. Though, all the key economic variables fell at a faster rate during the first year of the later crisis. Keynes had argued in 1931 that ‘there is a possibility that when this crisis is looked back upon by the economic historian of the future it will be seen to mark one the major turning points. ’ Keynes was correct. As a result of the lessons that were learned, policy in response to the Great Financial Crisis has contrasted sharply with policy during the Great Depression era. I will examine how national policy responses and international co-operation have differed, as well as highlighting how in creating the Euro, policymakers have unwittingly replicated many of the structural weaknesses of the Gold Standard. I will also consider how policy in the recovery phase has so far compared to policy during the recovery from the Great Depression. The Great Depression was marked by bank failures. A total of 9,096 banks failed between 1930 and 1933 amounting to 2. 0% of GDP. Friedman and Schwartz highlight the failure to increase the money supply whilst liquidity was tight as the primary cause. Bordo and Landon-Lane provide econometric analysis using examiners’ reports on failed banks that support this argument. Epstein and Ferguson have suggested that Federal Reserve officials understood that monetary conditions were tight but believed that a contraction was a necessary corrective. The otion that governments should ‘let nature take its course’ formed a central pillar of the contemporary economic orthodoxy. However, other economic historians have pointed out that Federal officials believed that monetary policy was actually loose, due to them conflating low nominal interest rates with low real interest rates (which were high as a result of deflation). Wicker argues that Federal Reserve officials feared that o pen market purchases would renew gold outflow by bring into question the Federal Reserve’s commitment to maintaining gold convertibility. When faced with a policy choice the Federal Reserve always opted to support the Gold Standard. Rather than shore up the battered banking system, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates during late 1931 and the winter of 1932-3 to protect the dollar from speculation in order to halt gold losses. Regardless of the deficiencies of Federal Reserve policy, the US entered the 1930’s with a poorly regulated banking system that was undercapitalised and based on unit banking. Calomiris and Mason argue that eventually, banking collapse would have been inevitable. In general, economists argue that the depth of the downturn is explained by the monetary shocks interacting with the dramatic falls in demand (that emanated from the collapse in investment and consumption). Loss of income and uncertain employment conditions combined to undermine consumer spending, whilst there was little incentive to invest while prices were falling. Deflation also increased the burden of existing debt. Fiscal policy did not fill the gap in demand as belief in the Gold Standard and balanced budgets prevailed. A coherent theoretical justification for expansionary fiscal policy was absent from the contemporary economic discourse. Expansionary fiscal policy remained unused, even after states left the Gold Standard. In Europe, fears of inflation weighed heavy on the minds of policymakers. The dominant view in Washington was that over-production was responsible for the crisis. Consequently, the New Deal spending was funded by tax increases. Roosevelt concentrated on limiting competition, sharing work and promoting high wages in order to increase purchasing power. Cole and Ohanian argue that these policies undermined the recovery by raising real wages and unemployment. The consensus view is that, by subordinating monetary and fiscal policy towards maintaining gold parity, the Gold Standard transmitted the crisis to the rest of the world. The return to the Gold Standard, after the First World War, was unbalanced. Countries such as France and Belgium joined at exchange rates that were well below their 1913 levels which gave them a substantial competitive advantage. Conversely, after a deflationary squeeze, the UK re-joined at its 1913 exchange rates, leaving the sterling over-valued. The US and France exasperated the problem, by sterilising (so not to inflate the money supply) the gold that they accumulated (sixty per cent of the world’s gold supply by 1928). The lack of reserves forced many countries into further deflation. The world economy could only be kept going by the US economy continuing to absorb imports and provide international lending to cover gold shortages. By 1928, the US proved unwilling to do the latter and was eventually unable to do the former. During the depression, this austerity debilitated economies and resulted in banking collapses, notably in Germany and Austria. In response to the systemic threat posed by the imminent German banking collapse, the nations in a position to offer assistance acted unilaterally. President Hoover proposed a one year moratorium on reparations and war debt. The French, furious at the lack of consultation opposed the measure, believing that they lost more than they gained. Instead, they made an offer of help to the Germans that attached political conditions that made it impossible for the Germans to accept. Ultimately, international co-operation proved impossible as states that were able to help were unwilling to risk their own privileged positions. Between 1929 and 1932, the volume of world trade fell by 25%, about half of which was due to higher trade barriers. The Smoot-Hawley Act in 1930 is often cited as the genesis of protectionist policies, but Irwin points out that the protectionist avalanche did not begin until the world financial crisis struck in 1931. Irwin locates the incipience of this round of protectionism in the ‘open economy trilemma’ which limits countries to choosing two of three objectives: a fixed exchange rate, an independent monetary policy, and open trade policies. In attempting to marry membership of the Gold Standard with independent monetary policy, policymakers adopted protectionist measures. Countries that maintained gold parity such as France and Switzerland used import quotas on 50-60% of their imports. Whereas, the Sterling block countries which allowed their currencies to devalue, only used import quotas on 5-10% of their imports. In the wake of the financial meltdown, policymakers in the US attempted significant banking reform with the Emergency Banking Act in 1933 followed by the Banking Acts of 1933 and 1935. Deposit insurance was created, and it brought an end to bank runs. The Reconstruction Finance Corporation was formed to provide capital to banks. It was successful to the extent that it owned stock in nearly half of all commercial banks by March 1934. Investment and commercial banking were separated, though White has provided evidence that banks that engaged in both commercial and investment banking were better diversified and were less likely to fail than banks that specialised in just one area. Calomiris also sees the legislation as flawed, as it preserved unit banking, which was a major source of instability in the banking system. The Great Depression altered economic thinking and policy. Hannah and Temin argue that it led to an emphasis on correcting market failures through government intervention. Federal spending rose, and inter-state transfers became acceptable. Though, unlike the UK, there was no move to Keynesian demand management in the US. The Great Depression also left a legacy in terms of the macroeconomic trilemma. Controls on international capital movements remained with the return to pegged exchange rates under the Bretton Woods Agreement which allowed independent monetary policy. Economists such as Wray have seen the policy legacy of the Great Depression as having constrained the destabilising role played by finance. Moreover, it provided the framework for an unprecedented period of prosperity after the Second World War. In response to the Great Financial Crisis, policymakers have been largely cognisant of the lessons of the 1930’s. The Federal Reserve officials of the 1930’s argued that they could not increase credit by purchasing government securities as they were not eligible as collateral. In contrast, based on Bernanke’s view that banking collapse leads to a failure of the credit allocation mechanism, the Federal Reserve combining with the Treasury created a range of extensions to its discount window to encompass every kind of collateral in the hope of unblocking the credit markets. States co-ordinated massive injections of liquidity (double digits fractions of GDP in advanced economies). The Bank of England, the Bank of Japan and the Federal Reserve undertook large scale quantitative easing. Interest rates were reduced to almost zero in the US and Britain and to very low levels in Europe and elsewhere. Governments nationalised insolvent institutions deemed ‘too big to fail’ such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae in the United States, BNP Paribus in France and Northern Rock in Britain. Despite China’s minimal direct exposure to the financial crisis, its response to the downturn in demand has been sweeping. Focusing on developing infrastructure it undertook a stimulus package that amounted to 14% of GDP in 2008. Keen notes that the massive amount of government spending in 2010 meant that government debt was responsible for 12% of aggregate demand in contrast to only 1. % of aggregate demand between 1930 and 1932. Furthermore, unlike the 1930’s, governments have not tried to over-ride, the now much larger, automatic stabilisers. However, the experience of the 1930’s has not effectively militated upon the policy makers of the Eurozone, where a dramatic collapse in employment and living standards has mirrored the Great Depression. Like the Gold Standard, th e Euro was unbalanced from its inception as the weaker economies joined at a relatively high rate of exchange on the premise of avoiding inflation. The gap in competitiveness has widened due to Germany suppressing nominal wages much more effectively than the rest of the Eurozone. Easy credit provided to peripheral areas by German banks created markets for German exports and saddled those areas with debt. Monetary and fiscal policy has focused on creating an international currency to rival the dollar. Consequently, monetary policy has targeted inflation through low interest rates. As monetary policy is unitary, the peripheral economies are denied the opportunity to reflate their economies. Furthermore, unlike other major advanced economies since the crisis began, the Eurozone has required that Fiscal policy be placed under tight constraints via the Fiscal Stability Pact. The retrenching of the crisis on to sovereigns has exposed a central weakness of the Eurozone project. The ECB supports banks but lacks the power to support states. Similar to the deflation that was necessary under the Gold Standard, the peripheral economies of the Eurozone are locked into a mutually reinforcing cycle of debt and austerity. Having pursued national self-interest from the euro’s inception, Vines argues Germany is unwilling to provide the hegemonic leadership that its responsibilities in Europe require of it. Though, Lapavitas et al argue that abandoning fiscal discipline would be incompatible with the avowed aim of maintaining a currency that attempts to compete with the dollar. The value of the euro would probably fall, destroying the large Eurozone banks’ ability to operate internationally. If German policy has followed narrow self-interest to the detriment of others, it has not been alone. China has held down their exchange rates over a long period of time. It is widely estimated that Chinese currency is 30% to 40% overvalued. Martin Wolf of the Financial Times has asserted that Chinese interventions to keep the exchange rate down are tantamount analytically to trade protectionism. Judging by its reserves it has ‘†¦kept its exchange rate down to a degree unmatched in economic history. ’ States have also been quick to ‘ring-fence’ assets in their own jurisdiction. For example, the fear of the imminent collapse of the Icelandic banks led UK supervisors to resort to using the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act to ring fence Icelandic bank assets in the UK. Claessens et al point out that in general, national interventions have been uncoordinated and driven by pure national interest. However, the major international banks have co-ordinated massive injections of liquidity into the system at various points. Moreover, protectionism has not been a feature of the current crisis in the way that it was during the great depression. Research has shown that only 2% of falls in world trade in 2008-9, can be attributed to trade barriers. This can be primarily attributed to the system of flexible exchange rates, the lessons learnt from the great depression and the system of trade rules overseen the WTO. As of yet following the great financial crisis, there has not been significant banking reform. Attempts at co-ordinated international regulation have proved difficult. The former governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King attributes this to the heightened awareness that global banks are global in life and national in death. The draft proposals for the Basel III accords put forward some significant reforms which were ultimately watered down. Key elements such as a mandatory countercyclical capital buffer were omitted from the final agreement. Although the accords raised the minimum capital requirements, they are still held by many economists to be too low. Attempts at reform including the Dodds-Frank Act have not addressed the problem of ‘Too Big to Fail Banks’ (whose size necessitates that they be bailed out in the event of insolvency due to the systemic risk that they pose). A situation of moral hazard thereby exists where banks know they can engage in any risky behaviour they like. If anything should go wrong they know they will be bailed out by the state. In summary, the response to the Great Financial Crisis has differed from the Great Depression as a result of the increased understanding of macroeconomics. The scale of the policy response to the Great Financial Crisis would have been unthinkable during the Great Depression era. Despite the unprecedented response, the economic crisis that began with the financial crisis in 2007-8 is far from over and many problems remain. In the advanced economies, growth has been weak and fears of a triple dip recession persist. The Great Depression precipitated a reappraisal of policy by policymakers and resulted in considerable changes in policy. This has not happened so far to the same extent in response to the Great Financial Crisis. Many of the policy mistakes of the Great Depression have been avoided. The challenge now is to construct a macroeconomic framework that can aid the recovery and eventually facilitate a new period of economic expansion. The change in policies as a result of the Great Depression had some success in this respect. Banking regulation proved inadequate prior to both crises. In response to the Great Financial Crisis, this has yet to be rectified. This time policymakers will have to tackle the issue of ‘too big to fail’ banks. In the Eurozone, Germany has taken on the role of both the US and France during the Great Depression by failing to shore up weaker areas and by pursuing policies to the detriment of everybody else. During the Great Depression, the most important factor in the recovery was the abandonment of the Gold Standard. The countries that devalued in 1931 performed much better than those who had continued with exchange controls. The cost of reverting back to a national currency makes leaving the Euro and devaluing a less viable option for the Eurozone states. Bibliography Barrell, R. and Holland, D. ‘Monetary and Fiscal Responses to the Economic Downturn,’ National Institute Economic Review, No. 211, (Jan 2010) pp. 51-62. Bernanke, B. , ‘Nonmonetary Effects of the Financial Crises in the Propagation of the Great Depression,’ American Economic Review (June 1983), pp. 257-76. Bordo, M. and Landon-Lane, J. , ‘The banking panics in the United States in the 1930s: som e lessons for today,’ Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), pp. 486–509. Calomiris, C. and Mason, J. , ‘Consequences of Bank Distress during the Great Depression,’ American Economic Review, Vol. 93, (2003a), pp. 937–47. Calomiris, C. , Monetary Policy and the Behavior of Banks: Lessons from the 1930s for the 2010s. 28th March 2011. Accessed: 16th December 2011. www. economics21. org/files/pdfs/in-depth /calomiris-spring-11. pdf Claessens, S. , Dell’Ariccia, G. , Igan, D. , and Laeven, L. , ‘Lessons and Policy Implications from the Global Financial Crisis,’ IMF Working Paper, No. 14 (2010). Cole, H. and Ohanian, L. , ‘New Deal Policies and the Persistence of the Great Depression: A General Equilibrium Analysis,’ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Research Department, Working Paper No. 597, (July 2000). Crafts, N. nd Fearon, P. , ‘Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression,’ Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), pp. 285–317. Epstein, G. , and Ferguson, T. , ‘Monetary Policy, Loan Liquidation, and Industrial Conflict: The Federal Reserve and the Open Market Operations of 1932,’ Journal of Economic History (December 1984 ), pp. 957-83. Fishback, P. , ‘US Monetary and Fiscal Policy in the 1930s,’ Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), pp. 385–413. Friedman, M. and Schwartz, A. , A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960’ (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963). Goldstein, M. , ‘Integrating Reform of Financial Regulation with Reform of the International Monetary System,’ Peterson Institute for International Economics, Working Paper No. 11-5 (February 2011). Irwin, D. , ‘Trade Policy Disaster: Lessons from the 1930’s’ (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2011). Kee, H. L. , Neagu, C. , and Nicita, A. , ‘Is Protectionism on the Rise? Assessing National Trade Policies during the Crisis of 2008,’ World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5274, (2010). Keen, S. , Empirical and theoretical reasons why the GFC is not behind us. 13th June 2010. Accessed: 16th December 2011. debtdeflation. com/blogs/2010/06/13/empirical-and-theoretical-reasons-why-the-gfc-is-not-behind-us/ Keynes, J. M. , ‘An Economic Analysis of Unemployment,’ From Q. Wright (ed. ), Unemployment as a World Problem, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1931). Lapavitsas, C. , Kaltenbrunner, A. , Lindo, D. , Michell, J. , Painceira, J. P. , Pires, E. , Powell, J. , Stenfors, J. , and Teles, N. , ‘Eurozone crisis: beggar thyself and thy neighbour,’ Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 12, No. 4 (2010), pp. 321-373. Hannah, L. , and Temin, P. 2010), ‘Long-term Supply-side Implications of the Great Depression,’ Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp. 561–80 Helleiner, E. and Pagliari, S. , ‘The End of an Era in International Financial Regulation? A Postcrisis Research Agenda,’ International Organization, Vol. 65, (Winter 2011), pp. 169–200 Vines, D. , ‘The Global Macroeconomic Crisis and G20 Macroeconomic Policy Coordination,’ The Journal of Applied Economic Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, (2010) pp. 157-175. Vines, D. , ‘Fiscal Policy in the Eurozone After the Crisis,’ Paper prepared for lunchtime talk at Macro Economy Research Conference on Fiscal Policy in he Post Crisis World, (Tokyo, 16 November, 2010). Wheelock, D. , ‘Monetary Policy in the Great Depression: What the Fed Did, and Why,’ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, Vol. 74, No. 2, (March/April 1992) pp. 3-28. White, E. N. (1986), ‘Before the Glass–Steagall Act: An Analysis of the Investment-banking Activities of National Banks,’ Explorations in Economic History, Vol. 23, pp. 33–55. Wicker, E. , ‘Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, 1917-1933’ (Random House, 1966). Wolf, M. ,‘Why China’s Exchange Rate Policy Concerns Us,’ Financial Times (8th of December 2009) Wray, L. R. , ‘The rise and fall of money manager capitalism: a Minskian approach,’ Cambridge Journal of Economics, Vol. 33, (2009) pp. 807–828. Yu, Y. , China’s Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis, Richard Snape Lecture, Productivity Commission, Melbourne (25th November 2009). [ 1 ]. N. Crafts and P. Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), pp. 287 [ 2 ]. J. M. Keynes, ‘An Economic Analysis of Unemployment’, from Q. Wright (ed. , Unemployment as a World Problem, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1931). [ 3 ]. C. Calomiris and J. Mason, Consequences of Bank Distress during the Great Depression, American Economic Review, Vol. 93, (2003a), pp. 937–47 [ 4 ]. M. Friedman and A. Schwartz, A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960, (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1963) [ 5 ]. M. Bordo and J. Landon-Lane, The Banking Panics in the United States in the 1930s: Some Lessons for Today, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), pp. 486–509 [ 6 ]. G. Epstein and T. Ferguson, Monetary Policy, Loan Liquidation, and Industrial Conflict: The Federal Reserve and the Open Market Operations of 1932, Journal of Economic History (December 1984), pp. 957-83. [ 7 ]. P. Fishback, US Monetary and Fiscal Policy in the 1930s, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. 3, (2010), p. 394. [ 8 ]. E. Wicker, Federal Reserve Monetary Policy, 1917-1933, (Random House, 1966) [ 9 ]. Crafts and Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, p. 292 [ 10 ]. Calomiris and Mason, Consequences of Bank Distress during the Great Depression, pp. 937–47 [ 11 ]. Crafts and Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, pp. 291-3 [ 12 ]. Fishback, US Monetary and Fiscal Policy in the 1930s, pp. 401-5 [ 13 ]. Cole and Ohanian, New Deal Policies and the Persistence of the Great Depression: A General Equilibrium Analysis, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Research Department, Working Paper No. 597, (July 2000), p. 41. [ 14 ]. Ibid. pp. 294-5 [ 15 ]. Crafts and Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, pp. 295 [ 16 ]. D. Irwin, Trade Policy Disaster: Lessons from the 1930’s, (Cambridge: MIT Press, 2011) Ch. 1 [ 17 ]. Ibid. , Ch. 4 [ 18 ]. Crafts and Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, pp. 304-5 [ 19 ]. E. White, Before the Glass–Steagall Act: An Analysis of the Investment-banking Activities of National Banks, Explorations in Economic History, Vol. 23, (1986), pp. 33–55. [ 20 ]. C. Calomiris, Monetary Policy and the Behavior of Banks: Lessons from the 1930s for the 2010s. 28th March 2011. Accessed: 16th December 2011. www. economics21. org/files/pdfs/in-depth /calomiris-spring-11. pdf [ 21 ]. L. Hannah and P. Temin, (2010), Long-term Supply-side Implications of the Great Depression, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 26, No. , (2010), pp. 561–80 [ 22 ]. White, Before the Glass–Steagall Act: An Analysis of the Investment-banking Activities of National Banks, pp. 33–55. [ 23 ]. L. Wray, The Rise and Fall of Money Manager Capitalism: A Minskian Approach, Cambridge Journal of Economics, Vol. 33, (2009) pp. 813 [ 24 ]. Bernanke, B. , Nonmonetary Effects of the Financial Cr ises in the Propagation of the Great Depression, American Economic Review (June 1983), pp. 257-76. [ 25 ]. R. Barrell and D. Holland, Monetary and Fiscal Responses to the Economic Downturn, National Institute Economic Review, No. 211, (Jan 2010) p. 56 [ 26 ]. Y. Yu, China’s Policy Responses to the Global Financial Crisis, Richard Snape Lecture, Productivity Commission, Melbourne (25th November 2009) pp. 9-10 [ 27 ]. S. Keen, Empirical and theoretical reasons why the GFC is not behind us. 13th June 2010. Accessed: 16th December 2011 [ 28 ]. C. Lapavitsas et al, Eurozone crisis: beggar thyself and thy neighbour, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, Vol. 12, No. 4 (2010), p. 367 [ 29 ]. D. Vines, Fiscal Policy in the Eurozone After the Crisis, Paper prepared for lunchtime talk at Macro Economy Research Conference on Fiscal Policy in the Post Crisis World, (Tokyo, 16 November, 2010). 30 ]. Lapavitsas et al, Eurozone crisis: beggar thyself and thy neighbour, p. 367 [ 31 ]. D. Vines, The Global Macroeconomic Crisis and G20 Macroeconomic Policy Coordination, The Journal of Applied Economic Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, (2010) pp. 157-175 [ 32 ]. M. Wolf, Why China’s Exchange Rate Policy Concerns Us, Financial Times (8th of December 2009) [ 33 ]. S. Claessens et al, Lessons and Policy Implications from the Global Financial Crisis, IMF Working Paper, No. 14 (2010) p. 16 [ 34 ]. L. Kee et al, Is Protectionism on the Rise? Assessing National Trade Policies during the Crisis of 2008, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 5274, (2010), p. 3 [ 35 ]. E. Helleiner and S. Pagliari, The End of an Era in International Financial Regulation? A Postcrisis Research Agenda, International Organization, Vol. 65, (Winter 2011), p. 184 [ 36 ]. M. Goldstein, Integrating Reform of Financial Regulation with Reform of the International Monetary System, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Working Paper No. 11-5 (February 2011), pp. 5-7. [ 37 ]. Crafts and Fearon, Lessons from the 1930s Great Depression, pp. 311

Private Concert Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Private Concert - Assignment Example The other two pieces which were also stylistically different from all the other pieces included the piece on â€Å"Ancient memories† and â€Å"Waltz for Debby†. The Palestrina piece illustrates resolution and harmony because of its dominant, 7th chord. During the 16th century, the seventh chords got created in different part, but only three of them where the dissonant 7th was prepared and resolved. During this century, harmony was as a result of horizontal voice leading. It is similar to the full 7th chord on the 2nd degree in the Palestrina piece. The piece on â€Å"Waltz for Debby† was noticeable because of its slow beat and that there was a consonant through its entirety. An American Jazz Pianist called Bill Evans composed this piece in 1961. Throughout the piece, the trumpet, electric guitar and the saxophone were all used at different times to produce different melodies. There was an increased of the dynamics to a moderate level then to a softer level after making a decrescendo. The piece on â€Å"ancient memories† was played by Dr. Darryl White at the concert. When it began, there were dissonant tones. The tones were within the harmony similar to that of the piano and drums. Later, the piece changed to a more constant harmony to the end of the song. The melody of the piece could also be said to be happy and relaxing in other parts of the song. Perhaps it was because the tempo in the song changed and the notes made from the trumpet were held. There was drumming in the â€Å"Waltz for Debby† piece which was part of the music. Most notably, the texture of this piece remained almost the same throughout until its end. There was also the 1, 2, 3 pattern which was notable. In my view, the drumming made it easier for me to enjoy the piece. It also had a different genre than the other songs, which made it easier for me to remember it than other songs. The piece on â€Å"ancient memories† incorporated a lot of repetition. This led to different changes in the

Factor influencing the consumers' intention to purchase online the Essay - 2

Factor influencing the consumers' intention to purchase online the retail industry in Thailand perspective - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the methodology may refer to the approach and measures used to gather statistical data, and the calculations used to arrive at the specific results.   Walker in supporting this statement stated that methodologies allow researchers to retain the questions under investigation and may involve numerous methods of collecting data in targeting information from participants towards investigating how different elements relate in understanding the research question.   To meet this goal and accomplish the objective and aims of a research the methodology becomes the backbone of the entire investigation.   All calculations and investigations in a research have to apply the best methodology, such as having the correct data collection method in arriving at the appropriate result of the intention to carry out this research. The conceptual framework in this research can be derived from the literate review and other theories on consumer decision making, the attitude of individuals towards online shopping and the behavior of most consumers in online shops, e-marking configuration and the quality of the website. Consequently, the framework, in this case, aims at establishing the objectives of the research. The research will use a survey, which is a method of systematically collecting data using questionnaires. In this research, it would be easier to use online questionnaires on social sites such as Facebook, in personal emails or even in university emails. Burns noted that a descriptive survey in such a research may be more appropriate where a huge number of respondents will be identified and their frequencies in online shops counted. Such an approach will make it possible to determine the characteristics of consumer beliefs, behaviors and attitudes in such online shops. In this approach, theories used in the literature review will be tested and quantitative methods used to verify such theories. The survey design will also ma ke it possible to have responses from a huge number of consumer respondents at much shorter periods and at much lower costs. Such a method will be effective in determining factors that influence consumers in making a purchase decision.

Financial risk management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Financial risk management - Essay Example man Sachs bank saw its profits decline due significant losses being realized from large subprime write downs which were followed by mortgage crisis meaning beneficiaries were unable to pay. The short selling of subprime mortgage securities to Lehman Brothers is blamed to have worsened the financial crisis to the detriment of both institutions. As a result, the bank approached the federal government for a bailout under the troubled asset relief programme (TARP). Since the loan came with high interest rates and short repayment period, the bank’s financial condition worsened and become highly geared. In summary, Goldman Sachs financial crisis can be classified as threefold, that is, financial malpractices among traders and top executives in trading mortgage securities (operational risk), mortgage industry crisis/ risks and high financial leverage. Risk management theories that can be used to explain the crisis an offer insights into possible solutions are discussed hereunder. Weinberg (2007) noted that the bank relied on incomes from trading to maintain its profit growth which was risky. Therefore, the bank should have maintained a prudent model to monitor the value at risk (VaR) for securities being traded. VaR model shows the maximum estimated loss for a portfolio factoring market related risks at a given time horizon (Esch, Kieffer and Lopez, 2005). Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) would also have helped the bank to understand the behavior of capital markets and possibilities of excess, negative and optimal return on a portfolio by analyzing the securities market line (Elton et al., 2010). Brownian motion model of financial risk management though highlights useful risk strategies useful under normal circumstances was found to fail in providing rational understanding of financial turmoil (Borma and Sharma, 2011). Boma, S. & Sharma, D. (2011). â€Å" How much trust should risk managers place on â€Å"Brownian Motions† of financial markets?† International Journal

Patient Safety & Risk Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Patient Safety & Risk Management - Coursework Example The increasing use of evidenced based prevention strategies were also embraced to ensure these errors were prevented. However, concerns were later raised concerning this ‘no blame’ approach to new ways of indentifying and dealing with poorly performing health practitioners; stressing on responsibility and accountability. The idea of shifting from a blameworthy to blameless culture was also floated. Rather than viewing problems as systems problems, the culture of viewing them as accountability problems was able to reduce some of the problems such as low hand hygiene significantly, making surgeries safer (Wachter & Pronovost 2009, 1402). The article therefore elaborates how to strike an acceptable balance between errors caused by lack of accountability, and those that result from the system where such practitioners cannot be blamed for their occurrence. Wachter & Pronovost (2009, 1402) elaborates that the cost of failure to adhere to professionalism and enforcement of safe ty standards in United States accounts to about 4000 wrong-side surgeries. This is despite the fact that these errors may be preventable through strict adherence to Universal Protocol, which clearly outlines the correct surgery sites to be followed by all surgeons. Campbell, Chin & Voo (2007, 431) argues that over the past few decades, medical profession has evolved to come of age, in enhancing more ethical practice. The above patient safety document is an example of actions being taken to ensure this objective is met. However, the above large number of poor surgical cases portrays a weakness on effectiveness of these approaches. This implies doctors are employed in the medical fraternity due to their skills and academic qualifications, devoid of imparting and stressing adherence to standards as a norm or culture in the medical field. Though the article provides concerned efforts towards solving this problem such as enhancing hygiene and computerization of systems, the large numbers of unethical practices portray ignorance is live in the medical field. Marx argues the importance of stressing on a just culture which is blameless rather than trying to solve the problems of blameworthy acts (Wachter & Pronovost 2009, 1401). This can only be possible through strict ethical practices that are well integrated within the medical profession from early training stages. Rather than finding ways to improve the hand hygiene problem, this weakness can be narrowed down to lack of ethics and professionalism in the medical fraternity. The issue of systems is a pertinent issue in the medical fraternity. For example, Wachter & Pronovost (2009, 1402) argue that in order to create safer activities, the medical fraternity is looking towards other industries to learn how these safety mechanisms, are implemented. To support this, the idea that a pilot who ignores the slightest use of checklist in the aviation industry cannot be allowed to fly, is floated as the best example. This is a good proposal as it deals with strict code of conduct in a profession, which forms a culture in such operations.. Patient welfare is central in the medical field. Brockopp & Eich (2007, 163) argue that in the current highly technologically advanced settings in the

Why do nurses eat their young Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why do nurses eat their young - Term Paper Example Nurses who are older and who have more experience have the reputation on shunning the younger nurses away, making life difficult for them, in other words ‘eating’ them. For which reason, the younger nurses often experience great difficulty in starting their practice. Some of them often even end up leaving the profession altogether. This paper shall discuss and resolve issues on the question: why do nurses eat their young? This question is being answered in the hope of establishing a comprehensive and academic answer to this query and in the hope of improving the transition for younger nurses into the practice. Review of literature Various studies have been carried out on nurses eating their young. For purposes of this discussion, this practice shall also be referred to as horizontal violence among nurses. In a paper by Woelfe and McCaffrey (2007), the authors set out to evaluate if horizontal violence in the workplace is present in nursing and if it is, its relationship to patient care. This study was carried out as a literature review of articles published from 2003 and 2004 from nursing research databases. This study revealed that horizontal violence does exist in nursing today (Woelfe and McCaffrey, 2007). The study revealed that horizontal violence exists in the current context and it affects most areas of the nursing practice. In instances when tension is elevated in patient care areas, the nursing staff is often not likely to be at their best performance and the quality of their patient care is compromised. In a similar study by Oztunc (2007), the author set out to evaluate the incidents of verbal abuse encountered by nurses in the workplace. Data was gathered in about 290 hospital nurses in Turkey. The study soon established that most nurses faced verbal abuse. It also confirmed that there is a need to implement urgent and continuous plans in addressing verbal abuse in the workplace and in the adoption of zero tolerance (Oztunc, 2007). In ef fect, this study highlighted the alarming increase in violence between nurses which mostly registers as verbal abuse and bullying in the workplace. In a paper by Johnson (2009), the authors evaluated the nursing literature on workplace bullying in order to establish a better understanding of these incidents in the workplace. The CINAHL, PubMed, Pro Quest, and EBSCO databases were searched. This study revealed that workplace bullying is not just a simple contract between two individuals. This is also a complicated incident which can be understood by evaluating social and organizational factors (Johnson, 2009). Bullying has been known to affect the physical and psychological issues of victims, including their work performance. It also impacts on organizations due to their decreased productivity, increased sick time, and reduced quality of work (Johnson, 2009). The incidence of workplace violence and bullying in the nursing profession was also discussed by Hutchinson, et.al. (2006), th e authors discussed that workplace bullying is a significant issue in the nursing profession. It is often described in terms of oppressed group behavior. The oppressed group theory has set forth only minimal understanding of this phenomenon in nursing. This theory is said to place too much of an emphasis on bullying as a phenomenon in nursing, not one which is common in other professions as well (Hutchinson, et.al., 2006). Alternative methods of understanding this phenomenon have instead been suggested by other theorists in order to understand nursing workplace bullying. Saunders, et.al., (2007) discussed that various attempts at defining

Patient Safety & Risk Management Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Patient Safety & Risk Management - Coursework Example The increasing use of evidenced based prevention strategies were also embraced to ensure these errors were prevented. However, concerns were later raised concerning this ‘no blame’ approach to new ways of indentifying and dealing with poorly performing health practitioners; stressing on responsibility and accountability. The idea of shifting from a blameworthy to blameless culture was also floated. Rather than viewing problems as systems problems, the culture of viewing them as accountability problems was able to reduce some of the problems such as low hand hygiene significantly, making surgeries safer (Wachter & Pronovost 2009, 1402). The article therefore elaborates how to strike an acceptable balance between errors caused by lack of accountability, and those that result from the system where such practitioners cannot be blamed for their occurrence. Wachter & Pronovost (2009, 1402) elaborates that the cost of failure to adhere to professionalism and enforcement of safe ty standards in United States accounts to about 4000 wrong-side surgeries. This is despite the fact that these errors may be preventable through strict adherence to Universal Protocol, which clearly outlines the correct surgery sites to be followed by all surgeons. Campbell, Chin & Voo (2007, 431) argues that over the past few decades, medical profession has evolved to come of age, in enhancing more ethical practice. The above patient safety document is an example of actions being taken to ensure this objective is met. However, the above large number of poor surgical cases portrays a weakness on effectiveness of these approaches. This implies doctors are employed in the medical fraternity due to their skills and academic qualifications, devoid of imparting and stressing adherence to standards as a norm or culture in the medical field. Though the article provides concerned efforts towards solving this problem such as enhancing hygiene and computerization of systems, the large numbers of unethical practices portray ignorance is live in the medical field. Marx argues the importance of stressing on a just culture which is blameless rather than trying to solve the problems of blameworthy acts (Wachter & Pronovost 2009, 1401). This can only be possible through strict ethical practices that are well integrated within the medical profession from early training stages. Rather than finding ways to improve the hand hygiene problem, this weakness can be narrowed down to lack of ethics and professionalism in the medical fraternity. The issue of systems is a pertinent issue in the medical fraternity. For example, Wachter & Pronovost (2009, 1402) argue that in order to create safer activities, the medical fraternity is looking towards other industries to learn how these safety mechanisms, are implemented. To support this, the idea that a pilot who ignores the slightest use of checklist in the aviation industry cannot be allowed to fly, is floated as the best example. This is a good proposal as it deals with strict code of conduct in a profession, which forms a culture in such operations.. Patient welfare is central in the medical field. Brockopp & Eich (2007, 163) argue that in the current highly technologically advanced settings in the

Problems Faced By Project Managers When Attempting To Weld the Essay - 1

Problems Faced By Project Managers When Attempting To Weld the Temporary Taskforce - Essay Example This essay explores the temporary taskforce as a group â€Å"composed of members from different departments that can create a new way of working from which the members can learn and bring the new methods back to their obligations†. This is considered a parallel learning methodology that is proactive to identify proper workflow charting and assess the entire project using team member expertise to formulate a total, working plan of action for the launch of the project team. The first issue involved in setting up a project team is identified roles and obligations and how to establish a hierarchy of command and control. Stys suggests that it is necessary to include the construction manager to the team during early planning efforts due to their specialized knowledge and experience in construction projects. The construction manager in most instances is accustomed to the supply, cost and labor concerns that arise in construction projects and can bring economic and hierarchical struct uring experience to help develop an appropriate workflow chart to ensure proper communication channels are established and assist the project manager in cost recognition and accounting activities. â€Å"Every construction project is unique with its own problems†. The temporary taskforce, depending on the individuals chosen to represent each workgroup or function, has individual knowledge about their area of interest as it relates to the construction project and can, therefore, brainstorm ideas or offer suggestions based on previous experience, successes, and failures when working on diverse construction projects. The project manager, himself, is not equipped to consider all of the different problems that might be incurred in real-time during a complex construction phase and thus bringing this form of knowledge to the preliminary planning stages ensures a proper development of structure, role identification, and communications channel.

One Persons Free

One Persons Freedom Fighter Is Another Persons Terrorist Essay Introduction The terrorist attacks in America have since publicized controversial attitudes in understanding and defining terrorism. There is a misconception of terrorism as it was only in actuality brought to light after the attacks in America on 11 September 2001 (Best Nocella, 2004); this has guided many to assume that terrorism arose in light of the 11 September attacks, when actually terrorism did not begin in 2001; nor is it restricted to extremists in the Middle East. Here is where much of the difficulty lies in defining terrorism; thus the now famous quotation, â€Å"One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter’. This essay will look at both the way this phrase can be beneficial and inversely cause issues in the objective to define terrorism. It is apparent that there are objective distinctions that can be made that separate the true terrorist from the true freedom fighter. Regardless of derogatory labels or national political ideology these distinctions do exist. Therefore the aim of this essay will be to critically examine the notion that One person’s terrorist is another person’s freedom fighter through examining three existential differences that can help to draw a theoretical line between a freedom fighter and a terrorist. They lie first in tactical theory; second, in sources for motivation; and third, in the discrepancies of the justifications for the actions of each. It is these three distinctions in contrast to the quote’s implied similarities that will assist in achieving an accurate definition of terrorism. To examine the wider processes involving the application of the terrorist label, the Cuban Revolution’s major figure Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara will be used as a framework and a practical source to refer to as the essay unravels the application of a terrorist label in relation to the abovementioned phrase. This somewhat superficial phrase can be useful as it suggests that the motives and the methods used may be separable. Terrorism is merely a phrase. It is tactical choices in which those who chose to employ terror can ideally do so in achieving any cause they desire (Caplan, 2006 pg. 92). Consequently it is indeed possible for any people who are validating themselves as fighting freedom from an unjust authority to make the choice to use terrorism as a tactical choice in achieving their goal. Secondly the phrase advocates that defining terrorism can become a moral issue. The definition depends wholly on the subjective outlook of the efiner. The terrorist label The struggle in defining the terrorist has been apparent throughout history. Scharf (2001) has also made this discovery as he states that the problem of defining terrorism has vexed the international community for years. Conceptual issues are not the only problem in defining terrorism. Labelling actions as terrorism promotes cond emnation of the actors; a definition may therefore reflect ideological or political bias (Silke, 1998). Silke (1998) goes on to suggest that a misleading trend is a result of ‘attribution bias’ and that it has done nothing other than â€Å"taint terrorism with a pathology aura†. Many of the terrorist labels that have been employed over the years are based on community and individual perceptions creating a subjective definition (Jenkin, 2006 Pg. 3). Following the 11 September 2001 attacks, the use of the word terrorism or terrorist has become an offensive label (Ganor, 2002). These labels may lead to further implications for how countries, populations and individuals define terrorism (DeAngelis, 2009). The psychology of terrorism is marked more by theory and opinion as opposed to scientific research. Assisting in DeAngelis findings are many articles implying that many of the individuals who engage in terrorist activity will contest that they are terrorists but rather freedom fighters (Schwartz, Dunkel, ; Waterman, 2009; Whiteley, 2010). This tethering in with the now famous phrase; One persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter. Before labelling an individual or group of people terrorists or freedom fighters it is important to take into consideration the three differences as apposed to the similarities that the quotation implies: 1. Tactical Choice The first of the three differences is the tactical theory used. The terrorist will employ tactics in order to target civilians (Tavares, 2003 pg. 13). It is however rare for enough civilians to be targeted in order to have any form of physical impact on the states resources. The general aim becomes to separate the greater part of society from its incumbent authorities through the use of fear. Crenshaw (1981, pg: 386) suggests that this is utilized to weaken the powers of authorities that on the contrary result in the terrorist group to be perceived as more powerful. The goal of the terrorists tactics becomes less concrete as they believe that a relatively small attack will result in the overall political goals of their group to be identified. In contrast Ganor (2006) states that freedom fighters do not target civilians however focus their target on armed forces. Their objective then becomes to diminish the militaries resources to the point where the balance of hard power in particular area, shifts into ones own favour leading to the concrete goal of an enemies surrender and capitulation to ones demands (Ganor, 2006). . Sources for Motivation It is stated by most theories that terrorists are motivated by more than just exclusively political goals (Whiteley, 2010). Freedom fighters are motivated by what is encompassed in their name i. e. their quest for liberty; on the other hand terrorists are grounded on a less concrete foundation ranging from a variety of goals, that are not all rationally political. Certain personal goals seem to either misund erstand or directly conflict with the aim of achieving freedom. Jenkins (1983) states that the ultimate terrorist goal is to terrorise in furtherance of an otherwise legitimate political goal rather than just to terrorise; just like when a nation state resorts to war to achieve political goals when diplomacy fails. Jenkins raises a point in relation to the inspiration of terrorist behaviour, stating that learned ideological values are antecedents to terrorist behaviour, not personality defects. The differences in the motivations between a freedom fighter and terrorist are often grounds where the terrorist myths are created. Terrorists justify their actions through exaggerations that consequently result in an inaccurate perception of the world in order to justify their terrorist tactics. The terrorist myth seeks to prove that those who witness terrorism have a misconception of both the world around them and themselves, therefore needing a ‘wake up call’, that of course is in the form of a terrorist attack. This justification will ultimately be to their benefit (Moghaddam , 2006, Pg. 85). This myth is projected to validate what the functions of terrorism are, these include; showing that authorities are impotent, to create a sense of instability in society and to assert the existence of a terrorists power. The goals of a terrorist clearly show that they are less politically focused and more personal; consequently representing less of a fight for freedom and more of a fight to be renown for their power (Whiteley, 2010). In summary of the two abovementioned areas of distinction between a terrorist and a freedom fighter; Senator Jackson was quoted by Benyamin Netanyahus (1985, pg 18) as stating: The idea that one person’s ‘terrorist’ is another’s ‘freedom fighter’ cannot be sanctioned. Freedom fighters or revolutionaries don’t blow up buses containing noncombatants; terrorist murderers do. Freedom fighters don’t set out to capture and slaughter schoolchildren; terrorist murderers do . . . It is a disgrace that democracies would allow the treasured word ‘freedom’ to be associated with acts of terrorists. 3. Justification vs. Legitimacy? Many sources suggest that perception is the main influence and commonly the main issue when it comes to defining terrorism (Sorel, 2003; Gibbs, 1989 Jenkin, 2006). Therefore validation of the actions of both a freedom fighter and a terrorist cannot evolve around general society and how they interpret t errorism to be. Perception becomes a significant issue in determining the legitimacy of the justifications for the actions of both a freedom fighter and a terrorist (Jenkin, 2006). For example a state which is under attack will most likely define the attacks as illegitimate and a form of terrorist activity; conversely those who are attacking the state will define their actions as justified. The difference between the true terrorist and the true freedom fighter appear to pivot around the perceived legitimacy of the motives of each. This social perception of the alleged legitimacy plays a large role on deriving a neutral definition. This becomes difficult due to the aforementioned terrorist label as being pejorative, with the term freedom fighter having positive connotations. The difference in terms between terrorists and freedom fighters seems in many ways to hinge upon the perceived legitimacy of the motives of each. As previously stated, the term ‘terrorist’ is usually pejorative, while the term ‘freedom fighter’ often has positive connotations. It is therefore difficult to derive a neutral definition of legitimacy: it remains a social product (Wardlaw, 1989). Many terrorist organisations only recruit a small amount of discontented individuals who support them; this is done through the prolonged influence of norms. There is a steady shift of certain individuals who are separated from society to an accepted morality of terrorism (Moghaddam, 2006). He goes on to suggests that the support networks utilised by terrorist groups are also discontented, however nearly never consist of sizeable groups of people willing to conduct the terror tactics themselves. Nevertheless it is important to consider that the means of moral and logistical support for individuals like Osama bin Laden has differed significantly from the support for someone like Che Guevara (Whiteley, 2010). Guevara was successful and like other revolutionaries often rallied a large number people relatively quickly, openly and most important effectively. It is therefore credible to state that there is a far wider support base for individuals who are freedom fighters. This is evident through the social product of legitimacy given to them by their supporters. Whiteley (2010) goes on to state that terrorists tend to find themselves in minorities because of the small amount of legitimacy rewarded to them or their cause from other citizens. This perspective is supported by the abovementioned self-interested motives of terrorist and the liberation-seeking motives of freedom fighters. Legitimacy can therefore be summed up by the amount of genuine local support given to a particular group (Whiteley, 2010); consequently true freedom fighters that have legitimate reasons for their existence can recruit members easily while terrorists goals lack legitimacy and consequently result in the recruitment of fewer members. Ernesto Che Guevara Historical Context Ernesto Che Guevara was born into a middle class family in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina on June 14, 1928. He was a Marxist and left Argentina in late 1953 to take part in a communist revolt in Guatemala. Che was an idealist; believing that everyone should be equal and have the same opportunities. Che joined Fidel Castros 26 July movement where guerrilla troops were sailed to Cuba. Landing on 2 December 1956, they were focused on overthrowing Fulgenico Batistas government. In July 1957, Che was assigned command for more than half of Fidel Castros forces as commandant. He led against government forces in the province of Las Villas while growing hatred for Batistas government that grew in size and gained support rapidly. Che sealed victory for Castros forces in December 1958 becoming Castros most trusted advisor leading the international revolution. She soon became the Cuban minister for agriculture; writing a book in 1960 called Guerrilla Warfare to bring about communism throughout the world. Che resigned his posed in Cuba in 1965 and travelled to Africa as well as many other places in order to organise more communist revolts. In 1966 Che surfaced Bolivia where his movement did not grow much support. His movement came to an end on 7 October 1967 when his surviving group members and he were captured and two days later on 9 October 1967 were executed by a Bolivian fighting squad whom were apparently acting on behalf of the CIA whom were training the Bolivian Army (Guevara, 1985). Che Guevara Terrorist or Freedom Fighter After examining the notion of the phrase One persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter. It has become evident that although the phrase implies that there are similarities between a terrorist and a freedom fighter, it can be concluded that there are many aspects that differentiate the true freedom fighter from the true terrorist. In order to successfully complete the examination of this notion; it is required that a conflict within a terrorist organisation be examined. The debate as to whether Che was a terrorist or a freedom fighter arises. Che came to be one of Latin Americas most feared and most famous professional revolutionary (Gall, 1998). Ches investigation of capitalism, imperialism and socialism and his precise tactical position on guerrilla warfare were concurrent to his views of ethics and political practice. His thoughts were concerned with the revolutionary organizations to oppressed individuals, the affiliation between political agency and objective conditions, the interrelation between revolution and imperialism and the link between personal values and revolutionary action. The question raised is whether Che adopted any terrorist characteristics in his apparent fight for freedom. Yes, through this essay there has been an establishment that a terrorist differs to a freedom fighter however the question arises as to whether it is that easy to differentiate the two when they are applied to an icon from the past. Ches tactical choice was not to target innocent civilians but to build and attack a government that promoted in-equality (Guevara, 1985). Although Che and his supporters killed many, there has not been any academic documentation to suggest that he killed innocent civilians. Anderson (1997) made the following discovery: I have yet to find a single credible source pointing to a case where Che executed an innocent. Those persons executed by Guevara or on his orders were condemned for the usual crimes punishable by death at times of war or in its aftermath: desertion, treason or crimes such as rape, torture or murder. I should add that my research spanned five years, and included anti-Castro Cubans among the Cuban-American exile community in Miami and elsewhere. Che depicted himself as a guerilla fighter and defined a guerilla fighter in his book as: . . . Must have a moral conduct that shows him to be a true priest of the reform to which he aspires. To the stoicism imposed by the difficult conditions of warfare should be added an austerity born of rigid self-control that will prevent a single excess, a single slip, whatever the circumstances. The guerrilla soldier should be an ascetic. The peasant must always be helped technically, economically, morally, and culturally. The guerrilla fighter will be a sort of guiding angel who has fallen into the zone, helping the poor always and bothering the rich as little as possible in the first phases of the war. But this war will continue on its course; contradictions will continuously become sharper; the moment will arrive when many of those who regarded the revolution with certain sympathy at the outset will place themselves in a position diametrically opposed; and they will take the first step into battle against the popular forces. At that moment the guerrilla fighter should act to make himself the standard-bearer of the peoples cause, punishing every betrayal with justice. Private property should acquire in the war zones its social function. For example, excess land and livestock not essential for the maintenance of a wealthy family should pass into the hands of the people and be distributed equitably and justly. (Guevara, 1985) Furthermore, the question of whether Guevaras sources of motivation were of a terrorist kind comes to light. Che was on a quest for freedom and equality. Presently Ches legacy has lived on and people do not remember him for the power he sought to have but for the goal he strived to achieve; Some view Che Guevara as a hero for example, Nelson Mandela referred to him as an inspiration for every human being who loves freedom while Jean Paul Sarte described him as not only an intellectual but also the most complete human being of our age. This was equality and freedom for those who were less fortunate (Compton, 2009) Like a freedom fighter, Che was able to recruit a great deal of support for his movement as he possessed qualities of a true leader. Many perceive Che to have been a great man who has credibility. Because Che was believable, people would in turn believe him. This is because there was a consistency between which Che was and what Che said (Safty, 2002 pg. 112). Despite all the supporting evidence to suggest that Che was a freedom fighter, many do believe that he was a terrorist. Some who were part of the opposing side, who were part of Batsias movement, would have felt that Ches actions were of a terrorist kind. It is important to note however that although Che was a freedom fighter and not a terrorist some people perceived he to be one as their perception was defined differently and they believed that the actions Che was engaging in were of a terrorist kind. Conclusion Ultimately there is a definitive difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter. It cannot be implied that one persons terrorist is another persons freedom fighter. Many philosophers have concluded that terrorist do not have any right to be classified within a freedom fighting definition. The means of a terrorist do not justify the ends. The abovementioned three distinctions between a terrorist and a freedom fighter outlined in the first paragraph clearly show that the two are completely disparate.

Themes Of Fate And Destiny

Themes Of Fate And Destiny Oedipus as a major victim of fate have tried to evade his fate when he realized that he was going to kill his father and sleep with his mother. His shocked and dreadful emotions made him run away from his parents to evade this fate, but he was actually walking right into his fate. It seems that Oedipus overheard this prophecy by accident but we may wonder that all this was planned by the gods so that Oedipuss fate can carry on as planned. This later became a turning point that led the glorious and miserable life that follows Oedipus in his future. Oedipus tried to evade his fate, but for him fate was not easily evaded. In his case fate seemed to be decided from the begging of his life, and from birth his leg was scared leaving three marks, which may foreshadow the choice he had to make at the cross road in future. Through this Sophocles is trying to show the idea that our destiny might not be controlled by ourselves and this shows how powerless humans are. The Shepherd who was ordered by the king to kill Oedipus may seem to be an irrelevant person in the play, but he plays a key role that led to Oedipuss final fate. He saves Oedipus and allowed the prophecy to happen. His sympathy caused Oedipus to curse him in the end when the shepherd reveals the truth about Oedipus, because if Oedipus died as a baby he wouldnt be suffering and have an ending which seemed like a living hell for him. I think we cant blame the shepherd for saving Oedipus. The truth about Oedipus was brought on by himself as he insisted to reveal the truth. This expresses a human behavior of wanting to know the truth that can be related to our daily life. If a friend has some secret which he/she didnt want to share, we would be eager to ask them what it was about since we want to know the truth. The more they refuse to reveal the truth the more we want to know. Oedipus from nature has an unyielding desire to uncover the truth about everything and in this case, he wanted to find the murder of King Laius and also want to uncover the secret mystery of his own birth. This desire then led him to realize what he has done. Many characters such as Tiresias and Jocasta in the play tried to stop Oedipus from revealing the truth, but Oedipus was driven by his fate to uncover everything. This could be seen when Jocasta urged Oedipus that Stop-in the name of god, if you love your own life, call off this search! My suffering is enough.  [1]  She begged Oedipus to leave the mystery unsolved, as at that point she might have realized what was really happening but she didnt want Oedipus to suffer. But Oedipus reply, Listen to you? No more. I must know it all, must see the truth at last.  [2]  This was used by Sophocles to further illustrate the characteristics of Oedipus. His curiosity made him unable to stop pursuing the truth, which was the reason for him to solve the sphinx riddle, so even when his wife was pleading from him to stop, he still insisted on uncovering the mystery that seemed to be a riddle, which ends up to be his final riddle, the riddle of his own life. The quote A stranger you may think, who lives upon you, he soon will be revealed a native of Theban  [3]  Foreshadows that the killer who seemed to a Stranger actually have a long bond with Thebes and at the time Oedipus didnt realize that it was him who had long ties with Thebes. Again this is related with the theme of fate and destiny since this was said by the Tiresias who revealed the prophecy which eventually became true. In the play the Prophet says that, Blind who now has eyes, beggar who now is rich, he will grope his way towards a foreign soil, a sick tapping before his step by step.  [4]  This foreshadows what will happen to Oedipus in the future. Oedipus does really take notice of what the prophet says because he was angry and believed that everything the prophet said was a conspiracy. What he doesnt realize is that this is a significant prophecy the prophet made for him. As we see further in the play on how cruel he blinded himself and how he left Thebes. This relates to the theme of fate, since the prophet actually knows what will happen to Oedipus, which makes us wonder whether god really plans our destiny in advance. In the play the quote, He solved the famous riddle with his brilliance, he rose to power, a man beyond all power. Who could behold his greatness without envy? Now what a black sea of terror has overwhelmed him.  [5]   shows that although Oedipus is a smart and mighty king he could still not reverse his destiny and had to end up living in misery alone. This causes the reader to sympathize with him for why is life so unfair to him, that such a good man ends up with such an ending. Then in the quote Revealed at last, brother and father both to the children he embraces, to his mother son and husband both-he sowed the loins his father sowed, he spilled his fathers blood!  [6]  Sophocles gave the reader a feeling of sorrow for both Oedipus and all the people related to him. Since everyone who is blood related to him will live in misery. Oedipus, no matter what he may try to do to avoid his fate. All his actions were pulling him right back to his final destiny, although revealing the truth surrounding his birth was his wish, but also believed to be the plan of the gods. His curiosity and intelligence which brought him fame and glory have also brought his downfall. Oedipus was too eager to end the suffering of his people, thus sending Creon to bring the prophet that led to the tragedy. I think that even when the prophet hinted that the killer was a stranger to the land and all this might be a plan of fate. It just encouraged him to be more eager to find the killer of King Laius instead of cooling himself done to think about it. If he did he might have realized what was happening. So it all seemed to happen as the fate guided and the gods were manipulating the minds of the man. And it seemed that the people are just chess pieces and are expendable when needed, thus they dont have control over their fate. This all started with a prophecy and the results of it was disastrous. So we ask ourselves are we supposed to know the will of god or should we be ignorant. If the old King of Thebes did not know of the prophecy then he would not have tried to kill Oedipus, then the family would have lived happily together, but due to the prophecy it turned into a disastrous event. This raises the question of whether the prophecies of gods there to help us or to cause problems for us? It is ironic how things could have turned out to be differently. It seems that it is not fair for Oedipus or anyone to have their final destiny decided, without giving them a chance to change it, and for Oedipus his fate was determined to end terribly even at the beginning of his life.

James Eugene Carrey :: Essays Papers

James Eugene Carrey The exceptional Canadian actor, Jim Carrey, has exploded onto the movie scene in the past five years. His "comedic unpredictability" has become his trademark in Hollywood (Hughes 28). The roles he played in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber have brought back the "dumb roots" back to comedy (Trakin 56). His combination of physical grace and facial contortions can make just about anyone laugh. Even as a child in Newmarket, a suburb of Toronto, Carrey put on his own comedy shows for family, friends, and schoolmates. Acting in a third-grade Christmas pageant at Blessed Trinity School, the young Carrey stopped the show with his goofy portrayal of Santa Claus. In the seventh grade he was allotted 15 minutes at the end of each school day to perform for his classmates (Hughes 39). When Jim was 14 and his father lost his job, he learned that "life offers no assurances, so you might as well do what you're really passionate about," as he explained to Richard Corliss of Time. These words represent Jim's life and how he eventually became who he is today. The whole family--Percy, Kathleen, sons Jim and John, and daughters Pat and Rita--went to work at Titan Wheels, a tire factory in Scarborough, Ontario. After putting in a full day at school, the children labored all night, as assembly line workers and janitors. "At 16 Carrey dropped out of school, his straight A's having plummeted to failing grades under the strain of working the evening shift" ("Jim Carrey" 75). The Carreys eventually quit their factory jobs and took to living in a Volkswagen camper. In an interview with Fred Schruers, Carrey said, "It sounds sad but we were so much happier than we'd been being those people we didn't like...we became living, happy, laughing people again, people that had food fights every Sunday" (Johnston 3). In the meantime, Jim Carrey had begun his standup comedy career, "A psychological double-edged sword that simultaneously provided an outlet for the pressure he felt to support his family" ("Jim Carrey" 75). In Tennessee Williams memory play, "The Glass Menagerie," a character named Jim O'Connor plays a gentleman caller. His high- school years are in great contrast to Jim Carrey's high-school days. "In high school, Jim was a hero." "He had tremendous Irish good

Business ethics Essay -- essays research papers

Current Trends and Implications: Achieving Organizational Goals Using A Systems Approach ( Information Technology as a part of Your Competitive Strategy) Introduction to Seminar Welcome ladies and gentlemen, there are many of you here today from great distances and backgrounds of all sorts. I would like to start off first by thanking you for your time. New technologies everyday are radically changing existing industrys and creating new ones. This seminar focuses on these changes and understanding how they can help you achieve success or failure in the marketplace. Soon you will learn that your time here will give you great insight into current emerging and leading edge information and trends in using IS and IT as your competive strategy and advantage in growing your business. Beyond that your employees and other attendees will be addressed with the challenges and issuses of the many different aspects of how these systems can help you implement strategys to make your existing systems more efficient. There are pros and cons with these technologys and systems, as is expected and everything here is not for everyone. What you can expect is that you will find some thing there for you and your firm to further explore and possibly implement into operations. The seminar is set up for everyone, there is insight and much more to gain from the knowledge that we have amassed for you. Following will be how our seminar will run, summarizing and giving you a preview with how we implement the information to you and your clients. The Seminar will take place Friday and Saturday. It will be structured with breaks, your clients can choose which sections to attend, although we encourage the whole seminar, we know you and your clients may be issue specific. We highly recommend the seminar section on VoIP and RFID technology. Friday: 10:00 a.m. – Meet and greet brunch, seminar attendees will be treated to a five star brunch to start the day off on a good foot. Here your clients can meet and mingle with business minds from all over the world. The experience and networking alone is wonderful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  11:00 – Seminar will begin, attendees will receive seminar materials, phamplets and packets, to go along with the seminar. Also will be included is workbooks that provide material for the seminar and for practice and referecnce later. Go over schedule for t... ...bsp;How Stocks And The Stock Market Work You hear about Stocks on the news every day -- now you can understand what they are talking about! http://money.howstuffworks.com/stock.htm D  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wal-Mart, DoD clarify RFID plans: suppliers begin race to present plans for RFID implementation. (RFID/ADC) Frontline Solutions, Jan, 2004, by Brian Albright http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m0DIS/1_5/112563026/p1/article.jhtml Military Orders Suppliers to Use RFID Technology http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,85978,00.html E  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sidebar: Glossary http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2004/0,4814,93615,00.html - Systems Approach / Systems model Hardware / Software / Communications Applying information systems for competitive advantage Information as a strategic resource that supports or shapes an organization’s competitive strategy. Socio-technical Change strategies Technology Competition  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legal Hardware/Software Productivity Ethics / Privacy Resource/Asset allocation Information systems development strategies (Outsourcing, prototyping, off-the-shelf, etc) Security / Ethics / Privacy Value Chain