Identify the defining features of Realist perspective and assess their Essay

Identify the defining features of Realist perspective and assess their relevance to the analysis of contemporary world politics - Essay Example This easy explores the defining features of realist perspective such as state actors, egoism, anarchy, power, security, and morality with the aim of presenting an assessment of their relevance to the analysis of contemporary world politics. In their analysis of international politics, realists assert the central role played by the state in dictating international relations as opposed to other theories of international relations like liberalism that accepts international institutions as being part of the actors day (Kegley, 2013). Realists saw the state as triumphant over other forms of political authority like feudal principalities, city-states, and empires such as the Soviet Union. According to the views of realists such as Hobbes, the state enjoys a distinctive monopoly of legitimate violence given that in the global arena, all the people regardless of nationality, language, culture, ethnic background or religion have accepted or have a state that force them to resolve their confli cts. Such a people also look for the state to protect their interests against aggressions from other states and international actors (Kolodziej, 2005). The assertion of the state as the main player in international relations means that actors in the international politics will put the importance of state interest the centre of any interactions with other players in the global area. Realist conception of the state as the central actor in international relations through its exercise of power in certain ways has far-reaching significances on the relationship between states and other actors on the international arena (Kaarbo & Ray, 2011). Such assumptions are essential in the contemporary world politics where such bodies as multinational corporations have no legal or political right to act as independent or autonomous actors in the international economy since they are only part of state power or instrument of foreign policy. Multinational corporations are not in themselves, substantial economic and political force, in their exercise of power and influence, they are only an extension and reflection of the power and might of specific states under which they act (Steans, Pettiford, & El-Anis, 2013). The main concern for realist is the state of anarchy, which stands for a situation where there is no international government to intercede on interstate conflicts. Realist believes that the main concern in international relations is the condition of anarchy, which is based on their view that the world lacks a central sovereign power to regulate relations between states. The absence of international body with the authority to create and enforce regulatory measures on interstate relationships, realists argue, means the states as main players put in place their own scheme for survival and are free to define their own interests and pursuit of power day (Kegley, 2013). Anarchy in the international politics therefore, leads to a circumstance where power has the superseding role of dictating interstate relations (Steans, Pettiford, Diez & El-Anis, 2013). Realists point out the failure of international institutions like the Permanent Court of International Justice and the League of Nation is because such international organizations exert minimal pressure on behaviour of states. This realist assumption is clear in the way contemporary states peruse their interests by choosing to overlook international

Egyptian Mummies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Egyptian Mummies - Essay Example The demand for this product led to the need to for an alternative. This led to the use of the Egyptian mummies, which also had a black appearance. This appearance created a belief that they had â€Å"similar properties to munia.†2 This led to the use of these Egyptians historical materials during the mediaeval and the following times as a medicine ingredient. Since, mummy has been used to refer to these bodies. Even though the mummies were initially used for medicinal purposes, the Egyptian used them because they had a belief that one lives after death. Mummies were the results of the mummification process. This is a process by which Egyptians preserved their bodies in preparation for afterlife. The process began by the priest removing the brain through a process of embalming through the nose. This was by the use of a hook. The brain was seen as insignificant and, therefore, it was disposed. Next, an incision was developed inside a corpse to remove other internal organs. Significant organs were cleaned and treated with the use of palm water, myrrh and frankincense. These organs include the liver, intestines, stomach and lungs. It is the heart in which they believed that spirit that they referred to as â€Å"ka† lived. This made them to leave thus organ in the body. These significant organs and the body were loaded in Natron to draw moisture and prevent bacteria. The drying process was made possible by the hot climate. The natron was removed at the end of 40 days and the body covered with ointments to prevent the smell. The c avity was filled with linen to maintain its shape and then covered with strips of linen. This then resulted into a mummy. Mummifying the body was significant in ensuring that a person’s wandering spirit, which was referred to as â€Å"Ba†, would determine its respective body when it returns. To them Ba could be referred to as a person’s personality. Conversely,

Meaning And Definition Of Business Process Reengineering Information Technology Essay

Meaning And Definition Of Business Process Reengineering Information Technology Essay The main of preparing and presenting this report is to understand about the concept what business process engineering is, and how it benefited the companies in reduction on process time and costs. Another objective is to evaluate how business process reengineering enhances the capabilities and working capacities of companies. This Research will also involve the Research of those factors that companies use to develop business process reengineering a more profitable one. Meaning and definition of Business Process Reengineering-BPR: In business processes reengineering all the outdated processes of the business are redesigned along with the connected systems and entitys structures with an aim to reach at a remarkable performance level along with business improvements. The corporate basis for creating these changes possibly will comprise deprived performance in terms of competition, financial aspects and reduction of market share of emerging market opportunities. Business process reengineering just not mean to introduction of new technology, automation, reorganization, and downsizing of business process etc but also involve change assessment various business components such as culture, entity, technology, processes and strategies. According to M. Hammer (2003) in his book reengineering corporation defines BPR as: Fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to bring about dramatic improvements in performance. Whereas, according to Davenport and short (1990), business process reengineering is Analysis and design of workflows and processes within and between entities And according to Teng et al. (1994), business process reengineering is: Critical analysis and radical redesign of existing business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in performance measures. M. Hammer (2003), spotlight is on radical and fundamental of business process reengineering. Similarly according to him another process improvement technique is Continuous process Improvement (CPI), that mainly gives importance to measurable and small type of modifications in an entitys existing systems and processes. Continuous process improvement includes its foundations in following six sigma and total quality management (TQM) solutions similar to those of Motorola Inc. VARIOUS MYTHS OF BPR: The most accepted management theory has produced supplementary myths than realistic tactics of business process reengineering. Business process reengineering-BPR is in the industry from 1990s, but still BPR is generally get the wrong idea and always associated with ABC, quality, client/server computing, downsizing, and numerous other management change processes in the past decades. On the basis of having conversations through interviews with higher than 20 companies, and 35 reengineering initiatives, etc Davenport Studded (1990) identify seven reengineering myths: Reengineering novelty myth: in spite of having familiar concept reengineering, but is now merged with the latest concepts and brings a synthesis in business. However these combinations of components were not seen ever before. Clean slate myth: Clean slate change is hardly ever found in reality, despite of Davenport and Stoddards (1994) black sheet of paper and M. hammers (1990) catchphrase Dont automate, obliterate!. These phrases were used in design more often than not needs a blank check for execution is completed over some phased projects. Furthermore, it is assisted by groundwork conclusions of Jarvenpaa and Stoddard (1995) that gone opposing to Michael Hammer (1990). According to Michael Hammer reengineering be capable of bringing radical besides, a innovative process of change that may not be viable under specified cost and risks of those innovative processes Information systems Leadership myth: with contrary to greatly hyped leadership role, Information system is usually seen as a co-worker inside a cross-functional group i.e. commonly leaded by a non information system plan leader and a non information system business supporter that got good command over various processes which are to be redesigned. Top-Down Design myth: project implementation and putting it to start the newly redesigned processes extremely depend on working partners. Therefore, involvement of members and further critically approval and possession, the lowland roots stage is crucial for thriving business process reengineering-BPR. Reengineering VS transformation: According to Adams (1984), Entitys transformation system or process is defined as, Profound, fundamental changes in thought and action, which create an irreversible discontinuity in experience of a system whereas, business process reengineering is a process of contributing to entitys transformation system. But any how BPR not means the same as transformation. Engineerings Permanence myth: according to the researchers Davenport and Stoddard (1994), they hypothesize that reengineering has gone high in United States during1994 and may possibly turn into integrated process with greatly broader entitys experience such as another combination of thoughts that comprise awareness of reengineering. Relationship between companies and its customers and importance of business process engineering: The relationship between a company and its customers is not limited to just the buying and selling of a product or service. It has gained new dimensions and expanded from the buying and selling of products and services to a whole range of business practices form customer service, consulting and pricing to production and distribution. Customers have become increasingly selective due to the availability of a wide range of products and services. These changes in the market place have forced companies to rethink about their business processes. Business process reengineering (BPR) makes companies more customers focused and responsive to changes in the market place. These results are achieved by reshaping the corporate structure around the business processes. Business process reengineering (BPR) achieves this transformation, not by automation of the business processes, but by rethinking the companys tasks in a holistic and process oriented manner. Figure: Business as a system Money People Facilities Material Information Information Workflow Output Input Raw materials, Operations, Finished goods, Components, Processes Services Source: Vinod Kumar Garg and N.K Venkitakrishnan, (2002), Enterprise resource planning: concepts and practice, prentice hall, p.28 Business process reengineering and information technology: The increasing use of information technology in businesses has compelled organizations to go for business process reengineering because the implementation of information technology necessitates significant changes in business processes. These changes allow organizations to take full advantage of the benefits offered by information technology. The relationship between business process reengineering (BPR) and information technology cannot be underestimated. For instance, Wal-Mart would not have been able to reengineer its processes for procurement and distribution of its mass-market retail goods without information technology. Michael Hammer (1990), think information technology as main support to business process reengineering-BPR that he thinks as radical change. According to Hammer (1990) the use of Information technology to face hypothesis inborn in project processes which have been present ever since earlier than arrival of present supercomputers and telecommunications technology. Michael hammer also criticize that at the central processing unit of reengineering is idea of Discontinuous thinking or recognizing and breaking away from outdated rules and fundamental assumptions underlying operationsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ se rules of work design are based on assumptions about technology, people, and entitys goals that no longer hold, Michael Hammer (1990) Michael Hammer (1990) recommended the following reengineering principles. They are: Organization may not be around tasks but it should be around outcomes Those should involve in implementation process who actually rely on the perform output of the process Consider processing of information task addicted to actual tasks which responsible for information production Take care of geographically detached resources as despite the fact that they will be centralized as they are Connect the activities that are parallel rather than integrating their outcomes Keep judgment point at actual place of work, and create control up on the process; and Gather and collect information once and at the starting place. BPR Implementation methodology: The various stages that a typical BPR implementation program goes through are: Identify the needs for the BPR package: The first stage involves the identification of the needs to be satisfied by adopting the BPR package. Once these needs are identified, organizations can evaluate how ERP implementation can help satisfy these needs. Transforming the labor and machinery based productivity into knowledge and information based productivity can be the examples of the needs that a BPR can satisfy. Evaluating the as-is situation of the business: The next stage involves the identification of various processes involved in the working of the organization. Then, the detailed processes in business activities should be listed. Process mapping can be helpful in detailing the processes. It provides information about the time taken to complete a process, the number of decision points, the number of reporting points and flow of information, etc. Decisions about the desired would-Be situations for the business: once the structure of the current processes is identified, the next stage involves the identification of the desired attributes for each of the processes. Performance standards are set for each process by using benchmarking techniques. Benchmarking ensures that the desired organizational attributes are comparable with the best business practices in the industry. Reengineering of business processes to achieve the desired results: in order to achieve these desired standards in business processes, organizations need to reengineer their current processes. The objectives of business process reengineering including reducing the process cycle time, reducing the number of decision points, optimizing the information flow between different functions and departments, etc. CASE STUDY: A Study on business process reengineering by Prosci The following are the details of a study conducted by Prosci on BPR: The areas of chosen for conducting the research? What should be reengineered, what is going to be reengineered and why? Which alternative advancements/approaches are working? Vital do and dont activities Choosing a best team from alternatives Necessities required for approval of a project PARTICIPANTS OF RESEARCH What processes are targets for Reengineering? Client service was the major commonly reengineered process during the 1997 and 1999, except by fewer of a percentage. Services related to computers and telecommunication almost two times in rate, stirring it from 5th to 2nd mainly embattled business taken for processes reengineering. Are business process reengineering-BPR projects successful? Research members confirm to a large extent in general projected improvements as of their business process reengineering-BPR projects in 1997 or 1999 and now in 2002. More than 50% i.e. (54%) of members likely improvements of over 30% achieved. Furthermore to the anticipated greater improvements, Research members also got success in their projects after implementation of BPR. With reference to the study, 113 Research members are accomplished to compare project in opposition to preliminary set objectives. More than 73% meet up or go beyond their goals, among them almost i.e. 47% approximately of Research members got their project inside 10 percent. Why are certain teams successful? According to the Members of research there were various factors that are responsible for success of their team. Among those the above 3 factors are given below: Dedication and strong commitment towards completion of the project with 100% success Maximum support from top level management and conversion of support into actions Everyone shared a common and clear vision towards the goals and objectives. The team got a single understanding and focus point for success of the project. What did Top management do to encourage project success? Showing outcomes from report of the year 1999, those teams got heavy success which was highly supported by top management. The projects were greatly possible to end with the over and above the organizations success expectations. The failure companies senior managers failed to give sufficient visible involvement in their organizational reengineering project. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ not staying involved enough after the initial phase, assuming that everyone in the entity understood their vision and strategy. An irresistible greater part of the teams had support to their teams from the senior and sponsor managers or executives in the project implementation and the majority rated that the involvement of their seniors use as excellent. What were the problems faced while implementing BPR? Poorly defined business process Rushed deadlines Many complex tasks Only one major milestone Silence from the upper management The wrong team members Unmotivated teams Communication breakdown BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING AND COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE: To gain competitive advantage, organizations should understand the scope of a particular market and identify the various inherent differences between various markets. They need to understand what is required to become qualifiers and order-winners. Qualifiers are the most basic attributes that an organization must possess before any customers will decide to deal with them. For instance, ISO standards have become on e of the key qualifiers for any organization with global markets. Qualifiers provide the initial impetus to customers to deal with an organization but, in order to close a deal, organizations must have order-winners. The order-winners could be price advantage, quality, etc. BPR enables the organizations to optimize and organize different qualifiers and order-winners by redesigning the complete processes so as to gain competitive advantage in the market. Some of the order-winners and qualifiers, which apply to most companies, are discussed below: Price: As price is one of the key order-winners in most markets, the BPR package can help identify the cost centers and assist in redesigning processes to reduce production costs. Setting up tough cost targets and putting in place a rigorous monitoring system can help a company become cost-efficient. Therefore, BPR implementation should focus on the areas in which significant costs are involved so that appropriate resource allocations can be made and management attention can be focused on them. When a company uses price reduction as an order-winner, it should also change its corporate strategy accordingly. It needs to assess changes in lead-times, investment implications and cost-reduction potential in several areas. Without assessing these factors, the changes in the strategy will be inappropriate. Delivery reliability and speed: Delivery reliability has also become one of the criteria on which customers judge an organizations competitiveness. BPR can make more efficient the procurement and distribution activities and reduce the process lead time involved in purchasing the raw materials and distribution of finished products. BPR helps to reduce the time in coordinating activities among all the entities of the supply chain through the smooth flow of information between them. With the help of BPR, the lead time required to process an order is reduced significantly. The need to provide information to customers and suppliers has forced BPR vendors to implement their applications with e-commerce also. Quality: The concept of quality no longer denotes just a state of being free from defects. Today, quality encapsulates many dimensions like performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability and aesthetics. BPR by its redesigning capabilities can bridge the gap between the existing process and the implementation of the best process can help an organization achieve its quality objectives. Product range: In todays competitive world, organizations need to provide products in different shapes and sizes that satisfy the requirements of the different segments of the markets. They need a variety of products in their product line. But as the product range increase, the cost and time of production increases due to the modification of production process to accommodate the changes required for each product range. BPR, through reducing the process defects and be making the old labor and machinery system to knowledge and information systems, help in integrating the functionalities and a common database, enhances the capabilities that assists organizations in this direction. KEY GUIDE LINES TO BE FOLLOWED: Important guidelines that an organization must follow in Business Process Reengineering to make it more efficient and profitable: Business process reengineering is different from other IT systems/models in that its implementation is not restricted to a single functional domain. In order to take full advantage of the profitable benefits of the BPR package, organizations may/need to follow the guidelines given below: Define corporate needs and culture: In order to implement a BPR system successfully, a complete overhaul of the business organization is needed. Organizations should assess their readiness for change and the possibility of the implementing change in the organization. The level of difficulty in bringing about change depends on the amount of change involved. Project leaders should assess the level of difficulty they are likely to face. The top management should provide complete support for the implementation of the BPR package. Implementing a BPR package may also involves the redefinition of the roles of different functional departments, and the authority and responsibility of individuals throughout the organization. Complete business process change: The organization should be aware of the required changes in business process and skills and attitudes for BPR implementation. It may have the willingness to adopt changes but may not be able to assess the implications of the changes. Therefore, the organization should undergo a brief business process redesigns exercise before the actual implementation. The redesigning exercise should be carried out on the basis of the structure of the BPR package, so that there is no mismatch between the required functionalities and the functionalities provided by the BPR package. Communicate across the organization: Communication allows different entities involved or affected by BPR implementation to be aware of its effects on their jobs. Proper communication optimizes the implementation process, as the employees are aware of what is required of them. Besides, feedback provides the management with information needed to allay the concerns of the employees. Communication should not overstate or understate the functionalities of the new system. Overstating the functionalities would raise employees expectations unrealistically, while understating them may leave employees unprepared for the changes required for BPR implementation. Provide strong leadership: Strong leadership is an important success factor in implementing a BPR package. The difference between and informal support and active leadership can be the difference between the success and the failure. Therefore, the members of the steering committee members should be able to understand the business redesign and integration. Though these may be complicated processes, the right modeling tools can help them make simpler to follow. The steering team should be trained in process mapping and reengineering methodology and it should be fully involved in the process redesign so that it can guide the team members (implementation team) properly. Select a balanced team: The size and complexity of BPR implementation and maintenance necessitates a balanced team of professionals. In general, the BPR implementation team consists of personnel from IT, finance, marketing, sales and production. Most companies hire external BPR consultants who provide information about the operational aspects of the new BPR system and assist the internal team. Select a good method of implementation: As the implementation of a BPR package involves the participation of all the departments, a proper sequence of steps should be identified to define the implementation process. Project leader should set the milestones to be achieved in the various phases of the implementation and review progress continuously against the milestones. They should define clearly the scope of the project and develop the work breakdown structure (WBS), and estimate the time required to complete each activity identified in the WBS. This will help them reach a realistic project plan. They need to ensure that there is no compromise with the quality of the new process/system. Organization-wide training: BPR is a complex and organization wide system that requires some amount of training so that full advantage of the capabilities of the new process can be taken. The steering team should be trained in process analysis and redesign. The staff in the information technology department should be made aware of the package architecture, design and configuration. Functional managers should learn how the new process performs and how it can be useful in the decision-making process. The training varies across the different levels, and is based on the requirements of the persons using the new system or process. CONCLUSIONS: The term Business process reengineering-BPR, has an imperfect records in the past. But became popular in 1990s beginning, conversely, tactics and advancements was not completely be aware or nor valued. A lot of time, upgrading projects tagged with the name Business Process Reengineering-BPR be inadequately designed and implemented. Organizations and their employees get embarrassed at consideration of an additional Business process reengineering-BPR familiarity. The concept BPR is less utilized, and modified lot of times from the actual business process reengineering-BPR that was earlier exists. An organization operating in a competitive environment needs to have competitive advantage over others to attract and retain business. This can happen when different organizational functions develop strategies that complement the corporate strategy. An organizations competitive advantage can be defined by service quality, responsiveness and ability to satisfy customers needs and wants. In spite of this mistreatment of put into practice and imperfect name, applications of business process redesigning, connected technology and entitys structure is further accepted these days than past. Organizations go on with to reconsider and basically transform system they conduct operations. Cutthroat competitive force and a slow-moving market offer efficient techniques for entities motivated to work as efficiently and professionally as feasible.

Steroids in Sports Essay -- Athletics Steroid Performance Enhancing Dr

Professional sports are very special in the United States. One reason for this is the spirit of competition. However, steroid use taints this competition. If steroids were to be completely eliminated from sports, the competition would be much more special because athletes would compete with their hearts and will, without an extra boost. Also, since not everybody can be a professional athlete, the elimination of steroid use, in my opinion, would make the fans appreciate the game more and make them feel more relatable. Hopefully someday, fans will be able to watch their favorite sports in such a fashion. Steroid use by professional athletes is bad because doing so can damage an image of an athlete (if the offense is made public), create hazardous health issues for an athlete, and hurt the crediblity of sports. Why Take Steroids? â€Å"Athletes and others abuse anabolic steroids to enhance performance and also to improve physical appearance† (NIDA). The level of speed and intensity of sports at the professional level is extremely high. Therefore, many athletes choose to take steroids in order to improve their body and skills, and to try and match that intensity. Baseball players may choose to take steroids in order to hit the ball harder, which would attribute to more homeruns. Football players may take steroids in order to increase their muscle mass which would in turn improve their blocking and tackling skills, and to also improve their speed. Steroid use by professional athletes constitutes cheating. I believe that athletes should be athletes for one reason, their God-given talent, and not with the help of steroids. The population of professional athletes in the United States is very small, and I find it a shame that many ... ...et back to working hard using the energy and will that they naturally possess, and the credibility of the athletes and their sports would be revived. An issue with this idea is that some athletes have been known to unknowingly take steroids that were banned from their respective sport (i.e. Rafael Palmiero). However, if an athlete were to be put in that position, it would need to be proven that he/she in fact unknowingly took illegal steroids. Otherwise, that athlete should follow the same penalty as those who knowingly and blatantly take steroids. Works Cited ESPN.com news services. "'96 MVP admitted steroid use, fought drug problem." ESPN . 4 May 2006 from . National Institute on Drug Abuse. "Steroids (Anabolic)" NIDA. 15 Apr. 2006 from

Neurological-Based Behavior Essay

For my reflection paper, I chose to give my opinion on the NBB’s, short for â€Å"Neurological-Based Atypical Behaviors†. NBB is defined as a collection of deeds or the behavior of children that happen outside the usual boundaries of self control. According to Dr. Paula Cook, specialist in teaching students with NBB, about 10 percent of students cannot control what they say or do reliably. They are found in almost all schools but they do not all have the same disorder or disease. There are a number of different disorders all under the same title: NBB. In my reflection I will briefly explain the most common NBB diagnoses along with their symptoms and how they should be dealt with in class. While I was reading this chapter, I came across different scenarios where the students would misbehave but I could not tell why. As I continued to read I noticed that if I did not have the correct training I could not explain how to deal with these children or even recognize that their behavior pointed to a type of NBB. There are 3 indicators that can help identify if a student has NBB and those are: behavior, language and academic difficulties; in decreasing order of importance. Behavior difficulties are compulsive, atypical and inconsistent behavior. Language difficulty is when the student has trouble understanding and expressing learnt information verbally. Last of all is the academic difficulty where the student has difficulty in motor comprehension and mathematical skills as well as the learning memory gap. There are 8 common disorders and most can be diagnosed in the classroom. I will briefly mention each one with its given symptoms. First and most common disorder is SID or Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Students with this disorder have trouble taking in information through their senses. This is the major reason for: hyperactivity, inattention, movement in class, learning and behavioral difficulties, etc.. The way to deal with this disorder in class is to keep the class tidy and clean as well as remove loud noises and bright lights. Also you can lessen the colors and distracting objects found in the classroom. ADHD is our second disorder in this list. It is commonly misdiagnosed as Bipolar disorder or OCD because the symptoms are very similar. These symptoms include: Short attention span, weak impulse control, hyperactivity. This disorder is found in males more than in females and the cause is neuro-developmental. There are many ways a teacher can deal with ADHD students. These children tend to find difficulty in being organized and they are extremely fidgety. Some ways to deal with the disorganization is to prepare a checklist for all students to use. They can tick off all their objectives when they’ve completed them thus staying organized and making it a habit. The next disorder is ODD or Oppositional Defiant Disorder where the child is extremely uncooperative and hostile. He/she will tend to throw tantrums when asked to do something they do not wish to do. This type of disorder is easy to deal with. Recognition and earshot or indirect praise will help boost the self esteem of a child and condition them to behave well. As mentioned before, bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed as ADHD or depression or even OCD since the symptoms of these disorders are very similar but with minor variations that lead to major difference in diagnosis. Getting to know â€Å"Student X† on a personal basis is the biggest step toward helping this child fit in to the class and dealing with this disorder as simply as possible. Getting to know the child forms a certain bond of trust allowing the teacher to control the mood swing and abrupt behavior as much as possible. Learning disabilities (LD) are a wide range of disorders that affect the learning process of a student. The most widespread of all LDs is dyslexia which is where the student has difficulty processing language. Other examples of LD are dyscalculia, dyspraxia, and dysgraphia. These students are usually visual learners meaning they are better taught when using objects and graphic diagrams etc†¦ The last 2 disorders I will be discussing are ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder) and FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder). The first refers to the disorder where children show delay in communication and socialization skills, impaired social development, and repetitive behavior. One of the most famous autistic adults is Dr. Temple Grandin. He has been on television on shows such as the Today Show and Larry King Live as well as The New York Times and Forbes magazines. Children with autism no matter what the severity respond well to decrease in sensory load. FASD is a disorder that can very simply be avoided. Cause: Alcohol consumption or smoking during pregnancy. Solution: No alcohol or smoking during pregnancy. Symptoms are widely ranged and each person behaves differently. Two people diagnosed with the same disorder may react in two very different ways depending on their personality. After having discussed all the above, I have been asked to give my input on the matter. Of everything stated in this presentation I had a vague idea of almost all the common disorders related to NBB but now I have learned how to recognize them while in a classroom as well as earned how to deal with students in such cases. The thing that caught my attention most was how to deal with such students while teaching an inclusive class. Methods may vary but the most important of all methods is the sensory balance and the â€Å"talk less† routine. I, myself, have encountered students with mild ADHD and moderate to extreme OCD both of which are common disorders that tend to hinder leaning experience. Both of these students were my friends. Student 1(ADHD) could not focus on an exam if a typo was found. In addition to his mild color blindness which amplified his ADHD because it would distract him from the main purpose of a question. Student 2: (OCD) This person had a severe case of OCD. He was admitted into therapy and started on anti-anxiety pills because of this disorder. He has the tendency to fidget and cannot stay in one place for too long which can explain on its own how it can stand in the way of his learning experience. In my opinion, teachers should be trained in recognizing and dealing with these students and their atypical behavior in ways that will least disturb the process of learning. Also, students diagnosed later on with SEVERE cases of NBB should be separated from the class and given the just attention needed. In other cases, the right amount of training could help a teacher successfully lead an inclusive class, or a shadow teacher could be assigned to students who need it.

Three Gorges Dam: Its Background and Relevance

This report examines the Three Gorge dam project and its impacts on the environment, the people it will effect and measures that can be taken as an alternative to the dam. I will discuss the Chinese government's reasoning for constructing the dam and the negative aspects of such a construction. Then I will explain the more environmentally friendly and logical alternatives. The concept of the Three Gorge dam is over 75 years old, dating back to when it was first proposed by the nationalist leader Sun Yat-Sen, in 1919. The dam was a dream of communist leader Mao Zedong, who felt it would be a potent symbol of China's self-sufficiency and ability to develop without western aid. The state media has reported only the rosy side of the Three Gorges project, presenting it as a powerful symbol of a new, prosperous China. Outgoing Premier Li Peng said the Three Gorges Dam would †demonstrate to the world that the Chinese people have the ability to build the biggest and most beneficial irrigation and hydro-electric project in the world†. The Three Gorges refers to a 120-mile stretch of limestone cliffs along the upper reaches of the Yangzi River where the water drops precipitously through the Qutang, Wu, and Xiling gorges. The region is linked to folklore and important historical events, and its beauty has inspired Chinese painters and classical poets such as Li Bai for centuries. The dam, which will be 1. 3 miles long and 610 feet high, is expected to be completed by 2009. It will create a 385 mile-long reservoir stretching back up the river that will totally engulf the Three Gorges, as well as 115,000 acres of rich farmland, thirteen cities, hundreds of villages, and countless historic temples and archaeological sites. Between 1. 4 and 1. 9 million people will need to be resettled. The proponents of the dam claim that the introduction of such a large amount of clean hydroelectric power into China's rapidly expanding economy will mean a significant reduction in the emission of fossil fuel pollution. First, it will generate 18000 megawatts of electricity, which would reduce the country's reliance on coal by one tenth. Hence reducing China's overall greenhouse gases. Second, it will prevent the periodical flooding of the Yangzi, which has already claimed the lives of half a million this century alone. The dam is expected to cut incidents of serious flood from once in 10 years to once in 100 years. At present 15 million lives are at stake as the river rises higher above the surrounding land because of sediment deposits on the riverbed, while dikes can no longer be raised safely. Third, it will make the upper part of the Yangzi more navigable, â€Å"raising the river's navigable tonnage by a big margin†. Improved navigability would allow ocean-going freighters to penetrate the depths of China's remote Southwest, bringing much needed economic development and prosperity to the region. The project is also expected to develop reservoir fisheries, stimulate tourism in and around the reservoir, improve water quality downstream, protect the lake areas downstream, and enable south-to-north water transfer sometime in the next century. 4. 0 Dilemmas surrounding dam construction There are many problems entangled with the construction of such a dam, two of which stand out. First, the fact that so many civilians have to be moved against their will. 13 cities, 140 towns, more than 1600 villages, and 300 factories will be submerged, and nearly 1. 5 million people relocated. Second, the effects that the rise in level of river will have on the environment. This includes the destruction of habitats for at least four indigenous species in the area. According to official figures, 10. 2 million people have been relocated for the construction of dams in the past in China. In each case, there have been economic or political problems that has often led to intimidation and sometimes violence to force the people to resettle. This is due to people's reluctance to leave their homes, which can be attributed to poor planning on the government's part. The number of people to be resettled in the Three Gorges dam project has been estimated to range between 700,000 to 1. 98 million. Such variation in figures is due to the fact that it depends on whether the information was gathered by the dam's supporters or critics. There has been a large amount of local opposition to the dam. Their opposition is mainly based on the poor record of China's Ministry of Water Resources, which includes the collapse of 62 dams in the past due to poor design. However, since the Chinese government never acknowledged such disasters in the past, it could not be brought up in hearings on the Three Gorge project. People in the effected area who have in the past organised against the dam were arrested and sentenced to prison for â€Å"counter-revolution† and the police presence in the area has since been increased. The local officials are not quite helping ease the situation. The distribution of compensation money by local authorities (US$1300 per person) offered to people displaced by the dam has been tainted by corruption. 105 local party officials involved in the project have been arrested already. Almost half of the project's resettlers are farmers. But since there is an inadequate amount of farmland left to be shared, the officials have planned for moving the resettlers into industrial jobs. This is quite an impossible task considering that the farmers have been farming in their area for generations and have absolutely no expertise in industrial work. It is a great concern that the construction of the dam will result in the destruction of the natural habitats of many of China's indigenous wildlife species. This includes the Chinese alligator, the white crane, the river dolphin and the prehistoric Chinese sturgeon, a fish unique to Yangzi waters. Experts warn that, by forever changing the hydrology of the river for thousands of miles, the dam will destroy commercial fish stocks and deprive the complex floodplain agricultural systems of the water and silt they need. Hence threatening the livelihoods of 75 million people who live on fishing or farming along the Yangzi's bank. Even if the 75 million people find another source to live on, there is yet another problem to be solved; toxic pollution. The factories along the Yangzi river are so polluting that over 200 paper mills and tanneries have already been closed down around the Three Gorges dam site to boost environmental protection. The contamination of the river by the toxic chemicals may increase due to the 1600 factories in the area that are not cleaned up and moved before the waters begin to rise. China is the world's second leading producer of greenhouse gases. If China's current growth rates continue, it will need to develop an additional 17,000 megawatts of energy per year for the next decade. And if coal is used to generate this energy, the environmental impacts could be disastrous. Whether or not the dam is constructed, hydropower will only account for no more than 20% of China's electricity generated by year 2010. This shows that coal will be used even more widely than it is now, to meet energy needs. Hence the dam will not have much impact on helping meet energy needs. China needs to find a cleaner, more efficient way of creating power. The Three Gorge reservoir is currently designed to hold 20 billion cubic meters at the flood level. But this capacity is only equivalent to 4% of the total run off water in the region. â€Å"It is obvious from common sense that this capacity could not hold back flood waters enough to reduce significantly the flood risk at the lower reaches. † Another problem is the fact that the Yangzi carries a large amount of silt. This silt can be carried all the way to the dam and a big ‘mud pond' could result. There is no such technology available to divert or collect the silt at the dam. From an ecological point of view, the dam will be clogged by the large silt deposits, in the Yangzi, and will also trap much of the pollutants that normally would be washed out to the ocean. Along the Yangzi, about 80 percent of the cities do not have sewage systems, and it is cheaper to dump the waste in the river instead of a sewage treatment plant. Burial grounds in both Wushan and Fengjie counties, Sichuan are known to have been dynamited to make way for scientific excavations in advance of the dam project. One thousand tombs dating between the Han and Ming periods (206 BC to AD 1644) were also blasted away. The problem lies with lack of funding. The initial budget (US$250 million) for excavation and preservation was reduced to US$37. 5 million. Only a small amount of this sum has been distributed to local authorities because government officials have been unable to decide which agency should administer the funds. The Three Gorges dam will be the most expensive single construction project in history. The Chinese leaders are so determined to build the dam, that they haven't considered whether it is economically viable. In 1992 the official cost of the dam was set to US$11 billion. Estimates now exceed US$75 billion. This could slow down China's recent economic boom. The dam project is heavily funded by foreign export agencies. If people in foreign countries were to stop foreign investors and government organisations which support the project, the Chinese officials would have no choice but to reconsider their plans. But since it is not in the foreign investors' best interest monetarily, they have kept supporting the Chinese government. Hydrological experts have argued that effective flood management includes dyking, flood proofing, flood warning systems, diversion areas, and development restrictions in floodplain and designated diversion areas and that dams are not always the answer. The Chinese officials' mentality is that the â€Å"biggest structure† is the best structure, but what they must realize is that it does not mean the best structure. That Chinese hydropower could be produced on a number of tributaries that flow into the Yangzi. This procedure has been proven by scientific examples that prove that separate dams will produce more power and last longer then one main dam. Sedimentation of separate dams would be less and these dams would be able to preserve China's cultural history. The greater amount of smaller dams would cause less soil erosion and more power for a much lower cost. It would be able to compete with China's booming industrial sectors and preserve the aquatic life. The construction of these smaller dams could also mean that it would lesson the amount of people to be resettled, and would save the Chinese government billions of dollars. However, the smaller dams would not allow large transportation of cargo down the river. Based on a recent study by United States and Chinese energy research institutes, which compared conventional sources with advanced generating technologies, cleaner alternatives, such as smaller gas turbines or cogeneration plants were found to be more economical for power generation than big hydro dams. Combined cycle gas turbines could provide power with lower capital costs and greater reliability than the Three Gorges dam and with far fewer emissions than conventional coal plants. Combined cycle plants are commonly fuelled with natural gas, which burns more thoroughly than solid or liquid fuels. And unlike coal, it contains no heavy metals or sulfur emissions that cause acid rain. Combined cycle plants can be installed and generating power reliably within nine months to two or three years for larger units. Three Gorges dam is scheduled to take 17 years. In addition energy specialists argue, that switching from coal to gas, and using new technology of combined cycle gas turbines or cogeneration, would create greater environmental benefits than the Three Gorges dam by a 60% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. Whereas the Three Gorges dam would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by only 5%.

Free Essays on What Is Philosophy,my View

â€Å"What is Philosophy?† -My View- This semester I have learned that philosophy is many things to many people. From a means of influencing thought and behavior, to a looking glass into the soul, philosophy is a discipline of critical thinking, human interaction, and speculation. Philosophers attempt to answer age old human questions such as, â€Å"Where did we come from?† and â€Å"Where are we going?† However, a thinking mankind yearns for more than just history explained and reliable predictions of future, we want to know what makes a â€Å"good† life, what is beauty, what is justice, and how might we live our lives in a most satisfying way. And since the answers to such questions are based in perspective, one must be willing to examine the foundations of perspective in order to reach an unbiased, true answer. This is where the field of philosophy comes in to its own. Most would agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what differentiates one eye from another? Simply put, we see things as we know them to be, whether we just think we know them innately, as the young man Socrates met outside the courthouse knew piety, or we have devoted considerable thought to, such as Descartes’ â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† philosophy helps us to legitimize the knowing of all things, and by knowing all things we know the one thing we have true power over, our way of life. Our way of life always seems to come down to the decisions we make, and the decisions we make always seem to come down to our perspective. Where do we get our perspectives? Our perspectives are our philosophy, we have learned experiences that shape our outlook, and in turn how we look at and deal with life itself. The eyes we behold with can only see things we focus on, how and why we focus on things is the fod der for the ! philosopher’s cannon. This semester we have studied many different philosophers, with as many different philosophies, but one common th... Free Essays on What Is Philosophy,my View Free Essays on What Is Philosophy,my View â€Å"What is Philosophy?† -My View- This semester I have learned that philosophy is many things to many people. From a means of influencing thought and behavior, to a looking glass into the soul, philosophy is a discipline of critical thinking, human interaction, and speculation. Philosophers attempt to answer age old human questions such as, â€Å"Where did we come from?† and â€Å"Where are we going?† However, a thinking mankind yearns for more than just history explained and reliable predictions of future, we want to know what makes a â€Å"good† life, what is beauty, what is justice, and how might we live our lives in a most satisfying way. And since the answers to such questions are based in perspective, one must be willing to examine the foundations of perspective in order to reach an unbiased, true answer. This is where the field of philosophy comes in to its own. Most would agree that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but what differentiates one eye from another? Simply put, we see things as we know them to be, whether we just think we know them innately, as the young man Socrates met outside the courthouse knew piety, or we have devoted considerable thought to, such as Descartes’ â€Å"I think, therefore I am.† philosophy helps us to legitimize the knowing of all things, and by knowing all things we know the one thing we have true power over, our way of life. Our way of life always seems to come down to the decisions we make, and the decisions we make always seem to come down to our perspective. Where do we get our perspectives? Our perspectives are our philosophy, we have learned experiences that shape our outlook, and in turn how we look at and deal with life itself. The eyes we behold with can only see things we focus on, how and why we focus on things is the fod der for the ! philosopher’s cannon. This semester we have studied many different philosophers, with as many different philosophies, but one common th...

Anthem by Ayn Rand

Anthem by Ayn Rand Free Online Research Papers In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the leaders not only enslaved the bodies of their people, but they also destroyed their minds and had seek to accomplish a tyrannical end. The leaders of Equality 7-251’s community took control of the bodies and mind of the citizens, by completely brainwashing them from the day that they were born. The people didn’t try to fight back nor escape because they didn’t know that the way they were living is wrong or that there was any other way to live. By making it a sin to be an individual they didn’t have to worry about those who were smart, figure out the truth. From the day that they were born every baby was taken to the house of infantry without ever getting to see their parents. Then as they grew older they are sent to different houses, at different stages of their lives, and once they turn of age they are sent to have a baby with someone they do not know and the cycle continues. Without the love and care of parents, the children grow to never know love so their whole world is loveless. Which makes it safe and easier for the leaders to control them. They never have normal experiences like privacy. They sleep in a room of one hundred beds and are never allowed to be alone. They are told it is a sin to be an individual. They speak in third-person and do not use the word †I†. Not allowing them to be individual means not allowing them to ever think for them. They will follow everything the leaders say if they do not have pride in themselves so they were never allowed to see there own reflection. They weren’t even allowed to have their own names; everyone who lived in the house got one name then a number. The most important reason individualism is not allowed, is because individualism is the key to ego. Ego is the one word of which all people were forbidden to speak of. Afraid of them forming ego’s the leaders made their lives so strict and cut so many things out, because ego is said to be â€Å"a person as thinking, feeling, and willing, and distinguishing itself from the selves of others and from objects of its thought.† The one thing the leaders didn’t want the most was for any one to be different from anyone else. That would ruin the plan of their tyrannical end. Research Papers on Anthem by Ayn RandPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresHip-Hop is ArtCapital PunishmentBringing Democracy to AfricaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionQuebec and CanadaHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay

The 55 Biggest Colleges in the United States

The 55 Biggest Colleges in the United States SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You might be interested in attending a big college, but just how big are you thinking? Some schools have over 40,000 undergraduates, making them the size of a small city. These schools can provide great opportunities to students, but they can also be a little overwhelming. In this article, I’ll give you a list of the 55 biggest colleges for undergraduates in the US along with student feedback about what it’s really like to be part of such a large college community. Why Are These Colleges So Big? Most of the biggest colleges are public state universities. It makes sense that these schools attract the most students because they provide incentives for students who live in the state to attend. The largest schools are located in the most populous states. Thus, California, Texas, and Florida (the three most populous states in the US) are home to many of the schools on this list. These schools are also large because they are meccas for academic research and offer a wide variety of programs to students. Being located in populous states means that these universities must cater to diverse groups of people, leading to the creation of more academic options and research facilities that encourage even more students to enroll. It’s essentially a cycle of increasing returns for the schools. Public universities also have the resources to grow their campuses and facilities through government support. There are some very large private colleges, but it’s difficult for them to rival the size of government-funded public universities. Other circumstances have contributed to the growth of big private colleges, from wealthy alumni to religious connections. For example, Brigham Young University- the private college with the largest undergraduate population- has grown so large mainly due to its affiliation with the (rapidly expanding) Mormon Church. What’s It Like at a Huge College? Here are some testimonials from students about what it’s like to attend three of the largest colleges in the country. Texas AM University â€Å"I don't regret one moment, because I loved the overall camaraderie of the school- they don't call it the friendliest campus in America without reason!† â€Å"I am a theatre major at Texas AM, a program most people are unaware even exists. It is tough being in a small department in a large school, but simply due to the Aggie Network and facilities present for all students, even those of us in small departments are learning as much as we possibly can.† â€Å"Students have access to different student services, like a writing center that will help with papers and research, a testing center that will help you to study better and make learning easier, an on-campus health center, and even small things that make huge differences like 300 free prints a semester in the computer center and access to free programs at the recreation center.† â€Å"Texas AM is an excellent university for those students who love or don't mind traditions.† The administration building at Texas AM Purdue University â€Å"I really enjoy the classes I am taking, and the social life is awesome! There is definitely something for everyone. Whether you are wanting to get involved in Greek life or maybe just a few clubs, it all is available at Purdue. Being able to attend Big Ten sporting events isn't so bad either.† â€Å"Purdue has something to offer for everyone, no matter where they come from, what their major is, or what their interests are. It is a well-rounded university, full of students who are proud to study there.† â€Å"I used to think I wanted to go to a small school, but at Purdue, you get both the big-school and small-school experience. Attention in classes (sometimes you have to seek it out, but it's there), but huge atmosphere where the possibilities are endless.† A fountain on Purdue's campus UCLA â€Å"It will be entirely up to you to do homework problems and to go to office hours for questions and insight. Self-motivation, especially in science and math courses, is a key factor to success here.† â€Å"At UCLA, the world awaits. Shy and overly reserved people will miss out on all that the school has to offer.† â€Å"At this university, I am receiving the total package: academics, research, and world-renowned athletic programs. I can honestly say that the balanced undergraduate experience I am obtaining is worth every penny.† â€Å"With hundreds of student organizations available every year, UCLA makes it easy to find one’s niche.† â€Å"The diversity here is truly astounding, with people from all types of backgrounds, and you truly gain a more global perspective.† The UCLA campus At these schools, you can expect virtually endless resources, diversity, and extracurricular activities, but you have to be willing to get yourself out there and be self-motivated. If you’re a driven, outgoing student, you’re likely to thrive at a huge college. Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. The Biggest Colleges (Public and Private) I’ve included two lists: one for the biggest public colleges, and one for the biggest private colleges. The public colleges below have more than 25,000 undergraduates, and the private colleges have more than 15,000 undergraduates. I did not include colleges where a large portion of the student body is composed of online students because this doesn’t create the same environment as a school that has a huge on-campus population. All schools below are arranged by undergraduate enrollment, from largest to smallest. In addition, all enrollment statistics are for fall 2018 unless otherwise noted. Biggest Public Colleges in the US by On-Campus Undergraduate Enrollment College Undergraduate Enrollment University of Central Florida 58,913 Texas AM University - College Station 53,743 The Ohio State University - Columbus 46,820 Arizona State University - Tempe 42,844 UT Austin 40,804 Penn State University - University Park 40,363 Michigan State University 39,423 Utah Valley University 39,397 Florida International University 37,047* Rutgers University - New Brunswick 36,039 University of Florida 35,491 University of Arizona 35,223 California State University - Northridge 34,900 California State University - Fullerton 34,468 Texas State University 34,200 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 33,673 University of Alabama 33,028 Indiana University - Bloomington 32,991 Purdue University 32,672 Kennesaw State University 32,274 University of South Florida - Tampa 32,238 University of Washington - Seattle 32,099 Texas Tech University 31,957 UCLA 31,577 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities 31,455 California State University - Long Beach 31,447 University of North Texas 31,347 University of California - Berkeley 30,853 University of Maryland - College Park 30,762 University of California - Davis 30,718 San Diego State University 30,392 University of Wisconsin - Madison 30,360 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor 30,318 University of Colorado Boulder 30,152 University of California - Irvine 29,736 Temple University 29,672 Iowa State University 29,621 University of Georgia 29,611 Florida State University - Tallahassee 28,728 University of Texas at Arlington 28,329 California State University - Sacramento 28,317 University of Texas at San Antonio 27,988 Weber State University 27,465 San Josà © State University 27,271 Georgia State University 27,190 Northern Arizona University 27,078 University of Cincinnati 26,932 University of South Carolina 26,733 San Francisco State University 26,436 George Mason University 26,192 *Fall 2019 data Biggest Private Colleges in the US by On-Campus Undergraduate Enrollment College Undergraduate Enrollment Brigham Young University 31,441 New York University 29,406 University of Southern California 19,907 Boston University 18,515 Northeastern University 18,448 More Resources for Researching Big Colleges If you know you're interested in attending a big school but aren't sure which one is right for you or are worried about how different it will be from high school, consider checking out the following books: Princeton Review's The Complete Book of Colleges and the Fiske Guide to Colleges - These huge, comprehensive tomes include information about hundreds of colleges across the US, so you can easily compare and contrast your options. Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni - If you're stressed about finding the perfect school, check out this argument for being a bit more relaxed when planning your future. The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian - If you're interested in a college with a big sports program, this deep dive into the scandals of college sports is essential reading. Educated by Tara Westover - This memoir describes the author's journey from her isolated, abusive childhood to college at Brigham Young University and graduate school at Cambridge. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - This popular novel recounts Cath's difficulties adjusting to college life in her first year at University of Nebraska. What's Next? Is a big college the right choice for you? Read my article on deciding whether big or small schools will work better for your goals and personality. Worried about increasingly higher tuition price tags? Find out how much it really costs to attend college. Another decision you'll have to make before you apply to college is how far away you want to go. Check out this article on whether you should attend college close to home. These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

A CRITICAL REVIEW ON SURVEYS OF VALUE-BASED MANAGEMENT Research Paper

A CRITICAL REVIEW ON SURVEYS OF VALUE-BASED MANAGEMENT - Research Paper Example VBM has come to replace them all as a better management technique (Brigham, and Houston, 2009). though there is still something that cannot be taken for granted in any such novelty, i.e. the degree of efficacy in real world business contexts. It’s all the more imperative to consider this sudden spurt of interest in VBM as against profit-based approaches that were hitherto adopted by both small and big companies in order to measure financial performance of the company (Brigham, and Ehrhardt,2007). According to those vociferous critics of the method this annual ritual has had very little success by way of a system of acceptable metrics that truly demonstrated real or discounted cash flows of the company. Such palliatives are to be abandoned now and a more realistic system of metrics based on verifiable and measurable concepts ought to be adopted. It’s here that VBM comes as both a reliable tool and a systematic approach. Capital structure of the firm as divided into equity and debt has been of little significance to an outsider except for an investment consultant and a professional investor because the bewildering system of metrics doesn’t mean anything to the layman. This particular instance of failure associated with many other approaches to management has oft been cited as one of the very sound bases for a new management approach by critics. Thus the concept of VBM has come handy in this context too, owing to the fact that orthodox management approaches are all none too well defined to include performance related dynamics (Copeland, and Dolgoff, 2005). In other words capital must be invested in the business only when its rate of return exceeds the cost of it. Value parameters of VBM are quite well defined to include such variables as tax exemptions on capital investment and the corresponding value gains in alternate investments. Net returns on investment ought to be predictable and therefore uncertainty

Floating World in Japanese art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Floating World in Japanese art history - Essay Example Asai Ryoi wrote his famous Tales of the Floating World (Ukiyo-monogatari) in 1661 and describes the floating world thus: "Living only for the moment, savouring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves, singing songs, loving sake, women and poetry, letting oneself drift, buoyant and carefree, like a gourd carried along with the river current† (History of Ukiyo-e Woodblock Print). The floating world became a centre of refinement, art, culture and elegance and led the tone in a bourgeois society that gained the confidence to lead the taste in art and fashion. Although officially looked down upon by aristocratic circles, the world of courtesans, actors, entertainers and gentlemen of private means was more or less openly admired and copied. Japanese courtesans enjoyed a very high status in society, comparable perhaps, only to the very few privileged maitresses en titre at the French court during the 17th and 18th century, and the higher ranking courtesans were well educated in literature, music and the art of conversation as well as leaders in style and fashion. The pleasure districts of Edo (Tokyo), Osaka and Kyoto provided a lively background and meeting place for the merchant class and the demimonde. The most prolific era for the arts in Japan was the Genroku period from 1680 to 1730. Literature, painting, poetry, but also the sciences, flourished during this period and the arts were encouraged by the shogun (military ruler) whose seat was in Edo (Tokyo). At the time of the Japanese shogunate the emperor was sidelined – he was a powerless figurehead reduced to conducting ceremonies and composing poetry. His seat was in Kyoto, well removed from the centre of power in Edo. Japanese society was divided into four strata: the nobility (samurai), who held all political power, the peasants, who in theory were second only to the nobility, as they provided rice for the nation (Hibbett, 2002) and were therefore of fundamental importance, and

Do we need American hegemony in the global economic system to build Essay

Do we need American hegemony in the global economic system to build and maintain the liberal global capitalist economic order - Essay Example What is more relevant to this essay, though, is the mode and manner in which this grand transformation in global economics was brought about. It was not as if those different regimes across the world saw the merits of neo-liberal capitalism and assented to join in the party. The truth is much more complex and far less pretty that what propaganda has projected. It is reasonable to say that American military might had been the primary factor in bringing about this transformation. Either the threat of the forceful action or direct military involvement has been a coercive factor in the global economic order (the ongoing occupation of Iraq is a prominent recent example). There is also the interests of regional elites, who saw the benefits of aligning with the mighty at the cost of disregarding democratic considerations. Now into its fourth decade, neo-liberal capitalism seems to have strongly entrenched, and it is difficult to see how its march could be stopped. It is in this context that the topic question of this essay has to be pondered upon. The essay topic can be broken down into two components. First, we need to ask if neo-liberal

International Mangement of Ethics and Values Assignment

International Mangement of Ethics and Values - Assignment Example Across the Tasman Sea, in New Zealand, he owns nearly half. Further, he is the owner of two fifths of the Australian Associated Press. (Knowlton & Parsons, 1995, p. 200) These holdings are notwithstanding his considerable market share in Britain and the United States. These statistics bear testimony to the Murdoch’s media monopoly. Between the lines one can read the dangers posed by monopoly in an industry that is crucial to socio-cultural discourse. This report will evaluate how News Corporation holds up to the scrutiny of their stated Code of Ethics as well as against the triple bottom line criteria for ethical evaluation. Official Standards of Business Conduct proclaimed by News Corp News Corp’s official Standards of Business Conduct (SBC) document makes some bold claims. In the area of building trust with business partners and customers, it claims that trust and integrity are of utmost importance. The SBC goes on to outline generic principles that â€Å"underlie th e culture of trust that is at the heart of News....While it is impossible to formulate rules to govern every possible situation, these Standards seek to assist us in continuing to avoid misconduct and the appearance of misconduct.† (Standards, 2013) Further, under the heading ‘Ensuring integrity and transparency of conduct’, the SBC defines what constitutes a conflicting situation and how the News Corp Management will resolve it: â€Å"A conflict of interest arises when personal interests or divided loyalties interfere with our ability to make sound, objective business decisions on behalf of the Company. We are committed to a work force that is clearly and obviously motivated by the best business interests of our Company.† (Standards, 2013) Under the heading ‘Maintaining Credibility’, the SBC lays out three commandments for ethical management of news gathering and reportage. These rules were also meant to apply to its relationship with other bu siness partners, government contacts and the readership. These are: â€Å"We do not make deliberately false or misleading statements about our businesses, or about other companies....We obtain competitive information legally. We do not obtain information about competitors through theft, blackmail, wiretapping, trespassing or other methods prohibited by law.† (Standards, 2013) The Triple Bottom Line (TBL) Standard At the core of the TBL standard is the principle of sustainability. Equally applicable to nonprofits, governments as well as businesses, the TBL measures the â€Å"degree to which an organization is being sustainable or pursuing sustainable growth can be difficult.† (Slaper & Hall, 2013) Scholars like John Elkington were instrumental in devising quantitative measurement scales for TBL. Under the system, conventional focus on profits is excluded. It its place, new parameters such as environmental and social effects of business actions were added to the usual me asures of return on investment and shareholder value. By focusing on comprehensive investment results— â€Å"that is, with respect to performance along the interrelated dimensions of profits, people and the planet—triple bottom line reporting can be an important tool to support sustainability goals. Many businesses and non-profit organizations have adopted the TBL sustainability framework to evaluate their performance, and a similar approach has gained currency with governments at the federal, state and local

Film Critique Ghost 1960 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Critique Ghost 1960 - Research Paper Example It was screened in 1990. Molly, a ceramic art worker, is a beautiful girl who is in love with a high profile banker named Sam. Both live a happy life in New York. One night when the couple is returning on foot from a theatre, a street mugger Willie attacks and kills Sam. Sam dies on the spot due to a gun shot but turns into a Ghost. He realizes later that he is no more alive when he watches his body in the arms of Molly. Sam later comes to know after following Willie that the attack is masterminded by his friend and co-worker Carl who wants to steal the bank codes for different accounts. Carl wants to use codes for drug money laundering .Later Willie breaks into the house of Molly to steal codes. Sam reaches there and scares him away. Sam tries to communicate with Molly, but Molly cannot hear his voice. Sam takes help of a spiritualist lady Ona to convey the danger from Carl to Molly but Molly does not believe Ona. Molly confirms through the police that Ona is professional trickster and cannot be trusted. Now Sam has to find ways to protect Molly from Carl. Sam uses Ona to draw 4 Million dollars from account of Carl and give money in charity to a church. Later Willie breaks into the house of Ona in search of money. ... He uses body of Ona to finally dance with Molly. In the mean time, Carl reaches the apartment of Molly to kill both Molly and Ona. A scuffle takes place and Carl is killed by a window glass due to his own mistake. Now its time for Sam to go; at this time, a heavenly light appears in the room and Molly can hear and see Sam in order to say good bye. Sam says farewell to Molly and returns to afterlife with scores of angels. Acting The film is an example of classic combination of feature film and film genre in modern times. On the whole, the cast has performed extremely well in the film which has been recognized through many awards given to it. According to whosdatedwho.com (2012), the film was nominated for five academy awards and awarded two Oscars for best supporting actress and best screenplay and writing. The film also adds to credit the Best Supporting Actress Award for Whoopi Goldberg. The cast includes the names like Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg, Rick Aviles, Tony Goldwyn and Vincent Schiavelli. In addition to coveted Oscar Award, Whoopi Goldberg also won many awards like Golden Globe and BAFTA, etc. The film also won The Best Original Screen Play Award due to performance of the cast and original thinking of the film writer. There are three lead characters in the movie: Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg who have displayed the film storey in an unconventional manner. The actors have focused on the core elements of passion, love for life, valuing relationships, avoiding greed and saving lives. Patrick has also displayed well a character which is spiritual as well as human in nature. The complexity and conflict involved in the

Frist quality management assays Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Frist quality management assays - Essay Example Many a times people fail to realise that what they are doing is ultimately for the client and it is because the client pays that the company is running. Some companies were so surprised initially by the sudden ‘quality movement’ of the 1990’s that Cant (1992, p. 1) commented that Businesses generally have a lethargic approach towards any kind of change. When TQM was still a newbie, some people thought that it could rescue businesses from ‘flabby management techniques’ and ‘shoddy products’, while others thought it to be ‘too perfect’ and that such management techniques cost more than they are worth. American firms could not truly embrace ‘Quality Management’ until they thought it made their shareholders more money than it did the seminar organizers, consultants and book publishers, who again, they thought, reaped the biggest quality rewards of the 1980s. Only those who had the patience and stuck to it reaped the rewards. Many, who did not, were wiped out in the competition. Virtually every business depends on repeat business for survival. It’s a common sense answer that for customers to come back they should be happy with what they got before. Earlier, professionals could count on their reputations and work contacts to provide a steady stream of work; however, as a result of de-regulation, an over-supply of professionals in many disciplines and a declining public image, this is no longer guaranteed. A research study done on legal advisors, where the sample consisted of 600 commercial business organizations drawn from ‘Key British Enterprises’ 1989 proved that â€Å"Clients with higher perceptions of service quality are likely to consider changing their legal advisers less often and expect to enjoy longer working relationships with their corporate legal advisers.† (Morgan 2007, p. 38) Though we know that the relation between ‘customer satisfaction’ and ‘profits’ is quite obvious, there are 3 problems,

Film Critique Ghost 1960 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Film Critique Ghost 1960 - Research Paper Example It was screened in 1990. Molly, a ceramic art worker, is a beautiful girl who is in love with a high profile banker named Sam. Both live a happy life in New York. One night when the couple is returning on foot from a theatre, a street mugger Willie attacks and kills Sam. Sam dies on the spot due to a gun shot but turns into a Ghost. He realizes later that he is no more alive when he watches his body in the arms of Molly. Sam later comes to know after following Willie that the attack is masterminded by his friend and co-worker Carl who wants to steal the bank codes for different accounts. Carl wants to use codes for drug money laundering .Later Willie breaks into the house of Molly to steal codes. Sam reaches there and scares him away. Sam tries to communicate with Molly, but Molly cannot hear his voice. Sam takes help of a spiritualist lady Ona to convey the danger from Carl to Molly but Molly does not believe Ona. Molly confirms through the police that Ona is professional trickster and cannot be trusted. Now Sam has to find ways to protect Molly from Carl. Sam uses Ona to draw 4 Million dollars from account of Carl and give money in charity to a church. Later Willie breaks into the house of Ona in search of money. ... He uses body of Ona to finally dance with Molly. In the mean time, Carl reaches the apartment of Molly to kill both Molly and Ona. A scuffle takes place and Carl is killed by a window glass due to his own mistake. Now its time for Sam to go; at this time, a heavenly light appears in the room and Molly can hear and see Sam in order to say good bye. Sam says farewell to Molly and returns to afterlife with scores of angels. Acting The film is an example of classic combination of feature film and film genre in modern times. On the whole, the cast has performed extremely well in the film which has been recognized through many awards given to it. According to whosdatedwho.com (2012), the film was nominated for five academy awards and awarded two Oscars for best supporting actress and best screenplay and writing. The film also adds to credit the Best Supporting Actress Award for Whoopi Goldberg. The cast includes the names like Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, Whoopi Goldberg, Rick Aviles, Tony Goldwyn and Vincent Schiavelli. In addition to coveted Oscar Award, Whoopi Goldberg also won many awards like Golden Globe and BAFTA, etc. The film also won The Best Original Screen Play Award due to performance of the cast and original thinking of the film writer. There are three lead characters in the movie: Demi Moore, Patrick Swayze, and Whoopi Goldberg who have displayed the film storey in an unconventional manner. The actors have focused on the core elements of passion, love for life, valuing relationships, avoiding greed and saving lives. Patrick has also displayed well a character which is spiritual as well as human in nature. The complexity and conflict involved in the

Voting and High School Essay Example for Free

Voting and High School Essay Background of the Study The era of computer system has spread very fast, wide and extreme conduct of required data. Voting System for the Central Board of Student High School Department in San Sebastian College Recoletos – Manila is still using the manual process, now the proponents are ready to change the free of manual using process. This study would help them with this attributes efficiency, convenience and security not just to the integrity of voting but also the protections of the high school student voters. Based on DepED Order No. 79, s. 2009 Revised Standard Constitution and By-Laws of Supreme Student Governments in Secondary Schools signed by Secretary Jesli A. Lapus â€Å" that the significant roe, and contributions of the Supreme Student Government (SSG) in the school and in line with Students Government Program (SGP) of the Department of Education-Center for Students and Co-Curricular Affairs (DepED-CSCA), the enclosed Revised Standard Constitution and By-Laws is hereby issued for implementation in all Secondary School.† Since the beginning of elections in San Sebastian College- Recoletos High School Department,there are different problems such as fraud ,cheating , and slow process of counting ballots and human errors which can’t be removed to the mind of the voters. But the proponents believe that those irregularities will not break the will and heart of a true sebastinian. Voting must be exercised freely, safely and intelligently within voting precints. As in the present of how is the process of voting in the existing voting system works manually, manual election usually takes a long time before proclaiming the winning candidate while computerized election usually takes a short period of time before proclaiming the winning candidate. Voters will write the name of their chosen candidate in an piece of paper given by the committee and it will be placed inside a ballot box, At the end of the voting period, the assigned canvassers will count the votes manually and thus it result to human errors and slow process of tallying of votes, in order to pursue a secure and honest election, it is the function of the proponents to provide the students the means to credible system of election. Proponents define manual election as a system that counts votes using paper audits stored by a ballot box. Objectives of the Study 1. The general objective of the study is to develop an automated based voting system for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. Specific Objectives 1. The main objective of this research is to develop automated based voting system for the San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 2. It will provide a faster and easy way to vote candidates during the voting season. 3. It will ease the pain of providing hundreds of ballots but this system will totally will remove the cost and effort of printing ballots. 4. It will secure the confidential information about the result of the last election. 5. To introduce an automated voting system for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 6. To provide a user friendly system for the high school students. 7. To employ a more organized and accurate way of electing a new board members for the high school department. Scope and Delimitation of the Study The Proponents will develop a voting system that prepares a voting process for San Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department by creating a computer based voting system that will help the commissioners count the number of votes. 1. Voters can also see the pictures of the candidates while voting and because of that can easily identify to whom they will give their vote. 2. The System has a back-up system to save the number of votes. 3. It will only take 5 minutes for the students to vote to avoid wasting of time. 4. It has a log in security attempt limited for 3 times. 5. The proponents are planning to use Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 to realize the goal. The coverage of this study is from June to Sept 2013. 6. The researchers limit the study to Sebastian College-Recoletos High School Department. 7. The candidates are not allowed to manipulate their number of votes; the election commissioners cannot alter the voting process. 8. This system has a delimitation that the users should know, the system doesn’t have a print out of ballots. Definition of Terms Automation – process which involves the electronics and computer technology which the participation of human is less. Automated Voting System – A technology which is much faster and efficient more than the old voting system, it also involves the participation of information and communication technology individuals. Ballot – A tangible thing wherein the cast of votes writes here. Also exists in old voting/electoral process. Ballot Box – A tangible thing wherein the votes of the voters stores here for counting. Canvassers – An individual who canvass votes and plays a vital role in old voting system. Election Commission – In charge of overseeing the implementation of election procedures. Inquiry – process that has the aim of augmenting knowledge, resolving doubt, or solving a problem. Precincts – a table, place where you will vote.

A study of the new century financial corporation

A study of the new century financial corporation New Century Financial Corporation was originally founded in 1995. It was a Maryland corporation based in Irvine, California in business to originate, purchase, sell and service home mortgage loans. Court documents reported the company experienced phenomenal growth during its 10 year history, originating $350 million in mortgage loans in 1996 to $50 billion in 2005 with earnings per share increasing $.013 to $7.17. New Century was an aggressive subprime lender catering to customers who could not qualify for conventional mortgage loans. New Century would then pool these loans and sell them in the mortgage secondary market at a profit. These loan sales came with warranties and representations which if breached could require New Century to repurchase the loans at a substantial loss. These repurchases began increasing in 2004 and were soon taking a toll on the companys liquidity. Still, as late as the latter part of 2006, the company was able to raise $142.5 million from a new stock issue. It all came tumbling down February 7th, 2007 when New Century admitted it was restating the companys financial results for the first three quarters of 2006. The market reaction was a drop of 40% in the stock price from $30.16 to $19.24 according to court documents. By March 13th the stock price had declined all the way down to $.84 after a March 1st announcement informing the public that its 2006 10-K filing would be late along with a March 12th announcement disclosing a discontinuance of financing by some lenders. This crippled the companys ability to honor loan repurchase demands. New Century Financial filed for bankruptcy protection on April 2nd 2007. KPMG LLP and KPMG International KPMG LLP was New Centurys independent auditor from 1995 thru 2006. KPMG is a Delaware limited liability partnership and the U.S. member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative, a Swiss entity with over 137,000 employees operating in 144 countries according to their website. New Century Financial What Fraud Happened? The executives at New Century Financial violated many accounting rules and U.S. laws. The three perpetrators in this case are the former CEO Brad Morrice, former CFO Patti Dodge, and former Controller David N. Kenneally. The offenses are related to New Centurys disclosure fraud, violations of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, violations of generally accepted accounting principles, and violations of the Securities Act. DISCLOSURE FRAUD New Century Financial failed to make adequate disclosures regarding its loan production (the nature and risk of its products), its loan repurchase obligations, and its backlog of repurchase requests. In the 2006 Forms 10-Q, both Morrice and Dodge, failed to disclose that a substantial portion of it new loans were derived from what are termed 80/20 loans, where New Century would underwrite 80% of the first loan on the property, and underwrite a second loan for the additional 20%, actually creating a 100% loan to value ratio. These loans were risky, because the buyer of the property was able to make the purchase without risking any money of their own. In 2006 33.47% of New Century Financials loans were of this type, up from 23% in 2004 and 9% in 2003. Additionally, New Century disclosed materially misleading loan to value (LTV) information on its loans. To the public, New Century disclosed a weighted average LTV, which in 2006, was between 80.9% and 81.4%, of total loans made, but in company internal reports the actual numbers were between 86.6% and 87.6%. Also in the 2006 Forms 10-Q, New Century made disclosures that downplayed the risks of its interest only and stated income loans, (loans in which ones income is not verified). New Century failed to disclose that through the second quarter of 2006 that it was actually experiencing greater defaults on its 80/20, stated income and layered risk loans. Regarding New Centurys loan repurchase obligations, adequate disclosure was not given to investors. Under the contract for the loans, New Century could be required to repurchase loans sold pursuant to repurchase agreements in two situations: (1) the representations and warranties about the loan were untrue; or (2) the borrower defaulted on the loan by failing to make the first payment due after the loan was sold. These loan repurchase obligations would have negatively affected investor and lender expectations of New Centurys earnings potential had they been disclosed. In 2006 New Century experienced an increasing rate of Early Payment Defaults and First Payment Defaults, which could trigger the loan repurchase obligation. In 2006 New Century had to repurchase $784.3 million dollars on loans, and was left with loans with a value of 80% of the repurchase price. In addition to its actual repurchases, New Century had a backlog of repurchase requests that it did not disclose in 2006. From 2005 to 2006 the backlog grew from $143 million to $400 million. Failure to disclose these significant facts greatly altered the information available to investors regarding the Company and would have had an unfavorable impact on net revenues and income from continuing operations. SARBANES-OXLEY VIOLATIONS In violation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the CEO, CFO, and company Controller personally signed New Centurys disclosures, first and third quarter 10-Q forms, and the Sarbanes-Oxley certifications associated with those filings knowing that the financial statements were materially misstated. Furthermore, each of the company officers benefited from the financial misstatements in terms of pay, and bonuses, none of which was returned to shareholders. During the year 2006 the CEO and CFO made misleading statements in press releases and earnings calls regarding the financial position of the company. ACCOUNTING FRAUD In line with generally accepted accounting principles, New Century Financial was required to estimate the fair value of its repurchase obligation and to reduce the gain it reported on the sale of that amount. In deriving an estimate of this obligation New Century was required to estimate, (1) the amount of loans that it would have to repurchase, i.e., the repurchase rate: and (2) the costs that it would incur in repurchasing loans. When New Century repurchased a loan it was recorded at the loans unpaid balance and not at the fair value as required under SFAS 140. However, prior to the second quarter of 2006, the repurchase reserves recorded by New Century Financial were sufficient to state the net value of the assets in amounts materially in compliance with SFAS 140. In the second quarter of 2006, however, the reserve calculation methodology was changed resulting in much lower reserves. As a result of these changes, the net assets were no longer stated at fair value, a violation of S FAS 140. This reduced its repurchase expense and overstated revenues. Also under GAAP, New Century was required to estimate contingent liabilities, in line with SFAS 5. SFAS 5 requires accrual of loss contingency if information indicates that it is probable that the liability has been incurred and the amount can be reasonably estimated. The liability related to the substantial backlog of unprocessed repurchase claims was not properly accrued, a violation of SFAS 5. This allowed New Century to overstate its financial performance. New Century also failed to implement internal controls over financial reporting to appropriately track repurchase requests from investors to buy back their loans, further reducing the firms loss contingency. As a result of improperly accounting for loan repurchase obligations, which reduced the reserve expense needed to repurchase those loans; New Century overstated its financial results, with reported pre-tax earnings 165% higher than the corrected amount (a total overstatement of approximately $84 million). In the third quarter of 2006, earnings were overstated approximately $108 million. VIOLATIONS OF THE SECURITY ACT In connection with the November 16, 2006 securities offering both Morrice and Dodge filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, they reported that New Centurys financial statements presented fairly in all material respects the financial condition of the company. Furthermore, it was stated that New Century Financial had no undisclosed material liabilities, and that the financial statements complied with the requirements of the Exchange Act. The reality was that, New Century had a substantial backlog of pending repurchase claims, which were not reflected as liabilities in New Centurys financial statements. With all of these defalcations combined the executives at New Century Financial violated the following laws: Fraud in the Offer or Sale of Securities, Section 17(a) of the Securities Act Fraud in Connections with the Purchase or Sale of Securities, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 Violations of Commission Periodic Reporting Requirements, Aiding and Abetting Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act and Rules 12b-20, 13a-11, and 13a-13 Circumvention of Internal Controls, Section 13(b)(5) of the Exchange Act False Statement to Accountants, Rule 13b2-2 Certification Violations, Rule 13a-17 of the Exchange Act Failure to Reimburse, Section 304 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act KPMGs Role in the Fraud KPMG LLP (KPMG) was the external auditor for New Century Financial from inception (1995) to 2006. They resigned in April 2007, a few months after New Century filed for bankruptcy. Although they had completed a significant portion of the field work for the 2006 audit prior to their resignation, they did not issue an opinion on the 2006 financial statements. They issued unqualified opinions in all prior years audited by them. They also performed reviews of the quarterly financial statements through 2006 and performed audits of the effectiveness of internal controls at New Century (SOX 404 audits) for 2004 and 2005. The SOX 404 audit for 2006 was substantially completed but the opinion was not issued as of KPMGs resignation. Although financial statements are the responsibility of management, an independent auditors opinion that the statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial condition of the Company in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles does provide investors and creditors a certain level of assurance that managements statements are reliable. The opinion is not a guarantee of the accuracy of the financials but the public should be able to trust that, at a minimum, the auditor followed professional standards in the audit process. An auditors role in the issuance of fraudulent financial statements, then, could come from either a) their failure to exercise due care in the audit process which resulted in their failure to discover and communicate material misstatements or b) their complicity in the fraudulent misstatements. Most of what we know about KPMGs relationship with New Century and their work as New Centurys auditors comes from a report by Michael Missal, the bankruptcy examiner in the New Century case, to the United States Bankruptcy Court. Mr. Missal was charged with identifying any potential causes of action that might arise from the New Century bankruptcy. He reviewed KPMGs audit workpapers and New Centurys accounting records and interviewed KPMG and New Century employees as part of his research. Missals report focuses primarily on KPMGs work during 2005 and 2006. He suggests that, during those years, KPMG failed to follow professional audit standards and that certain members of the audit team were complicit in the fraud by giving advice to New Century, which was followed by them, that was inconsistent with generally accepted accounting principles and that resulted in material misstatements. The evidence presented to support the contention that KPMG failed to act in accordance with accepted auditing standards (GAAS)) was substantial. The three general auditing standards require that 1) the auditor must be technically competent, 2) the auditor must be independent and 3) the auditor must exercise due professional care. Mr.. Missal provided evidence that KPMG failed to meet any of those standards. Mr. Missal reviewed the New Century engagement staffing during 2005 and 2006. During the first quarter review in 2005, the entire audit team was new to the engagement (other than two junior auditors). The engagement partner was new to KPMG and had very limited experience in the mortgage banking industry. The senior manager was a recent rehire of KPMG and his only industry experience was a three year stint as an assistant controller at a small mortgage lending company. The senior manager on the 2005 SOX 404 audit had no prior SOX 404 audit experience. The concurring partner had worked primarily with financial institutions and leasing companies. Field work on two of the most sensitive areas (testing of the repurchase reserve and residual interest valuation) was done by first year auditors. Given the complexity of the mortgage banking industry, Mr. Missal argued that the team did not have the technical skill required to audit New Century. Mr. Missal reviewed internal communications between KPMG staff and external communications between KPMG and New Century management and board members. The senior members of the audit team ignored or dismissed concerns raised by KPMG specialists about the appropriateness of certain accounting methods used by New Century. They also dismissed concerns raised by junior auditors and by members of New Centurys Audit Committee as unfounded. Mr. Missal concludes that the senior audit members were more concerned about retaining the client than they were about the quality of the audit work and therefore lacked independence. There were numerous examples given by Mr. Missal to demonstrate KPMGs lack of due professional care including their failure to follow the second and third field work standards (the auditor must design tests to adequately respond to their understanding of the entitys internal controls (or the lack of internal controls) and is required to obtain sufficient evidential matter to support their opinion). The examples given included KPMGs failure to expand testing based on deficiencies noted in their review of New Centurys controls as part of the audit planning process, failure to properly test the repurchase log, failure to properly test the models developed by New Century accounting personnel to determine the reserve requirements, failure to expand testing given significant changes noted in the number of loans repurchased and failure to expand planned testing when the risk assessment related to residual interests was changed to high (as part of the SOX 404 audit work in 2006). Mr. Missal also noted that certain significant control deficiencies noted as part of the 2004 SOX 404 audit were not communicated, as required, to the Board of Directors and that the 2005 SOX 404 audit did not consider, as required, the failure of New Century to resolve control deficiencies noted as part of the prior year SOX 404 audit. Mr. Missal also provided evidence KPMG was complicit in the fraud. According to interviews of KPMG and New Century staff, the Senior Audit Manager on the engagement team suggested two changes to the calculation of the repurchase reserve which were adopted by New Century during 2006. Both changes resulted in significant reductions of the amount of the reserve recorded in the financials and both changes were contrary to GAAP. Mr. Missal does not suggest that the actions were criminal. The inference is more that the suggestions were made based on a lack of understanding of the applicable GAAP as it applied to the mortgage industry. To date, KPMG has not responded to specific issues raised in Mr. Missals report. They have, however, issued a general statement that they believe the firm complied with all professional standards. It should also be noted that the SEC, in their action against New Century, included a claim that New Century had lied to their auditors. Mr. Missal does conclude that although he believes that the trustees for New Century could have a reasonable basis for suing KPMG for professional negligence, he also cites a number of possible defenses that could be raised by KPMG. All of the defenses speak directly, or indirectly, to New Centurys contributory negligence. The Affect of the Fraud on KPMG No charges have been brought against KPMG by the SEC. However, both KPMG and their parent firm, KPMG International (KPMGI) were sued in April of 2009 by The New Century Liquidating Trust and Reorganized New Century Warehouse Corporation (the trustee overseeing the bankruptcy). The suit against KPMGI has two causes of action. The first cause of action states that KPMG is an agent of KPMGI and therefore KPMGI is liable for the actions of KPMG (vicarious liability). The second cause of action claims deceptive and unfair business practices by KPMGI. KPMGI advertised that its member firms performed quality work but did not properly oversee or control that quality. The suit seeks, in part, actual compensatory and consequential damages and punitive damages plus costs. The suit against KPMG has three causes of action. In the first cause, the plaintiff requests that the agreement signed by KPMG and New Century prohibiting New Century from seeking punitive damages be set aside as illegal under California law. In the second cause of action, the suit claims that KPMG was negligent in their performance as New Centurys auditors. The lawsuit includes the claims reported in Mr. Missals report as described in the section KPMGs Role in the Fraud above. In the third cause of action, the suit claims that KPMG aided and abetted the breach of fiduciary duties by New Centurys directors and officers. The suit claims that KPMG was aware of the breaches of duty and that the engagement team provided assistance and encouragement in those breaches. The suit seeks, in part, actual compensatory and consequential damages (in an amount not less than $1 billion) and punitive damages plus costs. Since the suits have not been settled, there is no way to know or estimate the f inancial impact on KPMG. KPMG has undoubtedly been affected in unpublicized ways. Mr. Missal notes several of the engagement team members left KPMG or were transferred out of the local office during 2007. There have probably been changes in internal processes related to engagement management and technical review. It is possible KPMG has lost clients as a result of the publicity surrounding the case. Since the final outcome of these cases is still unknown, its impossible to evaluate the complete effect upon KPMG LP and KPMGI. KPMGs Violations of Legal and Ethical Standards New Centurys auditor, KPMG LLP (and its parent company KPMGI) is a large multinational auditor which employees over 135,000 people in over 140 countries. The breadth of accounting law and ethical standards it may be bound to is diverse and multilayered, including regional, state, national, and international provisions. To illustrate this fact both New Century and the US arm of KPMG were incorporated in Delaware, while headquartered in Irvine, California and New York City respectively, and may be subject to legal precedent in potentially any state in which material business is conducted. United States accounting standards (GAAP) are primarily set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board. Compliance with GAAP is often required by regulatory agencies such as the SEC and by statutory law both at the state and federal level. Additionally there are an extensive number of statutory requirements which bind both public auditors like KPMG and publically traded entities like New Century on a federal level including SEC provisions and rulings of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Some examples of potentially breached laws and ethical standards include Article 9, Section 58 of the California Board of Accountancy Regulations which requires CPAs to comply with GAAP and GAAS (Generally Accepted Auditing Standards) since KPMGs treatment of the reserve requirement was inconsistent under FAS 140 and FAS 5. It is also possible that Section 65 was breached since there were allegations that KPMG sought to maintain New Century as a profitable client over accurate financial reporting thus compromising independence. At the national level, several AICPA principles and rules may have been compromised. Principles allegedly breached include the principle of objectivity and independence based on the aforementioned profitability rationale, and the principle of due care based on the inconsistent application of GAAP (and alleged technical/professional insufficiency of the audit team). Since the AICPA rules are a codification of the principles, several rules by nature would have been violated including the following, rules 101, and 102, plus rules 201 through 203. Rules 101 and 102 which govern independence and integrity/objectivity respectively were potentially breached by the conflict of interest associated with retaining profitability clients which would have affected both independence and objectivity. Rule 201, the General Standards is broken down into 4 parts each of which may have been broken during the anomalous treatment of the reserve requirement among other accounting guidance provided by KPMG. Rule 201 A which dictates professional competence and rule 201 C which dictates appropriate levels of planning and supervision may have been violated if the audit team was insufficient in technical skill and frequently unsupervised as alleged. Rule 201 B which prescribes due care again may have been breached by inconsistency in the application of GAAP. Lastly there is evidence that the last and final provision of rule 201 was breached, section D discusses the acquisition of sufficient supportive evidence of audit opinions and there is evidence that the audit team may have cut the engagement short on account of time and profitability pressures. What could have been done to prevent the fraud? Severing the financial incentive between client and auditor by mandating that auditing fees be paid via a trustee or other third party irrespective of audit findings could significantly reduce the pressure to deviate from GAAP and decrease conflicts of interest. Perhaps a pooled system like insurance could be created where publicly traded firms, those regulated by the SEC and the PCAOB, would pay into a pool of funds from which fair compensation can be disbursed, reducing profit based incentives from altering the quality of audit findings. Rotating audit firms by lottery or by imposing some form of term limits may prevent the collusion often formed by longstanding relationships. The creation of an anonymous complaint system by regulatory authorities could provide an outlet for junior members in auditing firms to report major violations of standards by higher levels of management in both the company being audited and the accounting firm itself. Additional individual penalties for failure to exercise due care, especially for senior members, may insure work is not rushed or delegated improperly while preserving the limited amount of competition remaining in the public auditing industry. But at the end of the day it is always about the basics. A framework is in place to prevent financial fraud by companies. The framework is: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles Generally Accepted Auditing Standards Corporate governance exercised by the Board of Directors The failure of New Century Financial was not so much a regulation failure but a human failure. But this is why we have regulations-to reduce the temptations of humans. Strict adherence by KPMG to the generally accepted auditing standards would not have prevented the failure of New Century, it probably would have speeded-up its demise. But it would have given New Centurys investors, creditors, and board the critical information needed to make sound decisions. The potential for human failure in both New Century and KPMG could have been reduced by what is now termed the tone at the top. New Centurys board, especially the audit committee and the upper management of KPMG did not provide the environment for the violations to come to their attention. KPMGs ignoring of the warnings of junior staff and specialists of problems is inexcusable. How did the New Century failure affect our groups views and opinions? A former auditor in our group understood the tension between the auditors duty to follow professional standards and their desire to retain clients. Comparable tensions exist for accountants in private industry. I also know that hindsight is 20/20 and without hearing the defendants side of the story, its difficult to fairly evaluate their work or their ethics. Its difficult to read about the economic and personal impact that these large corporate failures have on the various stakeholders the employees, the investors, the creditors, and the public without wanting to see changes that will at least reduce the risks we all face. Maybe its time to make the auditors more independent which might mean that auditors should be paid by someone other than the audit client and that audit firms serving public companies need to be rotated on a regular basis. A CPA candidate in our group felt reminded of the constant conflict between quality and quantity; profitability and sustainability. The pressures placed on auditing firms by virtue of the free market often creates particularly troublesome adverse incentives which I may be subject to one day, this is unfortunate. These same pressures are the reasons why public accounting is needed in the first place, typified by New Centurys unsustainable financial position over time, and reminded me of just how important it is to maintain trust and faith in the public accounting industry. Another CPA candidate felt disillusioned of the culture of the Big Four accounting firms. Noting the firms are quick to lecture others about tone at the top but are they looking at the tone at the top in their own organizations? He added do I want to work at a place where the input of juniors is routinely dismissed? Where was the quality control mechanism at KPMG? Finally, one of us believed this case only confirmed my views about the people involved in the Real Estate/Mortgage market, most of them were in the market to make a quick buck, 99% of the people in this industry had no understanding of the real estate market or did not care, and the market was doomed to collapse due to weak lending practices.