Innovation, Ethics & Change-Hypocrisy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Innovation, Ethics & Change-Hypocrisy - Essay Example The resistance change is human nature and the employees should undergo certain training to accept change. The managers are also encouraged to ensure the employees’ opinions with regard to certain changes, whether positive or negative is not held against them. This discourse is about guidance to help employees accept change within organizations. There are several reasons why various employees resist change. Some employees could be perfect in their areas of duties. For instance, an employee could choose to associate himself with other races or tribes as this could seem as a let down to his personality and even the family. Such employees will always address his peers sarcastically to discourage them from further participation. The managers should identify such employees and guide them or counsel them since such attitude could limit the overall productivity of an organization ( Kegan & Lahey 2001). Mistakes in any working organizations are to both the employees and even the managers. The global financial crisis was a mistake of the topmost leaders in the financial institutions as well as the legislators. The legislators involved despised opinions of various experts and their decisions still have an impact on the global economy to the current date. We may have the urge to accept change but there are factors called the sidetracks that may limit our abilities to embrace such changes. One of the sidetracks is the ‘forces within’ and these are our personal thoughts that encourage resistance to change. This could also be attributed to the people surrounding us. The emotional attachment could also hinder us from accepting changes, for instance, Yahoo boss turned down deal termed as one of its kind, when Microsoft was ready to buy its search engine at $22 B, in 2008.

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay Example for Free

Kevin Stevenson retires as AASB Chair Essay This article is concerned with the accomplishments and achievements of Kevin Stevenson upon his retirement as the Chairman of the Australian Accounting Standards Board on 30th June 2014. During his tenure, Kevin Stevenson ensured that the long traditions of financial reporting were upheld both internationally and domestically and also provided counsel on issues concerning the FRC. Mr. Stevenson was an example of pioneer standard setters for generations down the line as he was among the founding members of the Accounting Standards Advisory Forum of the International Accounting Standards Board. Through his leadership, the AASB’s Research Centre was established as Stevenson served the Asian-Oceanian Standard Setters Group’s chair. His main focus was to work in the interest of the public, as stated by Lynn Wood, the FRC’s chair and trustee of the IFRS Foundation. In concurrence is Ian Mackintosh, the former Chair of the PSASB of Australia and Deputy Chair of IASB. According to Mackintosh, Stevenson largely contributed in the moves by Asia countries like Nepal and Korea to the IFRS. From the onset of the 1970s, Mr. Stevenson’ attention was driven towards setting ‘principal based’ standards and developing a Conceptual Framework to be used in financial reporting. He advocated for accounting regulations as evidenced by his association with the Accounting Research Foundation and later on watched over the growth of the AARF upon being appointed its Director. He was at the forefront of setting the international pace in the development of com mon accounting standards for both the public and the private sectors. Stevenson largely contributed to the formation of the Public Sector Accounting and also played a significant role in the establishment of the stable platform of International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005 for adoption in Australia and the entire Europe. Concepts, ideas and facts                      Teamwork and leadership are two important components that must be in alignment so as to provide effective high quality and efficient accounting services. A strategic human resource management model provides guidance to accounting teams and leaders to deliver high-quality services in a timely manner. Accounting operates within a performance measurement that tolerates no errors. Therefore, a state-of-the-art investigation requires scientific leadership working with major stakeholders as a team to provide the best accounting services to a fraud investigation. The new techniques of accounting are significant steps in the right direction and they require leaders with skills and business tools to apply concepts such as efficiency, cost benefit analysis, economies of scale and cost-effectiveness analysis that will measure continuous improvement on a regular basis. Effective leadership is needed to develop, design and implement a solution that would resolve the core competency of an organization. Strategic leadership in accounting provides quality and timely accounting services to a company. Such leadership like that o Stevenson brings together a fragmented system consisting of thousands of accountants working within a fragmented system of organizations. Effective teamwork and leadership in accounting shows the way through the development of new innovative fraud investigations for the future. Leaders in positions like that of Stevenson are encouraged to consider both the social and moral implications of their decisions with regard to how their decisions will affect the clients and shareholders of the company. It is the ethical responsibility of every employee to ensure their company does not illegally evade income taxes or allow questionable deductions. They should ensure that the company finds are allocated to the appropriate activities based on their importance and determine the important elements of the business. The accounting issue                      One major way of improving the confidence in financial reporting and accounting is to ensure that there is improvement in ethical standards, reporting mechanisms, strengthening of governance and adequacy of financial management. It is ethical to maintain the right to the truth while practicing accounting and financial reporting. Those who use financial statements have the right to accurate and truthful information when engaging in investment strategies. Clients have a legal right to receive competent and professional services from accountants who have a legal obligation to perform their responsibilities within the constraints of their skills. It is often argued that most accountants lack ethical ability to recognize and solve ethical dilemmas. This has necessitated the need to include ethics education as a major component of the accounting profession. The development of professional ethics and values should be initiated early in the accounting profe ssion and be emphasized throughout the career. Major issue of the article                      Stevenson clearly shows that it is the responsibility of management to serve the best interests of the company that they are providing auditing and accounting services for, investors and society as a whole. This can be done by providing truthful and accurate financial records. Ethical guidelines require that management should be honest, concise, accurate and complete while recording financial data to ensure ethics are held to the highest degree. It is also the duty of every employee to make wise, informed decisions about the future of a company. These accounting standards are useful in financial reporting and accounting as they are processes that are currently under a great deal of scrutiny. The two are important functions that organizations should take care of and ensure that they exhibit a high code of ethics. This is because clients and shareholders use accounting and financial reports in their decision making process. Legal and ethical issues ar e important elements of financial reporting and accounting as has been demonstrated by the positions assumed by Mr. Stevenson. These issues prompted Stevenson to establish financial reporting and accounting departments to set up specific sets of rules that govern the functioning of any organization. Relevant topics and theories                      The long traditions of financial reporting applied Positive Accounting theory by focusing on various aspects that are of major interest to accounting techniques and the issues that provided an informative background and the gives in depth details of the functionality of accounting in financial reporting. Positive Accounting gives a holistic description of what is currently unknown and proposes future considerations. Financial reporting and accounting apply to any economic entity relating to the company’s future business. The major ethical elements involved are objectivity, competence, independence and integrity. These ethical elements require that accountants and financial reporters are independent of the clients to whom they provide financial and accounting services. Ethical obligations help to determine the effectiveness of accounting and financial report and redress any imbalance that may alter information symmetry. The move by Nepal and K orea followed the ethical guidelines of financial reporting and never let the desire for a better living and acquiring more possession get in the way of their financial obligations. It is ethical for any employee of the accounting or financial department working in the public or private sector to remain loyal and impartial to ethical obligations when reviewing both individual and financial reports. It is usual for one to encounter various ethical issues and it is therefore important for one to remain vigilant to resist temptations to manipulate financial records that could violate ethical guidelines. Transparency and integrity are important ethical elements of normative accounting theory. Some companies may receive pressure from management to maintain a certain public image. This is because some public companies have the burden of succeeding at high levels and it becomes an ethical issue for them to maintain true reports of the company assets, profits and liabilities without succumb ing to the pressure from management. It is unethical for management to alter the financial records of its company and manipulate the numbers to create a false image of the success of the company. This only leads to prosperity in the short term since such fraud cases are discovered by the Securities and Exchange Commission ultimately spelling the downfall of the company. For these reasons, accounting theories assert that companies must remain ethically vigilant to avoid breaching the code of conduct. High standards of ethical behavior are expected for those people engaging in accounting and financial reporting. These standards provide rules and guidance to employees in the performance of their professional obligations. Poor decision making by management based on faulty or manipulated financial records aimed at deceiving the public about a company’s financial health has negative consequences on the business. It is therefore unethical for management to overlook such behavior. Gi ven how tempting it is for companies to manipulate their financial records in order to portray an image of economic health, management should provide the last defense possible to prevent accounting fraud. In comment letter 1, the Financial Reporting Committee of the IMA wrote to express its views on financial accounting standards on simplification of the income statement presentation through the elimination of the concept of extraordinary items. The FRC is in charge of several accounting books of different companies this in essence means that they are charged with the responsibility of making timely responses to statements, pronouncements, research legislations, proposals and pending legislations. Their main concern in this letter is the complex nature of financial statements in FASB comment letters. They support the simplication initiative adopted by the board as regards to making the financial statements easier to understand by the common folk CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). Their support is on the elimination of elimination of extra ordinary items as in most times this criterion is not always met. Their proposal thus rids of the tedious work in the preparation of financial documents and whether this requirement is met by auditors in the process of doing their work. Their support is based on the fact that it reduces to a great extending the complex nature of the time for the allocation of the provision of income tax by reducing the occurrence of other income items occurring. They thus advocate for a thorough examination of the details of this suggested proposal CITATION Sch l 1033 (Schroder, 2014). In comment letter number 2, Marcum Accountants and Advisors write to the FASB regarding the proposed accounting standards through the simplification of the income statement by elimination of the concept of extraordinary items. Their letter is generally a response to several questions regarding the process of simplification of the income statement. They support the concept of elimination of extra ordinary items from the General Accounting principles. Their contention is based on the difficulty of application the extra ordinary items in accounting practice CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014). They thus support the application for extra ordinary items in previous accounting periods. A sudden change of the rules would otherwise lead to confusion in the accounting practice. The ease of application of the proposed update makes it easy to make these recommended changes quite easy to adopt. They thus suggest the immediate adoption of the proposed update. They are in agreement with the decision by the board to stick to the principle of separate disclosure of infrequent transactions. Items must thus meet the definition of occurring infrequently in recurrent expenditure. They list the following examples as those that should not be classified as unusual or infrequently occurring: occupancy related expense, routine tax audit returns and losses and gains from reimbursements from insurance CITATION Giu14 l 1033 (Giugliano, 2014). They thus suggest the importance of offering guidance on the determination of unusual items. Proper definitions should thus be provided of the unusually occurring items. In comment letter 3, Ford Motor Company also writes in support of the simplication initiative by FASB. Their agreement is based on the objective of evaluation, identification and improvement of the generally accepted accounting principles CITATION Cal14 l 1033 (Callahan, 2014). This thus means that the reduction of the cost of complexity is possible with the simplification of the income statement. They are also in agreement with the board that such an update would not lead to data loss. The overall benefit would be to the end users of such financial statements. References Callahan, S. (2014). Ford Company. Giugliano, G. (2014). Marcum Accountants. Schroder, N. (2014). Institute of Management Accounting. Source document

Breast Implants, Breast Augmentation, and American Culture Essay

Breast Implants, Breast Augmentation, and American Culture Breast augmentation is rapidly becoming a common procedure among women in the United States. Shows detailing the surgery on TV station such as MTV and VH1 show mothers and their daughters getting implants together and teenage girls thrilled with their new 34-D chests. What most of these shows don't mention are the possible risks and painful recovery that come with the procedure. That breast implants are becoming more and more an accepted part of popular culture raises several questions. Are implants as safe and easy as they seem? Are women getting implants because they expect them to radically change their lives? More importantly, does our culture really believe that breast implants somehow improve a woman's quality of life? There are two kinds of breast implants. Silicone implants, currently under review for re-approval by the FDA, consist of a silicone pouch filled with a silicone gel. Saline implants, currently the only implants available unless a woman is part of a medical trial, are simply a silicone pouch that is filled with saline solution once it is implanted in the woman ((1)). The risks associated with both kinds of implant include implant rupture, capsular contraction (where the scar tissue around the implant tightens), calcium deposits in the tissue surrounding the implant, infection, hematoma, delayed wound healing, a possible atrophy of breast tissue and an increased difficulty for medical professionals when reading mammograms ((2)). Rupture and capsular contraction are fairly common with both kinds of implant, and require that the patient undergo surgery to correct the problem. In fact, about 20% of women who sought breast implants for augmentation,... ...srisks.php 6)FDA Advisor: Ignore Breast Implant Vote, Details the concerns that the FDA advisory board chair has about silicon implants. http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/11/05/breast.implants.ap/index.html 7)Suicide Risk May Be Lower Than Expected, from the American Society For Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. http://www.asaps.org/press/news-psyc-08.asp 8)Silicone Breast Implants Redux http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-10-03-breast-implants_x.htm 9)Silicone Breast Implants Could Make a Comeback After FDA Hearings, Talks about the rise in the number of breast augmentation surgeries. https://registration.mercurynews.com/reg/login.do?url=http://www.mercurynews.com%2Fmld%2Fkentucky%2Fnews%2Fnation%2F7002595.htm 10)Breast Enhancement For the Modern Woman, Article written by a plastic surgery http://www.breastimplants411.com/articles/modern_woman.htm

Reward and Punishment

In America we all live by laws, codes, and rules that have been put in place before we were even born. With each law and rule there is also a causal effect if we do not properly follow them. For instance, we know that if you kill someone, there will be negative consequences. Also, if we excel in our career, we will be rewarded appropriately. Justice and fairness are issues that we all strive to achieve. The concept of good and bad in regards to justice and fairness ties into our reward and punishment systems. Let’s take a look at how each of these is used in America.First we have reward. â€Å"Reward is one method of distributing on a fair and just basis the good we are concerned with† (Thiroux, and Krasemann 122). Reward is very desirable in many people eyes. We have the need to be rewarded for our efforts, whether it is at work or at home. There are two major theories that deal with how reward should be distributed which are retributivist and utilitarian. Retributivis t, or deserts theory rewards based on what people deserve for what they have done in the past, not for what the consequences for what they have done will be.Rewarding based on one’s efforts is the main focus. According to the retributivist theory, if two people are enrolled in the same Ethics class and put in the same effort, they should end up with the same grade. This would seem to be unfair to many people. The example alone is one of the major issues regarding retributivist theory. There is no incentive for a person to produce a higher quality of work or seek a dangerous occupation. Utilitarian theory is based upon good consequences for everyone affected by acts or rules (Thiroux, and Krasemann 129).The emphasis is on the future and the rewards should be given only when someone is seeking to bring good consequences to everyone. The idea is to give someone an incentive to do better or work harder (Thiroux, and Krasemann 129). This theory also believes in rewarding people fo r working in dangerous or unpleasant occupations because it ultimately brings about the greater good for everyone involved. One problem of this theory is that the rewards are based on production and not hard work. In America I believe that we tend to use a combination of both retributive and utilitarian.Each theory has aspects to them that sound similar to the way some people are evaluated for rewards. While there are no hard fast rules as to how we should distribute rewards, everyone can agree that it should be done in the fairest method possible. The four basic ways that goods or rewards can be distributed are equally among all without merit, a person’s abilities, merit, and needs. The combination of criteria is specific to the situation for which we are basing the reward upon. For example, we distribute goods out based on needs. Think of a homeless person and what their needs might be; shelter, food, water, just to name a few.There are many local homeless shelters and soup kitchens that help meet these needs. Someone that is not homeless might argue that it isn’t fair that they would not be allowed to sleep in the shelter or eat at the soup kitchen, but if we think about the criteria for distributing goods, this person does not have the same need as a homeless person does. If the person disregards the need of others over his based on selfishness, the result could be in the form of punishment. Punishment is defined as â€Å"the infliction of some kind of pain or loss upon a person for a misdeed (i. e. , the transgression of a law or command).Punishment may take forms ranging from capital punishment, forced labor, imprisonment and fines (Encyclopedia Britannica). There are three different theories regarding how punishment should be distributed. The retributive theory states that punishment should be given only when it is deserved and the severity should match the extent of the crime. It is only concerned with the past and is given to deter futu re offensive behavior. Punishment is given to restore order within a society. A view of retributivism can be found in a saying in the Old Testament, â€Å"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth† (Thiroux, and Krasemann 135).Retributive justice attempts to ensure that the punishment fits the crime so if you have committed a murder, you are put into prison for longer than if you have stolen a car. Another view is that of the utilitarian theory and it is focused on the future rather than the past. Punishment is not given because a crime, but given so that something good could result. An example would be instilling shame in a person if they did something that we feel is wrong. Lastly, we have the restitution theory. Restitution is provided to victims by those that committed the crimes.This could be accomplished easily when dealing with a crime like theft. According to restitution, if we give back the item that was stolen, justice would be achieved. When thinking about how Amer ica approaches punishment, I believe that we again use a combination of theories. The United States, we have been focused on retribution mainly because of the idea of â€Å"an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  which has been influential for thousands of years and used in ancient law (Encyclopedia Britannica). This focus on retribution has made the United States demand retaliation against criminals.This can clearly be demonstrated with the terrorist attacks of 9-11. The use of shame is also used a lot and I usually see it in younger children as a tactic to teach the child right from wrong. Restitution is also commonly used when the punishment can be easily resolved with this method. There will always be controversy over the effectiveness of how we reward and punish people in our society. The best we can hope for is that everyone tries to conduct themselves in the highest morals possible and in the event that punishment must be given it is done so in the fairest way p ossible.Punishment is necessary because it can also give a sense of closure and helps victims move on with their lives.Bibliography â€Å"Punishment. † Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2010 http://original. search. eb. com. bloomington. libproxy. ivytech. edu. allstate. libproxy. ivytech. edu/eb/article-272347. Thiroux, Jacques, and Keith Krasemann. Ethics Theory and Practice. 10th. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2009. 122. Print.

Philosophies of Religion Essay

This Essay portrays the basic philosophies of religion particularly Christianity. This will be helpful for Christians to refresh or enhance their faith or take the challenge in strengthening their beliefs. Among the important and basic Christian philosophies to be discussed include; the true religion, real and false churches, minds and soul, heaven and heal, life after death, love and forgiveness, perfect marriage, miracles, Trinity, the challenging questions about the Da Vinci Code, Christians and Muslims, perfect marriage, etc. The discussions presented in this article are focused on indepth reflections of my previous work entitled, Echoes of Heaven: God’s Love is Better than Life Itself. This further simplify the understanding of mysterious things concerning Christian faith and the challenges that shaken or strengthen the beliefs of a Christian. Introduction Many people (Christians and non-Christians) are in a great religious confusion with tough questions about faith, life, death and many other challenging concerns that will most likely affect the faith or belief of the people. Most are searching for answers through reading literatures, the holy bible or the Koran, discussions with peers, religious institutions, and even through prayers. This essay will attempt to offer explanations of the many questions that challenge the beliefs of Christians and non-Christians. Some inputs of this essay are generated from my article, â€Å"Echoes of Heaven: God’s Love is Better than Life Itself† that aim to enhance man’s relation with God. What is Soul? Soul is the energy that God places within a human body so it would receive life. It is in the form of spirit which is invisible to human eyes. It does not reside in one part of the body but keeps on moving throughout the blood. It can leave the body, go to another place or world, and come back into it as long as it remains connected. It happens so fast because it can move at the speed of light. It has the ability to travel into the future and tell how the future will be, that is a vision. Soul gives light and lives in the body and also prevents the body from decaying, and once the soul is unconscious or leaves the body, the body has no life, and therefore it starts decaying. The soul is the body’s life giving spiritual thing which is separate and distinct from the body. They are inseparable in any way when the body is conscious, but the soul could be away from the body when the latter is unconscious. How do minds and soul communicate? Soul has no language barriers. There is only one language understood by all souls, or perhaps the soul has the ability to understand all languages. It has unlimited power and the ability to perform anything. When God created man, He granted this power and authority where the soul operates in human flesh in which the latter is ruled by a human mind. Human minds are limited in terms of power, their ability to perform, language, and mobility, among other things. Mind’s desire is for material or physical things while the soul desires for the things that are spiritual. The soul has the ability to see beyond what the naked eye cannot see and has the ability to gather information from different places in an instant. It is stated that even the absence of language, the soul still communicate with mind in harmony. Soul is therefore, considered as master over mind. A gap is identified between the human level and the spiritual level where either the spirit of God resides or the spirit of the Devil. The soul provides information to the mind. The spirit of God empowers the soul to act at its fullness, but the evil spirit empowers the mind or the flesh. The mind has the ability to process and store information or idea communicated from the soul which can be destructive or creative, depending on its source. What is a true religion? A true religion is the one that follow God’s guidance by building a good relationship with God. God is interested in having a good relationship with people; this is the true religion, knowing what God wants and knowing that we are doing what pleases Him. Likewise, the ISLAM HERALD (2003) stated that a true religion is teaching true concepts like the existence of God, that He is powerful and loving, He is aware of us and wishes to help us, and that certain things are required of us in return. It is therefore imperative that everyone should think that religion is just a vehicle to let people know that there is God and that He wants all the people to follow what He wants. Hence, the issue on true religion should not be argued. People who argue and claim that their religion is the true religion are those who did not follow what God wants them to do, hence, they are fools influenced by the thoughts of the devil. What is death, and how do people feel when dying? Death is the state when the soul has completely left the body and has no connection, or the soul is still in the body but unconscious. When a person meets an accident, the flesh may completely fail to function but the soul is fully conscious, preoccupied with many things, without expecting in meeting death. In this situation, the death of accident victim is declared but remains fully conscious within the body in which souls are looking for mercy, and they can talk. However, after some days, the soul gives up and became unconscious because they can no longer gain strength. What happens when one dies? When some people die, their souls remain unconscious within their bodies; others get out of their body and begin roaming around while the holy ones go to paradise, led by angels. The death of the holy ones will open the gate to a bright world where the angels are waiting to take them home (paradise), but those who remain in the grave are surrounded by darkness; they are not warm or cold. The latter’s case will be determined during the Day of Judgment. The rebellious ones still go on roaming the world and their souls are fully dedicated to the Devil. Are heaven and hell real? The Holy Bible tells everyone that there is heaven and hell. This contention can be read in some passages of the Bible, and among them are the book of Revelation and the gospel of Mathew which can be read below. Heaven Revelation 21:1-4 reads: â€Å"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. Hell Jesus used different images to describe hell. He used the images of torment (Matthew 25:46), a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12), a place of outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), and a place of fire (Matthew 3:12). Revelation 21:8 describes it as â€Å"the lake which burns with fire and brimstone†¦ † To demonstrate that hell is a place of continual and eternal torment, Revelation 14:11 states that â€Å"the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worships the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. This is the biblical teaching on hell. Those who try to dilute it are only hurting people; hell is real, and everyone who does not submit to the gospel of Christ will go there. However, Rev. Douglas Taylor of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, argue that Hell, like Heaven, is essentially a state of mind although the very opposite state of mind to heaven. If hell is within us, it will be seen outside of us as a place ( a hideous place), reflecting the hideousness of the evil within†. Is there life after death? Yes, there is life after death. This is supported by the Bible’s passage particularly in John 11:25-26 where God said â€Å"There is only one way – through faith and trust in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, â€Å"I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish. Furthermore, this can also be read in the book of Mathew 25:46 which states that â€Å"Those who have been made righteous will go into eternal life in heaven, but unbelievers will be sent to eternal punishment or hell†. Who is right, Christians or Muslims? Christians and Muslims believe in the same God, and their faith is based on the Old Testament. These believers are both believe in the Day of Judgment and the coming of Jesus Christ for the second time. Many are amazed that the Koran talked more about Mary, the mother of Jesus, in regards to the birth of Christ than the Bible itself. Both groups of believers believe in the living God, the Most High King, and the God of the universe. At that high level, both groups have no difference. Those who called by His name are given the power and authority to rule and judge the world. God was just using different messengers for the Christians and the Muslims; Christ Jesus for the Christians, and Mohammad for the Muslims. But, they the same believed the old testament of the Holy Bible. In the eyes of God, the righteous are those who believe that there is God; obey His commands, and those who recognize that He is the most powerful and merciful God. What is a perfect marriage? A perfect marriage is a marriage that put God in the center. A perfect marriage is bound with open communication, faith and trust with each other. In Ephesians 5:23-33 of the Holy Bible, God describes that perfect marriage is based on love. He commands the husband to love his wife more than he loves himself, and to nourish and cherish her. A man should provide for his wife’s needs and consider her a precious possession. The most important part of a good marriage is LOVE, not just a physical attraction, but true love and concern for each other before God. Marriages that last are built on love (Ecclesiastes 9:9). The wise man Solomon said that enjoying life’s blessings with a loving companion is a great reward. Love’s endurance knows no limits, its trust no end, its hope no fading; it can outlast anything. If, we will but follow God’s pattern for the marriage relationship, we can find the happiness that God intended when He ordained it. The pleasure and happiness are there when the husband and the wife have the proper love for each other and for God. These explanations about perfect marriage are anchored on LOVE. What is the secret behind miracles? The secret behind miracles is faith. Many scriptures in the Holy Bible (in the New Testament) tell how Jesus shown that faith makes miracles. However, in some cases, miracles are used by the devil to mislead the people of God and forget the true miracle from God which is the miracle of forgiveness of sins. Do all miracles come from God? Not all miracles come from God. Dan Corner of Evangelical Outreach reveals that miracles come from two sources that is God and devil. The book of Exodus that â€Å"some of God’s miracles were duplicated by Satan’s power channeled through the Egyptian magicians: a wooden staff became a snake† (7:10, 11); â€Å"water was changed into blood† (7:20-22)† and frogs came out of the water and covered the land† (8:6, 7)! † Demons can and do perform miraculous signs† (Rev. 16:14, p. 142). In the Holy Bible (New Testament) Jesus Christ made many miracles of healing the sick people, giving life again to the declared dead person, calming storms, etc. All the miracles performed by Jesus came from God. Are all churches real? Not all churches are real. Elephant shared in his article that the real churches are those where the worshippers are singing with the same voice, moving in the same direction, without confusion, and seek God for salvation. Real churches are those with true worshippers. True worshippers of God are poor in hearts seeking God and left everything behind just to follow God with one purpose, salvation. Is there any false church or prophet? There are so many false churches and prophets even during the time of Jesus Christ. False church is look like a market place where there are lots of confusions; people are seeking God for material things not salvation. Yes, there were false prophets as supported by Ezekiel 13, even God warn the people against false prophets and said to Ezekiel â€Å"These foolish prophets are doomed! They provide their own inspiration and invent their own visions. Christians of today, your prophets are as useless as foxes living among the ruins of the city. They do not guard the places where the walls have crumbled, nor do they build the walls, and so the churches cannot be defended when war comes on the day of the Lord. Their visions are false, and their predictions are lies. They claim that they are speaking my message, but I have not sent them. Yet they expect their words to come true! I tell them: Those visions you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You say that they are my words, but I have not spoken to you†. Jeremiah was told by God to â€Å"Tell my people not to listen to what those false prophets say; they are filling you with false hopes. They tell you what they have imagined and not what I have said. To the people who refuse to listen to what I have said, they keep saying that all will go well with them. And they tell everyone who is stubborn that disaster will never touch him. † Is man a complicated creature? Why and why not? Man is a complicated creature because God has provided them everything, the life, the trees that produces foods they need. In Genesis 2:15-16, God even give man a companion in the presence of Eve. With a condition that he should not eat the fruit of the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and bad because the punishment of death will be accorded to him by God. Man’s complication started when he disobey God. The complication continue when God give different languages to human beings and scattered them all over the world. It is hard to understand man because something else that God had no intention to create was created after eating the fruit of the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad. Man became a complicated creature and that is why we suffer, because we need to prove to God that we can be faithful and trusted once more. Our first parent chose to follow or listen to a stranger, the devil. He ignored the instruction of God, despite or everything provided to him by God.

Gatsby Reinvention

Gatsby Reinvention The clock strikes four and the guests are starting to arrive, and the housewarming party has begun. "Jeeves, open the door" the successful lawyer, Max power requests while taking his greeting position about seven feet from the door in the newly polished and furnished entrance hallway. "Wow...this is...divine..." remarks a female guest in a snobbish fashion. "Yes, that simply MUST be the way to describe...THIS..." answers the seeming husband of the first guest. As the guests look around, Max tries to capture their attention by pointing out miscellaneous flashy objects in the room. Max points out what seems to be an African doll, and gazes at it for a second, as to come up with a last second explanation of what it is, "See this? This is a...an...African...sacrifice...doll..." Max hesitantly continues the explanation, "I got it in Africa, when I was with a tribe of headhunters." The guests, seeming to be bored, appear to want to look around at the house more than the miscellaneous rando m objects thought to have brought sophistication to the home.Max Weinberg watches as his son takes over the dru..."So, is that banister made of...real mahogany?" asks the husband. Max, cautiously trying not to say the wrong thing, nods. The husband, inquiring more about the atrociously decorated house, asks, "How many floors would a house like...this have?" "Four." "How much did it cost?" "I...umm, somewhere in the...OH LOOK! More guests!" as four or five more guests walk through the door, and Max instantly scrambles into his greeting pose about seven feet from the door, and a little out of breath. "Wu-Welcome! I am Max Power, welcome...chaps, to my wonderful house!" Max exclaims through panting from the quick dash he had earlier made. The new guests seem to be disgusted at the interior d ©cor of the house, and inaudible whispers are heard. "Well,

Montgomery Bus Boycott Timeline

Montgomery Bus Boycott Timeline On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a seamstress and secretary of the local NAACP, refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. As a result, Parks was arrested for violating a city law. Parks’ actions and subsequent arrest launched the Montgomery Bus Boycott, pushing Martin Luther King Jr. into the national spotlight. Background Jim Crow Era laws segregating African-Americans and whites in the South was a way of life and upheld by the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision. Throughout southern states, African-Americans could not use the same public facilities as white residents. Private businesses reserved the right not to serve African-Americans. In Montgomery, whites were allowed to board the bus through the front doors. African-Americans, however, had to pay in the front and then go to the back of the bus to board. It was not uncommon for a bus driver to pull off before an African-American passenger could board through the back. Whites were able to take seats in the front while African-Americans had to sit in the back. It was at the discretion of the bus driver to identify where the â€Å"colored section† was located. It is also important to remember that African-Americans could not even sit in the same row as whites. So if a white person boarded, there were no free seats, an entire row of African-American passengers would have to stand so that the white passenger could sit. Montgomery Bus Boycott Timeline 1954 Professor Joann Robinson, president of the Women’s Political Council (WPC), meets with Montgomery city officials to discuss changes to the bus system- namely segregation. 1955 March On March 2, Claudette Colvin, a fifteen-year-old girl from Montgomery, is arrested for refusing to allow a white passenger to sit in her seat. Colvin is charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and violating segregation laws. Throughout the month of March, local African-American leaders meet with Montgomery city administrators concerning segregated buses. local NAACP president E.D. Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr., and Rosa Parks are present at the meeting. However, Colvin’s arrest does not ignite anger in the African-American community and a boycott plan is not devised. October On October 21, Eighteen-year-old Mary Louise Smith is arrested for not giving up her seat to a white bus rider. December On December 1, Rosa Parks is arrested for not allowing a white man to sit in her seat on the bus. The WPC launches a one-day bus boycott on December 2. Robinson also creates and distributes flyers throughout Montgomery’s African-American community concerning Parks’ case and a call to action: boycott the bus system of December 5. On December 5, the boycott was held and almost all members of Montgomery’s  African-American community participate. Robinson reached out to Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Abernathy, pastors at two of the largest African-American churches in Montgomery. The Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) is established and King is elected president. The organization also votes to extend the boycott. By December 8, the MIA presented a formal list of demands to Montgomery city officials. Local officials refuse to desegregate buses. On December 13, the MIA creates a carpooling system for African-American residents participating in the boycott. 1956 January King’s home is bombed on January 30. The following day, E.D. Dixon’s home is also bombed. February   On February 21, more than 80 leaders of the boycott are indicted as a result of Alabama’s anti-conspiracy laws. March King is indicted as the boycott’s leader on March 19. He is ordered to pay $500 or serve 386 days in jail. June   Bus segregation is ruled unconstitutional by a federal district court on June 5. November   By November 13, the Supreme Court upheld the district court’s ruling and struck down laws legalizing racial segregation on buses. However, the MIA will not end the boycott until the desegregation of buses was officially enacted. December   On December 20, the Supreme Court’s injunction against public buses is delivered to Montgomery city officials. The following day, December 21, Montgomery public buses are desegregated and the MIA ends its boycott. Aftermath In history books, it is often argued that the Montgomery Bus Boycott placed King in the national spotlight and launched the modern Civil Rights Movement. Yet how much do we know about Montgomery after the boycott? Two days after the desegregation of bus seating, a shot was fired into the front door of King’s home. The following day, a group of white men assaulted an African-American teenager exiting a bus. Soon after, two buses were fired at by snipers, shooting a pregnant woman in both of her legs. By January 1957, five African-American churches were bombed as was the home of Robert S. Graetz, who had sided with the MIA. As a result of the violence,  city officials suspended bus service for several weeks. Later that year, Parks, who had launched the boycott, left the city permanently for Detroit.

10 Signs Youre in the Wrong Job and Need to Quit

10 Signs Youre in the Wrong Job and Need to Quit We all know a job is a good thing to have- even, sometimes, the wrong  job. But if you’re in a job that truly isn’t the best one for you, then it might be time for a change. If you’ve started to feel unchallenged or miserable at work and find yourself simply going through the paces to get through to the weekend, then it might be time to start asking yourself questions. Staying in a bad job too long can damage your career. Here are 10 ways to tell if your current job is all wrong.1. There isn’t enough money in the world that would make you happy.It’s not just that you’re not being paid enough. When you ask yourself how much you should be making, you still experience that sinking feeling in your stomach that says you just don’t want to be there. Honor that feeling. If not even a big fat raise can make you feel good about your current job, it’s time to start looking elsewhere.2. You’re getting bad feedback.Not just once or twice, but often- and consistently. This job just doesn’t come as naturally to you as it does to your coworkers, and it’s making you feel bad about yourself. Take some of that feedback to heart and learn to accept your limitations. Then take responsibility for yourself and your career and find a place where you’ll be a better fit.3. You’re just not passionate about it.You listen to people talk about their businesses and their exciting jobs with envy. You could care less about your company and what you do, and you certainly don’t think it’s interesting enough to bring up at dinner parties. Start by rethinking what you are passionate about, what you actually like to do, then see if you can’t find a job doing one of those things instead of what you’re doing now.4. You can’t be yourself.There are plenty of companies out there that want you to be a corporate automaton, but these are fading out of popularity and being replace d with companies who make it their mission to encourage their employees to be who they are. If you have a big personality, stop trying to pound yourself into the wrong-shaped hole. Find a better fit.5. Your industry is dying.Rats are running from the sinking ship. You know it’s over. Your company knows it’s over. Your industry’s time has run out and you’re witnessing its steady decline. Instead of going down with the ship, why not figure out way to take your skills and market them in a new industry?6. Your boss hates you.It’s not just that you don’t like each other; your boss really seems to be out to get you. If this is you, and your work situation has become toxic, there’s probably nothing better you could do than find a way out.7. Your commute is killing your soul.Or even if it’s really not that bad, you just hate your job so much that the process of getting up in the morning and making your way there fills you with dread an d sloth. This is a pretty good sign that you need a change.8. There’s a ceiling.There aren’t many (or any) opportunities in your company for you to advance. Even if you don’t actively hate the job you have, it’s probably not a great idea to stay in a job that won’t allow you to work your way up.9. Your work/life balance has no  balance.Work/life balance is incredibly important. Make sure you’re not burning out. Some jobs will always be more intense than others, but keep in mind that you won’t always be young and you want to stay healthy enough to be able to get through your whole career in one piece. If a job just won’t let up, it might be a good idea to move on.10. You’re not learning.The minute you stop learning new things and being challenged is the moment that you are officially stagnating. This is always a bad idea, in the work world and in your life. Find a way to constantly push yourself to learn and try new thi ngs. And find a job that will let you do this to help maximize your career growth and potential.

Ethical Decision Making in Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical Decision Making in Health Care - Essay Example A conflict in the application of these choices presents an ethical dilemma that requires an ethical decision-making. Moreover, different health care professionals, clinical health care professionals, and value systems apply variant techniques in an ethical decision making process. Ideally, ethicists Kenyon and Congress derive five significant components that aid in arriving at an ethical and cognitive decision .The five components include naming the dilemma, sorting the relevant issues, solving the problem, point of action, and the evaluation of the decision and subsequent reflection (CME Resource, 2011). Subject to the importance attached to the ethical decision making process, health professionals take time to gain the specific tools to aid in this objective that has life determining importance for the patients. Personally, I value passionate acts and human life that help me appreciate the philosophy of nursing practice. My personality plays the greatest significance in my worldvie w and philosophy of this profession. In fact, my free will to serve in this profession gives me the chance to value all aspects that relate to the nursing practice with the aim to make it better. My culture compels me to care for others, to value human life, and to respect the identity and confidentiality of others. I apply these aspects in analyzing the philosophy of nursing. My spiritual values accommodate respect for human life, passion, and compassion for all. These values are significant in shaping my nursing practice, since I apply them fully and relevantly in my duties with no exceptions. Ethics refers to the beliefs that a health care professional adopts in defining what amounts to moral and logical behavior  in the nursing practice. Ethics generally forms the basic standards that an individual uses in making a professional decision. Morality, on the other hand, refers to the actual judgmental process or evaluation of an ethical decision making process. Morality relies on the cultural, social, or religious norms that a health care professional  adopts (Ascension Health, 2012). Indeed, morality leads into customs or values used in the nursing profession by individual health care professionals. However, my personal values, philosophy, and worldview may conflict with my nursing obligation to practice. This is because these values may not comply with the internationally recognized health care standards. Notably, the nursing practice does not rely on personal values in dictating the ethical way of practice. For example, where a patient and a heath care professional have different spiritual or cultural values, conflicts are inevitable. This creates an ethical dilemma that will require well-defined tools to solve. Different people have different personalities, which largely contributes to ethical dilemmas. It is true that various morals and ethical dilemmas arise in course of ethical decision-making process as manifested by different personalities. An eth ical dilemma can arise where a patient refuses life support while his or her family seeks to have the health care professionals do everything to save the life of the patient. At the same time, an ethical dilemma can come up where a patient's family members want life support and any other

Leadership and legacy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and legacy - Research Paper Example mmarized in three slogans – â€Å"a â€Å"Harmonious Society† domestically and a â€Å"Peaceful Development† internationally, the former generated by a â€Å"Scientific Development Perspective,† which seeks integrated sets of solutions to arrays of economic, environmental and social problems, and recognizes, in inner circles, a need for political reform (though studied, cautious and controlled)† (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.) He is known to be a transformational visionary since he initiated critical changes in the way the Chinese government is run. The openness to foreign relationships in terms of trade is one of the proofs. Since his leadership, China has also been influential in terms of international trade. As a transformational and visionary leader, he was so determined to achieve what he desired and this led to the laying off of some very senior government officials most of whom protested against his leadership style (Chu 2004). His leadership style was unique in that he first considered the areas that were earlier neglected like the poor areas in the country. In this, his aim was to reduce the inequality that existed between the GDP and the Welfare Second policies. It was also a way of equalizing the society through new policies that he would use to bring the expected change. He was determined to have a clear picture of those areas first and then work out a way of developing them. This is the reason why his style was transformational and visionary. He had a vision for his country and was determined to achieve what he desired and what he felt was the best for his people (Kahn 2005). He put the interest of others before his own and that’s why he spent most of his time assisting the poor and learning more about the poor parts of the country. He focused more on the poor parts of the country and not on the areas that had prospered economically (Lam 2006). Hu was known to be a very supportive leader. He shows supports to every Chinese citizen through his moral

Evaluating the success of the tutoring program Case Study

Evaluating the success of the tutoring program - Case Study Example Unlike other programs that are assessed only on the basis of their outcomes, the success of this program will be assessed right from the way it aims to identify the need to its design and finally to the way its objectives and goals defined. According to Richards and Lassonde (2009) a successful tutoring program can be evaluated right from goal setting to curriculum development. The need The success of tutoring program is one that begins by identifying the need for which the program is being designed. For instance, the targeted person may already have some assessment information like retention rates, test scores, and even anecdotal reports from teachers and family. In such a case, the assessment is likely to entail a clear inventory of up-to-date reading aspects, with a clear indication or identification of their scope and nature, in order to effectively measure the need against existing services, as well as to identify the gaps that the new program is intended to fill. This process h elps at minimizing duplication, mobilize resources, build on experience, and avert the tensions that are likely to arise when the new program is rolled out. Most importantly, this information is aimed at helping the planners to concentrate on the kids whose needs are very high. Research shows that, on average, four out of ten kids are at a high risk particularly in terms of developing their level of literacy (Fashola, 2002). The tutoring program in this case was a success as it captured all the aspects mentioned. For instance, picking a child and administering an informal reading inventory. Analyzing and synthesize the results to know the need of the child. Interviewing the student by asking information about her and her family background such as age and language they speak at home. This initial stage was a big success as it helped the teacher to know the need and also to effectively measure the need against available services. Defines the mission A successful tutoring program must have a well-defined overall mission. According to Morrow and Woo (2001) when developing the mission of the program, planners are supposed to take into consideration significant contributions to supporting the child’s literacy development made by institutions such as child care centers, as well as other out-of-school community programs. Therefore, the mission statement must describe what the tutoring program intends to do in order to effectively address the needs identified. In this case, the tutoring program will be successful if its mission is based around the identified needs. In this case, the assessment will want to establish if the need is well identified: the student is female and bilingual. She does not do much reading at home, she like basketball, like Latin music just to mention but a few. In spite of all these, she wants to learn. When some words list and reading stories, started from 3rd grade word lists to 12th grade to read were administered to test her reading s kills, She did well until 6th grade word lists. The instructor was able to notice that she needed instructions and have comprehension problems. Generally, the need for the tutoring program was about reading. Therefore, the mission would read like: The mission of this Tutoring Program is to encourage the student to develop an attitude for reading, to learn, to help the student become an engaged reader, as well as to ensuring that the student has access to high quality reading materials. If the instructor developed a mission statement like this, he could easily proceed as it sets objectives and goals that the tutoring program is expected to deliver. Therefore, a successful tutoring program is assessed on whether or not it has a well-defined mission statement.

Well logging Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Well logging - Assignment Example ards the transverse plane present, which is achieved by applying an external magnetic field that is in resonance with the precessing protons, which are polarized. The protons will then continue in their precession process, after rotation, but in a plane that is perpendicular to the aligned protons, which creates a changeable and detectable magnetic field. Dephrasing of the protons may result due to interferences resulting from the polarized magnetic field at the proton’s location. The dephrasing factors can then be quantified, and used to prevent further dephrasing by another time constant (T2). Focused electrons moving horizontally through the formation: Laterlogs are utilized in low-resistive muds. A focused current is made to flow horizontally by placing two guard electrodes that are located above and below the electrode’s current. The central generating electrode and the guard electrodes are balanced and a sheet of current then penetrates the formation. High frequency alternating current: these logs are used in oil-based or fresh-water muds. A high frequency current flows through the transmitter when a receiver coil and transmitter coil are placed at the ends of sonde. This creates a magnetic field, which, in turn, generates an alternating current. The generated current alternates depending on formation resistivity and the quantifiable parameters are recorded in the receiver coil. Rt: is obtained by using Dual Laterlog Borehole correction (both deep and shallow laterlogs). In order to achieve this, Rs, Rm, RLLD, RLLS, Rw, and RSFL should be known. The obtained data must be calculated to substitute the following formulas: Rw: SP log is used to identify the clan sand lines and shale baseline on the SP log. Temperature is then determined to convert (Rm)Tm to (Rmf)Tf. SSP is then calculated by using the invaded resistivity Rf, and the bed thickness, h. the formula for this conversion is converting Rmf@Tf to Rmfe @ Tf, then Calculate Rwe: Rwe=

Multistep reserach Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multistep reserach - Research Paper Example At the same time, burning it pollutes the environment as well. The objective of this paper is to discuss various forms of transport and their impacts to the society. Transport is a primary contributor to the process of industrialization. It facilitates the movement of raw materials to manufacturers, and processed products to potential buyers. It also assists in the creation of employment opportunities, for instance, it employs drivers and pilots (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development 90). Thus, enhances standards of living. Transport networks and mechanisms assist greatly during emergencies and natural calamities. They provide a means through which people and property can be moved from volatile to safer areas. Air transport involves the use of planes, choppers, and air balloons. It is the most efficient means of transport when it comes to business connectivity and efficiency. It is also reliable for leisure since it offers an aerial view for diverse views and is quite fast. Reliable air transportation facilitates international tourism and faster transportation of goods, particularly perishable goods, more than any other means. Thus, it is an important instrument for economic growth. It is a fundamental instrument of globalization. This is because, it has a high capacity for enhancing integration of political, economic, social and cultural activities at an international level. It is the most expensive mode of transport, and therefore, often reserved for affluent travelers (Daley 1). In the occurrence of natural calamities air transport is usually the most convenient mode of movement of goods and people. Air transport is often affected by adverse weather conditions and is quite uneconomical for short distance movement. In terms of security, air transport accidents are usually the harshest as it normally leads to massive damage of goods and loss of life.

Well logging Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Well logging - Assignment Example ards the transverse plane present, which is achieved by applying an external magnetic field that is in resonance with the precessing protons, which are polarized. The protons will then continue in their precession process, after rotation, but in a plane that is perpendicular to the aligned protons, which creates a changeable and detectable magnetic field. Dephrasing of the protons may result due to interferences resulting from the polarized magnetic field at the proton’s location. The dephrasing factors can then be quantified, and used to prevent further dephrasing by another time constant (T2). Focused electrons moving horizontally through the formation: Laterlogs are utilized in low-resistive muds. A focused current is made to flow horizontally by placing two guard electrodes that are located above and below the electrode’s current. The central generating electrode and the guard electrodes are balanced and a sheet of current then penetrates the formation. High frequency alternating current: these logs are used in oil-based or fresh-water muds. A high frequency current flows through the transmitter when a receiver coil and transmitter coil are placed at the ends of sonde. This creates a magnetic field, which, in turn, generates an alternating current. The generated current alternates depending on formation resistivity and the quantifiable parameters are recorded in the receiver coil. Rt: is obtained by using Dual Laterlog Borehole correction (both deep and shallow laterlogs). In order to achieve this, Rs, Rm, RLLD, RLLS, Rw, and RSFL should be known. The obtained data must be calculated to substitute the following formulas: Rw: SP log is used to identify the clan sand lines and shale baseline on the SP log. Temperature is then determined to convert (Rm)Tm to (Rmf)Tf. SSP is then calculated by using the invaded resistivity Rf, and the bed thickness, h. the formula for this conversion is converting Rmf@Tf to Rmfe @ Tf, then Calculate Rwe: Rwe=

Turkish Music and Folklore Poetry Research Paper

Turkish Music and Folklore Poetry - Research Paper Example The essay talks about Turkish literature, which is nearly 1500 years old. It flourished greatly under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Turkish music and folklore poetry both form a part of the Turkish literature, and has been extremely popular amongst the Turkish people for centuries, thus ensuring that these cultural traditions remain preserved. The oldest written records of Turkey have been found to be that of the 8th century Orhon inscriptions (in the Orhon river valley situated in Mongolia). Between the 8th and 9th century there came a new wave where literary representation was in an oral form, like the Manas epic and Book of Dede Korkut. Thus, we find that Turkish literature had two forms, the oral compositions and written books, and these two traditions remain separate from each other until the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1922. It was only in 1923, after the republic of Turkey was created, that the two forms of literature came together to from the modern literary type. My arti cle will explore the literature of Turkey, pertinent to Turkish music and folklore poetry. It will study to find the relation between Turkish music and its folklore poetry, while exploring the history of the music as it developed through the various ages. It will also explore and analyse relevant data in its endeavour to find out the importance of music and the role it plays within the realms of Turkish poetry. The paper concludes that Turkish music developed from the folklore poetry and the two terms are synonymous with each other.

To Be Or Not To Be, Innit Essay Example for Free

To Be Or Not To Be, Innit Essay How does the introduction to To Be Or Not To Be, Innit use language to achieve its purposes and what issues does it raise about language and power? The purpose of the text To Be Or Not To Be, Innit is to persuade those who believe Shakespeare is not cool enough to be used in modern society to not take negative attitude towards him and his works, and as a result, educate youths into developing a passion for Shakespeare. The author believes that civilization has abandoned Shakespeare, and he wishes to once again return it and the excitement which was created when the works were first published. This is achieved through the genre of the introduction and the rest of the book, by merging both the old English of Shakespearian times and the modern teenage slang to create a text which appeals to both crowds. By attempting to use street language, the reader gains a sense of familiarity with the writer, and the humour is used to make Shakespeare interesting rather than as a joke. However, the author also uses many sophisticated phrases, quotes from Shakespeares texts, and the idea of educating the young in a modern way of learning to also encourage the older generations to read and enjoy the book. To persuade the younger readers that Shakespeare is exciting, he uses the example of if he were around today. When he was around, he was extremely popular, and by stating that Shakespeare would not care about the haters of his works with the words Am I bovvered? the writer states he would be too important to need to reply, as well as reflecting his cool factor by using young street-talk. Adults and older readers may use this text to gain an idea of how modern teenagers respond to language, and can use this as an example to attempt to interact with them. Both schools and libraries can use To Be Or Not To Be, Innit as a means of introducing children into Shakespeare without putting too much strain on them, and making it an enjoyable experience at the same time. Because of the use of language by the author, it is suggested that he must have an idea of both language in Shakespearian times, as well as all forms of modern day communication today. As a result, the book will have been written recently, by an adult who is experimenting to combine both forms of English to bring back to love of Shakespeare to modern society. Overall, the author uses a light-hearted, informal tone to convince the reader to think of him and Shakespeare as welcoming and familiar people, rather than distanced and adamant. He does this mainly through the various street language that he uses, but also the technique of using the terms us and we, rather than I. By using both colloquial speech, such as respect, massive and turf, fused with famous Shakespeare terms like alas, the novelist puts forward his ideas to both registers.

Resistance As A Positive Tool

Resistance As A Positive Tool 1.1 Introduction Organizational change is an inevitable challenge for organizations which exist in this competitive world and ever changing environment. Therefore, it is important for all organizations (public or private) to effectively manage change. In the issue of change management, the resistance to change is acknowledged as being a basic block to change, and a major reason that change does not succeed or get implemented (Mabin, Forgeson and Green, 2001). Any change, no matter how obvious beneficial to workers and the organization, will be met with and often be sabotaged by resistance. In reality, many people concur that resistance is the last thing management wants during change process. In many instances, resistance has caused dramatic chaos and uncertainties which may bring the change into a disaster or worse collapsing the whole organization. That resistance to change is negatively related to change outcome seems to be definitely confirmed. However, the almost generally accepted axiom that people resist change has recently come under challenge (Jansen, 2000). Though, many theorists are now trying to respond to those resistances more objectively, many still believe resistant are everything but helpful. In developing countries, resistance to change is inevitable phenomena, as long as it is acknowledged there is need for change i.e. reforms and restructuring the sectors and institutions, Local government reform of 2000, Public sector reform 2001 due to that this research is interested in seeing how the governments and institutions in Tanzania can be assisted to change their view concern with resistance from negative perspective to positive one. And how Malaysia as the one among developing countries passed through different stages of development since their independence can be used as a model and learning centre of the researcher in her research. 1.2 Statement of the problem Although it is a very frequently repeated discourse that change is unavoidable and organizations must change, the failures or low rate of success in change programs discloses the necessity of additional work on the subject of change management. According to statistics reported by leading corporate reengineering practitioners, success rate of change management, in Fortune 1000 companies are quite below 50% (Strebel, 1996). One may list various causes for failures in change initiative but in many studies, resistance has been one of the most salient elements of those unsuccessful attempts. Resistance to change is the most complex and intractable problems that face an organization today, in many developing countries ( Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria) this phenomenon became widely practice in different forms such as reduction of outputs, absenteeism, transfers requests, chronics quarrels, hostility and even strikes which made managers and administrators in organizations to view resistance as an obstacle to successful implementation of organizational change and even governmental projects and program . It has been observed that immediately after independence many developing countries particular Tanzania started reforms and restructuring their government by adopting different concept such as development administration with the objectives of strengthen their economic, increase administrative capability and eradicate social and economical problems. It is almost 45 years now since independence but changes have slowly taken place and most of the reforms are well good in papers but implementation of the reforms Local government reform of Zanzibar which is the part of Tanzania is still in papers are very slow due to the resistance to change from employees. 1.3 Research Objectives To find out positive role of resistance as being part of change process. To assess to what extent employees accepting resistance to change as a productive aspect and rewarding point to the change itself. To examine how managers will gain utility from resistance to change of their employees. To help managers to find techniques that will encourages them to utilize resistance to change rather than overcome it. 1.4 Research questions Parallel to the diversity of arguments existed in the literature, researcher preferred to approach resistance by taking its both negative and positive aspects into consideration. In doing so, researcher want to emphasize the constructive aspect of resistance which managers, employees and organizations in general can benefit during change processes. Under the light of this general purpose, guiding questions of the research are constructed as follows; What is the positive role of resistance to the change process? How far employees can recognize resistance as productive aspects to the change itself? How managers will gain utility from resistance to change? What role does resistance play to the organizational performance? What will be the techniques that will encourage the managers to utilize resistance rather than overcome it? 1.5 Significance The purpose of this study is to understand the role of resistance in the process of change management. The study will provide deeper understanding of key factors in implementing change programs. By referring to resistance, the researcher does not see resistance as a barrier that needs to be eliminated; instead, she aim to understand the concept of resistance in a wider scope and to identify crucial issues that can influence process of change in a positive way. In that way the study can be influential in terms of minimizing failures or dissatisfactions in change programs. By studying the research objectives and research questions, the researcher hopes to bring a new perspective about resistant behaviors of employees during the change process. Understanding, describing and analyzing roots and symptoms of resistance can enable us to construct a framework to implement change programs more successfully. Emphasis on resistance also brings the opportunity to use it as a constructive tool from this perspective research believe that by highlighting the importance of these activities, this research will be able to portray a comprehensive picture explaining the impact of leaders/managers in resistance management. Apart from above purposes the study will be capable of contributing to community by presenting logical arguments and providing new spaces for further research. Additionally, considering the implications of the research, it would also be a valuable source for government and institutions to locate different problems related to resistance and to take appr opriate actions to handle them. 1.6 Methodology and Data Collection The ability to prefer a convenient method to research on a social reality possesses great importance in terms of determining the adequacy and reliability of result. For this reason, the methodology which research will employ in this proposal has been chosen carefully to meet the requirements of an advanced study which is capable of achieving the study goal in conducting this research. In this section, the study will explain general features of the methodology that researcher will use in answering the necessary question of the study. Selecting the methodology to study a social reality is wrought by the nature of problem that has been under question. Considering the various elements inherited in the concept of resistance and its complexity, research found it much more convenient to employ qualitative design rather than quantitative. Therefore, researcher will initially intend to reach first hand empirical data through investigating the issue on the field by conducting interview, distributing questionnaires and observation for the collections of data. The researcher will review the secondary sources such as books, journals, websites, and documents to collect data that will substantially provide the necessary information. Qualitative methodology is a very broad discipline and basically refers to the research processes in which findings are obtained through non numerical or statistical techniques (Strauss Corbin, 1990). Its purpose is to reach an in-depth understanding about social realities and patterns create them. Three basic elements were identified in the qualitative methodology (Strauss Corbin, 1990, p.161) First data will be obtained through interviews, observations, analysis of documents and materials, second is procedures which are employed by the researcher to evaluate collected data and third is the final reports, in written form or verbal, which states the findings and implications of a study. Parallel to the essential aim of qualitative approach, in terms of understanding why and how of social realities, conducting a qualitative research usually necessitates small but focused samples to search deeply a given social phenomenon. Having considered the nature of our research question and the available of information in the literature, the research has decided to use grounded approach in developing final theory for the management of resistance. 1.7 Literature Review Even though the concept of resistance to change is not a new one, no consensus about its content and the ways it is experienced has existed among the scholars who have studied it. The concept of resistance to change from the perspectives of some influential scholars in this field by starting to define the concept of resistance, describe factors contributing to resistance, managing resistance and different perspectives of resistance to change. According to Zander (1950), resistance is a behavior which is intended to protect an individual from the effects of real or imagined change (cited in Dent Goldberg, 1999, p. 34). On the other hand, Ansoff (1988, p. 207) defines it as a multifaceted phenomenon, which introduces unanticipated delays, costs and instabilities into the process of a strategic change. However, Piderit (2000) has classified the existing definitions in the literature by considering three main dimensions. Firstly she looks at descriptions which see resistance as a behavior, similar to definitions made by Zander (1950). It is imperative to say that different authors have different definitions of resistances. But no matter how they organized their words, they commonly linked resistances with negative employee attitudes or with counter-productive behaviors (Waddell Sohal, 1998). Resistance is caused by a number of factors. For example, individual factors, such as narrow-minded self-interest, fear of uncertainty, lack of confidence, habit and personality and organizational factors such as, lack of shared value and vision, lack of coordination and cooperation, and different assessments and goals (Daft Noe, 2001; Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001). For different reasons, employee would use either overt ways or covert ways to resist change (Recardo, 1995). Overt ways of resisting include sabotage, vocal opposition and agitating others. And covert ways includes reducing output, withholding information, asking for more data or studies and appointing task forces and committees. Employees can also resist the change either aware or unaware, which refer to the motivation of sensitive (OConnor, 1993). When the resistances are unaware, employees usually do not realize that their behavior undermines the change. As a result, such unawareness resistances are more difficult to deal with. In Koopmans (1991) words, employees will resist any change at all cost. At the level of organization, resistance to change will not only block the implementation of organizational change plan, but also cause financial loss. Finally, organization cannot survive in this changing environment. At the level of individual, resistance can cause great stress and bad feeling (OConnor, 1993). As a result, resistance is understood as the enemy of change, the opponent which causes a change effort to be drawn out by factional dissent and in-fighting (Waddell Sobal, 1998). Resistance has also been regarded as one of the causes of the conflicts that are undesirable and detrimental to organizational health (Waddell Sobal, 1998). Even though some scholars did not oppose the positive aspect of resistance, they consist to argue and claimed that resistance in general is a roadblock that must be removed (e.g. Umiker, 1997). Under this perspective of change, a successful change is defined as a change that is met with little resistance (Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001). Resistance is viewed to be problematic, which should be managed and overcome to ensure the success of change. And the inability of employers and managers to cope with employee resistance can destroy organizations and careers (Umiker, 1997). Maurer (1996) pointed out that people with negative perspective of resistance usually employee win-lose thinking and assume that their way is the right way. Their mind is blocked by such assumptions and they believe resistors must be persuaded or forced to go along. So the way managers often used is to resist the resistance by using power, applying force of reason, ignoring the resistance or making deals with resistors. The results of resisting the resistances are disappointing. Such approach is unable to eliminate the resistance but causes more problems. Finally, the chance of the failure of organizational change effort can be increased. When the word resistance is mentioned, one tends to ascribe negative connotations to it. This is a misconcepti on. (Hultman, 1979, p. 54). Resistance is a complex, multi-faceted phenomenon that is caused by a variety of factors, and people do not resist change per se, rather they resist the uncertainties and potential outcomes that change can cause (Waddell Sohal, 1998). However, some scholars started to considerd that resistances also have a number of advantages and suggested treating resistance as a useful tool in an organizational change effort. When resistances are managed carefully, these advantages can be utilized to support the change. (Mabin, Forgeson, Green, 2001; Maurer, 1996; Waddell Sohal, 1998). In order to justify this claimed, Waddell and Sohal (1998) listed several advantages of resistance that can be utilized. (1) They believe that resistance could be seen as feedbacks to the change and points out the fallacy. (2) Resistance can also be a force to balance the pressure from external and internal environments against the need for constancy and stability and influences the organization to greater stability. (3) An influx of energy is another contribution of resistance because individual could gain sufficient motivation when they feel dissatisfaction with status quo or future states. (4) Resistance encourages or forces the search for a lternative methods and outcomes, which keeps the organization changing. Therefore, in general, it important to argue that resistance can be useful in learning how to develop a more successful change process if it is considered as a source of information (Pardo del Val Fuentes, 2003). These advantages overturn the traditional definition of successful change and urge a re-evaluating the classical understanding of resistance. Notwithstanding what kind of attitudes these authors hold toward the resistance, most of them took a modernist perspective (Ford, Ford, McNamara, 2001; Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996). Scholars with modernist perspective believe that individual rationality is the major source of human conducts. If we want to gain dominion over the future well-being of the organization, we need to unlock the secrets of individual rationality (Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996, pp.142). Within this perspective, there is only a concrete organizational reality, an objective world, capable of empirical study (Eastman Bailey, 1994, cited in Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996). And the responsibility of the organization scientist is to isolate variables, standardize measures, and assess causal relations with the organizational sphere (Gergen Thatchenkery, 1996, pp.187). Assumption of empirical knowledge cause most scholars believe that every person attached with the organization share the same objective and homogeneous reality, and assumption of rational agency drives the scholars to the research direction of seeking the sources of resistance accurately and finding the appropriate strategies to deal with that source (Ford, Ford, McNamara, 2001). Traditionally, one can argue that researchers study the resistance based on the assumption that individuals treat the change as a threat. But studies done by Hoag, Ritschard, and Cooper (2002) have shown that staffs often see the need for change and are concerned to just do it. They conducted interviews with some employees in a public institutions and found similar phenomena. However, the intended change of that public organization still proved ineffective. This study suggests that due to different realities in the eyes of different employees the probability of resistance can be higher. 1.8 Chapters and sections of the research The research expected to have five chapters and different subsections as follows: Chapter One: Introduction of research Introduction of the problem Statement of the problem Research objectives Research questions Significance of the study Chapter two: Literature Review Definition of resistance to change Factors contributing to resistance to change Managing resistance to change Previous research on resistance to change Positive approach of resistance Discussion of literature review Chapter Three: Methodology and Data Collection Research design Area of the study Population and sample Sample techniques Data collections instruments ( interview, questionnaires and observation) Data analysis techniques Chapter Four Conceptual frame work Chapter Five: data analysis, findings and interpretation Data analysis Data finding and presentation Discussion of data Chapter Six: Conclusion and Recommendation Conclusion Recommendation Bibliography Appendix 1.9 Proposed schedule of activities Activity Date Duration Initial data collection and preparation of research proposal 21st November 2010 27 March 2011 16 weeks Presentation proposal and defense 10TH APRIL 2011-15TH MAY 2011 5 weeks Submission of chapter one and amendments 5th June 2011- 26th June 2011 4 weeks Data collection and initial fieldwork in Zanzibar 10th July 2011-9th October 2011 13 weeks Submission of chapter two and amendments 30TH November2011- 15 January 2012 7 weeks Submission of chapter three and amendments 5th February 2012- 25th March 2012 7weeks Interview an field work in Malaysia 8TH April 2012- 6TH May 2012 4 weeks Interview and field work in Zanzibar 27TH May 12TH August 2012 12 weeks Data computation and analysis 2nd September 30th September 5 weeks Submission of chapter four and amendments 21october 2012- 9th December 2012 8 weeks Submission of chapter five and amendment Submission of chapter six and amendments 30th December 2012-17 February 2013 10 March 2013- 5TH May 2013 8weeks 8weeks Formatting and proof reading and final editing 26th May 2013- 21 July 2013 8weeks Submission of thesis 4th August 1 day

Its Time to End the Drug War Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Essays

It's Time to End the Drug War Uhh, uhhh B.I.G., P-O, P-P-A No info, for the, DEA Federal agents mad cause I'm flagrant Tap my cell, and the phone in the basement -Notorious B.I.G. lyrics from â€Å"Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems† In Christopher Wallace’s (a.k.a. Notorious BIG) â€Å"Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems†, the late rapper from Brooklyn mentions his run in with the police earlier in his life. Christopher Wallace came to be known as arguably the greatest rapper the world has ever heard, but before the days as a famous entertainer Christopher Wallace an average crack dealer in New York. Many youths in the New York area wish to follow his path, and sell drugs in their respective neighborhoods in order to be able to â€Å"roll in style.† Some individuals would try to say that the current system for dealing with drugs works in this country, look what it did for Christopher Wallace how he straightened up his life after jail. That could be the furthest from the truth, if one were to look at the rest of Christopher Wallace’s songs, one could deduct the violence, and anger that has built up in him. Christopher Wallace’s life would come to an abrupt and violent end , when he would be shot down in a drive-by in Los Angeles at the age of 24. The tragic end of such a talented and troublesome life, brings me to ask the question whether the US’s war on drugs is actually accomplishing anything, when drugs are still easily available in metropolitan cities across the country, especially New York. The modern Drug War’s roots can be dated back to US anti-imperialist sentiments against the British since the 19th century. More recent incarnations of these sentiments are figures such as Richard Nixon, Harry Anslinger, and George Bush. Drugs such as ... ...t.all; â€Å"Estimating Heroin Availability†. Cambridge, Mass: Abt Associates Inc.; 1999 9. http://www.csdp.org/edcs/theneed.htm 10. http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs00/chap2_4.html 11. http://www.progressive.org/com1099.htm 12. Wisotsky, Steven; Breaking the Impasse in the War on Drugs. New York:Greenwood Press; 1986 13. Martin, Susan Taylor; â€Å"Heroin for addicts works as a Swiss fix†. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg, FLA. 2001 14. Reinarman, Craig and Cohen, Peter. â€Å"Is US dutch policy the devil?†. Univeristy of Amsterdam :Amsterdam; 1999. 15. Donrey, Samantha Young. â€Å"US:DEA Profile Being Raised by New Head. Wahington: Donrey Media Group; 2001 16. Hunt, Gibson Hunt and Chambers Carl D. â€Å"The Heroin Epidemics†. New York, Spectrum Publications; 1976 17. http://www.dea.gov/concern/heroin.htm 18. http://www.drugwarfacts.org/thenethe.htm

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room Essay

The Enron scandal, revealed in October 2001, eventually led to the bankruptcy of the Enron Corporation, an American energy company based in Houston, Texas, and the de facto dissolution of Arthur Andersen, which was one of the five largest audit and accountancy partnerships in the world. In addition to being the largest bankruptcy reorganization in American history at that time, Enron was attributed as the biggest audit failure. Enron was formed in 1985 by Kenneth Lay after merging Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth. Several years later, when Jeffrey Skilling was hired, he developed a staff of executives that, by the use of accounting loopholes, special purpose entities, and poor financial reporting, were able to hide billions of dollars in debt from failed deals and projects. Chief Financial Officer Andre Fastow and other executives not only misled Enron’s board of directors and audit committee on high-risk accounting practices, but also pressured Andersen to ignore the issues . Enron shareholders filed a $40 billion lawsuit after the company’s stock price, which achieved a high of US$90.75 per share in mid-2000, plummeted to less than $1 by the end of November 2001. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) began an investigation, and rival Houston competitor Dynegy offered to purchase the company at a very low price. The deal failed, and on December 2, 2001, Enron filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code. Enron’s $63.4 billion in assets made it the largest corporate bankruptcy in U.S. history until WorldCom’s bankruptcy the next year. Many executives at Enron were indicted for a variety of charges and were later sentenced to prison. Enron’s auditor, Arthur Andersen, was found guilty in a United States District Court, but by the time the ruling was overturned at the U.S. Supreme Court, the company had lost the majority of its customers and had closed. Employees and shareholders received l imited returns in lawsuits, despite losing billions in pensions and stock prices. As a consequence of the scandal, new regulations and legislation were enacted to expand the accuracy of financial reporting for public companies. One piece of legislation, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, increased penalties for destroying, altering, or fabricating records in federal investigations or for attempting to defraud shareholders. The act also increased the accountability of auditing firms to remain unbiased and independent of their clients. Rise of  Enron In 1985, Kenneth Lay merged the natural gas pipeline companies of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth to form Enron. In the early 1990s, he helped to initiate the selling of electricity at market prices and, soon after, the United States Congress approved legislation deregulating the sale of natural gas. The resulting markets made it possible for traders such as Enron to sell energy at higher prices, thereby significantly increasing its revenue. After producers and local governments decried the resultant price volatility and asked for increased regulation, strong lobbying on the part of Enron and others allowed for the proliferation of crony capitalism. As Enron became the largest seller of natural gas in North America by 1992, its gas contracts trading earned earnings before interest and taxes of $122 million, the second largest contributor to the company’s net income. The November 1999 creation of the EnronOnline trading website allowed the company to better manage its contra cts trading business. In an attempt to achieve further growth, Enron pursued a diversification strategy. The company owned and operated a variety of assets including gas pipelines, electricity plants, pulp and paper plants, water plants, and broadband services across the globe. The corporation also gained additional revenue by trading contracts for the same array of products and services with which it was involved. Enron’s stock increased from the start of the 1990s until year-end 1998 by 311% percent, only modestly higher than the average rate of growth in the Standard & Poor 500 index. However, the stock increased by 56% in 1999 and a further 87% in 2000, compared to a 20% increase and a 10% decrease for the index during the same years. By December 31, 2000, Enron’s stock was priced at $83.13 and its market capitalization exceeded $60 billion, 70 times earnings and six times book value, an indication of the stock market’s high expectations about its future prospects. In addition, Enron was rated the most innovative large company in America in Fortune’s Most Admired Companies survey. Causes of downfall Enron’s complex financial statements were confusing to shareholders and analysts. In addition, its complex business model and unethical practices required that the company use accounting limitations to misrepresent  earnings and modify the balance sheet to indicate favorable performance. The combination of these issues later resulted in the bankruptcy of the company, and the majority of them were perpetuated by the indirect knowledge or direct actions of Lay,Jeffrey Skilling, Andrew Fastow, and other executives. Lay served as the chairman of the company in its last few years, and approved of the actions of Skilling and Fastow although he did not always inquire about the details. Skilling constantly focused on meeting Wall Street expectations, advocated the use of mark-to-market accounting (accounting based on market value, which was then inflated) and pressured Enron executives to find new ways to hide its debt. Fastow and other executives â€Å"†¦created off-balance-s heet vehicles, complex financing structures, and deals so bewildering that few people could understand them.† Revenue recognition Main article: Revenue recognition Enron and other energy suppliers earned profits by providing services such as wholesale trading and risk management in addition to building and maintaining electric power plants, natural gas pipelines, storage, and processing facilities. When accepting the risk of buying and selling products, merchants are allowed to report the selling price as revenues and the products’ costs as cost of goods sold. In contrast, an â€Å"agent† provides a service to the customer, but does not take the same risks as merchants for buying and selling. Service providers, when classified as agents, are able to report trading and brokerage fees as revenue, although not for the full value of the transaction. Although trading companies such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch used the conventional â€Å"agent model† for reporting revenue (where only the trading or brokerage fee would be reported as revenue), Enron instead elected to report the entire value of each of its trades as revenue . This â€Å"merchant model† was considered much more aggressive in the accounting interpretation than the agent model. Enron’s method of reporting inflated trading revenue was later adopted by other companies in the energy trading industry in an attempt to stay competitive with the company’s large increase in revenue. Other energy companies such as Duke Energy, Reliant Energy, and Dynegy joined Enron in the wealthiest 50 of the Fortune 500 mainly due to their adoption of the same trading revenue  accounting as Enron. Between 1996 and 2000, Enron’s revenues increased by more than 750%, rising from $13.3 billion in 1996 to $100.8 billion in 2000. This extensive expansion of 65% per year was unprecedented in any industry, including the energy industry which typically considered growth of 2–3% per year to be respectable. For just the first nine months of 2001, Enron reported $138.7 billion in revenues, which placed the company at the sixth position on the Fortune Global 500. Mark-to-market accounting Main article: Mark-to-market accounting In Enron’s natural gas business, the accounting had been fairly straightforward: in each time period, the company listed actual costs of supplying the gas and actual revenues received from selling it. However, when Skilling joined the company, he demanded that the trading business adopt mark-to-market accounting, citing that it would represent â€Å"†¦ true economic value.† Enron became the first non-financial company to use the method to account for its complex long-term contracts. The mark-to-market method requires estimations of future incomes when a long-term contract is signed. These estimations are based on the future net value of the cash flow, costs related to the contract were often hard to predict. Often, the viability of these contracts and their related costs were difficult to estimate. Due to the large discrepancies of attempting to match profits and cash, investors were typically given false or misleading reports. While using the method, income from p rojects could be recorded, although they might not have ever received the money, and in turn increasing financial earnings on the books. However, in future years, the profits could not be included, so new and additional income had to be included from more projects to develop additional growth to appease investors. As one Enron competitor stated, â€Å"If you accelerate your income, then you have to keep doing more and more deals to show the same or rising income.† Despite potential pitfalls, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the accounting method for Enron in its trading of natural gas futures contracts on January 30, 1992. However, Enron later expanded its use to other areas in the company to help it meet Wall Street projections. For one contract, in July 2000, Enron and Blockbuster Video signed a 20-year agreement to introduce on-demand entertainment to various U.S. cities by year-end. After several  pilot projects, Enron recognized estimated profits of more than $110 million from the deal, even though analysts questioned the technical viability and market demand of the service. Whe n the network failed to work, Blockbuster withdrew from the contract. Enron continued to recognize future profits, even though the deal resulted in a loss. Special purpose entities Main article: Special purpose entity Enron used special purpose entities—limited partnerships or companies created to fulfill a temporary or specific purpose—to fund or manage risks associated with specific assets. The company elected to disclose minimal details on its use of â€Å"special purpose entities†. These â€Å"shell firms† were created by a sponsor, but funded by independent equity investors and debt financing. For financial reporting purposes, a series of rules dictates whether a special purpose entity is a separate entity from the sponsor. In total, by 2001, Enron had used hundreds of special purpose entities to hide its debt. Enron used a number of special purpose entities, such as partnerships in its Thomas and Condor tax shelters, financial asset securitization investment trusts (FASITs) in the Apache deal, real estate mortgage investment conduits (REMICs) in the Steele deal, and REMICs and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the Cochise deal. The special purpose entities were used for more than just circumventing accounting conventions. As a result of one violation, Enron’s balance sheet understated its liabilities and overstated its equity, and its earnings were overstated. Enron disclosed to its shareholders that it had hedged downside risk in its own illiquid investments using special purpose entities. However, the investors were oblivious to the fact that the special purpose entities were actually using the company’s own stock and financial guarantees to finance these hedges. This prevented Enron from being protected from the downside risk. Notable examples of special purpose entities that Enron employed were JEDI, Chewco, Whitewing, and LJM. Executive compensation Although Enron’s compensation and performance management system was designed to retain and reward its most valuable employees, the system contributed to a dysfunctional corporate culture that became obsessed with short-term  earnings to maximize bonuses. Employees constantly tried to start deals, often disregarding the quality of cash flow or profits, in order to get a better rating for their performance review. Additionally, accounting results were recorded as soon as possible to keep up with the company’s stock price. This practice helped ensure deal-makers and executives received large cash bonuses and stock options. The company’s main focus was its stock price. Management was compensated extensively using stock options, similar to other U.S. companies. This policy of stock option awards caused management to create expectations of intense growth in efforts to give the appearance of reported earnings to meet Wall Street’s expectations. The stock ticker was located all throughout the company buildings, including the lobbies, elevators, and computers. At budget meetings, Skilling would develop target earnings by asking â€Å"What earnings do you need to keep our stock price up?† and that number would be used, even if it was not feasible. At December 31, 2000, Enron had 96 million shares outstanding as stock option plans(approximately 13% of common shares outstanding). Enron’s proxy statement stated that, within three years, these awards were expected to be exercised. Using Enron’s January 2001 stock price of $83.13 and the directors’ beneficial ownership reported in the 2001 proxy, the value of director stock ownership was $659 million for Lay, and $174 million for Skilling. Skilling believed that if employees were constantly worried about cost, it would hinder original thinking. As a result, extravagant spending was rampant throughout the company, especially among the executives. Employees had large expense accounts and many executives were paid sometimes twice as much as competitors. In 1998, the top 200 highest-paid employees received $193 million from salaries, bonuses, and stock. Two years later, the figure jumped to $1.4 billion. Timeline of downfall â€Å"At the beginning of 2001, the Enron Corporation, the world’s dominant energy trader, appeared unstoppable. The company’s decade-long effort to persuade lawmakers to deregulate electricity markets had succeeded from California to New York. Its ties to the Bush administration assured that its views would be heard in Washington. Its sales, profits and stock were soaring.† A. Berenson and R. A. Oppel, Jr. The New York Times, Oct 28, 2001. In February 2001, Chief Accounting Officer Rick Causey told budget managers: â€Å"From an  accounting standpoint, this will be our easiest year ever. We’ve got 2001 in the bag.† On March 5, Bethany McLean’sFortune article Is Enron Overpriced? questioned how Enron could maintain its high stock value, which was trading at 55 times its earnings. She argued that analysts and investors did not know exactly how Enron was earning its income. McLean was first drawn to the company’s situation after an ana lyst suggested she view the company’s 10-K report, where she found â€Å"strange transactions†, â€Å"erratic cash flow†, and â€Å"huge debt.† She telephoned Skilling to discuss her findings prior to publishing the article, but he called her â€Å"unethical† for not properly researching the company. Fastow cited two Fortune reporters that Enron could not reveal earnings details as the company had more than 1,200 trading books for assorted commodities and did â€Å"†¦ not want anyone to know what’s on those books. We don’t want to tell anyone where we’re making money.† In a conference call on April 17, 2001, then-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Skilling verbally attacked Wall Street analyst Richard Grubman, who questioned Enron’s unusual accounting practice during a recorded conference call. When Grubman complained that Enron was the only company that could not release a balance sheet along with its earnings statements, Skilling replied â€Å"Well, thank you very much, we appreciate that †¦ asshole.† This became an inside joke among many Enron employees, mocking Grubman for his perceived meddling rather than Skilling’s offensiveness, with slogans such as â€Å"Ask Why, Asshole†, a variation on Enron’s official slogan â€Å"Ask why†. However, Skilling’s comment was met with dismay and astonishment by press and public, as he had previously disdained criticism of Enron coolly or humorously. By the late 1990s Enron’s stock was trading for $80–90 per share, and few seemed to concern themselves with the opacity of the company’s financial disclosures. In mid-July 2001, Enron reported revenues of $50.1 billion, almost triple year-to-date, and beating analysts’ estimates by 3 cents a share. Despite this, Enron’s profit margin had stayed at a modest average of about 2.1%, and its share price had decreased by more than 30% since the same quarter of 2000. As time passed, a number of serious concerns confronted the company. Enron had recently faced several serious operational challenges, namely logistical difficulties in operating a new broadband communications trading unit, and the losses from constructing the Dabhol Power project, a large power plant in India. There  was also increasing criticism of the company for the role that its subsidiary Enron Energy Services had in the California electricity crisis of 2000-2001. â€Å"There are no accounting issues, no trading issues, no reserve issues, no previously unknown problem issues. I think I can honestly say that the company is probably in the strongest and best shape that it has probably ever been in.† (Kenneth Lay answering an analyst’s question on August 14, 2001.) On August 14, Skilling announced he was resigning his position as CEO after only six months. Skilling had long served as president and COO before being promoted to CEO. Skilling cited personal reasons for leaving the company. Observers noted that in the months before his exit, Skilling had sold at minimum 450,000 shares of Enron at a value of around $33 million (though he still owned over a million shares at the date of his departure). Nevertheless, Lay, who was serving as chairman at Enron, assured surprised m arket watchers that there would be â€Å"no change in the performance or outlook of the company going forward† from Skilling’s departure. Lay announced he himself would re-assume the position of chief executive officer. Investors’ confidence declines Something is rotten with the state of Enron. —The New York Times, Sept 9, 2001. By the end of August 2001, his company’s stock value still falling, Lay named Greg Whalley, president and COO of Enron Wholesale Services and Mark Frevert, to positions in the chairman’s office. Some observers suggested that Enron’s investors were in significant need of reassurance, not only because the company’s business was difficult to understand (even â€Å"indecipherable†) but also because it was difficult to properly describe the company in financial statements. One analyst stated â€Å"it’s really hard for analysts to determine where [Enron] are making money in a given quarter and where they are losing money.† Lay accepted that Enron’s business was very complex, but asserted that analysts would â€Å"never get all the information they want† to satisfy their curiosity. He also explained that the complexity of the business was due largely to tax strategies and position-hedging. Lay’s efforts seemed to meet wit h limited success; by September 9, one prominent hedge fund manager noted that â€Å"[Enron] stock is trading under a cloud.† The sudden departure of Skilling combined with  the opacity of Enron’s accounting books made proper assessment difficult for Wall Street. In addition, the company admitted to repeatedly using â€Å"related-party transactions,† which some feared could be too-easily used to transfer losses that might otherwise appear on Enron’s own balance sheet. A particularly troubling aspect of this technique was that several of the â€Å"related-party† entities had been or were being controlled by CFO Fastow. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, media attention shifted away from the company and its troubles; a little less than a month later Enron announced its intention to begin the process of selling its lower-margin assets in favor of its core businesses of gas and electricity trading. This policy included selling Portland General Electric to another Oregon utility, Northwest Natural Gas, for about $1.9 billion in cash and stock, and possibly selling its 65% stake i n the Dabhol project in India. Restructuring losses and SEC investigation On October 16, 2001, Enron announced that restatements to its financial statements for years 1997 to 2000 were necessary to correct accounting violations. The restatements for the period reduced earnings by $613 million (or 23% of reported profits during the period), increased liabilities at the end of 2000 by $628 million (6% of reported liabilities and 5.5% of reported equity), and reduced equity at the end of 2000 by $1.2 billion (10% of reported equity). Additionally, in January Jeff Skilling had asserted that the broadband unit alone was worth $35 billion, a claim also mistrusted. An analyst at Standard & Poor’s said â€Å"I don’t think anyone knows what the broadband operation is worth.† Enron’s management team claimed the losses were mostly due to investment losses, along with charges such as about $180 million in money spent restructuring the company’s troubled broadband trading unit. In a statement, Lay revealed, â€Å"After a thorough review of our businesses, we have decided to take these charges to clear away issues that have clouded the performance and earnings potential of our core energy businesses.† Some analysts were unnerved. David Fleischer at Goldman Sachs, an analyst termed previously ‘one of the company’s strongest supporters’ asserted that the Enron management â€Å"†¦ lost credibility and have to reprove themselves. They need to convince investors these earnings are real, that the company is for real and that growth will be realized.† Fastow disclosed  to Enron’s board of directors on October 22 that he earned $30 million from compensation arrangements when managing the LJM limited partnerships. That day, the share price of Enron decreased to $20.65, down $5.40 in one day, after the announcement by the SEC that it was investigating the various suspicious activities of Enron, characterizing them as â€Å"some of the most opaque transactions with insiders ever seen† Attempting to explain the billion-dollar charge and calm investors, Enron’s disclosures spoke of â€Å"share settled costless collar arrangements,† â€Å"derivative instruments which eliminated the contingent nature of existing restricted forward contracts,† and strategies that served â€Å"to hedge certain merchant investments and other assets.† Such puzzling phraseology left many analysts feeling ignorant about just how Enron managed its business. Regarding the SEC investigation, chairman and CEO Lay said, â€Å"We will cooperate fully with the S.E.C. and look forward to the opportunity to put any concern about these transactions to rest.† Two days later, on October 25, d espite his reassurances days earlier, Lay dismissed Fastow from his position, citing â€Å"In my continued discussions with the financial community, it became clear to me that restoring investor confidence would require us to replace Andy as CFO.† However, with Skilling and Fastow now both departed, some analysts feared that revealing the company’s practices would be made all the more difficult. Enron’s stock was now trading at $16.41, having lost half its value in a little more than a week. On October 27 the company began buying back all its commercial paper, valued at around $3.3 billion, in an effort to calm investor fears about Enron’s supply of cash. Enron financed the re-purchase by depleting its lines of credit at several banks. While the company’s debt rating was still considered investment-grade, its bonds were trading at levels slightly less, making future sales problematic. As the month came to a close, serious concerns were being raised by some observers regarding Enron’s possible manipulation of accepted accounting rules; however, analysis was claimed to be impossible based on the incomplete information provided by Enron. Industry analysts feared that Enron was the new Long-Term Capital Management, the hedge fund whose bankruptcy in 1998 threatened systemic failure of the international financial markets. Enron’s tremendous presence worried some about the consequences of the company’s possible bankruptcy. Enron executives accepted questions in written form only. Proposed buyout by Dynegy Sources claimed that Enron was planning to explain its business practices more fully within the coming days, as a confidence-building gesture. Enron’s stock was now trading at around $7, as investors worried that the company would not be able to find a buyer. After it received a wide spectrum of rejections, Enron management apparently found a buyer when the board of Dynegy, another energy trader based in Houston, voted late at night on November 7 to acquire Enron at a very low price of about $8 billion in stock. Chevron Texaco, which at the time owned about a quarter of Dynegy, agreed to provide Enron with $2.5 billion in cash, specifically $1 billion at first and the rest when the deal was completed. Dynegy would also be required to assume nearly $13 billion of debt, plus any other debt hitherto occluded by the Enron management’s secretive business practices, possibly as much as $10 billion in â€Å"hidden† debt. Dynegy and Enron confirmed their deal on November 8, 2001. Commentators remarked on the different corporate cultures between Dynegy and Enron, and on the â€Å"straight-talking† personality of the CEO of Dynegy, Charles Watson. Some wondered if Enron’s troubles had not simply been the result of innocent accounting errors. By November, Enron was asserting that the billion-plus â€Å"one-time charges† disclosed in October should in reality have been $200 million, with the rest of the amount simply corrections of dormant accounting mistakes. Many feared other â€Å"mistakes† and restatements might yet be revealed. Another major correction of Enron’s earnings was announced on November 9, with a reduction of $591 million of the stated revenue of years 1997–2000. The charges were said to come largely from two special purpose partnerships (JEDI and Chewco). The corrections resulted in the virtual elimination of profit for fiscal year 1997, with significant reductions for the other years. Despite this disclosure, Dynegy declared it still intended to purchase Enron. Both companies were said to be anxious to receive an official assessment of the proposed sale from Moody’s and S&P presumably to understand the effect the completion of any buyout transaction would have on Dynegy and Enron’s credit rating. In addition, concerns were raised regarding antitrust regulatory restrictions resulting in possible divestiture, along with what to some observers were the radically different corporate cultures of Enron and Dynegy. Both companies  promoted the deal aggressively, and some observers were hopeful; Watson was praised for attempting to create the largest company on the energy market. At the time, Watson said â€Å"We feel [Enron] is a very solid company with plenty of capacity to withstand whatever happens the next few months.† One analyst called the deal â€Å"a whopper [†¦] a very good deal financially, certainly should be a good deal strategically, and provides some immediate balance-sheet backstop for Enron.† Credit issues were becoming more critical, however. Around the time the buyout was made public, Moody’s and S&P both reduced Enron’s rating to just one notch above junk status. Were the company’s rating to fall below investment-grade, its ability to trade would be severely limited if there was a reduction or elimination of its credit lines with competitors. In a conference call, S&P affirmed that, were Enron not to be bought, S&P would reduce its ra ting to low BB or high B, ratings noted as being within junk status. Additionally, many traders had limited their involvement with Enron, or stopped doing business altogether, fearing more bad news. Watson again attempted to re-assure, attesting at a presentation to investors that there was â€Å"nothing wrong with Enron’s business†. He also acknowledged that remunerative steps (in the form of more stock options) would have to be taken to redress the animosity of many Enron employees for management after it was revealed that Lay and other officials had sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of stock during the months prior to the crisis. The situation was not helped by the disclosure that Lay, his â€Å"reputation in tatters†, stood to receive a payment of $60 million as a change-of-control fee subsequent to the Dynegy acquisition, while many Enron employees had seen their retirement accounts, which were based largely on Enron stock, decimated as the price decreased 90% in a year. An official at a company owned by Enron stated â€Å"We had some married couples who both worked who lost as much as $800,000 or $900,000. It pretty much wiped out every employee’s savings plan.† Watson assured investors that the true nature of Enron’s business had been made apparent to him: †Å"We have comfort there is not another shoe to drop. If there is no shoe, this is a phenomenally good transaction.† Watson further asserted that Enron’s energy trading part alone was worth the price Dynegy was paying for the whole company. By mid-November, Enron announced it was planning to sell about $8 billion worth of underperforming assets, along with a general plan to reduce  its scale for the sake of financial stability. On November 19 Enron disclosed to the public further evidence of its critical state of affairs. Most pressingly that the company had debt repayment obligations in the range of $9 billion by the end of 2002. Such debts were â€Å"vastly in excess† of its available cash. Also, the success of measures to preserve its solvency were not guaranteed, specifically as regarded asset sales and debt refinancing. In a statement, Enron revealed â€Å"An adverse outcome with respect to any of these matters would likely have a material adverse impact on Enron’s ability to continue as a going concern.† Two days later, on November 21, Wall Street expressed serious doubts that Dynegy would proceed with its deal at all, or would seek to radically renegotiate. Furthermore Enron revealed in a 10-Q filing that almost all the money it had recently borrowed for purposes including buying its commercial paper, or about $5 billion, had been exhausted in just 50 days. Analysts were unnerved at the revelation, especially since Dynegy was reported to have also been unaware of Enron’s rate of cash use. In order to end the proposed buyout, Dynegy would need to legally demonstrate a â€Å"material change† in the circumstances of the transaction; as late as November 22, sources close to Dynegy were skeptical that the latest revelations constituted sufficient grounds. The SEC announced it had filed civil fraud complaints against Andersen. A few days later, sources claimed Enron and Dynegy were renegotiating the terms of their arrangement. Dynegy now demanded Enron agree to be bought for $4 billion rather than the previous $8 billion. Observers were reporting difficulties in ascertaining which of Enron’s operations, if any, were profi table. Reports described an en masse shift of business to Enron’s competitors for the sake of risk exposure reduction. Bankruptcy Enron’s stock price (former NYSE ticker symbol: ENE) from August 23, 2000 ($90) to January 11, 2002 ($0.12). As a result of the decrease of the stock price, shareholders lost nearly $11 billion. On November 28, 2001, Enron’s two worst-possible outcomes came true: Dynegy Inc. unilaterally disengaged from the proposed acquisition of the company, and Enron’s credit rating was reduced to junk status. Watson later said â€Å"At the end, you couldn’t give it [Enron] to me.† The company had very little cash with which to operate, let alone satisfy enormous debts. Its stock price fell to $0.61 at the end of  the day’s trading. One editorial observer wrote that â€Å"Enron is now shorthand for the perfect financial storm.† Systemic consequences were felt, as Enron’s creditors and other energy trading companies suffered the loss of several percentage points. Some analysts felt Enron’s failure indicated the risks of the postâ€⠀œSeptember 11 economy, and encouraged traders to lock in profits where they could. The question now became how to determine the total exposure of the markets and other traders to Enron’s failure. Early calculations estimated $18.7 billion. One adviser stated, â€Å"We don’t really know who is out there exposed to Enron’s credit. I’m telling my clients to prepare for the worst.† Enron was estimated to have about $23 billion in liabilities from both debt outstanding and guaranteed loans. Citigroup and JP Morgan Chase in particular appeared to have significant amounts to lose with Enron’s bankruptcy. Additionally, many of Enron’s major assets were pledged to lenders in order to secure loans, causing doubt about what if anything unsecured creditors and eventually stockholders might receive in bankruptcy proceedings. Enron’s European operations filed for bankruptcy on November 30, 2001, and it sought Chapter 11 protection two days later on December 2. It was the largest bankruptcy in U.S. history (before being surpassed by WorldCom’s bankruptcy the next year), and resulted in 4,000 lost jobs. The day that Enron filed for bankruptcy, the employees were told to pack their belongings and were given 30 minutes to vacate the building. Nearly 62% of 15,000 employees’ savings plans relied on Enron stock that was purchased at $83 in early 2001 and was now practically worthless. In its accounting work for Enron, Andersen had been sloppy and weak. But that’s how Enron had always wanted it. In truth, even as they angrily pointed fingers, the two deserved each other. Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind in The Smartest Guys in the Room. On January 17, 2002 Enron dismissed Arthur Andersen as its auditor, citing its accounting advice and the destruction of documents. Andersen countered that it had already ended its relationship with the company when Enron became bankrupt.