Wednesday, August 26, 2020

What was the short-term contribution of William Wilberforce to the Coursework

What was the momentary commitment of William Wilberforce to the nullification of the slave exchange 1807 - Coursework Example William Wilberforce was instrumental in nullifying bondage in 1807. Sharp gathering William Wilberforce joined a shrewd gathering of United Kingdom government officials who concentrated all their time, vitality, and cash to nullifying the United Kingdom slave exchange (Wilberface and Wilberface, 1838). The gathering remembers recorded greats for the counter slave exchange development during the 1800s. Charles Fox is one of the dynamic individuals from a similar gathering. Henry Thornton is another individual from the counter slave exchange. The gathering consented to support the 1807 abolitionist subjection exchange. The gathering is one of the dynamic alliance divisions of the United Kingdom House of Commons. The last result of the group’s numerous years joined abolitionist servitude endeavors had encouraged to the notable going of the United Kingdom 1807 abolitionist bondage act. 1807 Anti-Slavery Act Prior to the death of the 1807 abolitionist bondage act, the United Kingdo m Parliament had gone into law the subjugation amount benchmarks. The law sets the most extreme number of slaves that can be moved in a boat. An examination led by the 1789 Privy Council clarified the outrages experienced by the slaves the hour of their seizing or deal to the hour of their exchange or deal to the new slave proprietors. During 1791, a gathering of abolitionist bondage lawmakers attempted their best to stop the slave exchange. In any case, the United Kingdom Parliament casted a ballot to dislike the proposed abolitionist servitude laws. Lamentably, the democratic demonstrated that 163 officials in the House of Commons casted a ballot oppose the proposed abolitionist subjugation law. Just 88 officials favored the endorsement of the proposed abolitionist subjection laws (Rodriguez, 1997). As a legislator, William Wilberforce contributed his law making ability to the cancelation of subjugation (Wilberface and Wilberface, 1838). William Wilberforce is an individual from t he United Kingdom Parliament. As part, William Wilberforce decides on certain law recommendations. At the point when the lion's share vote wins, the desire or request of the greater part voters will be executed. William Wilberforce spent numerous years creating support for the cancelation of servitude in the United Kingdom. After William Wilberforce prevailing with regards to passing the 1807 that annulled servitude, William Wilberforce went farther. William Wilberforce upheld bunch moves to cancel the slave exchange outside the United Kingdom. After numerous long periods of powerful persuading, nations like Sweden, Portugal and Holland, other European Union nations clung to William Wilberforce’s request that subjugation ought to be halted inside the soonest conceivable time (Rodriguez, 1997). Further, William Wilberforce had the option to join a few people to concentrate on one primary objective, abrogating the slave exchange. Wilberforce worked for over 15 years to see his fantasy of a free African British condition a reality. Wilberforce effectively persuaded his individual United Kingdom legislators to favor his longing to stop the cruel slave exchange. During those over 15 years, William Wilberforce’s faithful devotees kept on developing in power. With the required numbers set up, William Wilberforce at last observed the lives of the hijacked African British slaves’ iron anchored opened. Moreover, William Wilberforce was straightforward and true in clarifying the strict outcomes of proceeding with the slave exchange. William Wilberforce utilizes his strict ideas to persuade the strict individuals from the United Kingdom parliament to drop the overall slave exchange. William Wilberforce had the option to interface with the strict individuals from the United Kingdom Parliament (Rodriguez, 1997). Casting a ballot In 1792, 230 officials casted a ballot to bit by bit end United Kingdom subjection rehearses (Rodriguez, 1997). Just a small 8 5 officials opposed the abolitionist servitude

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Is the statement ''Good record-keeping shows good clinical care'' true Assignment

Is the announcement ''Good record-keeping shows great clinical consideration'' genuine Discuss - Assignment Example A decent clinical record ought to include: (1) relevant data of the patients’ clinical history, including significant negatives; (2) assessment results, including significant negatives; (3) differential analysis; (4) subtleties of any research center tests requested, and any treatment gave; (5) patients’ progress report; (6) follow-up plans; (7) data imparted to or talked about to the patient, for example, related difficulties of a treatment; and (8) patients’ resistance of the treatment (Medical Protection Society [MPS], 2011). This ought to be composed impartially, obviously and readably; with the name and mark of the clinical professional; just as the date and time of assessment joined after the report (MPS, 2011). Clinical records are a vital part of patient consideration, which guarantees the protected conveyance of human services, just as positive patient results. Clinical records are the reason for building up a high caliber of patient consideration (Ram a nd Carpenter, 2007). It is an indispensable apparatus that permit clinical experts to comprehend; gain from; and right mistakes made before (Ram and Carpenter, 2007). ... A nitty gritty record of patient objections help clinical experts center treatment plan and care arrangement on the issue introduced; and on its related intricacy. It gives a rundown of target sign that structure the reason for the conclusion; and it keeps deviation from the perfect course of treatment. By setting out on a treatment course intended for the patient, superfluous tests, drugs, methodology, just as costs can be evaded; and an engaged arrangement of care can be applied. As per Blake (2010), â€Å"good record-keeping will help the part in precisely reviewing the beginning stage with the customer, the settled upon objectives and process, and assessing the degree to which the objectives have been achieved† (p.15). Data contained in clinical records fill in as a cellar information with which present, and future evaluation discoveries can be contrasted and. This guides the wellbeing suppliers in choosing; in arranging; and in assessing the treatment routine and differen t mediations for the patient. Recording appraisal discoveries, result mediations, and other watched appearances, can enable clinical professionals to screen the advancement of patient consideration; and recognize, just as forestall conceivable unfavorable impacts coming about because of the medications utilized. In an investigation by Pomeranz (n.d) on passings brought about by prescription blunders, he underlined that â€Å"...better mindfulness can help forestall a portion of the passings [caused by antagonistic medicine reactions;]...and better record keeping can help forestall patients’ being given medications that they have had unfavorably susceptible responses to in the past...† (as refered to in Grady, 1998, n. pag.). Relevant data that can influence

Saturday, August 15, 2020

Rioters Recommendations for Emma Watsons Book Club

Rioters Recommendations for Emma Watsons Book Club Emma Watson has launched a book club on Goodreads as part of her  work with UN Women and anyone who has a Goodreads account can join. Its a wonderful idea: a global feminist book club where books can be discussed and enjoyed by equality-minded people. The first book that is being read is My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem. Forging a global sisterhood is one of the biggest challenges of feminism, but perhaps it can be achieved through this medium if the right books are read and the discussion is properly moderated. With this in mind, Rioters have come up with suggestions of what books Emma Watsons book club should read next. Jamie Canaves  recommends Florynce Flo Kennedy: The Life of a Black Feminist Radical  by Sherie M. Randolph: Perfect as a historical read and because of its relevancy to our current times on an incredibly accomplished, at the forefront of the feminist movement, interesting and kick-ass woman. (While being reprimanded for unladylike attire in the courtroom she pointed out to the judge that he was in a dress.) Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon: Fascinating woman. Fantastic book. The world could be a better place if we all regularly asked ourselves WWRBG do? Jessica Tripler recommends We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie:  This is a long essay adapted from Adichie’s award-winning 2012 TED talk. In it, the Nigerian novelist defends the use of the term “feminism” as opposed to “humanism” and explains the problem of gender in way everyone can understand. It has to be great if every 16-year-old student in Sweden is getting a copy! Susie Rodarme recommends   Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: I remember being blown away by this book when I read it in my early 20s. It both opened my eyes to the oppression of women of color and also to the oppression of women in general in a time when so many people were claiming that women already had equal rights and could we just shut up about feminism now? Janie’s story of regaining her power as a person and a woman is one we can all relate to. Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques: Feminism has a long way to go when it comes to properly including trans women. I will say that baldly. Exposure to stories about trans women will help a great deal in correcting this and Trans is a great recent pick that has been getting a lot of buzz. Hannah Oliver Depp recommends The Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill: The best novel about modern artistic womanhood and motherhood (its sister novel being Afterbirth by Elisa Albert). Having shared this book with many women at different phases of their live, it’s appeal is massive yet its focus is narrow. Our narrator dreamed of being an “art monster” and finds herself a wife, mother, teacher, and ghostwriter dealing with bed bugs, infidelity, and kids school politics. Rather than going the route of mommy-farce, Offill delves into the mind of our art-monster mother with short, descriptive, and sensory-filled chapters that show chunks of the many aspects of her life. It is a womblike story that is somehow filled with the cold reality of birth. No one can get enough of this slim and powerful book about female identity. Negroland: A Memoir  by Margo Jefferson: A great book about the changing roles of women, African Americans, and politics, this would up the intersectionality of any book club. Part memoir and part look at Respectability Politics, this book gives a glimpse into the lesser known world of affluent blacks and the pressure to be beyond perfect to be treated with the usual amount of respect. Jefferson is a great cultural critic and is able to tie her own familys journey into the story of America’s discomfort with/ requirements of “successful” black people and the internalized self loathing brought about by this pressure. It’s especially notable as it relates to the already absurd expectations of perfection associated with womanhood. Nicole Froio recommends But Some of Us Are Brave: All the Women Are White, All the Blacks are Men: Black Womens Studies edited by Gloria T. Hull, Patricia Bell Scott and Barbara  Smith: This books title and content pretty much encapsulates the problem with white feminism and the lack of intersectionality in mainstream feminism; where can black feminists stand if social movements have historically excluded them? The bravery is to push for intersectionality, to campaign for attention where none is being paid. I would like to see Watson pick this book because it emphasizes some of the privileges she has as a white woman and it would be amazing to have thousands of people around the world reading these perspectives.  What Can a Woman Do with a Camera?: Photography for Women by Jo Spence: This  sounds like a really specific book that is just for women who are interested in photography, but if we think about how easily we snap photos with our camera phones nowadays, we can start to see why this book could be a valuable read if done en masse. Spence argues that photography can empower minority populations across the world and gives directions on how this can be done. If the aim is to practice feminism globally, I think a book with some guidelines or instructions can be really useful for this book club.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Violent Video Games Effects On Society - 988 Words

Video games have been around for half a century, when the first simple tennis game was designed by William Higinbotham in 1958. Since then, video games have gotten more in depth, and now include the best graphics and a vast amount of options which include violent video games. Violent video games have gotten more popular with the vast amount of variety including the franchise of Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Grand Theft Auto. In addition, these are the most common and sought after video games, and because of the violence in those games, debate has started whether or not violent video games cause people especially adolescents to be more violent and destructive in society. Since the debate has started, research has been conducted and the introduction of violent video games into society has not resulted in violence to increase in adolescents and children. Over the years violent video game sales have skyrocketed and there is no correlation with juvenile crime rates that suggests that tho se games resulted with more violence in society. Furthermore, in a recent article from ProCon the National Center for Education Statistics and Nicholas Lovell stated â€Å"The number of high school students who had been in at least one physical fight decreased from 43% in 1991 to 25% in 2013, and student reports of criminal victimization at school dropped by more than half from 1995 to 2011† (1). This demonstrates that violent video games do not result in violence, but actually resulted in violenceShow MoreRelatedThe Effects of Violent Video Games on Society Essay2542 Words   |  11 Pagesshootings were the perpetrators were avid players of violent video games and had refused to participate in any disciplined activity or sport at school (Grossman, Christensen, 2004). Although these are considered high-profile cases, the exact number of murders and assaults committed by players of violent video games is unknown; however, because the correlation between the two has become so compelling, the FBI has listed â€Å"playing violent video games† in a category of behaviors associated with schoolRead MoreThe True Cause Of Violent Behaviors1613 Words   |  7 PagesThe True Cause of Violent Behaviors in Today s Society There are volumes of media that are starting to harm the world in which we live. They have been linked to fourteen mass murders (Fletcher). Nine out of the top ten selling games have been labeled as violent and 42% of adolescents play them (â€Å"Children and Video Games†). These violent video games are a major problem in the United States and across the globe. Violent video games have a direct correlation with negative behaviors because they increaseRead MoreViolent Video Games Should Be Banned Essay1432 Words   |  6 PagesIn contemporary society, the technology of violent video game become more and more advanced. The effects of media violence on video games has been increasing in people’s daily life. It is still be an issue and have a lot of debate on whether or not violent video games should be banned. In this essay, violent video games can be defined by RWJF Blog Team as those video game which represent violence as the best or only way to resolve conflict.( Pioneering ideas 2010). This essay will discussedRead MoreViolent Video Games Cause Violence843 Words   |  4 PagesVideo games have been around for half a century when, the first simple tennis game was designed by William Higinbotham in 1958. Since then, video games have gotten more in depth, with better graphics and more options which include violent video games. Violent videos have gotten more popular with a better amount of variety including the franchise of Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Grand Theft Auto. These are the most common and popular video games and because of the violence in them debate has startedRead MoreThe Effects Of Violent Video Games On Children902 Words   |  4 PagesThe lives of adolescents consist of indulging themselves with some form of an activity that occupies their restless minds. Violent video games are a conflict in modern day society because children are witnessing harsh behaviors that are conditioning them to believe it is acceptable to commit these actions displayed before their eyes. There are many health effects that are involved with participating in these products of entertainment such as an increase in aggression, poor social skills and the formationRead MoreThe Real-World Effects of Virtual Violence: Perspectives on Video Games and Mass Media1507 Words   |  7 Pagesof the fact that video games are becoming more realistic and violent, nor that they are becoming much more beautiful and engaging in the way they look. What many people doubt, though, is whether they have a profound effect on a person’s character or not. Aggression as a result of video games seems to be a nebulous issue among much of the public. The research is there, but it is fragmented and covers many different issues that could (and are) problematic as far as video games go. This paper willRead MoreViolent Video Games: Closing the Doors to Success688 Words   |  3 PagesAn increase in violent outbreaks may be linked to violent video games. There has been an increasing amount of crime in the age groups involved violent video games in some way. In turn, watching and/or participating in violent video games can increase violent behavior. Violent outbreaks are more common with age groups that are actively participating in violent video games, or have an active role within the community of violent video games. An article states Sales of video games have more than quadrupledRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Violent Video Games1534 Words   |  7 Pagescreation of violent video games. But, we can prevent the distribution of these disturbing games to children, where their effects can be negative.† (Kohl, Herb). Violent video games have been blamed for children poor school performance, mental development, and aggressive behavior; there are many studies conducted by different psychologists and experts in the area, and they came up with different results. Most people and studies believe that children are the primary victim of violent video games, and peopleRead MoreThe Effects of Video Games and Violence 1169 Words   |  5 Pagescentury, video games have become quite an attraction among people of all ages and culture. A statistic showed that the age bracket for video gaming ranges from eight to forty year olds (Baran, 2012). With the (moving ahead or up) of technology, video games also have (moving ahead or up) in its interest in whats lifelike and real and (types of writing or art). The technologies allowed video games to become very fancy (or smart) and realistic. This type of (moving ahead or up) had brought the Video gamingRead MoreVideo Game Violence Essay1280 Words   |  6 PagesVideo Game Violence Concerns about the effect of media violence on children extends back at least to the beginning of the mass media, with the issue raised with reference to films, radio, television, comic books, and so on. As technology brings new types of media to the fore, the issue shifts to depictions of violence in these new media. Both popular sources and scholarly address this issue, asking in effect how violent video games change children’s behavior and make them more violent, assuming

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Development Of Thoughts And Actions - 1270 Words

The Development of Thoughts and Actions It can be stated without hesitation that one of the most controversial types of government is totalitarianism. Fueled by a single dictator, this form of political authority exercises absolute and centralized control over all aspects of life. This oppressive brand of government subjects an individual to no expression of any cultural, political or religious beliefs. Since the individuality of citizens is seized and all expression is suppressed by the government, a majority of society does not agree with alot of the systems policies. To simplify, the nature of a totalitarian state is complete control and it is heavily disputed by many. In George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty-Four and Ray Bradbury’s†¦show more content†¦Finally, the characters begin to bring their thoughts and ideas to fruition when they decide to act on their own accord, in addition to disregarding any government influence and control. This stage enlightens the characters acts towards rebellion against their manipulative government. Throughout both novels the protagonists experience major character development, and it shows how people s thoughts and actions can change and develop when under a powerful, negative influence. In both novels, Fahrenheit 451 and Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston Smith and Guy Montag begin the novels under major government influence, which is mostly due to their affiliation with the government. In Nineteen Eighty-Four, Winston Smith works as a records editor for the government, to expand on his line of work, â€Å"Winston Smith is a writer for the ironically named Ministry of Truth, whose chief job is to assist in the constant rewriting of history so that it conforms with the predictions and pronouncements of Big Brother, the possibly mythical ruler of Oceania, whose minions in the Inner Party are nevertheless omnipotent and omniscient† (Laskowski). Winston is constantly under the government spotlight, as he controls the propaganda that is published. In a totalitarian society only certain information is revealed to the public, in turn, Winston’s job is extremely valued by the government. Also, in Fahrenheit 451 Guy Montag works as a fireman. His

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Autocratic Leadership Free Essays

1. Nowadays there are several leadership styles being employed to run the organization in order to achieve the goals. One of the leadership styles that being used is autocratic style, which tell people what to do. We will write a custom essay sample on Autocratic Leadership or any similar topic only for you Order Now The autocratic leadership style is always defined as excessively demanding with basically a one-way of communication. The leader will have the legitimate power to coerce subordinates to accomplish the mission. Decision-making comes from only leader and is not shared. Nevertheless, authoritarian can be useful in the under pressure situation. Leaders sometimes have to utilize this type of leadership to achieve their goals. This essay will argue that autocratic leaders are not always ineffective. This will be argued by some examples and reasons why autocratic leaders could bring about the benefit to the business and military organizations. 2. Autocratic leadership style is to put pressure on the employees or subordinates. However, in the workplace or military organization, some scenarios may require for prompt action. In these circumstances, an autocratic style of leadership can be the best style to adopt. Surprisingly, many employees have been working with an authoritarian and have a few issues to familiar with that style. One of a good example of an autocratic leader is Martha Stewart. She built her empire with personal attention to every detail. Whether people admire Martha Stewart or not, she never strays away from being careful and demanding. She’s very successful in her endeavors, and often uses an autocratic management style. Many critics might argue that it was her autocratic leadership style that made her a success in the entertainment industry, which is an extremely competitive environment. Others might argue that even more success might have awaited her had she not relied so heavily on such a demanding and potentially damaging style. 3. Another circumstance where autocratic leadership can employ appropriately is while doing the projects in group. Many group projects seem to be failure because group members express their own decisions and lead to conflict. In such circumstance may need an authoritarian who can make and determine decisions for the group. The leader should seek the solution in which method the project can be done, delegate the task among the members, and make sure set the time for completion of the task. Steve Jobs, for instance, who is one of the successful autocratic leaders. He seems to be very authoritative. His decisions were made with slight consultation, and his decisions were made faster making him to react to changing in tendency of the business environment more quickly. The Environmental challenges which includes facing their rivals such as Microsoft. 4. In conclusion, some people argue that autocratic leadership style can never lead to success, but what it can achieve is to assist the process and run it into being a completion. Autocratic styles of leadership are becoming less and less applicable but there are still many contexts in which they work. During the first stage of Entrepreneurial organizations will rely on this type of leadership in order to make a decisive decisions and effective. However, it can be recommended that if leader utilize autocratic leadership should apply it wisely. Otherwise, it will be getting worse if use it in a wrong way. How to cite Autocratic Leadership, Essay examples

Monday, May 4, 2020

Associated Business Risks Of An Organization †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Associated Business Risks Of An Organization. Answer: Introduction: An organization involved in a business has certain specific characteristics which makes it different from other organizations. Each and every organization has to work in different environment which makes the job of the management of an organization challenging as the conditions changes so are the challenges to an organization. Accordingly, the associated risks of doing business also change with even little change in environment and other conditions. In this document a detailed discussion shall be made on how to assess the associated business risks of an organization working under a particular environment and how to use analytical procedures for such an organization to conduct an effective audit in such circumstances. Subject matter of our discussion: There are numerous countries across the globe which have specific domestic auditing standard on understanding and assessing the risks of material misstatement through understanding the entity and its environment is auditing standard. In order to conduct an audit efficiently the very first thing that the auditors need to know is the environment in which a particular organization operates. The environment and the attributes of the environment of an organization will determine the nature of risks that such an organization will experience in conducting its operations (Arens et al. 2016). Understanding the nature of the entity: In this document a detailed discussion shall be made to understand the risks of business associated with the operations of Aristocrat Leisure Limited and accordingly, the analytical procedures that shall be used to deal with these risks and provide an appropriate opinion on the financial statements of the company. Manufacturer of gambling machines Aristocrat Leisure Limited is an Australian company; with the administrative center of the company in Sydney the company conducts most of its research and development activities at its North Ryde site. Apart from Australia the company also has its marketing and brand development offices in countries like United States of America, South Africa and Russia. The management of the company takes product in its achievement of being the largest gambling machine manufacturer in the country and also at being one of the largest in manufacturing slot machines on the planet. In fact when it comes to manufacturing of slot machines the company is only second to International Game Technology (Byrnes et al. 2015). Business Operations: The company is involved in manufacturing of gambling machines and slot machines and is one of the largest company in the globe in manufacturing these machines, certainly the largest in whole of Australia. The business operations of the company includes manufacturing of spinning reel slot machines and computerized gambling systems, development of computerized card games. The company has license to distribute computerized card game simulations, gambling machines and slot machines in more than 200 jurisdictions in and out of Australia (Cao et al. 2015). Investment and investment activities: The company is a constituent of Australian Stock Exchange ASX and was first listed in way back 1996. It first manufactured a machine in the year 1953 and since then have invested in number of new initiatives and projects to manufacture innovative gambling and slot machine. Investment activities of the company include huge amount of investment on research and development process to find new and better ways to manufacture and develop slot machines as well as other gambling machines. Investment in research and development processes has also helped the company to come up with innovative new products of its own. The company has made substantial amount of investment on developing computerized gambling systems and automatic spinning slot machines. Apart from these the investment activities of the company includes investment in computerized card games simulations and advances computerized gambling systems. Over the years the management has used its funds very sensibly as it clear from the fa ct that most of the investment initiatives take by the management in the past has helped the company to enhance its market growth substantially. Thus, at present the company stands as a market leaders in Australian manufacturing gambling machines the second market leader in manufacturing slot machines across the globe (Fayol 2016). Financing and financing activities: Financing of the projects of the company has been done mainly by using the funds generated from the issuance of ordinary shares in the market and from loans taken from banks and other financial institutions. Thus, the financing of the company is a combination of own funds and borrowed funds. Apart from these two sources the company has also earned substantial amount of profit during the course of its existence and thus has substantial amount of retained earnings. The company has made efficient use of its retained earnings by financing profitable projects. Financial reporting practices: The company follows the international financial reporting standards to prepare and present the financial statements of the company. The company has followed the going concern concept in preparing the financial statements. In recording the transactions that the company enters into, double entry system of accounting and accrual basis of accounting prince have been used. The company prepares Balance sheet, income statement, cash flow statement, statement of changes in equity and notes to accounts. All these statements include corresponding figures of previous year to allow the users of these statement to compare the current years figures instantly with the corresponding figures of previous year. The company has also followed the guidelines of AASB 8, Segment Reporting, and has provided necessary information for different operating and geographical segments of the company in its financial statements (Jans et al. 2014). Understanding the industry: Understanding of the industry of which the organization is part of us an important part of assessing the environment within which the organization performs to understand the associated risks and possible material misstatements in the financial statements. Industry size: The industry of production of gambling machinery and development of computerized gambling system and computerized card games simulations is a huge industry with numerous companies vying to capture bugger market share than they have at the present. Slot Machine Manufactures, International Game Technology etc. are well-known organizations that are in the business of manufacturing gambling and slot machines for number of years now. These are only few companies mentioned since these are the only two companies that are in the same league as that of the Aristocrat Leisure Limited. However, there are numerous other companies that are looking to capture the market with production and development of innovative gambling machineries and computerized card simulation games. Apart from that there are other companies which are trying to get in the industry in the future. Industry growth: The industry growth has been phenomenal to say the least. According to the data provided by a leading magazine the gambling activities have showed an increase of 200% only over the last 5 years and if the trend continues then the gambling society believes that the revenue from gambling will increase to 5 times within next 10 years. Obviously as the gambling activity going to increase so will the requirement and need of gambling machines and system. The increase in use of computerized card games simulations have increased to 3 times in recent years and so has the business of the developers of such game. The potential of growth of the industry is huge and in fact with this rate of growth it can be said that the industry is in high growth trajectory. Industry supply chain: The industry has an effective supply chain and it has contributed immensely to the growth of the industry and will continue to do even in the future. Major players: Slot Machine Manufacturers, International Game Technology, Developers Limited are the major players in the market and have dominated the market for number of years now. Market share of industry players: The major portion of the market share are of International Game Technology, Slot Machine Manufactures and Aristocrat Leisure Limited. These three combined provides more than 50% of the machines used for gambling. Also in card game simulations these three companies are the top market share holder in the industry. All the other companies combined have a market share of less than 50% when it comes to manufacturing and production of gambling machines are concerned. Critical success factors: The critical success factors are the following: Optimizing the use of available resources. Reduction in cost of production. Continuous endeavor to innovate and develop new and better machineries than earlier. Huge amount of investment on research and development activities to come up with new and improved products. Meeting the requirements of the stakeholders and users of the machines. Major threats: Ever increasing rules and regulations of the law agencies. Continuous scrutiny of the government agencies. New companies entering the marketing. Ever changing requirements of the customers. Continuous up-gradation of technology obsoleting the machines very fast. Understanding the legal environment: The legal environment within which an organization works and operates is a huge factor that contributes to the overall development of an organization. Neither too much nor too less regulations is good for an organization and business hence, there should be proper balance between too much and too less regulations. Aristocrat Leisure Limited has to follow the relevant guidelines and provisions of competition act, Income Tax Assessment Act, 1997 and others to continue its business operation. Understanding external environmental factors: PEST analysis: The political environment of the company is stable and has never been a roadblock to the progress of the company and there is nothing to believe that this going to change in the immediate future. The economic environment within which the organization operates is also progressive and helpful for the development of business. Socially the country is a developed and opened society which have helped the gambling business to grow and so the business of the company. Technologically the country is well developed and been a leader around the globe in that aspect hence, technological progress has also helped the company to grow further (Trevino and Nelson 2016). SWOT analysis: Strength of the company is its ability to innovate. Over the years the company has provided new and invocative products in the market. The company has an efficient management and workforce which have helped the company to be the largest gambling manufacturing company in Australia and second largest computerized card game simulation developer in the whole wide world. Weakness of the company is the fact that often it has been unable to make optimum use of its idle funds and most of the times these funds have remained idle without any use. The ever increasing regulations and rules for the business of the company is another aspect to be looked at in the future as an area of possible concern. The company has the opportunity to be a huge player in the manufacturing and development of gambling machines in the whole world. The card game simulations also provide the company an opportunity to take over the reins of the market from International Game Technology. Threats are the ever increasing pressure of the existing players in the market to provide better quality products at relatively low prices in the market to keep the existing market share intact. Apart from that the threats of new entrants to the market is also a justifiable threat. Understand objectives, strategies and assessing business risks: Human resource issues: Constant innovation and up-gradation of technology makes it imperative on the part of the management to keep modifying its machines and card game simulations to keep up with the requirements of the customers. However, the work force of the company is not fully capable of handling the ever changing needs and requirements of the customers. Thus, the management needs to recruit better equipped personnel to deal with this problem (Sierra?Garca et al. 2015). Product development: The customers needs and expectations are always on the rise and the competitors in the market are always on the look out to provide the customers there desirable products to capture the market. Continuous up-gradation of technology and subsequently the machines and computerized card game simulations is essential for the company to hold on its market share. Business expansion: The main risks in business expansion strategy of the company is the lack of innovative ideas on the operational aspects of the business. For years now the company has not been able to give a break-through computerized gambling machine or card game simulations of highest quality. In order to expand the business the management needs a break-through product which shall be liked universally by the customers. Apart from that the funds to expand the operations is another issue that the organization has faced in the past. New accounting requirements: Implementation of the guidelines provided in Australian Accounting Standards issued by the Australian Accounting Standards Board is the primary objective of the management and executive of the organization (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). Regulatory requirements: The company is required to adhere to the Competition Act guidelines by not getting involved in any unlawful practices to hamper the competition in the market. Apart from that the company should disclose its earnings according to the provisions and guidelines provided in the Income Tax Assessment Act, 1936 and the relevant guidelines of Environment Laws of the country should also be followed to avoid penalty or other punishments. Current and prospective financial requirements: The company needs to fulfill its commitments to the banks and financial institutions in order to get financial assistance in expansion of business. Any failure on the part of the company in fulfilling its commitments to financial institutions and banks would hamper the chance of the company in getting financial assistance from these organizations (Sadgrove 2016). Use of IT: The use of information technology is crucial for the development of the company especially since the company is involved in the business of manufacturing computerized gambling machines, slot machines and simulation card games. Proper and effective use of information technology would help the company to achieve its desired objectives in the future. Effects of implementation of a new strategy: As soon as a new strategy is implemented there bound to be some changes in the organization. Accounting requirement might change with the implementation of a new strategy. The accounting professional must have the necessary knowledge to deal with changes and its impact on accounting environment. Performance of analytical procedures to understand entitys performance: An auditor is responsible to express a clear opinion on the financial statements of an organization as to whether the financial statements portray the true and correct picture of the organization. In order to discharge his responsibility efficiently and to express a valid opinion on the financial statements an auditor needs to corroborate evidence by using analytical and substantive procedure. The extent of use of substantive procedures would be dependent on the results of the analytical procedures used by the auditor. Thus, use of analytical procedures has to be done effectively and efficiently by the auditor (Louwers et al. 2015). Use of analytical procedures such as assessing the gross profit margin , net profit margin of the company in the current year and comparing the same with the previous years figures along with the standard industry parameters would help the auditor to check for any unnecessary fluctuations in these metrics. Apart from the percentage of interest expense to overall expenses, the growth in sales, the increase in operating expenses all these will help the management to identify any unwarranted fluctuations and possible area of misstatements and frauds. Understand management and governance: The mission and vision statement of the company has made it amply clear for all the stakeholders to understand how serious the management is to run the operations within the organization in accordance with the ethical values and norms of highest standards. The management has made sure that the importance of following ethical guidelines is conveyed to the employees, labor and other stakeholders in clear terms. The company has a separate unit that looks into this aspect of the organization and is responsible for design and administration of ethical values within the organization. In order to ensure that the manufacturing process as well as other important aspects of business are effectively managed the management has a standard skill and knowledge development program which includes providing training to the employees and educating them with new and improved technologies to equip them to deal with the challenges at the work place. The governance of the company can be segregated into two main pillars, these are the shareholders of the company and the management of the company. The management of the company is separate from its shareholders. The decisions taken by the management of Aristocrat Leisure Limited are pure to achieve its desirable business objectives and for the benefit of the company. The company has a standard internal audit program which is completely independent of the management (Krahel and Titera 2015). The management of the company has a very clear style when it comes to running the operations of the company. Managing the business risks by taking important decisions keeping in mind the interests of the company is the backbone of decision making process within the organization. Huge importance is given to the financial reporting process and the management never interfere with the accountants in financial reporting process. The organizational structure of the company is such that it allows the management to take important business decisions only after consulting with the other stakeholders of the company such as shareholders, banks and financial institutions who have provided the company with financial assistance. The management segregates duties and responsibilities of different departments within the organization. The employees have their duties and responsibilities clearly curved out thus, there is generally no overlapping of roles and responsibilities within the organization. The company has a standard recruitment policy which is regularly up-top-dated by the management to ensure that employees and staffs recruited by the company is capable of discharging their duties and responsibilities efficiently. Also in order to develop the skill and knowledge in the work force the company has a standard training program to ensure that the work force gets to know about the new development in their field of work to be able to give their best while working for the company (Knechel and Salterio 2016). References: Arens, A.A., Elder, R.J., Beasley, M.S. and Hogan, C.E., 2016.Auditing and assurance services. Pearson. Byrnes, P.E., Al-Awadhi, C.A., Gullvist, B., Brown-Liburd, H., Teeter, C.R., Warren Jr, J.D. and Vasarhelyi, M., 2015. Evolution of auditing: from the traditional approach to the future audit.Audit Analytics,71. Cao, M., Chychyla, R. and Stewart, T., 2015. Big Data analytics in financial statement audits.Accounting Horizons,29(2), pp.423-429. Fayol, H., 2016.General and industrial management. Ravenio Books. Jans, M., Alles, M.G. and Vasarhelyi, M.A., 2014. A field study on the use of process mining of event logs as an analytical procedure in auditing.The Accounting Review,89(5), pp.1751-1773. Knechel, W.R. and Salterio, S.E., 2016.Auditing: Assurance and risk. Taylor Francis. Krahel, J.P. and Titera, W.R., 2015. Consequences of big data and formalization on accounting and auditing standards.Accounting Horizons,29(2), pp.409-422. Louwers, T.J., Ramsay, R.J., Sinason, D.H., Strawser, J.R. and Thibodeau, J.C., 2015.Auditing assurance services. McGraw-Hill Education. Sadgrove, K., 2016.The complete guide to business risk management. Routledge. Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016.Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley Sons. Sierra?Garca, L., Zorio?Grima, A. and Garca?Benau, M.A., 2015. Stakeholder engagement, corporate social responsibility and integrated reporting: an exploratory study.Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management,22(5), pp.286-304. Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016.Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to do it right. John Wiley Sons.

Saturday, March 28, 2020

The contribution of functionalism to our understanding free essay sample

Functionalists take a positive view on education. They see Is as a process that Instils the shared values of society as a whole. Functionalists believe education performs three main functions: social solidarity, specialist skills and role allocation. Durkheim indentified two main functions of education: creating social solidarity and teaching specialist skills. Social solidarity is an individual feeling and being part of a single community. Without social solidarity members would follow their own selfish desires. Education helps create social solidarity by transmitting shared beliefs, norms and values to the next generation and/or culture. He says education also acts as a society in miniature, preparing students for life in a wider society, teaching them universalistic standards, rules that apply to everyone. Durkheim also says that another main function of education is the teaching of specialist skills. Specialist skills are the specflc skills required to carry out their future roles. They are required by society to Parsons views education as being part of a meritocracy. We will write a custom essay sample on The contribution of functionalism to our understanding or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He believes education is the focal socialising agency, acting as a bridge between the family and the wider society. It Is needed because family and society act on dfferent principles, so children need to learn a new way of living to help cope in the wider society. School is where a large bulk of secondary socialisation takes place. The two main meritocratic values passed on by secondary socialisation include individual achievement and equality of opportunity. Individual achievement encourages young people to achieve as individuals. In a meritocracy everyone Is given equality of opportunity: a system In which everyone has an equal chance to succeed in school and life, individual achievements and rewards are based on effort and ability- ascribed status. Davis and Moore believe education Is a device for selection and role allocation. They believe inequality is necessary within education as it ensures that the most important roles are filled by the most talented. Higher rewards are offered for the most important jobs to encourage the most talented people to compete for them. Selection and role llocation is where individuals show what they can do and are sifted and sorted according to ability. The most able gain the highest qualifications to access the best jobs. Critics of Functionalism state that as a theory, it assumes education Is fair and that it rewards the best and Ignores social inequalities that may restrict attainment. The New Right are similar to functionalists way of thinking in terms of education. The believe that some people are naturally more talented than others, broadly accept the desirability of an education system run on meritocratic principles of open OF2 competltlon ana serving tne needs 0T tne economy Dy preparlng young people Tor future work roles and they also believe that education should socialise pupils into shared values, such as completion, and instil a sense of nation identity. However a key difference with functionalism is the new right do not believe that the current education system is achieving these goals. In their view the reason for its failure is that it is run by the state. Marxists criticise them for their over-socialised view of pupils that sees them as assively accepting all they are taught and never rejecting the schools values. Paul Willis has been critical of parsons view of meritocracy and equality of opportunity. Willis believes we do not have this and that knowledge and skills are not the only factors that determine achievement. Students are active participants that easily can resist attempts of indoctrination. For example, achievement is greatly influenced by class background, as put forward by Willis study of 12 working class, counter-school cultured boys throughout their transition from school to work. They didnt expect satisfaction from work and were happy to find diversions to cope with the tedium of unskilled labour.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Philosophies of the Mind Essay Example

Philosophies of the Mind Essay Example Philosophies of the Mind Essay Philosophies of the Mind Essay Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Philosophies of the Mind Analogy of the Cave Q1 Explain what the analogy of the cave means. Plato describes the Analogy of the Cave in his book, The Republic. The author illustrates the Analogy of the Cave’s concept through a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon. In Book VII of this publication, Plato describes how people live confined in a dark cave with chains around them. He describes the life of a prisoner in an attempt to explain his theory. In his book he writes, â€Å"Behold! Human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open toward the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks so that they cannot move† (Kessler 373). Moreover, the prisoners only have the ability to see what is in front of them due to their chained necks. Additionally, the conditions in the cave worsen due to the large fire at the rear of the cave. Plato also talks about a path bordering the fire and the prisoners. With nothing else to do, the prisoners observe the shadows of the people passing on the path cast in front of them. Furthermore, echoes from the passers-by fill the cave. In this analogy, Plato compares illusions to shadows. According to the author, the shadows and echoes are all that is familiar to the prisoners since they have never left the cave. The prisoners even compete in identifying the objects casting various shadows on the wall of the cave. Consequently, they perceive these illusions as the reality. Through their conversation, the two describe the possible outcomes of their release. In the analogy, the prisoners would not recognize the same objects that cast a shadow in the cave’s wall. Socrates asserts, â€Å"And you may further imagine that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, – will he not be perplexed?† (Kessler 374). Additionally, he perceives that the released prisoner will believe the shadows and echoes as real as opposed to the physical objects causing these illusions. This is evident when he says, â€Å"will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the objects which are now shown to him?â €  (Kessler 374). Moreover, he states how the fire light that was familiar to the prisoner while in prison would stress his eyes when he physically looks at it. He also describes how the light from the sun would make him uncomfortable. Nevertheless, the analogy indicates that the prisoner would assimilate reality, as opposed to illusions in a slow pace and after some time abandon all illusions. Moreover, he states that the prisoner will no longer have problems in viewing the sun light or the fire upon getting used to the outside world. Socrates states, â€Å"He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and stars and the spangled heaven, and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?† (Kessler 374). He goes ahead to describe how he would appreciate his newfound reality and even pity those still imprisoned in the dark cave. The prisoner would regret the period he dwelt in the world of illusions. He would not comprehend how he felt comfortable in his previous state of mind. This is according to the analogy of the cave where Socrates affirms, â€Å"And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow- prisoners, do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?† (Kessler 375). In this publication, Plato creates a picture of the possible events upon return of the free prisoner to the dark cave. He would no longer be able to identify the people an objects casting shadows on the cave’s wall. Furthermore, this ancient philosopher illustrates how hard it would be for the returned prisoner to participate in the cave dwellers’ competition of identifying shadows and echoes. In addition, the rest of the prisoners would view him as disadvantaged. Furthermore, they would view him as partially disabled. Upon seeing the state of the different prisoner, they would increase their hate for the outer world. This is evident where the author writes, â€Å"Men would say that up he went and down he came without his eyes, and that it is better not even to think of ascending; and if anyone tried to loose another and lead him to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they would put him to death† (Kessler, 375). The author of this book uses a prisoner to describe the famous analogy of the cave. This analogy argues that both realities and illusions are in one’s mind. Depending on the surrounding environment, one can decide to take certain illusions as the reality and stick to it. In order to shift from these illusions, the victim must go through an acclimatizing period.The author uses symbolism to explain the analogy of the cave. He uses objects that everyone can relate to in an attempt to analyze this theory. For example, he relates cave to the concept of vision and fire light to the sunlight. Moreover, he uses the upward journey to intellectual levels. This is clear in the portion where he indicates, â€Å"This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellect ual world† (Kessler, 376). The Analogy of the Cave entails reality and illusions. Plato uses the story of the prisoner to contrast the two worlds. Moreover, he tries to convey his belief in the power of illusions. This renowned philosopher believes that the world of reality is created from illusions and forms. Additionally, Plato uses prisoners to illustrate the ignorance of individuals living in the world of illusion and their comfort in this situation. According to the author, the world of reality is relative to an individual. Moreover, the strong believer of the world of forms relates the reality and illusion worlds to the five senses in a person. This is according to his argument in the book, â€Å"Anyone who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light, which is true of the mind’s eye† (Kessler 376). According to his theory, the real world is a rational form of the illusion version of an object. As such, the world of forms is crucial in creating the real world. It is through these illusions that make objects appear real. Moreover, the world of forms improves one’s intelligent through the five common senses. Additionally, this philosopher identifies one’s soul and mind as the forces behind the real world. The analogy states, â€Å"Whereas our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being† (Kessler 377). Q2 Why do you agree or disagree with the analogy of the cave? The Analogy of the Cave is one that achieves its objective of explaining the occurrence in our environment. It describes these occurrences in details in an attempt to eliminate people’s confusion on nature. The analogy makes it clear that our thoughts relates to one’s soul and mind. Moreover, the improvement of our intelligent levels relates to the mind and soul and can determine our personality. The author of this philosophic book states, â€Å"And whereas the other so-called virtues of the soul seems to be akin to bodily qualities, for even when they are not originally innate they can be implanted by habit and exercise, the virtue of wisdom more than anything else contains a divine element which always remains, and by this conversion is rendered useful and profitable† (Kessler 377). The Analogy of the Cave is, therefore, one that creates a sense on the human nature. It helps understand the different perspectives and views of people. In conclusion, the Analogy of the Cave is relevant in the explanation of human thinking. Rene’s First Principle Q1 Explain how Rene arrives at his 1st Principle The First Principle by Rene, according to Meditation I and II of Descartes, seeks to protect the fields of science and religion from irrational critics. This principle supports the non-questionability of theories in the two fields. According to Rene, one can only consider something as true or false upon gathering sufficient evidence to support the claims. This principle works against premature judgments on various ideas. Moreover, Rene campaigns for detailed analysis of ideas and concepts before making conclusions from them. Rene came up with this principle upon his dissatisfaction with the western philosophy that tried to connect science and religion. In his publication, â€Å"the western philosophy did not produce anything that was not in dispute and consequently doubtful† (Kessler 6). Being a staunch catholic as well as a scientist, the philosopher believed that the two fields were independent of each other. Moreover, he believed that the concepts in these fields needed sufficient proof in order to be termed as true or false. As such, this principle prevents review of these concepts based on one’s thoughts and opinions. His issue with science-based arguments was due to their concentration on the past’s ideologies while leaving no room for recent observations. Upon identifying the gaps in the existing philosophy, Rene decided to create a principle against this philosophy in order to eliminate prejudgments in these fields. He used his own self as a study tool to create a principle that controls criticisms on science and religion. In his book, â€Å"I eventually reached the decision to study my own self, and choose the right path† (Kessler 7). This detailed study gave rise to the famous ‘first principle’. Q2. After reaching the 1st Principle, Rene then asks what the â€Å"I† is. Rene goes through several possibilities, and concludes that he is a thinking thing. Explain how Rene arrives at this conclusion from the 1st Principle Rene used himself as a study tool to formulate his first principle. According to him, human beings use their minds to argue certain concepts and theories. He illustrates thinking capability as the main difference between human beings and other creatures. According to Rene’s principle, a human being’s mind is immortal as opposed to the body. He is of the idea that the mind control human beings. This explains his belief that the soul of a human being continues to exist even after one’s death. This belief in this concept relates to his strong catholic faith. The catholic denomination believes that the soul is the core of a human being. As a result, his religious history influenced the formulation of his first principle. In his principle, â€Å"our souls can exist without our bodies† (Kessler 10). This evidence satisfies the affirmation of Rene in his publication, â€Å"I think, therefore I am† (Kessler 12). Q3 Do you agree that humans are essentially minds or souls? According to Rene’s first principle, humans are mainly made of minds and souls. This principle describes the human body as physical. Because of this state, the body is mortal, and upon one’s death, it completes its functionalism. On the other hand, the soul and mind of an individual are intertwined and the force behind the functionalism of an individual. Moreover, the soul is non-physical and immortal. This makes it continue functioning even after the death of an individual. Rene argues that comprehension of events in one’s environment is the responsibility of the mind and not the body. By the use of the candle wax melting process as an example, Rene cancels out the idea that the five senses are responsible for articulation of events in the surrounding. He argues that these sensory organs are just vessels that direct information from the mind to the body. Q4 Rene asks: â€Å"Then what was there in the wax that I comprehended so distinctly?† Explain how Rene answers this questionIn the experiment of the wax, Rene analyses the concept behind his identification of the physical state of the wax. He says, â€Å"Then what was there in the wax that I comprehended distinctly† (Kessler 13). After his analysis, he concludes that the appearance and characteristics of the wax in its different forms appear due to the action of the mind as opposed to that of the five senses. Rene states, â€Å"What the wax is only with my mind† (Kessler 13). According to Rene’s answer, the mind is responsible for identification of physical objects. To give an explanation to his answer on the wax experiment, Rene divides human beings into the mind and body. Moreover, he explains his theory that minds are more powerful than the bodies due to their non-physical state. According to his line of thought, the mind can influence the body’ s actions although the vice versa is not true. However, this thought has drawn substantial argument from his critics due to his conclusion that the control of the body by the mind takes place in the pineal gland of the brain. This conclusion contradicts his thought that physical objects do not influence non-physical ones. Q5. Explain why you agree or disagree with Rene’s view of the mind and the body and his view of religion and science I agree with Rene’s theory that due to the evidence he uses to support his claims. The mind is a powerful and independent part of humans that control their actions. It aids in differentiating real objects from their shadows. As such, one is able to differentiate the real world from that of illusions with the help of our minds. This is evident from Rene’s first principle. Moreover, his principle aids in eliminating irrational criticism on the fields of religion and science. This is important as some aspects in these broad areas need no baseless criticism. Aspects such as God’s existence depend on one’s faith and relate to the mind. Moreover, his principle on science issues is valuable. People should not base certain concepts related to science on personal opinions due to their complex nature. This principle makes Rene’s thought relevant in the worlds of science and religion. Work Cited Kessler, Gary E. Voices of Wisdom: A Multicultural Philosophy Reader. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth, 1992. Print.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Reflections on reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reflections on reading - Essay Example Main hero, Zach is a complicated, not an ordinary person, who is put by author in not a casual kind of circumstances. Maybe this novel is even metaphorical: for example, Zach’s roommate in rehab has a name Raphael, what calls up a parallel with name Raphael like the angel’s name. (Koenig, L.) â€Å"Hairstyles of the Damned† by Joe Meno I loved most. It’s entertaining and helpful for young people, and a little bit philosophical – all at ones. This novel gives reader an opportunity to feel like you are (or were) not alone with your teenage problems, and believe, that if everyone is going through it, you also will. First love and sex, complexes about the way you are and way you look, problems with friends, parents and at school – it’s all common teenage problems. To my mind, such books should be written for a different ages, because in every age there are specifical problems and fears, and in every age it’s important to feel you’re not alone. I also loved the main hero for his mistakes and his honesty to himself. It’s often we can not explain all our emotions to other people, even to family and friends, but it’s important to confess your feelings to yourself and be not ashamed of what you desire. So after the end of my literature class, that force me to read, I think I still be reading sometimes for all three reasons: to know briefly something new, to think about high important things together with the intellectual author and to feel I’m not alone with something that bothers me right

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Polynomial function Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Polynomial function - Assignment Example Conclusion: It is clear that the prediction about that nonic expression is true. The graph will remain the same till the infinite value of x. however, graph is not a straight inclined line, and thus hypothesis is not perfectly true. A part of the hypothesis is true as the graph of the nonic function is each case passes through the origin and lay in two quadrants. Moreover hypothesis is also true that it ranges from -∞ to +∞; however, the graph of the nonic function is not always a straight line. The graph may have three turning points and do not always remain a straight line. However, it will always remain in two quadrants. It is not possible to attain a solution for the nonic degree polynomial expressions with the methods developed and designed to solve the lower degree polynomial expressions. On the other hand, calculation by researchers and mathematicians are done only up to sixth degree polynomial expressions. The solution of nonic degree polynomial involves the algebraic comparison with the symbolic equation of similar degree. The first step of the solution is the decomposition of the nonic degree expression in novel manner. The two factors attained as the result of decomposition of nonic degree expressions are fourth degree polynomial expression and other is fifth degree polynomial expression. The decompositions and factorization method that we will involve in the solution of nonic degree expressions will eventually give expression that can be solved in radicals

Monday, January 27, 2020

Role Of Public Health Practitioner

Role Of Public Health Practitioner The writer seeks to critically analyse the role of the public health practitioner in general, taking into consideration the current socio-political context, the knowledge and skills needed for the role, challenges that exists in fulfilling the public health role and the approaches. In the second part of this work, the writer has chosen an initiative and will critically appraise how well the identified initiative meets the criteria for good public health. Public health skills and competencies will be identified and discussed in this initiative including health promotion theories and approaches. See Appendix-1. The public Practitioner role, knowledge and skills The writer has found it appropriate to start by defining public health though there are many definitions. The Public Health Resources Unit (2008) state that the purpose of public health is to: Improve health and population wellbeing; disease prevention and minimise its consequences; prolong valued life and health inequalities reduction (PHRU, 2008). PHRU states that all these can be achieved through: taking a population perspective; mobilising the organised efforts of society and acting as an public health advocate; enabling people and communities to increase their own health and wellbeing; acting on the social, economic, environmental and biological determinants of health and wellbeing; protecting from and minimising the impact of the health risks to the population and ensuring that preventive, treatment and care services are of high quality evidence-based and of best value (PHRU, 2008). Public health as defined by Webster and French in (Tones Tilford, 2001) comprise of three aspects which are population-level health promotion; the epidemiological analysis and health professional trained in medicine. Naidoo and Willis (2000 p. 181) looks at public health being characterised by several factors and embraces three domains; the health promotion of the whole population, health protection-a concern for the prevention of illness and disease and health service improvement-a recognition of the many factors that contribute to health The public health practitioners have autonomy on specified areas and continually own work area and support others to understand it and practitioners are likely to work in multi-agency and multi-disciplinary environment, whereas general practitioners work as a part of a larger team led by someone working at a higher level (PHRU, 2008). An approach to public health is described by the Faculty of Public (2000) with emphasis on the collective responsibility for improvement in health and prevention of disease; recognizes the key role of the state, linked to a concern for the underlying socio-economic and wider determinants of health as well as disease. This approach is multi-disciplinary, incorporating quantitative as well as qualitative methods; emphasizes partnerships with all those who contribute to the health of the population (FPH, 2000). Sir Donald Acheson, (1988) defines public health as the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting, protecting and improving health through the organised efforts of society. He also describes the role as planning and evaluation of services as well as undertaking the surveillance of disease and co-ordinating the control of communicable diseases and public practitioner provide epidemiological advice on priority setting. Naidoo and Willis (1998) states that this will include public health practitioner skills for example communication, planning, networking, management and the use of research based evidence. A public health practitioner is identified by Naidoo and Willis (2001) and Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) as a trained person with a role to make people and the environment healthier, to carry out researches, to advocate and work collaboratively with the community on identified projects. The public practitioner is required to implement health initiative by the government that are aimed at improving health inequalities in society. Naidoo and Willis (2008) also points out that there are three principles that underpins the health practitioner for example empowerment, participation, equity and collaborative working which concurs with World Health Organisation (WHO, 1986). Reducing health inequalities is a priority and all health professionals have a role to play in the targeting of individuals whose health status is below average, or who may not access current health services for a variety of reasons. The 10 year NHS Plan (DOH, 2000) set a new statutory objective for NHS to allocate resources to contribute to a reduction in health status. Public health practitioners work to increase individual knowledge concerning the body function and ways of preventing illness, raising competence using health care system and awareness about political and environmental factors that influence health. Community capacity can be built by increasing their abilities to participate in promoting their health. The government White Paper, Saving Lives (DOH, 1999) on public health strategy for England first response to Acheson Report set a national agenda for action to reduce health inequalities for example it gave a commitment to action on living standards and tackling poverty, child poverty in particular, pre-school education, employment as a poverty way out, transport, urban regeneration, crime reduction and housing improvement for disadvantaged areas, as well as preventative activities through a strengthened public health workforce (Hogstedt et al, 2008). The governments strategy in Our Healthier Nation in Department of Health 1999a is to ensure that the public health labour force was knowledgeable and skilled, well staffed and resourcefully supplied to deal with major task of delivering health strategies. Health professionals with their knowledge and skills are expected to play a part in meeting the aims set in the White Paper (DOH, 1999). Public health practitioner skills includes acting as leaders knowledgeable and quipped to manage strategic change and working in partnership with other agencies, focus on health promotion for community development, familiarising with public concepts and use evidence in guiding work were appropriate. Socio-Political Context Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) states that in the UK in 1980s there were serious failures in the standards of care which was provided in public health. Communities before were seen as passive recipients of service and service users were not valued according to McKnight (1998) in (Gorin and Arnold, 1998). Naidoo and Willis (1998 p. 9) states that modern public health acknowledges the importance of living conditions to promote health, action on health inequalities, physical and social regeneration of neighbourhoods, development of healthy public policy on food, transport and the workplace. Public health system lacked sufficient hospital beds, staff, buildings and equipment (Tones and Tilford, 2006). According to Naidoo and Willis (2001) the public health movement emerged with the noble idea of educating the public for good health. Under the Public Health Legislation of 1848 public health workers were appointed to regularly publicize health advice on safeguards against contamination. It was noted that there was a rise of the sanitary reform in which the local government focusing on environmental issues. The National Health Service and Community Care Act (1990) was introduced which was a significant piece of public health legislation which brought changes in the way health services was delivered, which includes massive closure of health care institutions and people were cared for in the community (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006). Naidoo and Willis (2006) notes the publication of Health of the Nation (1992) strategy which targeted five key areas which includes coronary heart disease, cancer, mental health, sexual health and accidents. However Donaldson and Donaldson (2006) pointed out that Personal Hygiene era noted that the main causes of death and disability shifted from infections to chronic illnesses, such as heart diseases, stroke, cancers, respiratory illness and accidents where lifestyles play a causative role. Another role of the public health practitioner is to promote and protect individuals and the wider populations health and wellbeing by preventing the spread of infectious diseases and protection against chemical radiation or other hazards. Lifestyle changes such as stop smoking, better nutrition and more physical activities can improve health and reduce the burden of diseases like obesity, coronary heart disease and cancer. Naidoo and Wills (2001), state that the intervention of the public health practitioner was health education with an emphasis on individual behaviour. The Public Health Act of 1994 focused on housing, sanitation, safe water and food. Ewles and Simnet (2001) states that public health was introduced by the New Labour Party in 1997 matching with same principles as World Health Organisation adopting similar policies to the Jakarta (1997) declaration with emphasis on infrastructure and investment, with empowering the service user to make informed choices. The Minister of Public Health was then introduced in 1997 (Donaldson and Donaldson, 2006) which led to the creation of Health Development Agency in (1998) with the aim of maintaining and publicizing evidence based for health improvement and advising on standards for public health and health promotion carrying out campaigns in addition to the formation of public health observatories which were linked with universities in order to monitor health and highlight areas of action and evaluating progress by local agencies with the aim to improve health and reduce inequality. Naidoo and Willis (2000, p. 139) also states that the New Labour government created a Minister for Public Health in 1997 with a responsibility to co-ordinate health policy across different sectors and highlight the impact of different policies. New reforms were also introduced in The New NHS-Modern, Dependable (DoH, 1997) with intention to replace the internal market with integrated care led by primary care groups of General Practitioners and community nurses whose responsibilities are commissioning and providing health care services for their local population. The New Public Health was introduced focusing on heath promotion and education using the bottom-up approach and focusing on public health rather than acute services. Tones and Tilford (2001) cites the Acheson enquiry which raised concerns regarding critical inequalities in health that in society the worst off are more ill and die earlier resulting to Green Paper (2003) with aims to reduce health inequalities. Three areas were prioritised by the report in relation to health inequalities, assessment of all relevant policies, for example the health of families with children and further reduction of income inequalities and poverty. The Department of Health (2003) Tackling Health Inequalities 3 year programme was set up to tackle health inequalities. It had four topics to support families to break the cycle of poverty, engaging communities and individuals to ensure relevance, responsiveness and sustainability as well as preventing illness and providing effective treatment and care culminating in addressing the underlying determinants of health. Tones and Tilford (2001) furthermore notes the reformation of the NHS by the Labour government to create a health service fit for the needs of 21st century Britain which is better, faster, more convenient service for patients that is fair and free to everyone. A variety of measures were introduced to improve quality of life in run down areas with a range of strategies to work towards quality homes for all. The New Labour implemented a policy of providing good housing in collaboration with the private sector in order to protect and meet the needs of the most vulnerable people (Naidoo and Willis (2001). Challenges that exists Challenges that exist in the public health sector are the current economic situation faced by the government which can cause difficulty in securing funding. The other challenge is failure in understanding or valuing the work of public health professional which can undermine their effectiveness and generate a defensive culture and negatively affects their moral; a lack of defined standards for public health practice and; a lack of clear accountability for health improvement. The shortage of some technical skills for example needs assessment, analysis and interpretation of information, critical appraisal and implementation skills; limited number of eligible applicants; sub-optimal working arrangements with local authorities manifesting in lack of consistency of local community plans and health plans. The other challenges are inadequacy of health as opposed to health service information systems and surveillance system for communicable and non-communicable disease. The other challenge is the difficulty in accessing public health evidence of promptly in a useable form; duplication of activity, in marshalling epidemiological information and evidence of effectiveness of health programmes. Lastly limited partnership between academic and public health service departments; limited pooling of resources and expertise between Health Boards and the NHS and other agencies and a lack of milestones by which to measure success (Review of the Public Health Function in Scotland, 2000). Part 2: Health initiative (Sure Start) The writer has chosen to focus on Sure Start which is a government programme aimed at delivering the best start in life for every child by bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support. The following are responsible for delivering Sure Start within Department for Children, Schools and Families: The Early Years, Extended Schools and Special Needs Group. Britain had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe in the mid-1990s which led to the need of health promotion (UNICEF, 2001). In UK the Child Act, 2004 provides the legal underpinning childrens services set out by the government in the Green Paper in 2003, Every Child Matters as a Governments approach to the well being of children and young people aimed at giving all children the support they need to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well being which concurs with Ottawa Charter. The Childrens Plan (2007) was then published with a ten year strategy with aims to improve educational outcomes for children, improve childrens health, reduce offending rates among young people and eradicate children poverty by 2020 (DCFS, 2007). Health promotion works through concrete and effective community action in setting priorities, making decisions, planning strategies and implementing them to achieve better health (Ottawa Charter, 1986). For that reason the government therefore planned to deliver the best start for every child in bringing together early education, childcare, health and family support through Sure Start (Asthana and Halliday, 2006). Sure start is a public health approach that takes a population perspective, tackling causes of ill health and this is done by teaching mothers on breast feeding avoids lifestyles focus and its marginalisation of socio-economic and environmental influences on health which is in line with Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation (1999). The Department for Education and Skills (2000) set up Sure Starts core aims, targets and initiatives in their guidance document at the beginning of the programme (DES, 2000, pp. 1-2) were to improve health by accessing appropriate healthcare; enable informed choices about continuing a pregnancy or not; support teenage parents in caring for their children. Ewles (2006) support the idea that there is evidence to support the use of behaviour modification in conjunction with changes in caring for the vulnerable children and levels of activities involved in pre and post birth which concurs with the governments programme responding to Acheson report (1998) in Tackling Health Inequalities. This is seen by Beattie (1991) as objective reality of empowerment based on actual situation on community level. By promoting and protecting the health of pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their children Sure Start seem to be inline with Bradshaws taxonomy (1972) of health and social needs. Teenage parenthood is identified by Sure Start as both a cause and a consequence of social exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit, 1999) and this can be a normative need. Social Exclusion Unit (1999) also predicted the problems that involve a greater than average risk of being poor, unemployed and isolated. This is in accordance to the Acheson report (1998) which focuses on health inequalities and defines public health as the art and science of the prevention of disease and the promotion of health through the organised efforts of society. According to McLeod (2001) teenage mothers when compared to other mothers they have been seen as more likely to experience poverty and social deprivation and even in adult life, although these likelihoods might be a meaning of their deprived status relatively than of becoming a parent early per se (Ermisch and Pevalin, 2003). According to Bradshaw taxonomy this could be identified as a comparative need which concerns problems which emerge by comparison with others who are not in need. Furthermore he state that one of the most common uses of this approach is the comparison of social problems in different areas in order to determine which areas are most deprived. According to Social Exclusion Unit (1999) the government policy objective is to promote continuous learning among young people through Sure Start focusing on prevention of conceptions and secondly focussing on supporting teenage mothers primarily by measures to strongly encourage them to complete their education and keep in touch with the jobs market. This concurs with Naidoo and Willis (2001) who views public health as working together with others on shared programmes on the other hand to ensure that health promotion activities were achieved. Sure Start use collaboration, education and participatory approaches. Furthermore Dugan (1996) encourages public health practitioners to use participatory approach as a process that has rewarding effects and increases local talent and capacity, provides flexibility and systematic process for people. Micklewright (2002) assets that seven out of thirteen indicators in the second annual statement on poverty and social exclusion connecting to children and young people are measures of education and gaining skills. Educational approach enables health promoters to work with the community as partners giving guidance and not taking control but listening and taking their perspective on board. Educational approach expressed by Naidoo and Willis (2001) enriches the community with knowledge, information and developing skills that will enable them to make informed choices with regards to their health behaviour. Whereas community development aims at empowering people to work together to influence the social, economic, political and environmental issues that influence them (Naidoo and Willis, 2000). World Health Organization believed that people needed to hold some degree of control over their living and working conditions in order to develop lifestyles conducive to health (WHO, 1986). Ottawa Charter defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over, and improve their health (WHO, 1986). In conclusion public health practitioners role is to influence and identify those factors that promote the health of the population and contributes to reducing health inequalities, and able to influence teams and organizations and valuing professional development. For health practitioners to work effectively, good and effective communication skills are required that enables them to use appropriate verbal and non verbal communication skills to deliver relevant information to various people. It is essential that studies are conducted that primarily focus on the whole range of public health roles within health practice with particular emphasis given to examine the effects of these roles on public health professionals, and the education and training that will be necessary for these roles.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Aig Scandal

[pic] THE INTERNAL CONTROLS AND FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES THAT LED TO THE BAILOUT OF OUR NATION’S LARGEST INSURANCE COMPANY By: Monte Schwartz PREFACE Anyone who watches TV has most likely seen the American International Group (hereinafter AIG) commercial with the little boy who walks into his parent’s room while they are sleeping. When his mother asks if he had a nightmare, he says â€Å"no† and that he’s worried about his parent’s financial future. After a twenty-second spiel about his worries, the father says, â€Å"Buddy, we’re with AIG† and he goes, â€Å"Oh! and walks out of the room and (assuming) back to his bedroom. [1] AIG, established as a Delaware corporation in 1921 by Maurice â€Å"Hank† Greenburg, is primarily engaged in insurance-related and financial activities in the United States and European countries (over 130 combined total); including but not limited to home insurance, car insurance, life insurance and various investments. Imagine that this boys parents’ discover one day with their financial planners that they lost all of their investments and insurances in which they paid dearly.The parents had agreed to make an investment so they and their children could have a secured future protection against market risks. Well, it became a reality for many Americans. This devastating loss left many taxpayers with misappropriated assets along with a burden to pay the â€Å"bill† for the bailout of AIG. PART I: HOUSING MARKET SCANDAL: VIOLATIONS IN BUSINESS OPERATIONS To understand the accounting scandal of AIG, one must first understand its business transactions and operations leading up to the SEC investigations. In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed into law the OmnibusBudget Reconciliation Act, commonly known as the OBRA-93 or the Deficit Reduction Act. Part XIII, is our primary focus, the Revenue Reconciliation Act which allows limitations on executive compensations by limiting the deductible for tax purposes to $1 Million unless the compensation was earned through performance, bonuses or equity: ultimately increasing the average executives paycheck. [2] When an executive’s paycheck percentage is primarily a bonus, those profits can lead to decisions that are not in the best interest, short-term and long-term, of taxpayers or shareholders.You may think what this Act has to do with AIG, but this act is the very essence of why AIG failed as a business. AIG had paid its top executives a whopping $165 million in bonuses after it had received bailout funds. In early 1995, the Clinton Administration issued new and revised regulations to the Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA (in which was created by the Jimmy Carter administration) which de-emphasize a lender to make subjective assessment measures in favor of strictly numerical quotas, or as others may say, racial quotas. 3] In simpler terms, private banks were compelled to provide loans to low income famili es and minority neighborhoods as long as the person was making some sort of income to repay the loan and did not require any initiation of a credit check. In more ways than one, this was a Federal scheme that pressured and extorted banks into loaning money to people at high-risk. The new regulations also instructed lenders to take into account how well they responded to complaints from groups such as Minority Community Activist organizations like ACORN.In December of the same year, Henry Cisneros (herinafter Cisneros), then head of Department of Housing and Urban Development (hereinafter HUD), moved Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac towards a requirement that 42% of the mortgages would now serve predominantly minority neighborhoods and low to moderate income families. In 2000, Andrew Cuomo (hereinafter Cuomo), Cisneros’ successor, established an even more aggressive social-engineering goal by increasing the number of mortgages to 50% by method of dramatically hiking Fanny Mae’ s and Freddie Mac’s mandates to buy mortgages to under-serve neighborhoods for the very low income. 4] Cuomo also encouraged them to strongly enter the sub-prime loan markets, which are credit-default swap markets. And who sold the credit-default swaps? AIG did, because it was an insurance on bonds. Large banks buy bonds and insurance policies so that if a company, say General Electric, should declare bankruptcy, the large bank is out on whatever premium amount it paid and receives money from whoever sold the insurance policy, which in this case was AIG since AIG was the biggest underwriter of credit-default swaps. 5] Take for instance, as an example, General Electric (GE)[6]. There are only two (2) reasons as to why a bank would purchase credit-default swaps. Either they do not want to provide the full credit amount as it may be a risk or they are looking to hide something, like a cash transaction. Suppose that Bank A wants to better its business relationship with GE and so GE asks for $70 million on credit. The bank, in return, speaks to their senior credit manager that the maximum they can provide is $50 million, due to risk exposure.However, in order to satisfy the customer, the bank lends the $70 million anyway and writes off the $20 million difference by purchasing a credit-default swap from Bank B. The only problem is, GE believes the entire $70 million came from Bank A. Now, Bank B was â€Å"AIG Financial Products† (hereinafter AIGFP), a division of AIG. Bank A was Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, etc. PART II: THE ACCOUNTING SCANDAL: VIOLATIONS OF INTERNAL CONTROL There are four (4) most common ways of distorting a company’s financial condition.They are revenue recognition, cost or expense recognition, accounting for reserves and accounting related to business combinations. [7] AIG distorted their financials via accounting for reserves. What does that mean though? In accounting, companies use reserves to cover future costs such as taxes, possible litigation and pay-off debts or other liabilities. When a company intentionally falsifies information and misleads auditors of true financial reports, these fake transactions are better known as â€Å"sham transactions†.In 2001, the Securities Exchange Commission (herein after SEC) began investigating and making allegations that AIG was providing investors, shareholders and auditors with false financial statements, showing two sham schemes where the company altered its balance sheets through bogus transactions in efforts to conceal the company’s losses on investments related to the credit default swaps. By September of 2003, the SEC filed a lawsuit against a company known as Brightpoint Inc. (hereinafter Brightpoint), in which is a wholesale distributor of electronics.Their allegations included, but not limited to, improper use of insurance policies in attempting to reduce a loss by 11. 9 Million in efforts to show the public a smaller lo ss. As a result, Brightpoint’s Financial Statements overstated their net income. The SEC found their net income overstated by 61%. [8] It was revealed later in the discovery period that AIG was involved in assisting Brightpoint to spread out their losses over a time period. This technique is known as â€Å"retroactive insurance† which combined two policies into one.The two policies were the Retroactive Coverage and a Prospective Coverage. The â€Å"policy† was supposed to cover the cost of losses over a three-year term. The idea was to â€Å"smooth† the financial statement so that the public did not see such an impact of losses by AIG clients. Brightpoint paid a monthly premium for this policy of $15 Million. This tactic, while completely fraudulent, allowed Brightpoint to show an Insurance Receivable of $11. 9 Million. See, SEC v. Brightpoint (2003). Retroactive Coverage is not insurance.It just moved cash from one place to another, which the SEC called a â€Å"round-trip of cash†. Brightpoint deposited monies with AIG and later on, AIG would return the funds; yet mark it off in their books as if they made an Insurance Claim Payment. There was no risk being transferred. Once Auditors realized that this policy wasn’t quite an Insurance Policy, Brightpoint began making â€Å"restatements† to their financial statements. It is obvious that there is fraud when the books require numerous â€Å"restatements†. After the SEC had filed their lawsuit, AIG quickly made agreements to settle for $10 Million.This was only a civil penalty. No criminal penalties were administered by the Federal Courts for this â€Å"Retro-active Policy†. This payment of $10 Million resulted in AIG’s profit a mere $100,000. See, SEC v. Brightpoint (2003). Brightpoint was not the only company received â€Å"assistance† from AIG around the same time frame. Another company, known as PNC Financial Services Group Inc. (her einafter PNC), was also involved. In short, PNC was a Pennsylvania bank holding company. AIG helped PNC to move $762 million of assets off of the balance sheets. 9] By now, it seems AIG was a â€Å"pro† at distorting balance sheets. They didn’t like low net incomes and they helped others by sharing their tactics of â€Å"distortion†. The SEC calls these â€Å"PAGIC† transactions, since net incomes magically show profit. PNC had transferred their assets to another entity which PNC held major interest. They had created three (3) transactions which were intended to reduce their losses in regards to loans and venture capital investments by â€Å"transferring†, according to the SEC summary findings.PNC had then failed to account for these transfers as an asset or a loan which failed to appear on their balance sheets. This reduced their exposure to â€Å"troubled loans and volatile assets†. (See SEC v. PNC Financial Services, Inc. ) These transact ions were obviously structured to benefit PNC and its interested entities by increasing the value of their net income. Recently, as of January 2010, the SEC has also filed a complaint against a company known as Gen Re (General Reinsurance Corporation) which SEC has evidence of involvement in assisting AIG and other Financial Companies in using this sham scheme.The SEC makes allegations that Gen Re â€Å"knowingly provided substantial assistance to both AIG and Prudential in connection with their own violations of the books and records and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws, Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1932. †[10] AIG falsely reported on its financial statements increases to both loss reserves and premiums written via sham reinsurance transactions. Gen Re helped AIG’s balance sheet transactions appear as thought AIG had an increase in loss reserves[11] by $500 million, which obviously was far from the ac tuality.The loss reserves should have been $250 million – half of the claimed amount – according to the SEC findings. There is also another accounting scandal involving AIG and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The individual parties involved Hank Greenberg, the CEO and founder of AIG and Timothy Geithner, then President of the NY Fed. Bank. The party investigating was the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee (hereinafter Committee), whose senior chairman is Darrell Issa, also Republican Representative of California.Over twenty-two (22) hearings, discovery proceedings, interrogatories were produced on behalf of the Committee towards Timothy Geithner in why the Federal Reserve ordered AIG to refrain from disclosing in the notes of the financial statements all the facts of the bailout. Geithner, in hearings, attempted to defend the bailout by suggesting that had AIG collapsed, America would face a Great Depression. This answer was something the Committee h ad heard numerous times before. They demanded a new answer.Even if the case is true, that America would have faced a Great Depression, the Committee smelled a bad scene unfolding, especially since two of Geithner’s closest advisors, Mark Patterson (chief of staff) and Henry Paulson Jr. (former ex-chairman of the Federal Reserve), were both ex-employees of Goldman Sachs. In AIG’s bailout, Goldman Sachs had received $13 Billion. In defense to the bailout, Timothy Geithner’s general counsel had claimed that the disclosures were unnecessary since the company’s regulatory filings had offered more detailed information.In opposition to this statement, Issa released a five-page list of derivative transactions, also known as â€Å"Schedule A†[12] which is a comparative list of notional value, total collateral and negative mark to market values, respectively. Notional value is the value of the derivatives underlying assets at spot price (current price). The total collateral posted is the total securities for the guaranteed repayment of a loan and the negative mark to market measures the fair market value of accounts, which can change overtime.Between the three comparisons, it is clear that â€Å"Schedule A† shows little reason for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York insisted that information should be kept private. PART III: THE RESULTS: BAILOUT & BONUSES A â€Å"bailout† is the giving of financial assistance (via the Fed, therefore taxpayers) to a failing business to save it from collapse. A bailout can be through the use of cash or a loan; however it can only happen when a company faces potential bankruptcy.With AIG’s housing market scandal and accounting scandal, it faced bankruptcy because it reported an overstatement of net revenue on its annual financial statements leading investors and shareholders to believe the company was a success. AIG initially received $85 Billion from the government as a loan, and th en sometime in March 2009, they received another $88 Billion. Now that we know what financial assistance was received, term $173 Billion, what did AIG do with all the bailout money? Well, now we can look closer at Figure 1-1 in determine where the money has gone. 44 Million went back into the Banks of the United States. AIG paid itself $600 Million. Golden Sachs received $13 Billion and Merrill Lynch: $7 Billion. The chart also includes bailout money that each of the 50 states received, totaling $12 Billion, even though they were originally supposed to receive $15 Billion. $113 Billion went to guarantees, such as bond guarantees and securities guarantees. If you look closer, you will see that foreign banks and countries received more bailout money than the United States did. France, Germany and the United Kingdom received the bulk of the funds, a whopping $49 Billion.These countries received, rounded, 80% of the AIG foreign funds. See below figure for details of the funds AIG disbur sed to large banks and foreign countries. [pic] And what about that $165 Million â€Å"bonus† contract AIG had? Senior Judicial Analyst, Judge Andrew Napolitano states that (1) the â€Å"existence of a contract is the building block to our commercial society† and that (2) therefore, the contract to pay top executives a $165 million cannot be broken because the â€Å"constitution prohibits the government, federal and state, from interfering with valid contracts and these contracts were valid when they were signed. [13] Much of the debate of where all of the taxpayer bailout funds come into scrutiny but that is another issue of AIG. The majority of the housing market and accounting scandals began during the Jimmy Carter administration when he enacted the CRA. Then, in the Bill Clinton administration, while he may have had good faith intentions to help the minority communities, he literally forced banks to handout loans when the applier had a high credit risk.Then, Cuomo increased the percentage of mortgages that were required to serve minorities via credit-default swaps which AIG were the primary underwriters. This factor, along with the sham balance sheet insurance transactions was the reason AIG nearly went bankrupt. While the bailout certainly helped AIG in avoiding bankruptcy, thousands of American citizens who file and pay annual income tax returns (the 50%), lost their investments and insurances to secure their futures all due to tax-schemers and executives who are high on themselves and want a bigger return. PART IV: AIG:WHAT IT IS NOW Since the discovery of AIG’s fraudulent behaviors in business and financial activities in 2001, the company has had to face many lawsuits from investors and shareholders; some are still pending. The CEO of AIG, Hank Greenburg as well as a few top executives were forced to resign. Some executives received a two (2) year prison term, which isn’t a very long time when considering how much money was misappropriated. Just recently, Oct 2, 2012, the company revealed a new image for their name. They have changed their logo which is the cover image above.They claim the new logo is â€Å"transparent† and â€Å"simplistic†. Does a new logo change the history of a company though? In a company that had so much potential yet failed to secure the futures of the Americans who they insured, the reputation is irreparably damaged and until it repays the billions of dollars back to the government (or, taxpayers). Until then, AIG is owned by the Federal Government. ———————– [1] â€Å"AIG Commercial†  © 2005 < http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=9VvGW98D3XA> [2] Korzenik, Jeffrey D. Forbes. om â€Å"The Tax Code Encourages Big Wall Street Bonuses† Feb 2009. < http://www. forbes. com/2009/02/04/wall-street-bonuses-opinions-contributors_0204_jeffrey_korzenik. html> [3] Money Gather: â€Å"Bill Clinton Helped Cau se the Housing Crisis† September 2008. [4] Morris, Dick. Take Back America. Pg 266, Harper, April 13, 2010. Print. > [5] The Big Picture. â€Å"Credit Default Swaps are Insurance Products. It’s Time we Regulated them as Much. † March 2012. [6] General Electric was in no way shape or form related to the AIG scandal; this is strictly an example. 7] See Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP, 2009 Securities Litigation Study 30 (2009), available at http://10b5. pwc. com/PDF/NY-10-0559%20SEC%20LIT%20STUDY_V7%20PRINT. PDF. [8] Securities Exchange Commission v. Brightpoint Inc. , (2003) http://www. sec. gov/litigation/complaints/comp18340. htm [9] Securities and Exchange Commission v. PNC Financial Services Inc. http://www. sec. gov/litigation/admin/33-8112. htm [10] Securities and Exchange Commission v General Re Corporation, 10 CV 458, PACER [11] Loss reserves in the Insurance industry are an estimate of the value of a claim or group of claims not yet paid. [12]