E-commerce and the world wide web an evolving relationship Research Paper

E-commerce and the world wide web an evolving relationship - Research Paper Example The inauguration of e-commerce could be pursued way back when telegrams, telex, telephones and fax were being used for commercial activities. In 1980, with the use of EDI, efforts were made in order to systemize the business information. The network between businesses were planned and based on value added network (Amor, 2000). The efficiency of carrying out the business was improved; however the commercial growth was limited because of the costly network. In 1990s, due to the internet being commercialized and arrival of computer technology, the network became economical for businesses as well as for the individuals (Amor, 2000). World Wide Web was formed due to the interrelationship. Businesses began approaching their customers by using the internet and to give the information related to marketing or online directory of product. Since then World Wide Web has emerged as a potential place for e-commerce practices (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). E-commerce is expanding across the globe, which is opening the challenges and opportunities for a group of websites that are able to give e-business development. ECOMMERCE AND WORLD WIDE WEB E-commerce has been increasing all over the globe. Today many businesses are using the internet, websites, extranets and electronic data interchange to carry out e-commerce. E-commerce has been emerging, and whether it is a manufacturing company, a service organization or a retail store, e-commerce is being used by almost by every firm (Smith, 2011). E-commerce through the internet has been a valuable source which could be any source like online advertising, websites, blogs, videos, YouTube, or social media etc. Today businesses form their official websites to carry e-commerce or online transactions. These websites promote the information gathered from the decision making of the consumers regarding their purchases. E-commerce websites assist in building a relationship with consumers by offering usual communications (Smith, 2011) The internet or World Wide Web is not only considered to be an excellent source of communication among the people around the world, but it is also becoming one of the fastest and the most preferred sources for business transactions. Many successful business titans around the globe are addressing e-commerce in order to operate their businesses. Not only business titans, but also many small firms are also making full use of e-commerce and websites that could allow online shopping facilities (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). World Wide Web has the ability to recognize a huge availability of market potential. Internet is one of the most secured channels to carry out the financial transaction that is the reason why it is attracting many people. The range of e-commerce is as wide and diverse as the internet is. Today anything can be bought through the internet, from the smallest needle to the biggest jumbo airline. Hotel reservations concerning flights have now been a reality. As the population is increasing , more and more people are using these types of facilities which make them comfortable, and it is the most secured means. This field has been emerging like any other field. Businesses make strategies in order attract consumers towards their web. Internet constantly has been broadcasting as the source of communication for the transactions of commerce (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). In 1999, out of total retail sales, e-commerce was approximated to be $15 billion, which included both business to business and business to consumer (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). The numbers are constantly increasing after that analysis as the demand has been increasing for the online goods and services. Another reason for the evolving relationship between e-commerce and World Wide Web is that the recognition of the internet as a resource for information and commercial transaction has been on the rise (Gundry, & Kickul, 2010). For the past decade, organizations perform their businesses through the inter

Causes effects and solutions to sexual abuse

Causes effects and solutions to sexual abuse Sexual violence manifests sexually aggressive acts by the use of Physical, or mental force which reduces a person to an inferior position to impose sexual conduct against their will. This is an act that fundamentally seeks to bring the body to a weak point and go against the will of the person. Sexual violence has many forms: Access or harassment on the street, at work, at home, at school, in school, at college, etc. Rape Sexual exploitation Sexual abuse of boys and girls Prostitution Pornography Sexual violence is a clear stigma of degradation of the spirit of a society completely ignorant. The degree of aggression that coexists in every case of sexual violence is incredibly frustrating. Nowadays there are so many acts of vandalism that exist that it s impossible to control. Acts that can only be described as authentic aberrations are now growing even dizzying pace (at the expense of the security issues) and they are getting worse, these acts are undoubtedly sexual assaults. Both women and men are victims of sexual abuse. In Australia, conservative estimates indicate that one in every 11 children and one in four girls have undergone some form of sexual abuse before age 18. Men are the perpetrators of most cases of sexual violence (97 percent), but men are a significant proportion of all victims: 26 percent of children under 18 years. Research recently conducted in the United States suggest that up to 20 percent of men suffered sexual abuse in childhood. Additionally, we recognize the incidence of sexual assault against adult men. Sexual assault takes many forms, including child sexual abuse, rape, sexual harassment, incest and other forms of rape in which the victim is never at fault. The responsibility lies with the offender and in our society, a society that allows and promotes sexual violence. There are numerous acts of aggression towards children that have emerged in recent years a favorite of these criminals, twisted minds and lacking in common sense. Such situations cause to the victim, in most cases, psychological disturbances that are often irreparable. Physically and also affected the worst, brutally murdered, which is becoming more common today. Generally, those who commit such acts are affected mentally, and if I say generally because in many cases these crimes are committed in full knowledge of the damage, and have no qualms about the damage hauled to the victim. As already indicated sexual assault are mainly oriented towards women, which are clearly the object of desire of the obsessive mind of these criminals do not care who commit such acts of violence, in order to satisfy their instinctive desires in a way appalling and without any scruples. The worst thing is that these people, if not arrested the first time, will re-offending again. Sexual abuse includes both touching offenses (fondling or sexual intercourse) and nontouching offenses (exposing a child to pornographic materials) and can involve varying degrees of violence and emotional trauma. (Sexual abuse, ) In fact our safety is compromised by such actions, which are clearly of concern to everyone. Resort to murder after a violation for the sole reason to hide evidence, when in fact what they try to hide is the ugliness of their own acts, which are conscious and torment them. In an extremely liberal society, they have been the consequences that after all prevent us from having that true freedom that we boast, and that robs us of every hack of sexual violence. This type of violence, which only serves to create panic in society and rob security standard that we should belong. Our society, outraged, accusing various elements of what is happening, though science is not certain there are some factors that cause these acts, because to do so or not in the ideals of each person. However, attempts to show that there are a number of things that malformation the minds of people, especially children and adolescents, and possibly be true, because what is done and you learn ends up being what we do. Sexual violence is the product of the high life of man, which led him to desire to enjoy life totally wrong 2. Sexual Abuse in Children When a child tells an adult who has been sexually abused, the adult may be very uncomfortable and may not know what to say or do. You should follow the following suggestions to respond to children who say they were sexually abused: What to Say If the child in any way indicates that it has suffered sexual abuse, encourage them to talk freely about what happened. Do not make judgmental comments. Show that you understand and take very seriously what he says. The child and adolescent psychiatrists have found that children who have nobody understand them much better than those who do not. The initial response to the revelation of sexual abuse is critical to the childs ability to resolve and heal the trauma of sexual abuse. Reassure your child that he was right to say it. If your child has a close relationship with the abuser, may feel frightened if he has threatened to harm him or his family as punishment for telling the secret. Tell the child that he / she are not to blame for sexual abuse. Most children try to understand the abuse and think that they caused the abuse or imagine that is a punishment for bad things (real or imagined) they did. Finally, offer the child protection, and promise that you will promptly ensure that the abuse stops. Parents should consult with your pediatrician or family doctor, who may refer them to a doctor who specializes in the evaluation and treatment of sexual abuse. The doctor who examined the child can assess your condition and treat any physical problem related to the abuse, may also obtain evidence that will help protect the child and ensure that all is well. Usually, the child must also have a psychiatric evaluation to determine how it has affected the sexual abuse and determine if you need professional help to overcome the trauma of abuse. The child and adolescent psychiatrist can also help other members of the family may be upset by the abuse. Although most of the abuse allegations are true, there may be cases of false accusations in child custody disputes or other situations. Occasionally, the court may ask a child and adolescent psychiatrist to help you determine if the child is telling the truth. When the child has to testify, special considerations to reduce your stress, such as the use of video to record the testimony, frequent breaks, exclusion of spectators or the option of not having to look at the accused. Adults, because of their maturity and experience, are always the culprits in cases of abuse. You should never blame the child. When the child makes assumption about sexual abuse, it is important to give support and love, this is the first step to help the child and reestablishing their trust in adults. Pedophilia Child Pornography The pornography child is playing sexually explicit image of a child. This is in itself a form of sexual exploitation of children. Encourage, deceive or force children to pose for photographs or participate in pornographic videos is outrageous and is a disregard for the dignity and self-esteem of children. This means that the body of a child has no value and demonstrates that your body is on sale. Children are deprived of their childhood. Children lose trust in others, particularly in adults, and remain at the mercy of other types of exploitation and can develop a range of post-traumatic stress symptoms such as depression, aggression and violence, loss of self and inclination to self-mutilation. Often their lives end in suicide. Its really difficult to achieve effective implementation of the laws against covert activity. But laws must be applied. They are the final protection of children and so far have not done enough to enact laws or to implement truly effective when they are in force. The sexual abuse and exploitation of children is one of the most vicious crimes conceivable, a violation of mankinds most basic duty to protect the innocent. (Walsh) 3. Sexual Harassment In any case, violence is a case which has several facets, the most worrying, is present in a face somewhat hidden, yet is the most frequent and discussed by all: the sexual harassment. This kind of events occur due to wrong phenomenon that affects our society, the relentless machismo that prevails elsewhere, and that often leads to false ideals of the true conception of life. Sexual harassment includes a range of abuse (usually of men to women), by the wearing short clothes, for example, suggests that men in a consent by women who never actually said. One of the most common is the secretary harassed by her boss often threatened with dismissal and therefore into the jungle of unemployment, if it accepts a set of rules ruthless regarding any type of inappropriate touching. Similarly the young people feel more and more angry, with good reason for the continued harassment they are subjected by the fact of being attractive to older men. Although it must be clear that not only these but also the young who seek to exploit much of its friendship with a girl. We must also mention the existence of many cases of sexual harassment from parents to their minor children. These cases are usually not reported for fear of retaliation, although it should take courage and tell all. These reports are a step hard by the person harassed, but talk is more important than it seems at first glance. 4. Sexual abuse in the marriage or partner Many times we have met with women and men after a time of psychotherapy, for various reasons, and having re-established problems of his personality, such as identity, discrimination, care of themselves, they realize that her husband sexually abused them . Other people know they are leaving abuse and can not react or talk about it. Can not put limits to what they know it is an affront to his person. Examples: Reach a sexual relationship had never really wanted, it is clear that not having loved and not having entered later in a game of seduction and erotic of the two. With the following characteristics in order of severity: physically forced, this is a violation explicit or implicit threats explicitly denied having implicitly denied having do or be doing erotic practices dislikes, does not like or cause displeasure repeatedly having sex without feeling like Having sex or erotic practices or different techniques as an exchange or exchange of certain things is a kind of prostitution. Is knowingly do both or a single person. And in the case may be that both are the abused each suffer attitudes violent fake orgasm Spousal Sexual Assault A penalty of imprisonment as hereinafter provided to any person who engages in nonconsensual sexual intercourse with your spouse or former spouse, or the person cohabiting or has cohabited, or takes or who has a consensual relationship or the person with whom he fathered child in any of the following circumstances If it has been compelled to engage in sexual conduct through the use of force, violence, intimidation or threat of immediate serious bodily harm, or If you have canceled or substantially reduced, without their consent their ability to resistance by means of hypnotics, narcotics, depressants or stimulant substances or similar means to you, or If illness or mental disability, temporary or permanent person was the person unable to understand the nature of the act at the time of its completion, or Whether or induces by forces that abuse and / or psychological violence to a spouse or cohabitant to participate or engage in unwanted sexual intercourse with a third party. The penalty imposed for this crime, except the modality referred to in subsection (a) of this section, shall be imprisonment for a fixed term of fifteen years. Aggravating circumstances, the fixed penalty may be increased to a maximum of twenty years, there were extenuating circumstances, and may be reduced to a minimum of ten years. The penalty imposed for the type of crime referred to in subsection (a) of this section, shall be imprisonment for a fixed term of thirty years. Aggravating circumstances, the fixed penalty may be increased to a maximum of fifty years, there were extenuating circumstances, and may be reduced to a minimum of twenty years. When the mode of the offense described in subsection (a) of this Article is committed while the offender has entered the home of the victim without her consent or a house or residential building, Where the victim or to the patio, land or parking area of these, and when the spouses or cohabitants were broken or residing in different homes or who initiated an action legal divorce, the punishment of crime shall be imprisonment for a fixed term of sixty years. Aggravating circumstances, the fixed penalty may be increased to a maximum of ninety-nine years of extenuating circumstances, may be reduced to a minimum of forty years. The court may impose a sentence of restitution in addition to the penalty of imprisonment provided for in any of the aforementioned modalities. 5. Female Domination This erotic game is basically a change in traditional roles (or at least once traditional) passivity submission by women and dominance aggression initiative by the man during the development of sexual activities and especially during games erotic and practice many couples enjoy a stimulating aperitif prior to consummation of sexual intercourse itself. Female Dominance in the game is to implement a very common erotic fantasy for many men and many women: that women dominate, command, is the lady who loves her man ordered to do whatever she says, and man in turn assume the role of a servant, slave or prisoner giving his freedom and willingness to women, will strive to fulfill her orders for the duration of the game. In that game, which can last a few minutes before the sexual act or continue for hours or even days, she can take on roles such as those of love (the most common and comprehensive), goddess, mistress, employer-patron , boss, secretary or dominant schoolgirl, amazon, etc. and man as the complementary roles of a servant or slave, humble employee, prisoner, and even suffer a reification of what will be treated as an object (chair, polish, ashtray, seat, etc..) which provide pleasurable services his mistress or being animalized and become human or dog horse property of its owner, who knows how to train him to be satisfied in the best way possible. However, the crime is not punished for the sake of the victim who suffers directly, but for the sake of the family that feels that its capacity to utilise the resource (the female body) fully has been compromised. (Os rio, 2005) 6. Sexual Abuse In Men Sexual abuse is a reality in many countries, however, remains taboo. In the past two decades, the movement of women has greatly contributed to open discussion of sexual abuse. This work has enabled basic men who have suffered sexual abuse talk about their experiences and seek help to overcome the trauma of abuse. The sexual abuse has devastating consequences for victims, including those that survive. The victims must fight to overcome the emotional and social effects of the trauma they have suffered. A Culture of Silence It is particularly difficult for children and men reveal that they were sexually assaulted. Our society conditions us to believe that men should always be in control of their emotions, other people and their environment. They are taught to define themselves as men by the degree to which they can meet with success this control. As a result, most men are not believed to be a victim and especially not in the sexual arena. When this happens often provokes a strong emotional shock, being something so far from the normal experience of men. Not only is it difficult for men to accept being sexually assaulted, but likely to live in silence, since the reactions of others enhance the feeling of being victimized. As the survivor finds it hard to believe what has happened, but other people respond with disbelief. If a man reveals he was sexually abused, often punished further when his manhood and sexual orientation are questioned. Sexual assault is a form of violence in which the sex is used as a weapon against the person who was abused. As a result, most male survivors are concerned to some extent their sexuality, whether in relation to our male identity, our position among men, the masculinity of our behavior, our sexual preferences, frequency and sexual satisfaction of our business or our capacity for sexual intimacy. These problems affect our daily lives, often for years after the abuse ended. Generally, people assume that when a man sexually attacked or violated another man, the offender and the victim is gay is too. These notions, popular but misguided, rooted in the myth that sexual assault primarily seeks sexual gratification, and people ignore the issues of power and control. Research has shown that most men who attack other men have a heterosexual orientation and that most survivors of sexual violence are also heterosexual. Assume that the offenders are homosexuals protect and relieve the offender heterosexual and unfairly raise suspicion and blame to the community homosexual. Assume that the victim is homosexual has negative consequences for the survivor, who, regardless of whether heterosexual or homosexual, will suffer the social stigma of being considered homosexual, as well as the feeling of guilt for the attack. This guilt is based on the inability to clearly distinguish between sex with consent or without consent. Although sexual abuse creates confusion and concern about sexuality, sexual preference does not determine the survivor. It is only the survivor, not the offender, who determines their sexual preferences and who is willing to have sex. From Victim to Offender? Men who were sexually abused as children respond to abuse in a variety of ways. Some would overwhelm both the devastating effects of abuse they suffered in their lives who have firmly decided to help the world more secure. So, ensure that, as parents, the relationship with your children and children to be responsible and free abuse, are dedicated to service of humanity, learning skills of assertiveness and communication or fighting social injustice through activism. Other survivors are still seeing themselves as helpless victims, and continually struggle to survive day after day. Lack the capacity and willingness to abuse others, and are often subject to further abuse. Many of the offenders are male, but sexual assault against men or children can also be and is perpetrated by women. It is important to recognize that some men and children have been sexually abused by one or more women, and being well worthy of support.

Physics of Soccer :: physics sport sports soccer football

What makes the ball curve: Soccer players can make the ball curve by applying a Force, kicking, to the ball that is not in the center of the ball itself. When the ball is struck on the side by a player the ball spins while it is moving forward. In the case of the picture below, the soccer ball was struck on the right side of the ball and is spinning counter-clockwise. What causes the ball to actually curve in the air is a difference in the pressures on either side of the soccer ball. On the left side of this soccer ball, the air is moving faster, than the right side, relative to the center of the ball. This causes a lower pressure to develop on the left side of the ball, while on the right side there is a higher pressure because the air flow is moving slower relative to the center of the ball. This difference in air pressure causes the ball to curve to the left during its flight path. This curve is known as the Magnus Effect after the physicist Gustav Magnus. The shape of the soccer ball is†¦round! But in mathematical terms, the soccer ball is usually in the shape of an Archimedean Solid. This solid has 32 faces, 12 are pentagons and 20 are hexagons. On the Apollo 17 mission astronauts played soccer with a 200 pound moon rock. Just imagine playing any sport with something that heavy†¦ouch! There are many different soccer balls in use today. Each company claims that theirs is the best one out there but in all reality soccer players only like to play with soccer balls that they are used to. In fact, the ball used for the World Cup in 2002 was supposed to be the best one ever made by Adidas but many of the players in the World Cup hated it because it was new and they weren’t used to it. When asked the question: â€Å"If you dropped a soccer ball from a height of 3 meters and assumed that the ball bounced back up to half its previous height, how long would it take the ball to come to rest?† most people would answer never because it would be continuing to bounce forever, we just wouldn’t be able to tell. However, this statement is wrong.

Labeling Theory Of Deviance Essay

Various theories have been put forward to explain the causes of crime and delinquency in society. The Labelling theory of crime argues that the tendency to perceive and treat people as offenders precipitates their engagement in crime. It is based on the hypothesis that people will assume the labels that they have been given to them by the society. Labelling in this case works to reinforce deviant behaviour as well as solidifying the deviant identities in the society. In other words labelling people as criminals plays a significant role in increasing or rather causing crime in the society. (Burke R,2005). As Tannenbaum, an early sociologist supporting the labelling theory of crime argued that the process of tagging, defining, identifying, segregating, describing and emphasizing that certain individuals as deserving special treatment is a way of stimulating, suggesting, suggesting and evoking the traits being complained of makes people become what they are described as being. Symbolic interactionalism is based on the agency analysis of deviance and social control. In this case deviance is viewed as a label which is imposed on the subjects who after rejecting or accepting the labels construct deviant identities as well as careers. To change such a situation the need for radical transformation is more of a necessity than a requirement. Labelling theory of crime can be blamed for the increased instances of crime as the criminal justice system tries to curb it. People who are arrested, prosecuted and punished are labelled as ‘criminals’ and the society deems them as such. A large proportion of the society also joins hands in labelling them as such and this increases their tendency to indulge in criminal behaviours. When people are labelled as criminals it is difficult for them to effectively adjust into the society and for instance they may fail to obtain legitimate employment, a factor that increases their likelihood to indulge in crime. (Burke R,2005). They may also face isolation from the mainstream society and this could trigger psychological problems which are highly correlated to criminality. When the labelled criminals internalize the self concept that they are criminals they tend to increase criminality behaviours as after all they are perceived as criminals and should behave as such. (Coser L, 2006). Offenders ought to be treated as sick characters to make it easier for the criminal justice system to offer best treatment for ease reintegration into the society. This way the stigmatization would be dealt with amicably. Labelling could occur from the society as a whole or the system, family, among peers as well as in schools from teachers. Labelling in crime tends to be more frequent or intense among the minority groups whose voice is almost insignificant in society. How a society reacts after it has labelled criminals is what determines if a crime is to dwindle or intensify. Societies that labels criminals and for a long term reject them in the society increases their likelihood to commit crime while the society that tries to assist the labelled criminals to effectively integrate into the society reduces the rates of crime that could have been attributed by labelling. Erving Goffman is among the sociologists whose ideologies could be useful in explaining the labeling theory of crime. He is popular for the notion of total institutions. He defined ‘total institutions’ as places of residence and work where a large number of like-situated individuals are cut off from the wider society for an appreciable period of time. Together these people lead an enclosed formally administered round of life. Goffman further highlighted the discrepancies between those who reside in the total institutions and those in the larger general population. In the larger population man works, plays and sleeps in varying places, with varying people, different authorities and in the absence of an overall rational plan. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). This is contrary with the scenario in the total institutions where there are barriers between those three aspects. Life in the total institutions is clear or definite and this creates the notion that they exist for a good reason among the general population. There is no freedom in the total institutions as is experienced in the ‘home world’ or the general population. To Goffman the inmates being sent to prisons or total institutions already know the culture they are to expect though the reality is actually felt or experienced after admission. (Hawkins J and Kirkland F, 2001). Goffman identified three major phases in the life of an inmate. The first one is before they get into the total institutions that is when they are still in the ‘home world’, when they in the institutions and when they re enter the home world after release from the total institutions. He focused on the similarities that exist in the varying institutions. He argues that all aspects of life are conducted in the same place and under the same or a single authority. This means that all prisons will have similar experiences. All these aspects were carried on in the immediate company of a large batch of others all of whom were treated alike and needed to do the same things together. Another observation made was that all phases of a day’s activities were to be tightly scheduled and one activity led at a pre-arranged time to the next. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987)Notably, the whole sequence of activities was imposed from a higher system of explicit formal rulings and a body of officials a clear indication of alienation and dominance within the total institutions. The various enforced activities are brought together into a single rational plan which is designed to fulfill the official aims of the institution. The roles that are performed by the inmates in the total institutions serve interests or are for the aims of the institution rather than the individual. Goffman identified four major dimensions of institutional life ranging from the rigidity of the routine, block treatment of inmates, depersonalization of inmates and social distance between the staff and the inmates which Goffman termed as binary management. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987) Before one gets into prison they are from the ‘home world’ where they already have an established conception of themselves. Entrance into the ‘total institutions’ strips them off the benefits attached to the’ home world’. Here, they are subjected to a series of abasement, degradation and humiliation. The consequence of this is that their self becomes horrified. When in the institution an individual develops a moral career which is determined or influenced by his surrounding. The role of the significant other becomes critical at this point. Goffman observed further that in the total institutions the process by which individuals were mortified was rather standard across all of them. This is a clear indication that life in these institutions is quite different from that which is experienced in the larger world and that it is a difficult task to have inmates maintain the same traits they had before they got there. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). Again, since the conditions were similar across the total institutions they were likely to exhibit similar traits. The first restriction of the self for the inmates takes place when the total institutions act as a barrier between the inmate and the general population. In the civilian life one’s sequential roles are not in conflict with one another and so no roles hinders or rather blocks the performance of the others regardless of how frequent they were. Life in the institutions is in such a manner that role scheduling is disrupted as the inmates do not dictate what to do and when to do it. In other words they are denied the freedom to decide what role to perform and at what time. Instead there are round the clock surveillance where orders given are to be followed to the letter. In addition to the role scheduling being disrupted in the institution, role dispossession also takes place, Visitors are restricted and one is also restricted from frequenting places they initially did. Depending on whether the entrance into the total institution was voluntary or involuntary entry to such institutions somehow prepares the individual to withdraw from ‘home world’ or from the general population. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). This preparation makes the adaptation in the new environment easier. Involuntary entry into the total institutions is however different as one may not be prepared for the new kind of life. Inmates may find themselves perform some roles that they learnt in the institutions on return to the general world. All the same there are certain houses that will have to be incurred or faced for instance the time for education or parenting. There is also the loss of legal privileges for instance one may not be in a position to attend to court proceedings on matters that affect them directly for instance adoption of a child. These privileges may be short term they maybe enjoyed on the completion of the term. However there are others with long term ramifications. The realization that one has not lost certain rights due to the barrier between him and the outside world may not auger well with him. There are other challenges that the inmate faces on return to the society. For instance there are the admission requirements where certain standards have to be followed or adhered to. On entrance to the total institutions various losses are incurred as for instance one may lose their hair, their identity as they are assigned numbers, they undress and change their clothes and are given institutional uniforms, they list their possessions, have to adhere to the rules and they are also assigned to certain quarters where they are to reside. According to Goffmann’s findings the society is to blame for deviance within it as it subjects people it terms as wrong doers into harsh conditions and expects them to reform. (Willcocks D, Peace, S and Kellaher l, 1987). In the book the ‘Myth of mental illness’ Thomas Szasz argued that mental illness was a myth. To him, the whole idea or notion of psychiatric illness could be termed as ‘scientifically worthless and socially harmful’. (Shorter E, 1997). There are similarities between goffman and szasz ideologies. Goffman backed Szasz when he made the conclusion that the mental health institution he studied could be defined as a ‘total institution’ where ‘the closed system infantilized the patients and restricted their lives’. Goffman noted that the clear difference between the staff and the patients and on entrance to the institutions the patients faced humiliation, degradation, abasement and profanations of the self’. Goffman rejected the idea of prisons and mental health institutions which according to him robbed off the inmates their time. The ‘sentence’ denied them living. The aspect of alienation is clear when the use of power is used by the staff members against the ‘patients’. He condemned the pretence by the staff members that they were out to assist the patients and dismissed it as a mere ’power grab’. (Shorter E, 1997). Szasz argued that although psychological disorders are real, defining them as diseases was a way of imposing coercion in the society. He argued that defining such disorders as illness when they had no correlation with physical sickness was untrue. The only relationship existing between mental disorders and physical illness was the fact that they both made the individual unable to handle their daily activities or duties. (www. mdx. ac. uk). The psychological disorders according to Szasz were brought about by man. He further noted that compulsory psychiatry is a crime against humanity and it undermines freedom in the society. He quoted Mill to justify his observation that ‘the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community against his will is to prevent harm to others. His own good either physical or moral is not sufficiently warranty’. However unlike Mill, Szasz offered or rather provided no exception where power could be used forcefully. He advocated for freedom where all individuals are given the chance to choose what they find best for them. Although the compulsory psychiatry may not be harmful to the patients Szasz argues that it is not compatible with a free society. (www. mdx. ac. uk). He further advocates for the application of universal law which is not discriminative to anyone in the society. The same law applied to those termed as insane ought to be the same applied on those viewed as insane. Treating people otherwise is unfair as it implies that there is no equality and they are treated as special beings. Any form of special treatment on the allegations that one is mentally sick is unfortunate as it treats them as less human beings. (www. mdx. ac. uk). References: Anthony Clare and Peter Sedgwick. Mental Health and Civil Liberties. A theoretical contrast of Thomas Szasz. Retrieved on 5th march 2009 from http://www. mdx. ac. uk/WWW/STUDY/mhhlib. htm#SzaszMyth Dianne M. Willcocks, Sheila M. Peace, Leonie A. Kellaher. 1987. Private Lives in Public Places: A Research-based Critique of Residential Life in Local Authority Old People’s Homes. Taylor & Francis Publishers. Edward Shorter 1997. A History of Psychiatry: From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac. John Wiley and Sons Publishers John Palmer Hawkins and Faris Kirkland. 2001. Army of hope, army of alienation: culture and contradiction in the American Army communities of Cold War Germany. Greenwood Publishing Group Tim Jordan, Steve Pile, 2002. Open University Social Change. Blackwell Publishing, Lewis Coser. 2006. Crime Theories and the Field of Criminology. Retrieved on 4th march 2009 from http://www. apsu. edu/oconnort/1010/1010lect02. htm.

International Business and Global Strategy Essay

In-Depth Market Analysis of two target markets: China and Argentina China is a great world exporter receiving large amounts of foreign investment and is a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Entering the market therefore will be easier than when China was not part of the WTO. According to The World Fact Book (2010) by 2009, China had a population of 1. 34 billion. Although its population growth is not very high at 0. 49, the population is the highest in the world and provides for ample market for Body Shop International Plc (BSI plc. ). China has an income distribution of 51. 10. This indicates that the distribution of purchasing power is standardized. BSI plc does not have to specialize in its clientele and can anticipate a wide market for its products. China’s mean age stands at 35. 2. In the age demographics, China’s largest age bracket is the 15-64 yeas age category. This makes up for 71. 9% of the population as in 2008 where men were estimated at 491,513,378 and women at 465,020,030 (The World Fact Book. 2010). For BSI plc this creates a large market since beauty products are usually consumed by this age group. In terms of education, China population is educated with a literacy rate of 92% (The World Fact Book. 010) . The overall enrollment for elementary, secondary and higher education is at 69. 1. This is a good indicator that beauty products would be well received and are a part of the population that can appreciate its use. China’s growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was at 8. 70 in 2009. This GDP has been on a rising trajectory and is expected to continue as China continues to rise as an economic power. This provides for a secure market with good financial indicators that investment would respond favorably and quickly. The per capita gross income at 6600. 0 is also high making it easier for BSI plc to invest widely. The disposable income at 2. 60 represents a China’s purchasing power. BSI plc would be able to promote its products and the conditions are favorable for household spending. The continued rise in GDP growth will increase the spending habits of the population as the disposable income becomes more elastic. Inflation would negatively affect BSI plc and that is why the low inflation rate in China provides for market security against rising of prices. In china the population has continued to increase its cosmetics buying. At 46. 80 the population indicates a sizable spending on cosmetics. This creates a potential for BSI plc to garner a market share. China presents some difficulties in terms of ease of conducting business and economic freedom. However, foreign investment is still welcome and the government has opened the doors for foreign investment. Argentina is one of the countries in South America that have been experiencing economic growth. It therefore presents itself as a great target market. Its population of in 2009 was 40. 1 Million. The population growth is not very high at 1. 17 but the country has a viable market population. Argentina has an income distribution of 51. 90. This indicates that the distribution of purchasing power is high and standardized. BSI plc therefore can anticipate a wide market for its products without having to cater for a specialize clientele. Argentina’s mean age stands at 30. In the age demographics, Argentina’s largest age bracket is the 15-64 years at 63. 5% with the men standing at 12,961,725 while the women stand at 13,029,265 (The World Fact Book. 2010). For BSI plc this creates a large market since beauty products are usually consumed by this age group. According to The World Fact Book (2010) Argentina population is educated with a literacy rate of 97. %. This is a good indicator that beauty products would be well received and are a part of the population that can appreciate its use. Argentina’s growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was at 0. 20 in 2009. This GDP is low. This provides for a less secure market whereby BSI plc’s investment may take longer to respond favorably and quickly. Despite the global economic crisis Argentina and most of the Latin America were not acutely affected. The per capita gross income at 10200. 0 is also high making it easier for BSI plc to invest widely. The disposable income at 1. 0 represents a moderate purchasing power for Argentina. BSI plc would be able to promote its products as the conditions give room for moderate household spending. Inflation would which would negatively affect BSI plc stands at 4. 20. In Argentina spending on cosmetics has also increased although it is at 25. 40. This means BSI plc still has potential to make an investment in Argentina’s existing market. At 127. 0 Argentina represents favorable ease with which BSI plc can do business in Argentina. It also has good economic freedom. Foreign investment is welcome. Contacts and Competitive Analysis  Contacts are important in that they would allow BSI plc to gather information that is relevant to its venture. That is why the chamber of commerce assists foreign companies conducting business their country. It also offers its members relevant business contacts and information about Argentina. Through events and opportunities the Chamber also enables businesses to meet with government officials and key players thus facilitating relations. Contact with the ministry of foreign affairs is also important to BSI plc. The ministry is responsible for trade agreements and policies. By having the Ministry’s contacts, BSI plc can make necessary plans to attend and benefit from the ministry’s consular and diplomatic activities. As the ministry seeks businesses and companies that would increase investment in their country, BSI plc would have an opportunity to market itself to the target countries. Contacts of possible suppliers, importers and buyers are helpful so that a company can establish business relations within the industry. The choice of Alibaba Company is ideal in that it is a recognizable global distributor with very strong financial and corporate growth according to Alibaba. om. (1999-2010). China Target Market potential The market potential in China is quite high at 2530500000. This is calculated from number of potential consumers, the frequency with which the consumers buy in a year and the price of the product. This represents the potential of the cosmetic industry in China which BSI plc targets. Company Sales Potential BSI plc sales potential is dependent on the market share it will capture out of the potential market. If BSI plc secures a market share of 13. 5 %, it will estimate whether it can meet the demand of its target. Competitors Analysis  Lush Company provides competition for BSI plc. According to Lush (19950-2010) its main product is body butter. The location of its headquarters is in China providing it with advantages of proximity. BSI plc is localized and thus there are policies that favor it against foreign companies. This helps it keep its prices affordable. Lush has been in business for the past 32 years giving it long experience in the industry. Lush Company caters to the local market in China and has specialized in the product demands of the local population and tailored the product to suit the particular needs of the Chinese target market. Its employees number 1200 giving it good human resource. Lush has also invested in e-commerce offering customers its products even where it does not have retails and wholesaler stores. They vary their prices in response to the market. In their promotion strategy Lush aims to protect its reputation and maintain its image. Their products they have chosen to use to promote the quality of their product is care butter, Tuca &Tuca perfume, Tuca& Tuca massage oil, and Black stocking. Regulatory Environment for the industry In China, the regulatory environment would regulate cosmetic products. This is because although a company would use the Automatic import licensing granting its cosmetics products freedom from import controls, the importation of materials like plastic need monitoring. FDI regulations and implications for BSI plc China is becoming the greatest receipient of FDI and as such it is poised for economic growth and increased capital that places BSI plc in a great position for growth if it makes investment. The government regulates foreign investment according to WTO regulations and its economic goals where China is now quite open to and is keen to attract foreign investors. Argentina Target Market potential The market potential in Argentina is high at 41250000. This is calculated from number of potential consumers, the frequency with which the consumers buy in a year and the price of the product. This represents the potential of the cosmetic industry in Argentina. Company Sales Potential BSI plc sales potential is dependent on the market share it will capture out of the potential market. If BSI plc secures a market share of 3. 5 %, it will estimate whether it can meet the demand of its target. Competitors Analysis L’ Occitane Company provides competition for BSI plc. Its main product is mini shea butter/L’ Occitane body toner. According to The body Shop (2009) BSI plc deals with sweet almond oil in its moisturizers. The location of its headquarters is in Argentina providing it with advantages of proximity. BSI plc is localized and thus there are policies that favor it against foreign companies. This helps it keep its prices affordable. L’ Occitane has been in business for the past 34 years giving it long experience in the industry. L’ Occitane Company caters to the local market in Argentina and has specialized in the product demands of the local population and tailored the product to suit the particular needs of the Argentinean target market. Its employees number 2000 giving it great human resource. L’ Occitane has also invested in e-commerce offering customers its products even where it does not have retails and wholesaler stores. They vary their prices in response to the market. L’ Occitane uses advertising, personal sale and product promotions as its promotional strategy. The products it uses include shea cocoa butter, Almont body care, verbena liquid soup honey and lemon scented and summer Travil Hair care. Its target market is 14 years and above both male and female. Regulatory Environment for the industry In Argentina, one of the key regulations would be in business conduct and tradition. Companies have to publish their Technical barriers to trade (TBT) measures. It contains duty and obligations related to the business and operation of TBT investigation Points. Companies have to confirm their recognition of the Code of Good Practice. Argentina the Bureau of Customs is the governmental agency is strict in the enforcement of the tariff and Customs laws and regulations. Importation of goods is governed by a numerous of import policy. FDI regulations and implications for BSI plc Argentina is currently not attracting much foreign investment due to its slow economic development and inflation rate. Although the government is using the WTO regulations and working hard to increase investment, there is difficulty for foreign companies because of high interest rates.

Free Essays on Mr.

In the epic Oedipus The King, Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a man blinded by his own fate. Oedipus is so caught up trying to find the murder of the old king, Laius, that he doesn’t see that he himself is to blame. Our own sins can blind us from the truth as did Oedipus sins blind him from the truth. Not only does Oedipus become blinded because he refuses to acknowledge the possibility of him actually being the murder of Laius, but in the end blindness overcomes Oedipus physically. In the beginning Oedipus brother-in-law, Creon, is sent to the holy oracle at Delphi to find out from the gods what they should do to cure the land from the famine that has overcome them. Creon returns to Thebes and informs Oedipus that the gods want the murderer of King Laius driven from the land (Hillegrass 24). Oedipus first sign of his blindness comes when he promises to obey the gods and to find the murder of the King. When Oedipus asks about the murder of the King, Creon goes on to tell the story of Laius’s murder. On their way to consult an oracle, Laius and all but one of his fellow travelers were killed by thieves. Oedipus asks why the Thebans made no attempt to find the murderers, and Creon reminds him that Thebes was then more concerned with the curse of the Sphinx. Hearing this, Oedipus resolves to solve the mystery of Laius’s murder (Hillegrass 25). Again we find Oedipus blinded by his own determination and his own self fulfillment. When Creon retells the story of Laius’s murder, Oedipus is shocked and dismayed that the investigation of the murder of a king was so swiftly dropped. Oedipus quickly hatches plans to deal with both his people’s suffering and Laius’s unsolved murder, and he has even anticipated the Chorus’s suggestions that he sends someone to the oracle and call forth Tiresias. Finally, Oedipus is intense in his promises of dire punishment for Laius’s murderer, even if the murderer turns out to be someone close ... Free Essays on Mr. Free Essays on Mr. In the epic Oedipus The King, Sophocles portrays Oedipus as a man blinded by his own fate. Oedipus is so caught up trying to find the murder of the old king, Laius, that he doesn’t see that he himself is to blame. Our own sins can blind us from the truth as did Oedipus sins blind him from the truth. Not only does Oedipus become blinded because he refuses to acknowledge the possibility of him actually being the murder of Laius, but in the end blindness overcomes Oedipus physically. In the beginning Oedipus brother-in-law, Creon, is sent to the holy oracle at Delphi to find out from the gods what they should do to cure the land from the famine that has overcome them. Creon returns to Thebes and informs Oedipus that the gods want the murderer of King Laius driven from the land (Hillegrass 24). Oedipus first sign of his blindness comes when he promises to obey the gods and to find the murder of the King. When Oedipus asks about the murder of the King, Creon goes on to tell the story of Laius’s murder. On their way to consult an oracle, Laius and all but one of his fellow travelers were killed by thieves. Oedipus asks why the Thebans made no attempt to find the murderers, and Creon reminds him that Thebes was then more concerned with the curse of the Sphinx. Hearing this, Oedipus resolves to solve the mystery of Laius’s murder (Hillegrass 25). Again we find Oedipus blinded by his own determination and his own self fulfillment. When Creon retells the story of Laius’s murder, Oedipus is shocked and dismayed that the investigation of the murder of a king was so swiftly dropped. Oedipus quickly hatches plans to deal with both his people’s suffering and Laius’s unsolved murder, and he has even anticipated the Chorus’s suggestions that he sends someone to the oracle and call forth Tiresias. Finally, Oedipus is intense in his promises of dire punishment for Laius’s murderer, even if the murderer turns out to be someone close ...

The Google Story †How Google was Started.

The Google Story – How Google was Started. Free Online Research Papers Google is a company that was conceptualized in a dorm room by two Stanford University college students in 1996 (Arnold, 2005, p. 1) and has morphed into one of the greatest technological powerhouses in operation today. What began as merely a means to analyze and categorize Web sites according to their relevance has developed into a vast library of widely utilized resources, including email servicing, calendaring, instant messaging and photo editing, just to reference a few. Recent statistics collected by SearchEngineWatch.com reflects that of the 10 billion searches performed within the United States during the month of February, 2008, an impressive 5.9 billion of them were executed by Google (Burns, 2008). Rated as Fortune Magazine’s top American company to work for in both 2007 (â€Å"100 Best†, 2007)and 2008 (â€Å"100 Best†, 2008), Google obviously has curbed the market on fair and friendly treatment of its employees. But how does it measure up when one c onsiders the ethics in relation to its business practices? The purpose of this paper is to identify and evaluate the ethical concerns specific to privacy faced by this herculean computing company and to determine the effectiveness of their treatment of these issues. Google opens their corporate code of ethics with a simple sentence â€Å"Don’t be evil† (Google Code of Conduct,  ¶1). This statement is consistent with the theory of virtue ethics, placing emphasis on the importance of developing to the highest potential. They may not necessarily be considered evil, but Google does engage in practices that are certainly vague and could be considered disreputable. Google’s questionable corporate policies in relation to privacy have long been a subject of contention amongst consumer privacy groups and computing organizations. Google’s privacy policy relies strongly on the impression that everything they do is for the sole purpose of improving service. Multiple references are made to their goal of improved service throughout the policy, including statements such as â€Å"we use this information to improve the quality of our search technology†, â€Å"we use cookies to improve the quality of our service†, and â€Å"in order to provide our full range of services† (Google Privacy Policy,  ¶6). While these statements may technically be true, one must also consider that these practices are followed in an effort to better the company and not solely for the improvement of service to their users as is often implied. The policy also addresses the possibility of future changes, stating that all amendments to the policy will be immediately reflected in the on-line documentation and that if changes made are â€Å"significant† they will provide â€Å"a more prominent notice† (Google Privacy Policy,  ¶29). The determination of what constitutes a â€Å"significant† change is left to Google to determine, requiring existing users to routinely verify the terms of the policy to ensure that no changes have been established that might impose on their assumed privacy rights. The terms of service statement provided by Google that relates to all of its provided products is concerning. It reads â€Å"by submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through the Services† (Google Terms of Service, Section 11.1). A user’s agreement to this statement gives Google full rights to use the content posted through their services in any way that they see fit. Considering the fact that this single document is in essence a blanket statement that applies to every service operated by Google, the effects of this statement are enormous. Essentially, Google is given open license to use any video posted on YouTube, any comments written on Blogger, and any photographs uploaded to Picasa, all entities controlled by Googl e, Inc. Things that users might consider to be personal instantly become the property of Google at the click of the mouse. Even though the images or comments are posted to the publicly accessible Internet, most do not consider the reality that the use of those images or comments, meant to be shared with family or friends, are out of their control when the upload is complete. An inherent privacy issue related to Google’s practices is associated with its most basic function – the search. The first time a computer is used to access Google’s website, a cookie is placed on the system’s hard drive which serves as a unique identifier, allowing Google to monitor the search history from that machine. These cookies, according to Google, grant them the ability to store user preferences while tracking trends (i.e. – how people search) (Google Privacy Policy,  ¶6). Collected information is stored on server logs and includes such data as IP address, date and time of the search, browser type and browser language (Google Privacy Policy,  ¶7). They can also track which links a user selects on a given page and the path that they follow. Google is forthcoming with their placement of cookies (Google Privacy Policy,  ¶ 6), but is very unclear about the expiration date of the cookie or how long log files are retained. The significance of installing a cookie that assigns a unique identifier to each system is that Google is given the ability to read, identify and record every action a users takes when using Google products. The data collected by these cookies, combined with data acquired by content extraction (discussed further within this paper), allows Google to create user profiles based on the subjects they search (Google Search, Google Scholar, Book Search, Blog Search, Image Search, Custom Search), their purchasing habits (Google Checkout), the statements they make within personal communications (Gmail, Google Talk), the activities they participate in (Google Calendar), and the data they store on their computers (Google Desktop). Google’s release of its Gmail service in April, 2004 caused an immediate backlash of complaints by watch groups who voiced concerns regarding Google’s plan to use content extraction, a process of scanning the text of all incoming and outgoing messages for the purpose of placing paid advertisements on the page (Dixon and Givens, 2004). The Gmail privacy policy does state that content will be used to provide relevant advertisements, but the statement disguises this practice of ad placement as a â€Å"service† (Gmail Privacy Policy,  ¶ 6) to the user, not as an annoyance as many would perceive it. Users who subscribe for the free Gmail service agree to the extraction of content within their messages at the time of registration, but those non-subscribers who engage in messaging with Gmail users do not. This is where the contention lies. Without the consent of both parties involved in an email exchange, is it ethically acceptable for Google to extract data from these messages? Personal and private information could be contained within a message sent by a party unaffiliated with the Gmail service. Were they aware of Google’s extraction policy, they might be leery of doing so. Groups such as the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) believe that Google’s practice of monitoring private communications can be construed as a violation of the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution. Their policy could set a bad legal precedent, in that a court might â€Å"consider the service as evidence of a lack of a reasonable expectation in e-mail† (EPIC, 2004), giving other service providers, employers and government agencies a legal means for monitoring communications amongst its users. As stated by George Reynolds, author of Ethics in Information Technology, â€Å"without a reasonable expectation of privacy, there is no privacy right to protect† (2007, p. 108). Google released their Checkout service in June, 2006. The service allows customers to perform a one-time registration with Google during which time they provide personally identifiable data, such as name, billing and shipping address and credit card information. Checkout then processes registrant’s purchases through participating vendors without the need for the customer to provide the information again. The release initially appeared to be an attempt at competition with the widely utilized PayPal service, but further analysis leads one to believe that Checkout is in reality yet another method for Google to collect information about its users in order to improve their ad placement practices. Intimate knowledge of their user’s actual shopping practices provides Google with valuable data that allows for personalized ad placement based on individual purchasing trends. These personalized ads are much more likely to incite user response, made important by the fact that every click of a sponsored link earns revenue for Google. The privacy policy specific to Google’s Checkout service is very precise and provides clear and concise explanations of the processes that are followed, including the placement of the cookie that is installed that, again, uniquely identifies the user’s browser. But again, an explanation of the length of time the cookie will reside on the user’s computer is unclear. Google Calendar allows registered users to record meetings, appointments, birthdays and personal reminders using their on-line tool. By default a user’s calendar is set to â€Å"private†, meaning that only they can view the data recorded within their personal database. An optional feature allows the user to share their schedule with a public group so that others can view their schedule for availability and so that meeting invitations can be sent and received from others. This requires the registrant to change their setting to â€Å"public†. The privacy policy specific to Google Calendar states that â€Å"in order to manage your invitations, when you invite other people to Calendar events, we collect and maintain information associated with those invitations, including email addresses, dates and times of the event, and any responses from guests† (Google Calendar Privacy Notice,  ¶ 5). As with Gmail, participants who are not registered users of Google calendar are unaware that their private personal information is collected and stored by Google, creating a clear invasion of assumed privacy. Google Desktop was originally developed and released as a means for a simplified and faster search of a user’s personal computer. The tool, which requires installation on the user’s computer, allowed the user to perform two consecutive queries one which was sent to Google to perform a Web search while the other searched the user’s personal index housed on their computer. The results page would then feature two separate sets of findings – one public and one private. The language of Google’s privacy statement in regards to the original release of Desktop stated that â€Å"these combined results can be seen only from your own computer; your computer’s content is never sent to Google† (Arrington, 2006). The release of an updated version of Desktop (version 3.0) in February, 2006 brought about substantial changes in the way the application functions. The new Desktop boasts a feature called â€Å"Search Across Computers† that allows users to search for personal files from multiple systems. Google has edited the statement reflected in their original Desktop privacy policy, no longer claiming that content is never sent to Google, but I was unable to discern in my research whether Google considered this change to be â€Å"significant† enough to constitute a more direct notification to existing users. Now, the user’s hard drive index is copied to Google’s servers and stored there â€Å"temporarily†. Google states that the application â€Å"indexes and stores versions of your files and other computer activity† but fails to address the expected timeline for data retention (Google Desktop Privacy Policy,  ¶ 2). The policy also implies that you r data is never accessible by anyone doing a standard Google search, but the fact remains that indexes are transferred and housed at a location other than the user’s personal hard drive. One of Google’s most blatant violations of privacy rights is the introduction of Google Maps Street View, a sub-service of Google Maps. Released in May of 2007, Street View displays high-resolution photographs taken from the street level of many major metropolitan cities throughout the country. It provides the user with a virtual tour of these cities and allows them to zoom in with the ability to view close up shots of landmarks, buildings, and any other object present at the moment of capture, including people. Screen captures taken from Street View cameras have included images of women sunbathing in bikinis and men walking into strip clubs (Schroeder, 2007). A glaring example of privacy invasion is a recent case uncovered by The Smoking Gun (â€Å"Warning†, 2008) in which Google’s Street View cameras crossed property boundaries and captures images of a Pittsburgh homeowners driveway, garage and backyard (including such detailed views as their childrenâ€⠄¢s trampoline) after driving on to the home’s private driveway with the cameras capturing constant screen shots – an unmistakable invasion of presumed privacy. As of this writing, it is unknown whether or not the homeowners in this case have made contact with Google regarding the issue of trespassing and if so, what Google’s response might have been. As reported by MSNBC, â€Å"potentially embarrassing or compromising scenes like these are raising questions about whether the Internet’s leading search engine has gone too far in its attempt to make the world a more accessible place† (Liedtke). Google states that the images captured by their cameras are taken from a moving vehicle and could have been observed by any person walking or driving on that same street at the same moment. The difference is that the images are posted and maintained on a publicly-accessible website without the consent of the captured individuals. Users that discover images of themselves or images that they consider inappropriate and would like to have them removed can do so simply by contacting Google via a provided link. The obvious argument is that a person would first need to become aware of the existence of said image in order to request its removal. By the time it is discovered, the alleged invasion of privacy has already occurred. In terestingly, an Austrailian newspaper covering Google’s plan to launch Street View in their country recently contacted the company to inquire as to plans to include images of the homes of Google executives on the site (Klan, 2008). Google spokesman Rob Shilkin is quotes in the article as saying â€Å"providing those details would be completely inappropriate† (Klan, 2008). It would be a nice addition to Google’s privacy policy to allow common users to opt-out of having images of their own homes displayed by Google in advance, as is apparently the policy for Google’s key personnel. In an environment when the use of nearly any on-line service requires the user to agree to a set of terms, it is evident that most do not take the time to read and fully understand the impact that those policies may have in regards to their personal information. Even one of the creators of Google, Sergey Brin, acknowledged in a statement to reporters that he thinks â€Å"it’s interesting that the expectations of people with respect to what happens to their data seems to be different than what is actually happening† (Bridis, 2006). The question remains whether or not Google is responsible for their user’s inability (or unwillingness) to comprehend their policies and relate them to possible consequences associated when using one or all of Google’s products. Google is not a non-profit organization, offering its products strictly for the benefit of society. It is a business which requires profits to continue its operations; therefore its ultimate concern is that its shareholders are pleased with their earnings as a direct result of Google products. Google has become a leader in its field by developing unique and superior products and partnering those products with clever marketing and plain talk language that puts an unskilled user at ease with regards to Google’s services. The absence of any legislation that closely regulates electronic content has provided Google the ability to set their own standards without the threat of accountability when privacy breaches are recognized, aided by the fact that Google has successfully dominated their market space. Are Google’s policies clear as they relate to user privacy? The answer is both yes and no. Google is truthful in regards to their data collection policies, but appear to operate under different assumptions of privacy than most. But in the age of Internet communications, what kind of privacy can one truly expect, especially when the topic of personally identifiable information is introduced. Google has developed a certain level of assumed trust with their user base that may not be completely well deserved. What began as a simple means to search the resources of the World Wide Web has been transformed into a technological mega-corporation that has utilized their initial popularity to lure users to employ more and more of their clever innovations, all the while building upon their empire. The familiarity of Google has eliminated user caution. Given the current and future growth of the World Wide Web, there appears to be no end to the debate over acceptable expectations of privacy. A corporation as recognizable and influential as Google, though, has a responsibility to set the bar high for other businesses that exist within the competitive and lucrative industry of computing. Google’s existing policies are a disappointing example of the direction being taken by corporations in regard to basic user rights. Hopefully, they will closely consider the concerns of experts in the field as well as their customers when reviewing, modifying and creating new products and policies in the years to come and heed their own advice – â€Å"Don’t be evil!† Reference 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune Magazine (2007, February). CNNMoney.com, Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2007/full_list/ 100 Best Companies to Work For, Fortune Magazine (2008, February). CNNMoney.com, Retrieved April 2, 2008, from http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008/full_list/index.html Arnold, S.E., (2005). The Google Legacy; How Google’s Internet Search is Transforming Applications Software. London, England: Infonortics Ltd. Arrington, M., (2006). Google Desktop 3.0: Privacy is Dead(er). TechCrunch. Retrieved April 10, 2008, from http://techcrunch.com/2006/02/08/google-desktop-new-version-tonight/ Bridis, T., Google acknowledges China compromise, (2006, June 6), MSNBC.com, Retrieved April 10, 2008, from msnbc.msn.com/id/13172409/print/1/displaymode/1098/ Burns, E., (2008). U.S. Core Search Rankings, February, 2008. Retrieved April 8, 2008 from http://searchenginewatch.com/showPage.html?page=3628837 Dixon, P. Givens, B. Thirty-One Privacy and Civil Liberties Organizations Urge Google to Suspend Gmail (2004, April 6) Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. Retrieved March 14, 2008, from privacyrights.org/ar/GmailLetter.htm Electronic Privacy Information Center, Gmail Privacy Page (2004, August 18), Retrieved March 14, 2008, from http://epic.org/privacy/gmail/faq.html Freedman, D.H., Internet: Why Privacy Will No Longer Matter (2007), MSNBC.com, Retrieved April 10, 2008, from msnbc.msn.com/id/12017579/site/newsweek/print/1/displaymode/1098/ Google, Inc., Gmail Privacy Notice (2005, October 14), Retrieved April 1, 2008, from http://gmail.google.com/mail/help/privacy.html Google, Inc., Google Calendar Privacy Notice (unknown date), Retrieved April 10, 2008, from google.com/googlecalendar/privacy_policy.html Google, Inc., Google Code of Conduct (2008, February), Retrieved April 8, 2008, from http://investor.google.com/conduct.html Google, Inc., Google Desktop Privacy Policy (2007, September 21), Retrieved March 30, 2008, from http://desktop.google.com/privacypolicy.html Google, Inc., Google Privacy Policy (2005, October), Retrieved March 15, 2008, from google.com/intl/en/privacypolicy.html Google, Inc., Google Terms of Service (2007, April), Retrieved March 15, 2008, from google.com/accounts/TOS?loc=US Klan, A., Google execs out of sight (2008, April 12), The Austrailian, Retrieved April 12, 2008, from theaustrailian.news.com/au/story/0,25197,23526150-7582,00.html Liedtke, M., Google hits streets, raises privacy concerns, MSNBC.com, Retrieved April 19, 2008, from msnbc.msn.com/id/18987058/print/1/displaymode/1098/ Reynolds, G., (2007). Ethics in Information Technology, Second Edition. Boston: Thomson. Schroeder, M., (2007). Top 15 Google Street View Sightings (2007, May 31), Mashable Social Networking News. Retrieved April 5, 2008, from http://mashable.com/2007/05/31/top-15-google-street-view-sightings/ Warning: Google Is In Your Driveway! (2008, April 7), The Smoking Gun, Retrieved from thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0407081google1.html Research Papers on The Google Story - How Google was Started.Unreasonable Searches and SeizuresAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaResearch Process Part OneOpen Architechture a white paperMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NicePETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Project Managment Office SystemDefinition of Export QuotasTwilight of the UAW

The Snake Cult of False Prophet Alexander of Abonoteichus

The Snake Cult of False Prophet Alexander of Abonoteichus It turns out that modern America isnt the only place suffering from scary and bizarre cults. Meet Alexander of Abonoteichus, who used a hand puppet to create his own cult centered on a snake. Alexanders story comes to us from the Greek satirist Lucian, who weaves a fascinating tale of faith and scams. External sources corroborated the existence of a Glycon cult, and even one of Lucians more spurious claims - that Alexander slept with married ladies - seems to have been possible, if not terribly likely. Early Life Alexander hailed from Abonoteichus, a hot-spot in Paphlagonia on the Black Sea. But  the story of this  Alexander,  Lucian says, is no mean feat to tell; Lucian might as well be speaking of Alexander the Great! As Lucian quips, The one was as great in villainy as the other in heroism. As a youth, Alexander was a prostitute. One of his  clients was a snake oil salesman/doctor, a quack, one of those who advertise enchantments, miraculous incantations, charms for your love-affair. This guy recognized trained him in the ways of trickery and selling scams. There was a long tradition of wandering scholars/magicians in this part of the world at the time, as Lucian attests: Alexanders master once followed the famed mystic Apollonius of Tyana. Sadly for Alexander, his master died when he hit his teens, so he formed a partnership with a Byzantine writer of choral songs to go around the countryside practicing quackery and sorcery. Alexander and his partner Cocconas followed one of their best clients home to Pella in Macedon.   At Pella, Alexander got the idea for his greatest  scheme yet, one that allowed him to  become the Professor Marvel of the ancient Mediterranean.  He bought one of those pet snakes and, having realized that people who provided hope to their worshippers earned a  lot of money in tribute and offerings, decided to  found his own snake cult based around prophecy. Serpents had  long been associated with foreknowledge in ancient Greece, so that was a no-brainer. A False Prophet Is Born Alexander and Cocconas started in Chalcedon, where they went to the temple of Asclepius, a healing deity and son of prophecy god Apollo. In that sanctuary, they buried tablets that foretold the coming of Asclepius to Alexander’s hometown of Abonoteichus. Once people â€Å"discovered† these texts, every mystic headed straight there to build a temple to Asclepius.   Alexander went home dressed as a prophet descended from Perseus (even though everyone who knew him from home was aware his parents were Average Joes). In order to keep up the pretense of prophecy, Alexander chewed soapwort root to fake fits of madness. He also created a snake hand puppet made from linen that â€Å"would open and close its mouth by means of horsehairs, and a forked black tongue ... also controlled by horsehairs, would dart out.† Alexander even stashed an extra snake egg near the temple in Abonoteichus; muttering words in Hebrew and Phoenician – which seemed like magical gibberish to his listeners – he scooped up the snake and said Asclepius had arrived! Alexander then snuck in a tame snake he bought from Pella and swapped it out for the baby serpent, telling everyone it grew up super-fast, thanks to magic. He also put tubes into his snake puppet and had a friend speak through them to allow Asclepius to prophesize. As a result, his snake, Glycon, was turned into a god. To interpret prophecies, Alex told supplicants to write down their questions on scrolls and drop them off with him; he secretly read them after removing their wax seals with a hot needle, then prepped his answers before they returned. He banned others from sex with young boys, but allowed himself to molest choirboys who served him. This fraud set a high price for his prophecies and sent people abroad to stir up good PR for him. Word reached as far as Rome, from which rich but gullible Rutilianus came to visit; the false prophet even manipulated this guy into marrying Alexanders own daughter. This helped Alexander establish a spy network in Rome and create  mystery rites  for his cult,  like those of Demeter or Dionysus. So great was Alex’s influence that he convinced the emperor to change the name of Abonoteichus to Ionopolis (perhaps after another of Apollo’s mythical sons, Ion); the emperor also issued coins with Alexander on one side and the snake Glycon on the other! Alexander once prophesied he’d live until 150, then get struck by lightning, but his real death was less dramatic. Before he turned 70, one of his legs rotted all the way to his groin; only then did people notice he wore a wig to look young.

An evaluation of the child protection frame work in England and Wales Essay

An evaluation of the child protection frame work in England and Wales from 2000 2014 - Essay Example This essay discusses that various developments have been achieved with regards to the child protection in England and Wales, a factor that has been attributed to the increased scrutiny of the child protection systems after the incident of Victoria Climbie, Baby P namely Peter Connelly and Daniel Pelka. Developments that have been undertaken regarding child protection in England and Wales include the 2010 initiative, in which the Secretary of State for Education in England asked Professor Eileen Munro to undertake an objective and independent review regarding the state of child protection in England. The Social Work Task force preceded the Munro review, which was mandated with the task of advising the Government on the best strategies that could be adopted in order to effectively reform the entire social work profession in England. The Munro review concluded that the child protection system in England was characterized with high levels of direction and bureaucracy and that there was a dire need to create a balance between professional judgment and prescription. Moreover, the report findings were biased towards the development of framework that could enable professionals working with children protection to remain focussed. The above analysis portrays a major gap and shortcomings regarding the various problems that needed to be addressed in order to enhance effective child protection framework. The limitations depicted in child protection range from inadequacies in legal policies to protect children as well as the policy regulation on how Child Professional, Doctors and Parents can help reduce the level of child abuse and deaths in England and Wales.

What is The Cash Flows Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

What is The Cash Flows - Essay Example The investment must be done in those opportunities where the NPV value is highest and in this situation spending money on project Alpha will result in highest NPV. The four main investment appraisal technique methods are Payback Period (PP), Accounting Rate of Return (ARR), Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR). The four main investment appraisal methods used are segmented into two techniques. Non-discounted cash flow technique includes PP and ARR and discounted cash flow technique includes NPV and IRR. Payback Period (PP) is the time acquired to equal the cash inflows and outflows. In the book ‘Financial Accounting for Decision Makers’ and ‘Accounting: An Introduction’ it is discussed that PBP method is important for future context and it is totally cash based. It is also mentioned that it ignores sunk cost and committed cost when applied (Atrill & McLaney, 2013). Payback period is simple to calculate and useful in the short-term and consider the cash flows of the projects which makes it easier to evaluate the liquidity position of the company and decisions about the investment proposals. It explains the management about the time during which investment will be recovered and how quick it could be utilized for another project. On the other hand, this method completely ignores the qualitative aspects of decision making. It is also not possible to analyze the useful life of the asset and does not consider how much cash flow will be generated after payback period is achieved. Payback period ignores the profitability of the company and decision taken on the basis of this method may cause the management to undertake a project which is not profitable. ARR is also known as return on investment and is used to make an analysis of a project, which may take at least a year long time.

Carilion clinic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Carilion clinic - Assignment Example The suite attempted to block the merger due to the likely monopoly it would create in the area. There is a need for Carilion Clinic to provide their patients with affordable healthcare costs. In order to achieve this, a long term plan on good returns should be designed by Dr. Murphy and the board instead of overburdening the patients with hefty cost. A managerial overhaul ought to be in check. Good leadership is equivalent to success. Notwithstanding, the whole body should fashion their dedication to deliver healthcare towards firmly grounded values. The values will see to it an efficient workforce who put the patient ahead of profit maximization. Will long term policy on returns be better than increasing costs to cover subsidies and uncompensated care of the uninsured patients? Is there a need to revise the salaries to reflect a proportional remuneration to fair pricing on the patients? Is it wise to open referrals for patients who come from outside Carilions health network to boost the income? Does the Clinic need new managers? What is the driving force in Carilion Clinic, to provide good health care or to make money? These are some of the questions that need to be asked to evaluate  the alternative solutions. The favorable alternative will be of the change of management structure. Good management will oversee firm policies that will  stir Carilion Clinic ahead. On good leadership there will be total control of everything. This marks the beginning of the solution. Implementation of the decision starts with creating awareness of the current situation at hand. This involves lots of communication processes after which an introduction of an appropriate alternative will follow addressing the problems. A through process of action will be involved. The results are then to be evaluated through different ways such as feedback, interviews and assessments. When implementing the decisions certain targets are set. They will determine whether to repeat the process if

Biopsychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Biopsychology - Assignment Example Another reason for sleep is that it serves as physiological maintenence. During sleep, muscles and other damaged cellular components use the time to repair and regenerate. Another important feature of sleep physiology is the notion of an internal clock, or our natural circadian rhythms. Circadian rhythms are observed in almost all living things. This internal clock serves as regulating when to be active and using energy compared when the organism should be resting to conserve energy. The cycle occurs once per day. In particular, the effect can be seen with the impact of the changing between daylight and nighttime. This can be seen by the effects of sleep and light on the secretion of certain neurochemicals and hormones such as melatonin. Sleep occurs in distinct phases, which is characterized by a change in brain wave activity as well as some physiological changes. There are 2 main phases of sleep: non- rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement. Stage 1 is characterized as the light sleep that is predominated by theta waves that lasts between 5-10 minutes. The second stage lasts around 20 minutes and sleep spindles begin to form, which are rapid bursts in brain activity. The third stage is characterized by delta waves and is in between light and heavy sleep. Stage four is deep sleep, which is again characterized by an increase in delta waves. Stage 5 is the deepest stage of sleep and this is where REM occurs. REM stands for rapid eye movement. The most vivid dreaming occurs during this stage of sleep because it is the deepest stage of sleep. REM usually occurs between 4 and 5 times throughout the entire night. The mind is extremely active during this period with levels of neurological activity being similar to that of being awake. Theories show that REM is important in not only maintaining neurological activity, but also for memory processing. Sleep disorders can be caused by a majority of cases and there are a variety of them. Sleep apnea is a disorder in whic h a person physically stops breathing during sleep. Insomnia is where a person cannot fall asleep easily, therefore feels the effects of sleep deprivation. Too little and too much sleep can result in some diseases and conditions. These can range from diabetes to certain types of cancers. Stress One of the most important topics in health psychology, stress is a multidisciplinary topic that goes into not only the cognitive effects of stress, but also the physiological effects of stress. Principally there are two main chemicals, which are mediated in stress responses. Cortisol and norepinephrine release are triggered when a person is experiencing a stressful situation. These chemicals function as a stimulus, which heightens physiological response to handle the incoming threat or danger. Stress has been linked to a multitude of physiological problems. Prolonged stress can lead to sleep deprivation and insomnia, which leads to a host of its own physiological problems. Increases in blood pressure and pulse can lead to heart disease and cancers. Stress can also affect the endocrine system because too much stress leads to over activity in this system, which can lead to certain types of cancers as well as certain types of diabetes. Increased stress can also lead to compromising the immune system, which can make a person more susceptible to developing infection and illnesses. It has also been shown that stress has a physiological

System Architecture & Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

System Architecture & Design - Research Paper Example The researcher of this paper states that the system design needs to improve the hard drives to increase their performance speed. System architecture is the specific model of a concept that describes the structure and the behavior of a given system. The design of the hard disk drive, that is created in the research paper acts as a system solution provider for the users. Developing the design of the disk drive includes some specific features like the application of the programming software systems to achieve this goal. Additionally, it is essential for the designer to ensure that the work undergoes documentation and recording. This is because this work can be improved in the future. Therefore, the importance of documentation is to keep the work for future references. Thus, the designer ought to document a part of the process that is significant for the intellectual purposes and for future reference. The design utilizes the technique of the input the process and finally the output of da ta. The design presented in the essay should be suitable for utilization by a large group of system designers and further it must be applicable in a variety of sectors of production. The hard disk design addressed is easy to use and has an easily understood design. The only limitation noted by the researcher are the risks that require thorough analysis to avoid them and to ensure flow of work. The failure to assess and also to manage any form of risks can lead to loss of clear project plan that can consequently cause failure.

European Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

European Law - Essay Example there are The European Committee, The European Court of justice, The European Court of Accounts, The Economic and Social Committee, The Committee of the regions, The European Ombudsman, The European Bank of Investments and The European Central Bank as the institution the EU (Dumitru). The European Parliament is the apex body of the European Union. It represents the citizens of its 27-member countries who are European Union citizens by virtue of their respective country’s membership in the Union. The Parliament members are directly elected by their countries’ people to safeguard their interests in the E.U. Every E.U. citizen is entitled to vote from any E.U. member state they live. Thus every E.U. citizen has right to contest in the election for the E.U.Parliament held once in five years. Thus, the Parliament represents the democratic aspirations of its people through as many as 736 elected members from 27 Member States. Each Member State has a defined number of members to represent and there are seven political parties called political groups transcending the identities of individual member countries besides independently elected members (non-attached) without allegiance to any of the political groups. The Parliament’s General Secretariat is in Luxembourg. While its plenary sessions are held in Strasbourg, Committee meetings take place in Brussels. Parliament is vested with the power for enactment of European legislation. As the laws are passed by the elected members of the Member States, they lend legitimacy to the enactments and become binding on the Member States. As the European Council also has legislative power, the Parliament passes legislation through co-decision with the council. In some subjects, the Council alone can enact but with the consultation of the Parliament. In certain matters of admitting countries as members, Parliament’s assent s required. Second, it supervises the E.U institutions’ functioning. Its supervision over the E.U.

System Architecture & Design Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

System Architecture & Design - Research Paper Example The researcher of this paper states that the system design needs to improve the hard drives to increase their performance speed. System architecture is the specific model of a concept that describes the structure and the behavior of a given system. The design of the hard disk drive, that is created in the research paper acts as a system solution provider for the users. Developing the design of the disk drive includes some specific features like the application of the programming software systems to achieve this goal. Additionally, it is essential for the designer to ensure that the work undergoes documentation and recording. This is because this work can be improved in the future. Therefore, the importance of documentation is to keep the work for future references. Thus, the designer ought to document a part of the process that is significant for the intellectual purposes and for future reference. The design utilizes the technique of the input the process and finally the output of da ta. The design presented in the essay should be suitable for utilization by a large group of system designers and further it must be applicable in a variety of sectors of production. The hard disk design addressed is easy to use and has an easily understood design. The only limitation noted by the researcher are the risks that require thorough analysis to avoid them and to ensure flow of work. The failure to assess and also to manage any form of risks can lead to loss of clear project plan that can consequently cause failure.

Global Climate Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global Climate Models - Essay Example Furthermore, recent studies have shown that the model is very efficient in estimating global climate change. It has been adopted by many nations globally because of its effective understanding of climate sensitivity. Moreover, the ECHAM5 reproduces the global metrics of the tropical cyclones. The other submodels before the ECHAM5 include the ECHAM4 which reproduces the extremes and variability of rainfall (Randall and Wood). The model was developed in 2005 by the Beijing Climate Centre. It was designed as a global ocean, atmospheric global model to reflect or study the mean climatological state (Bader, 2008). Therefore, it was not designed climate change in China, but to be used all over the globe. Additionally, it is very important to note that this model is used to predict global and East Asian seasonal climate. It presents a very high resolution of climate forecasts in China and more so it produces monthly scale forecasts of the climate in this region (Palmer, 2014). As a result, the monthly extended dynamic range system is thus based on the BCC-CM1 model. The BCC-CM1, 2005 has proved to be very accurate in predicting seasonal climate change as compared to the atmospheric and ocean models. After the analysis of the two climate models, it is crystal clear that the models were created in the same year and that both of them are coupled employing a combination of two models in one. However, the two models greatly differ from each other. The BCC-CM1, 2005 was designed in China while the ECHAM5/MPI-ON was designed in Germany. The most important difference is that the BCC-CMI model is very effective in predicting seasonal climate change. On the other hand, the ECHAM5/MPI-OM forecast climate change in the long run (Semenov & Stratonovitch, 2010). The computation of the ECHAM5 is meant to predict the climate change globally, but for a long duration of time.  Ã‚  

Accounting Ratio to Manipulate Accounting

Accounting Ratio to Manipulate Accounting Companies use accounting ratios to manipulate their accounts Table of Contents (Jump to) Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.1 Aims and objectives Hypothesis 1 1.2. Overview Chapter 2 Critical Literature Review 2.1 Introduction 2.2. International Financial Reporting Standards 2.2.1 Coverage and aims of the standards 2.2.2 Areas of concern 2.3. The art and purpose of Creative Accounting or financial statement Manipulation 2.5 The impact of Creative accounting on Financial Ratios 2.5.1 Definition and purpose of financial ratios 2.5.2 Manipulation of financial ratios Chapter 3 Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Issues considered 3.2 Options of research methods 3.2.1 Quantitative and qualitative 3.2.2 Deductive and inductive methods 3.3 Choice of research method 3.4 Performance of the research Chapter 4. Findings and evaluations 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Findings Abstract Financial ratios have become part of the process by which investors, financial observers and other stakeholders within the market make their decisions and about the activities, profitability and liquidity of a particular corporation. As such, it is therefore important that these reflect the same level of accuracy and compliance to the financial reporting standards as the financial statements. However, it has become increasingly apparent over recent years that the practice of manipulation has been extended in its use to influence these ratios. This dissertation set out with the aim of confirming whether this is the case. It was also intended to identify the particular areas of concern that this practice is generating. It is found that there is evidence of manipulation of financial ratios and that this is particularly relevant in relation to the manipulation of fair valuation and the treatment of off balance sheet items. Although the study has been limited in terms of sample size, the findings are that the practice is particularly apparent in the financial markets sector and this has contributed to the current financial and economic crises. There is a need for a clearer framework for the calculation of fair valuation and a more robust method of regulating the activities of corporate management in an effort to reduce the longer term detrimental impact of this practice. Chapter One: Introduction 1.1 Introduction Following collapses of major global corporations such as Enron, as well as increasing pressure from shareholders and other stakeholders for a more open and understandable system of financial reporting, governments worldwide as well as those involved in international corporate controls came together to bring about one of the biggest changes in controls and governance. Using the offices of the IASB[1] (2008), there followed the introduction of international standards to be used for both accounting procedures and the preparation and presentation of financial statements. The intention of these standards is to create a situation where financial statements have a level of â€Å"understandability, relevance, reliability and comparability† (Lindsall 2005, p.2) that meets the needs of those stakeholders who rely upon these statements. The ISAB confirmed this purpose in an early statement of mission which read that their aim was: â€Å"To develop, in the public interest, a single set of high-quality, understandable, and enforceable global accounting standards that require high-quality, transparent and comparable information in financial statements and other financial reporting to help participants in the various capital markets of the world and other users to make economic decisions† (Gregoriou and Gaber 2006, p.16). In other words, part of the aims of these standards was to endeavour to eliminate the practice of manipulating financial statements. Nevertheless, despite these good intentions subsequent events have shown that the aims and objectives of these standards are still a long way from being achieved, with concern regarding the understandability, relevance, reliability and comparability of financial statements increasing rather the opposite direction hoped for by the authorities. In fact, many believe that the standards themselves, due to ambiguities, have created a platform for the increase in what has increasingly become known as â€Å"Creative Accounting† (Griffiths 1988). This in reality is another term for the process by which management and/.or their financial advisers and auditors are able to manipulate the figures reported within the financial statements in a manner that can lead to these being misrepresented and, what’s more, it is legal. Opponents of the practice bel ieve it to be damaging to investor and other corporate stakeholders, including shareholders and creditors. Indeed some have even gone as far as suggesting that manipulation of financial statements is the root cause of the current â€Å"credit crunch† (Letters 2008). Since the time of Ian Griffiths (1988) book on the issue of creative accounting and manipulation of financial statements there has been a plethora of academic studies into this phenomenon, as will be shown within the literature review in chapter two of this dissertation, and a growing debate between those who applaud and oppose this situation. Understandably, most of this literature is concentrated upon the physical changes that take place within the financial statements themselves However, one area of manipulation in financial reporting that does not appear to have received nearly as much attention. This area is financial ratios! This assumption and discovery is supported by Stolowy and Breton (2000) (see appendix 2). Whilst it is accepted that, in a technical sense financial ratios are not considered a part of the financial statements that come within the context or control of the international standards, as they are using equated by those financial external to the company, they are nonetheless considered an important measurement of corporate performance (Bragg 2007). For example, expert financial observers often quote ratios when advising upon the investment value of a particular corporation and many busy investors will take notice and make financial decision based upon what these ratios reveal. Therefore, manipulation by corporations and their advisors might be considered equally as misleading as the practice being used in any other aspect of financial reporting. It is this perceived gap in literature relating to this issue, together with the desire to access how prolific manipulation of financial ratios might be that has generated the author’s interest in researching the subject. 1.1 Aims and objectives With the concentration of the majority of literature relating to creative accounting and manipulation focusing upon the actual results contained within the financial statement, it is the author’s intention to address its deeper impact. Financial ratios are used by many stakeholders as a quick guide to the appropriateness of a corporation as an investment vehicle. Manipulation of these ratios can therefore have an immediate impact upon decision making by stakeholders. To address this issue, the following hypothesis has been set for this dissertation: â€Å"That company management and their advisors are aware that manipulation of financial ratios can have as much, if not more of an impact upon investment decisions as manipulations in the financial statements.† Further, to test the accuracy of the comment made regarding manipulation and the credit crunch, a second hypothesis will be included: Hypothesis 2 â€Å"That manipulation of financial ratios within the banking sector contributed to the current global financial market crisis.† In order to ensure that the aims of this research, and resolution of the research hypothesis, is achieved in a robust manner and provide a valuable conclusion, a framework of objectives has been devised, based on the following: Financial reporting framework and standards The intention is to analyse and assess the component elements of the current regulatory standards, evaluate their stated intentions and the robustness with which these can be transitioned into the practical reporting environment and identify their current limitations. Creative accounting Based upon current literature the dissertation will provide an understanding of the term creative accounting, identify the areas of its potential use within financial reporting and identify the main purposes and beneficiaries of such actions. Financial ratios The objective with regard to financial ratios is to provide an understanding of their purpose and intentions, which includes identifying their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, using primary data, the dissertation will explain how these ratios can be manipulated as well as identifying the reasons for this conduct. Future improvements Resulting from the previous objectives, it is the author’s intention to provide recommendations that will be designed to reduce the current impact of the manipulation of financial ratios and/or methods by which these manipulations can be identified and revised to reflect actual movements. 1.2 Overview To provide the reader with a clear understanding of this research, it aims and the manner in which it has been performed, this dissertation has been presented in the following order. This introductory chapter has set the scene and provided the background to the issues that for the core focus of the research. Immediately following, in chapter two, there is a critical review of current and appropriate literature relative to these issues. This includes an evaluation of the published frameworks of financial reporting standards, the concept of creative accounting, importance and significance of financial ratios and the effects of manipulation. Chapter three outlines the research methodology choices that were available to the author, identifying the method chosen together with the reasons for this choice. The findings of the secondary and primary research are then presented, compared and discussed in further depth in chapter four before recommendations are outlined in chapter five. Finally , the dissertation is concluded in chapter six. Added to the main body of the dissertation had been attached a complete list of all the references used within the body of the text. Furthermore, to add clarity and further understanding for the reader, additional information in the form of appendices has also been attached. Chapter Two: Critical Literature Review 2.1 Introduction The critical review conducted within this chapter has been designed to concentrate upon the literature relating to the issues being studied within this dissertation that has been published in the main within the past two decades as these represent the standards and practices that are currently in use within financial statements. For ease of reference the chapter has been segmented and analysed into appropriate sections 2.2. International Financial Reporting Standards As Swanson and Miller’s (1989) research shows, the issue of interpreting financial statements had been a subject of debate for many decades prior to the interest in international standards developed. Understanding the different systems of measurement used by management and accountants in financial statements had long proved difficult for investors and other interest parties. It was these areas of concern fuelled the move towards the creation and adoption of an internationally agreed and legally binding framework of accounting and financial reporting standards (Choi et al 2005 and Jones 2006). Amongst these concerns was included the lack of comparability and understanding available to potential investors and other stakeholders when analysing financial statements that were prepared under differing national codes and regulations and the difficulty experienced even when trying to compare accounts of corporations within the same industry (Tarca 2002 and Nobes and Parker 2006). However, as many academic authors had suggested (Nobes 1998, Blake and Lunt 2000, Lee 2006 and Mizra et al 2006 included) another core issue was the growing unease about the practice of â€Å"Creative accounting† and the negative impact this was creating in terms of stakeholder trust and confidence in financial reporting (Lee 2006). Whilst in essence such practices were not illegal, they were becoming a contentious issue in many financial circles, a fact evidenced by the comments of Lord Dearing (1988, p.12) in his committees report on the need for international accounting standards, when he said: â€Å"There is little evidence that companies are engaging in flagrant breaches of accounting standards †¦ However †¦ there is strong pressure on auditors from time to time to accept interpretations of accounting standards which conform to the interests of the preparers rather than with the spirit of the standard.† During the course of the decade following this report government representatives, accounting bodies and other interest financial parties spent a considerable amount of time discussing and agreeing standards that would help to address these anomalies, inconsistencies and concerns, which culminated in the creation of an international accounting and financial framework of standards (IASB[2] 2001 and PWC 2008). These standards were to be designed and operated by the IASB (Feature 2003). However, it still took a number of years to encourage individual national governments to adopt these measures. However the UK government decided that, â€Å"from 2005 UK listed companies must use IFRS for their consolidated statements† (Nobes and Parker, 2006, p.103). Furthermore, the financial reports have to include a statement by directors and auditors, which confirms †applicable accounting standards† were used or giving reasons for this not being the case (Nobes and Parker, 2006, p. 287). 2.2.1 Coverage and aims of the standards As can be seen from the list contained within appendix 1, the scope of the standards was quite extensive. Eight of these standards covered the area of financial statement reporting and presentation (IFRS), which included such issues as business combinations (Group of companies), segmentation and disclosures (Deloitte 2005). A further forty plus standards have been created, which define the accounting methods to be used within the preparation of financial statements (IAS). These laid down the audit principles to be followed Gray and Manson 2004) and covered such issues as the treatment of tangible and intangible assets (Gelb 2002 and FRC 2008). The aim of these standards was, in effect, to create a level playing field for those parties who relied upon corporate financial statements for decision making purposes, be that for investment, lending, extension of credit facilities or simply observance purposes (Chofafas 2004 and Antill and Lee 2005). In other words, the intention is that these statements should comply with four basic principles (IASB 2008), these being: Understandability The objective of this principle was to ensure that the financial statements would be presented in such a manner that they could be relatively easily understood by external stakeholders irrespective of the level of their financial and accounting knowledge, for example the private small investor (Healy et al 1997). Relevance In terms of relevance it was considered important that the information contained within the statements were relevant to the current situation (Saudagaran 2003). In other words it was important that the financial statements reflected current values, prices and other data. Reliability Despite the auditor’s opinion that the financial statements are prepared solely for reporting to the members of the corporation (ICAEW 2008), it has long been accepted that many other stakeholders, including prospective shareholders and creditor rely upon such information. Recognising the importance of this aspect, the IASB extended the principle of reliability to include these other stakeholders (Gregoriou and Gaber 2006). Comparability The need to be able to compare the accounts of individual corporations, even where these are within the same industry sector, whether that is within the national or international marketplace, is a part of the investment decision-making process. Prior to the introduction of the standards this was considered a problem, one which this principle was intended to address (Lindsall 2005, p.2). It should also be noted at this stage that, whilst these standards and principles applied to all corporations, irrespective of their industry sector, certain industry sector have to comply with additional standards. The most noticeable of these is the banking industry, which is further governed by the requirements of the Basel Accords (FSA 2007) and regulated in the UK by the FSA[3]. The focus of these particular industry specific regulations is to ensure that financial institutions retain an appropriate capital adequacy ratio within their balance sheets. However, despite the intentions of all of these standards and regulations, as the plethora of subsequent studies and literature contained within the following section confirm, they have, if anything, added to the areas of concerns that they were meant to address. 2.2.2 Areas of concern As the studies of Tweedie and Wittington (1990), Barth (2006) and Benston (2008) have revealed, a number of serious concerns have been voiced about the international standards, which they and others believe are detracting from the objective of reform and, in some cases, leading to increase volatility being seen in financial statements. In essence, these can be identified within three main areas of financial statement preparation and reporting. Fair Value and choice of valuation measurement Recognition and inclusion of revenue and profits Off balance sheet items Although initially there was no identification of the meaning of the term â€Å"fair value† in the international standards, following representations from accounting bodies, corporate associations and other stakeholders, the IASB introduced a definition, which described it as being: â€Å"the price at which the property could be exchanged between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction† (IAS 16). However, this description soon came under attack by a number of academics, including Langendijk et al (2003), Bank of England researchers (Staff team 2004), Lindsell 2005)Antill and Lee (2006), Mard and Hitchner (2007) and many others. The criticism of this measurement, rightly identified by these authors, was that it raise questions about the subjectivity and reliability of such valuations. For example, what is considered to be a fair value to one person would not be to another and, furthermore, there might be differing reasons for one party being prepared to pay a greater value for an asset than others consider fair. Evidence of this can be seen in the manner in which companies are valued in times of acquisitions (Antill and Lee 200, King 2006 and Siegal and Borgia 2007). Furthermore, as in most cases the fixed and intangible assets are not intended to be sold at the time of their inclusion within the financial statements, valuation must of necessity be based upon reasonable and expert estimates (Lindsell 2005). The problem to be encountered here is that such expert valuers differ in their opinions of measurement, with some being more optimistic than others (Barth 2006), which can lead to discrepancies. The choice of expert can thus be seen to potentially obscure concrete evidence† of the assets real value (Swanson and Miller 1989, p.1). Furthermore, the standards also allow corporations to make a choice of asset measurement between the historical cost convention and current fair value, which is decided based upon their own judgement (ICAEW 2006 and Mizra et al 2006). Despite many attempts and suggestions aimed at addressing this problem (Benston 2008) to date it has still not been resolved. Recognition of revenue and treatment of profits is another area where differing opinions and purposes of measurement and treatment have been questioned (Bullen and Crook 2005). For example, when engaged upon a project that spans a number of financial years how does the business measure the true value of the revenue and profits to be recorded in each year statements (Mizra et al 2006 and Lee 2006). Some might argue that profit, and thus that element of the revenue, cannot be taken until project completion, whilst others will advocate allocating profit to the completion of project milestones. It is apparent that, given a project of x value spread across say five years, the differences of interpretation outlined above would impact upon the revenues contained within financial statements. The ability for corporations to exclude items from their balance sheets is another issue for many investors and observers (Amat et al 1999). For example, by leasing rather purchasing a piece of equipment this can alter the debt structure of the business, as parts of the leasing contract do not have to be included within the corporate balance sheet. Similarly action can be taken with other assets such as pension schemes (Pitzer 2002). Although there are other issues with the international accounting standards, it is these three areas that appear to raise the most concerns, in particular because they provide the opportunity for firms and their auditors to engage in the practice of manipulation or creative accounting. 2.3. The art and purpose of Creative Accounting or financial statement Manipulation As indicated within the introduction to this dissertation, creative accounting or the ability to manipulate financial statements was an adopted practice before the international reporting standards became a legal requirement for all corporations. However, the increase in concerns since this event makes a study of this issue even more relevant today. Creative accounting is considered by many to be a euphemism for the practice of manipulating the information that is contained within financial statements. In terms of definition for this practice there have been many over the years. In the title of his book about creative accounting, first published in 1988, Ian Griffiths (2005) defined it as â€Å"how to make your profits what you want them to be,† a view supported by Dean and Clarke (2007). Although other academics would refrain from using such a term, as will be seen within this and following sections and chapters of this dissertation, there is more than a grain of truth in this simple description. However, the more considered definition for the type of manipulation that is that it is† a practice that results in a distortion of the figures contained within financial statements.† However, at the same time this manipulation remains strictly within the boundaries of the legal accounting principles, rules and stand ards (Shah 1998 and Balaciu and Cosmina 2008). A simple example of the meaning of these definitions can be seen in the following diagram (figure 1). In this example manipulation is defined as the greying areas between the intentions of the standards and the areas within which the interpretation of these standards can be manipulated, always stopping short of the ultimate boundaries of the legal framework, beyond which such manipulation would be considered as fraud. As can be seen from this diagram manipulation can have two intentions, this being either to produce a negative or positive impact upon the profits and value of the business (Mulford and Comiskev 2002 and Balaciu and Cosmina 2008). It is generally accepted that manipulation is driven by the needs and demands of management (Pierce-Brown and Steele 1999 and Griffiths 2005). For example, if management believes that the business is likely to have a bad year, which will adversely affect their bonus and benefits they might either exacerbate the losses to increase their benefits in a following year or reduce them to protect these benefits. The same methods would be used if the management wishes to influence the corporation’s level of growth (Pierce-Brown and Steele 2006). This practice is known as the â€Å"Big Bath† method (Investopedia 2008). To achieve the required objective the management might use a combination of the flexibility contained within the concepts of fair value, revenue and profit recognition and off-balance sheet items as discussed in section 2.2.2 of this chapter. For example, an employed expert valuer who takes a pessimistic approach would have the effect of reducing the value of asse ts, thus having an adverse effect upon profits. Delaying recognition of revenue or profits would have the same effect (Mulford and Comiskev 2002). Some academic authors have posed the question as to whether such manipulation is ethical (Amat and Dowds 1999 and Blake and Growthorpe 1998). However, whilst the question of ethics might be of concern to those who rely upon the financial statements presented by corporations (Saudagaran 2003), under the present standards, regulations and their measurements it remains legal (Griffiths 2005). 2.4 The impact of Creative accounting on Financial Ratios As Bragg (2007) indicates within the introduction to his study of business ratios and formulas, these can be applied to virtually every aspect of the business and its operations. However for the purpose of this dissertation, the focus regarding ratios will be restricted to those that relate specifically to the information contained within a corporation’s financial statements. 2.4.1 Definition and purpose of financial ratios The term ratio can broadly be defined as a measurement by which the performance of a corporation, in terms of its operations and activities, can be judged and assessed (Bragg 2007, p.1). In terms of the financial statements produced by corporations this judgement is aimed at measuring a number of performance factors (Stolowy and Breton 2000). As can be seen from the descriptions contained within the following example (figure 2) in this respect the intention of these ratios is to provide an assessment of the profitability of the business and its return on investment (Income statement) and its liquidity position (Balance Sheet) (Bragg 2007). Figure 2 Popular financial ratios Financial Ratios 1) Gross Margin Operating earnings (before exceptional and tax) as a percentage of net sales 2) Operating Margin Operating Income (net profit before tax) as a percentage of net sales 3) Profit Margin Net Income (profit after tax) as a percentage of net sales 4) Return on Equity Net Profit after Taxes as a percentage of equity 5) Return on Investment Net Profit after Taxes as a percentage of total assets 6) Return on Capital Employed Net Profit after Taxes as a percentage of average shareholder equity 7) Current ratio Ratio of current assets to current liabilities 8) Quick ratio Ratio of current assets (less inventory) to current liabilities ( less overdraft and other borrowings) 9) Gearing (debt to equity) ratio Ratio of liabilities to equity 10) Earnings per share (EPS) Net profit divided by number of shares issued 11) P/E ratio