Monday, September 30, 2019

Personal Development Plan for Pragmatist

Introduction: This study report covering various aspects of personal and professional development of the professional student, who is going to practise all the skills and abilities in the real business world at very next step when student completes professional degree course. This report aims to fulfil the requirement the student to be professional in reality presenting the views of student on the basis of research using books, lecture notes understanding and online study material from various websites. It helps a student how to run the cycle of continuous personal and professional improvement and development to compete the globalisation. It suggest the personal development plan using time logs and carry out certain regular exercise to monitor the progress like filling questionnaire, maintain task diary and records, seeking feedback using 360 degree assessment. Professional and personal development support the body of a career and profession progression like a backbone, enabling the person to stand and touch and maintain the highest position in their working area. It can only ensured by continuous learning and observation process. Learning and observation process makes aware the person about his values, abilities, skills, attitude, learning style and hidden talents and how to use it for excellent performance. Professional and personal development and learning process starts with identifying the personality, position and learning style of the person. I would like to presents the views that how a student can be effective leader or manager acquiring professional skills namely time management, meeting, presentation and stress management. Leader/Manager: Successful professional should be effective leader and effective manager to lead positively to grow the profession and goodwill by competing with global challenges. In every organisation, each level of the hierarchical structure have leaders and managers. Managers and leaders are distinct personality with ultimate goal is to achieve organisational goals. A leader and A manager can be identified as per Waston (1983) and Hollingsworth (1999) suggestions with four distinct styles: A leader is a person who emphasis the right way of work focusing on people, sharing goals with them using their skills, inspire them to innovate and develop new style and skill which supports to achieve own as well as organisational objectives. A manager concentrating on the subordinates, system and composition, administer and manage them by controlling them to achieve the strategic objectives set by the management of the organisation. A manager stress on doing the appropriate task by result oriented strategies and systems. The Autocratic Leader/Manager: He does not value the subordinates’ skills and opinions. He has centralised power to ascertain dilemma, makes decisions and tells it to subordinate to execute task. The Semi-Autocratic Leader/Manger: He is partially autocratic, but seek some reflection from the subordinates who are going to practices it and try to convince to follow his decisions. The Democratic Leader/Manager: He just identifies the problems and seeks suggestions and recommendations from the group and then decide the solution. The Laissey-Faire Leader/Manager: He identifies the problems and set boundary within which decision must be fall and pass it to the performing group and make the correct suitable decision being with them. Democratic and Laissey faire leadership style is preferred in this globalisation and dynamic business world. Professional Skills: Time Management: Time is a money once you spent it you will never get back so right job at right time yields better fruits. Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you followed your prioritised to-do list? Have you meet the deadlines? What effects on the final result due to incomplete task? Have you got the full participation colleagues and subordinates as per the job assigned? Do you have any spare time for contingency and further planning? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to use time effectively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities. Acquisition: Habit to prepare and analyse the workload and prioritize it daily and weekly by preparing to-do list categorising the task as must do, should do and would like to do. Therefore, flitting will be less. (appendix 1) Set the deadlines and stick to it to complete the task, which helps him to allocate enough time to other task and be stress free as the task finish along with the spare time to plan further or allocate it to any unfinished task or contingency. Identify the best time and do hard and important task within best time. Divide the job into small discrete part and delegate it to the suitable person with all the necessary guidance and information specifying the rewards. It will motivate the subordinates by participation and decrease the workload and stress level of delegator which saves his time and energy. Conduct meetings for monitoring the progress of work as and when necessary. Avoid procrastination and time wasters which ensures needed attention to the work. Do not spent long time for perfection of the job on the cost of other activities. Maintain proper records by backup and filling, which can be used as vital tool while planning next time. Understanding about the assigned job and take responsibility as per the calibre to complete it within deadlines. It helps him to manage stress and utilize time productively. Running successful Meetings: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you met the goals set? Has meeting was enjoyed by the members and equally participated to express their views? Did all the mentioned agenda discussed and come to the solution? Did the meeting follows the time allocation and rules like quorum? Did the minutes recorded properly? Did you have announced the next meeting date and when members get the former meeting details? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to run meeting effectively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities: Acquisition: Set the purpose, time, date, right place with proper infrastructural and refreshment arrangements with meeting start and end time. Prepare agenda mentioning required items with next meeting date. (appendix 2) Inform members about the purpose and agenda of the meeting well in advance. Allot sufficient time to each agenda including hidden agenda and stick to it. Specify the chair person and ensure the opportunity to express opinions. Be sure about the technology and tools used in meeting Arrange minute recording and procedure to sent to the members of the meeting. Set the disciplinary rules to be followed by members during meeting. Ensure the chair person being unbiased and objective having ability to control and negotiate. This way manager can conduct fruitful meeting which enables the organisation to achieve the objectives. The fruitful meeting will increase the morale and productivity of members saves time and efforts by proper attention to each item. Effective Presentation: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you met the goals set? Did your audience enjoyed and gained knowledge presentation? Did it organised in terms of matter, tools used and time bound? Did your body language and communication style attract the audience? Have you allowed audience to participate? If most of the answers is no, then start finding the gaps and lacking to present attractively. Gap finds because of not exercising following activities: Acquisition: Set the time, date, place, topic of presentation. Identify the audience and its expectations Be prepared and rehearse, support the matter with authentic data Be sure about the tools and facilities required Have confident and friendly body language with smiley face Stick to time and spare time for Q/A from audience For effective presentation, nerve control is vital because it fails the presentation no matter how strong paperwork or other skills you have. Stress Management: Evaluation: Ask following questions to yourself: Have you facing any physical or habitual disorder? Is there any financial or family problem which adversely affect your performance? Are you facing problem to deal with technology and people? Have you adjusted yourself in this working environment? Are you aware about your ability, skills, role and responsibilities? If answer of first 3 question is yes, then identify stressors and try to accept it and be free from it by following ways: Acquisition: Prime necessity is to accept the stress problem Identify the stressors and take steps to reduce it and remove it. Have some refreshment activity like change task, eat food, listen music Some concrete steps which may take long time like redesign the task/role/work environment, encourage subordinate involvement, set flexible employee friendly policy, provide social support and share reward Undergo some psychological exercise as per expert opinion like workshops, seminars Conclusion: Each above mentioned skills are interconnected with each other like, proper time management reduce the stress, increase productivity, Participation of employees in meeting and presentation encourage them to take initiatives with high moral. Personal Skill Audit The further step is how I can apply professional skills discussed in previous section to be very profitable and easy going personality. The application can be done in better and accurate way by findings positive and negative points of his personal qualities and skills. Hence, personal skill audit comes into the picture of personal development. Personal skill audit refers to the findings about the personal skills. It can be done by identifying strengths and weaknesses of the person. For that, which learning style the person have must be identified. To identify the learning style of the person, there is some tools like questionnaire and learning surveys by Peter Honey and Alan Mumford(ARPT), David Kolb(VAK), Carl Jugg and Mybers Briggs(type E/I,S/N,T/F,J/P). The student has followed Learning Style Questionnaire by Peter and Alan(appendix 3), on the basis of that the student identified his learning style ‘Pragmatist’: Strengths: Eager to try out ideas, concepts Realistic, and practical, Likes experiments Strive to meet preset goals Works autonomously Go through available options and assess it Weakness: Task oriented, does not value people Impatient ant centralize power work without any precaution tendency to take over others’ task independent working style do not involve the people Pragmatist can develop by exercising the work where person is: Problem and chances to progress is attached with the job Show the practical techniques to do right thing at a time Take chance to try out theories in practice supported by feedback from expert Showing the experts and models to follow them Equipped with techniques and knowledge useful for job Offer opportunity for progression and experiments Focus on practical matters by suggestions, tips Pragmatist find difficulties to improve his skills, where Job is not related to identified important requirement or not any practical gain Learning is far from real practical issues just theoretical concepts without clear guidance People not getting any point just going round and round Political diplomatic personal bias barriers to put thing into practice No proper reward for outstanding performance Some findings helps me to be effective and role demanding personality like using people by delegating task can manage the time and stress fruitfully. Giving values to the people in organisation can ensure high moral and motivation to work. Forecast the possible results of experiments before acting and use if it is beneficial to the organisation and people who practices it. Autocratic way to manage the people is discouraging, so its better to be a democratic or a member of the performing group. Team approach helps me to overcome from impatient and self centric personality by working in team and respecting human values and ability. Once finds out the lacking and gaps , he can use detective skills to find the ways to fill it. And come up with best suitable method by evaluating each available options to him, as very keen to use techniques, apply it to job to make it easy, speedy and accurate and recognise the use of the advance resources applicable in job. Strive to meet the specified goals and act accordingly is the great strength which differentiate his personality. He learn from the trail and error by experimenting various concepts in practice. To delegate the job to subordinates, he shows his skills of persuading presentation of idea and conduct meeting to convince the subordinate to work on it to meet the targets. Like this way, interconnecting his strengths to overcome his weaknesses he can be prove himself as effective personality at work place or anywhere. Thus, I would like to focus on the team work approach, learn to delegate the task and value others being diversified personality. At the end, knowledgeable, team friendly, stress free, happy, open and flexible, initiative and motivating work approach gives ripe fruits to individual and the organisation. Personal Development Plan: As per the discussion in previous sections, now I am going ahead to develop the own personality development plan. Where learning style identified is key to design personal development plan with the professional skills required to gain from the global challenges. In today’s ever-changing world, to be an effective manager core skills namely effective time management, running successful meetings, making effective presentation and managing stress tactfully is prime necessity. As per the previous discussion, now I am well aware about my strengths and weaknesses as a pragmatist regarding the achievement of organisational and personal objectives to ensure continuous growth. For deep understanding about my learning style and personal traits, i would like to do SWOT analysis of my personal traits. SMART objectives will help me to use the SWOT beneficially in practice. Using SWOT analysis, I analyse my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to the personal skills and traits considering four core competent skills discussed in first section. At the end, I present a personal development plan to use, which suggest the practical way to utilize the personal attributes profitably and draw attractive picture of my personality and organisation as a whole. In section two, I have already identified my strengths and weaknesses to put the things into practice and achieve desired result. Strengths and weaknesses are the own internal favourable and unfavourable points which helps the person to rise up. It can only improved by self observation and improvement. The analysis introduce my following strengths and weaknesses: Strengths: Practical and realistic way to solve the problems by evaluating all the possible alternatives Like to experiment different theories and ideas ascertained using detective skills Set the goals and work autonomously to act upon Weaknesses: Being self centric and impatient under values other people and their ability to perform better Strive to do other’s work without taking into account the personal feelings Work independently without seeking participation of others Not arrive at the possible results and like to experiment proves wrong Being a task oriented does not take care of personal feelings Opportunity and Threat are external forces influencing the personality positively as well as negatively. This has connection with internal forces like strengths and weaknesses of the person to attain personal and organisational objectives as well. As a result of this analysis, now, I know my following would be opportunities and threats: Opportunity: Chance to get and test knowledge in business world. Learn by experiments and arrive at the best suitable practical solution to make easy business complexity Less chance of work error as work independently, evaluating PESTAL factor Chance to use advanced technology in practice Chance to undertake other projects and explore gaps to use it profitable as I have time bound working style Drive all the forces to attain preset goals and emerge with distinct personality Less chance to fail in planning due to practical and realistic work practice considering all the available alternatives Threats: Be frustrate and nervous if goals are not attain within time frame due to impatient attribute. As working autonomously sometimes decisions or analysis may prove wrong Diversified market needs and expectation of global business world Emerging business complexity and customer awareness Now, after performing self appraisal, I have a feasible knowledge of my positive and negative points to be an effective administrator or an effective manager to face the global challenges and create my own value in the organisation and business market as well. At this stage, SMART will help me as powerful tool to overcome my weaknesses and turn them into positive force to touch the sky of business world. S-Specific: On the basis of the weaknesses, i arrived at the solution that although I have practical and realistic work approach, sometimes decisions proves wrong and cannot complete the task within time limit set. This can be improved by adapting team working style emphasising on co-ordination and co-operation with and of colleagues and subordinates in the organisation. Therefore, focus on work delegation and team work is necessary to work within deadlines and try to get optimum using all the available resources. M-Measurable: to delegate the job, it is necessary to design proper job description and draw the skills required to perform it by using various techniques like feedback of the colleagues, looking at other company. Set the system and ways to measure the performance of people and the system laid down to achieve the objectives. So, it ensures active participation with clear understanding of job and achievements. A-Achievable: To do the task within time frame the right job should be assigned to a right person,. For that, I have to value the other person’s ability to perform specific job and assigned him that job with required guidelines and data to perform productively. The meeting and effective presentation of the delegated job to each subordinates and colleagues is necessary to achieve the goals. So here comes the presentation and meeting skills to convey the idea and communicate regarding the role they have to play to drive towards the achievements of objectives. So, here I have to concentrate on my interpersonal skills and getting co-operation and co-ordination with colleagues and subordinates to perform time bound duties. R-Relevant: It should be take care that subordinate have no ambiguity relating to his roles and targets to be met as a team member and organisational goals. Therefore, all the efforts must be towards the achievement of organisational objectives. The roles and targets can be communicate by way of successful meeting and effective presentation by the manager. As it saves time, efforts, money of people and organisation as well. T-Time Defined: If all the things are right doing in right way by the right person, it is also necessary that it should be complete within time defined. Because time is money, and to be successful it should be utilize effectively by allocating sufficient time to each an every activity as per its importance to do. Evidence of Monitoring and Feedback: As per the outcome of the SWOT and SMART, I have to follow the diary and records of the subordinates and colleagues achievements and skills to perform better. Other necessary thing is to is maintain and analyse time log until I follow the proper time schedule as prepared. Periodic performance review by 360 degree assessment which aware me about my improvements and necessity to improve. With all this, unbiased regular self assessment using SWOT helps me to ride the cycle of continuous development. Likewise, I can get measurable, achievable, relevant time bound active participation of the specific subordinates. I am following time log daily as well as weekly when i was explained in class lecture and now at the end of this 9th week I found that I am very much nearer to follow the time schedule set weekly. And I followed daily time log and I achieved time frame in working day not in weekends and I am trying to achieve it. I am taking feedback at workplace using 360 degree assessment when I finished one project and before starting new project and from my family members that how I am successful to meet their expectations. Without such monitoring and feedback one cannot have a clear idea about his improvement and progress. This is the vital axes of the progress chart of personal skill development. Review and Conclusion: At the end of the personal development process, I noticed that above discussed matter draw the conclusion that time management, stress management, running meetings and presentations are supportive pillars of the building effective personality and achieve personal and organisational goals. This is the basic necessity of today’s global dynamic business market and learned customers. This report reveals the successful professional career as an effective manger can be ensured by aligning personal objectives with organisation’s objectives. Reference: Pedler Mike, Burgoyne John and Boydell Tom,(2001), A Manger’s Guide to Self Development, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill,ISBN-0-07-709830-7 www. decs. sa. gov. au(Accessed on 27/10/2009) www. nwlink. com (Accessed on 27/10/2009) Appendix 1 Honey and Mumford Learning Styles Questionnaire This questionnaire is designed to find out your preferred learning style(s). Over the years you have probably developed learning â€Å"habits† that help you benefit more from some experiences than from others. Since you are probably unaware of this, this questionnaire will help you pinpoint your learning preferences so that you are in a better position to select learning experiences that suit your style and having a greater understanding of those that suit the style of others. There is no time limit to this questionnaire. It will probably take you 10-15 minutes. The accuracy of the results depends on how honest you can be. There are no right or wrong answers. If you agree more than you disagree with a statement put a tick by it. If you disagree more than you agree put a cross by it. Be sure to mark each item with either a tick or cross. Scoring And Interpreting The Learning Styles Questionnaire The Questionnaire is scored by awarding one point for each ticked item. There are no points for crossed items. Simply indicate on the lists below which items were ticked by circling the appropriate question number. TOTALS *Activist Reflector * Theorist Pragmatist Learning Styles Questionnaire Profile Based on General Norms for 1302 People Learning Styles – General Descriptions Activists Activists involve themselves fully and without bias in new experiences. They enjoy the here and now and are happy to be dominated by immediate experiences. They are open-minded, not skeptical, and this tends to make them enthusiastic about anything new. Their philosophy is: â€Å"I'll try anything once†. They tend to act first and consider the consequences afterwards. Their days are filled with activity. They tackle problems by brainstorming. As soon as the excitement from one activity has died down they are busy looking for the next. They tend to thrive on the challenge of new experiences but are bored with implementation and longer-term consolidation. They are gregarious people constantly involving themselves with others but in doing so; they seek to centre all activities on themselves. Reflectors 90997322447 Reflectors like to stand back to ponder experiences and observe them from many different perspectives. They collect data, both first hand and from others, and prefer to think about it thoroughly before coming to any conclusion. The thorough collection and analysis of data about experiences and events is what counts so they tend to postpone reaching definitive conclusions for as long as possible. Their philosophy is to be cautious. They are thoughtful people who like to consider all possible angles and implications before making a move. They prefer to take a back seat in meetings and discussions. They enjoy observing other people in action. They listen to others and get the drift of the discussion before making their own points. They tend to adopt a low profile and have a slightly distant, tolerant unruffled air about them. When they act it is part of a wide picture which includes the past as well as the present and others' observations as well as their own. Theorists Theorists adapt and integrate observations into complex but logically sound theories. They think problems through in a vertical, step-by-step logical way. They assimilate disparate facts into coherent theories. They tend to be perfectionists who won't rest easy until things are tidy and fit into a rational scheme. They like to analyse and synthesise. They are keen on basic assumptions, principles, theories models and systems thinking. Their philosophy prizes rationality and logic. â€Å"If it's logical it's good†. Questions they frequently ask are: â€Å"Does it make sense? â€Å"How does this fit with that? † â€Å"What are the basic assumptions? † They tend to be detached, analytical and dedicated to rational objectivity rather than anything subjective or ambiguous. Their approach to problems is consistently logical. This is their â€Å"mental set† and they rigidly reject anything that doesn't fit with it. They prefer to maximise certainty and feel uncomfortable with subjective judgments, lateral thinking and anything flippant. Pragmatists Pragmatists are keen on trying out ideas, theories and techniques to see if they work in practice. They positively search out new ideas and take the first opportunity to experiment with applications. They are the sorts of people who return from management courses brimming with new ideas that they want to try out in practice. They like to get on with things and act quickly and confidently on ideas that attract them. They tend to be impatient with ruminating and open-ended discussions. They are essentially practical, down to earth pile who like making practical decisions and solving problems. They respond to problems and opportunities â€Å"as a challenge†. Their philosophy is: â€Å"There is always a better way† and â€Å"if it works it's good†. In descending order of likelihood, the most common combinations are: 1st Reflector/Theorist 2†³d Theorist/ Pragmatist 3rd Reflector/Pragmatist 4th Activist/Pragmatist Appendix 2 Time Log {draw:frame} Activitists (Do) Immerse themselves fully in new experiences Enjoy here and now Open minded, enthusiastic, flexible Act first, consider consequences later Seek to centre activity around themselves http://www. archives. org. uk/careerdevelopment/continuingprofessionaldevelopment/professionaldevelopmentplan. html http://www. thegateway. org/browse/17801 http://www. excellencegateway. org. uk/page. aspx? o=152477

Sunday, September 29, 2019

How to Brief a Case

HOW TO BRIEF A CASE Below I have sketched in the beginnings of a brief as a format. This time-honored method of analysis is the basic unit of law school instruction and so most judicial opinions are written to conform to this approach. Knowing the rules makes watching the game so much more interesting. Start with the name of the Case which is called the â€Å"style† of the case. PERLA GRAFF v. JAY L. GRAFF, 569 So. 2d 811, Fla. 1st Dist. Ct. App. (1990). First is the case name, followed by the citation which tells where you can find the hard copy of this case.This particular case is found in Volume 569 of the Southern Reporter, Second Series at page 811 in an opinion written by the First District Court of Appeals for Florida in 1990. FACTS: (In this section you want to state the circumstances and events that led to the plaintiff suing the defendant as well as any facts relevant to the issue(s). ) The parties were married for over 13 years, but, prior to the marriage the Husban d purchased a home solely in his name.Thirteen years into the marriage, and for survivorship purposes only, the Husband deeded the property to both he and his wife as tenants by the entireties. Additionally, the parties used their joint checking account to make the mortgage payments and the parties used marital monies to add a pool and replace the roof. The Husband testified that he purchased the home for $48,000. 00 prior to the marriage and that at the time of the divorce the home’s value was between $100,000. 0 and $110,000. 00. ISSUE: (In this section you want to state the specific legal question(s) raised in the case. Look at the overall question(s) to be resolved by the court. Sometimes you will have more than one question, but, you want to state your issue as a question or begin your issue with the word ‘whether’) Whether the increased value of the marital home was a marital asset and therefore whether the Wife was entitled to equitable distribution of tha t value.HOLDING: (In this section identify how the court answered the issue. You want to answer the issue(s) in the affirmative or negative, mirroring the issue as you answer it. ) The increased value of the home was a marital asset and the Wife was entitled to equitable distribution of that value. LAW: (In this section you state the law used by the court to reach its decision. Sometimes it will be common law, meaning a court decision or it will be based on statute. ) Section 61. 75, Florida Statutes, Equitable distribution of marital assets and liabilities. RATIONALE: (What legal reasoning formed the court’s decision? What rules of law, for example, did it apply? How did it interpret legal principles or documents? How did it construe the facts? In other words, why did the court reached its decision? ) Here you outline the court’s theory of why the increased value of the Husband’s pre-marital home was a marital asset and therefore why the Wife was entitled to eq uitable distribution of it.This should always be the longest section of the brief since this is the only actual discussion of legal theory. The court held in favor of the form wife using Section 61. 075 concerning equitable distribution of marital assets and finding that the increased value of an asset solely owned by one spouse prior to the marriage may be a marital asset subject to equitable distribution if the increased value was the result of either the work efforts of one or both spouses or the expenditure of marital funds or earnings of the parties. Pursuant to Sect. 61. 75 the Court was required to begin with the understanding that a nonmarital asset is to be set apart to the spouse who held the asset prior to the marriage, however, in this case the Former Husband added the Former Wife to the marital home title thus making the marital home a joint asset for distribution purposes. Thus the court must then, pursuant to Sect. 61. 075 divide the equitable value of the property eq ually, unless there is reason to do otherwise. In this case, the Former Husband attempted to argue the asset should still be treated differently because he only placed the Former Wife’s name on the title in the event of his demise.Even if the Court were to use that argument, the law still entitles the Former Wife to equitable distribution of the asset because the increased value of the asset was based on the joint efforts of both spouses as the Former Husband In making its findings the court looked at the facts the parties used their joint checking account to make the mortgage payments and the parties used marital monies to add a pool and replace the roof. Thus equity required that the increased value of the marital home be treated as a marital asset subject to equal distribution.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture-ARTHUR ANDERSEN Case Study

Managerial Economics and Organizational Architecture-ARTHUR ANDERSEN LLP - Case Study Example Thereafter, around the 1980s, Arthur’s firm changed its outlook by installing wooden doors in all its offices, while the firm trained its employees on thinking straight, as well as talking straight. The management also gave the right of decision making to the central office’s professional standard group, with an aim to quality and firm opinions in the organization. Technologically, an engineer in Andersen’s firm came up with the idea of computers use in bookkeeping, hence proving to be efficient while automating their client’s accounting systems. This led to the rise of a computer consulting business, which provided services to other firms and yielded much more revenue compared to the auditing. Due to the conflicting factors of the consultants feeling underpaid and leaving the firm, Andersen separated the consulting and auditing business and decided to form Andersen worldwide (AW). This consisted of Andersen consulting that focused on consulting services v ia use of computer systems and Arthur Anderson (AA), which focused on audit and tax business (Capstone case study pp 555) Due to stiff competition, the firm made some organizational changes; first, it decided to cut on it costs by ensuring that its employees retired at the age of 56 year, thus yielding more revenue that benefited the partners. New partners emerged such as Steve Samek who headed the Boston chicken audit, and Robert Allgyer who excelled in waste management that generated $17. 8 million. With Samek becoming the managing partner at AA, he introduced the 2X performance evaluation that required partners to yield twice as much from auditing and non-auditing services, and those who met this target would be rewarded. The dress code changed and the wooden doors that had been installed were removed, and a new logo â€Å"the rising sun† was adopted. New services were offered such as concentrating on the bookkeeping and offering internal audits (capstone, 557). Evaluate A ndersen's claim that their problems on the Enron audit were due to a few "bad partners" in the organization. If you disagree with this claim, discuss what you think were the root causes of the problem. As one staff suggested, â€Å"there were too many people in the Houston office, with their fingers on Enron’s pie† (capstone, 55), which is true as the auditor present chose to ignore the problems that faced Enron. Andersen firm was competent and it should not have blamed anybody for the decisions it made such as shredding documents so as to hide fraud practices at Enron. Anderson should have taken the blame himself, as he was responsible for his employees’ ethics other than firing David Duncan. In addition, the problem could have arisen from incompetent staff, questionable accounting practices, bad management, and poor internal controls. Suppose you were Andersen's managing partner in the early 1990’s. Would you have done anything differently than the actu al management (assuming you knew only what they did at the time)? First, I would have only hired a substantial number of auditors to work with and ensure that they were competent enough. Secondly, my management would not have advised Enron to declare itself bankrupt at that crucial time, as many investors would be affected. The questionable accounting practices at Enron that Andersen signed off should have been brought to light, so as to determine the root cause of the problem. Moreover, effective management, quality

Friday, September 27, 2019

Compare Article 5-109 (a) of the ( Amercian) Uniform Commercial Code Essay - 1

Compare Article 5-109 (a) of the ( Amercian) Uniform Commercial Code with the approach under english, the full question is in the attachment - Essay Example This also stands to be true in a scenario when the transaction being backed by a letter of credit does not actually take place. On the one side, the letters of credit extend to the sellers the assurance of a guaranteed payment, while on the other side they safeguard the interests of the buyers by necessitating the presentation of the right documents that to a large extent ensure performance. Such documents may be the like of insurance forms, transportation documents and quality related certificates. The underlying dogma supporting the autonomy principles associated with letters of credit is that the transaction backed by a letter of credit stands to be autonomous of the sales deed formalized by the buyer and the beneficiary. To put it simply, the two essentially contractual arrangements mentioned above are regarded as being independent of each other. In other words, the utility of a letters of credit is pragmatically solemnized by the severance of services and documents. It is this principle that is the legal ground on the basis of which banks agree to such transactions. As already mentioned, a letter of credit is the legal and financial instrument, which extends to the beneficiary the security of getting the payment due to one. Yet, this bolstering of security to the beneficiary in a way dilutes the security against risk or loss to the account party. Thus, in the letters of credit, the balance of risk is tilted more in favour of the seller. Though the autonomy principle practically assures the expected commercial results in business transactions, this principle stands to be defective and inequitable when the underlying transaction is vitiated by a fraud. Under such circumstances, the autonomy principle gets limited by the fraud exception. In the United States, in Maurice O’Meara Co v National Park Bank, the court of law simply denied the possibility of invoking a fraud exception.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

The Emergence of Industry Clusters. Theory & Evidence Essay

The Emergence of Industry Clusters. Theory & Evidence - Essay Example According to the researchers, an industry cluster may be defined as a geographical adjacent group of interrelated industrial firms and connected institutions which is linked by unity and harmony. In an organisational form, clusters offer more flexibility to the industrial firms in the ever- changing industrial environment. In other words, the extent along with the nature of link between the customers, the suppliers and the competitors determine the various advantages of industrial cluster with respect to industrial structure. The emergence of industry clusters has made an exceptional mark as well as caused a significant variation in regional financial performance of the United States and Germany. Through the occurrence of pioneering clusters of the companies and industries such as semiconductor industry of Silicon Valley, automobile industry of Detroit and German Laser industry, the researchers observed that the above mentioned industrial units attained strong financial performance d ue to the presence of modernised clusters. Thus, it can be stated that during the emergence of industry clusters lie a significant as well as mention worthy effect upon attaining strong and well organised financial performance which is performed by the industrial units such as semiconductor industry of Silicon Valley, automobile industry of Detroit and German Laser industry. The industry clusters act as a source of local modernisation along with improvement towards geographic attention of various business organisations, industrial firms and related trade institutions that include standard agencies and trading organisations among others. ... rgement, the formation and the progression of industry clusters such as semiconductor industry of Silicon Valley, automobile industry of Detroit and German Laser industry are elaborately discussed. Supportive theories and evidences along with various prescribed policy recommendations regarding the emergence and impact of industry clusters will also be taken into concern in the discussion of this paper. Key Facts of the Industry Clusters There are various factors that are associated with industry clusters that encompass a favourable business situation which is an elementary requirement for activating industrial agglomeration (Klepper, 2009). The factors that include steady macroeconomic atmosphere, government institutional structure, enhanced legal system, and modernised technologies are regarded as a few of the encouraging factors for industrial clustering. The factors that include deficiency of low labour cost, trained labours and professionals, scarcity of advanced physical structu re such as roads, legalised actions and legislations and lack of improved logistics, production methods and innovative business operations eventually act as an obstacle towards industrial clustering (Klepper, 2009). Along with the encouraging factors, there also lie certain major elements that act as a crucial obstacle towards industrial clustering. It has been identified that the two most inspiring and remarkable industry clusters of the United States are especially the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley and the automobile industry in Detroit (Klepper, 2009). In the early days of semiconductor industry i.e. 1950, Silicon Valley enjoyed maximum financial leverage due to the contribution of its semiconductor industry. However, in the next 30 years, nearly 100 semiconductor companies

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Scientific experiment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Scientific experiment - Assignment Example This was aslo in conjuction with the rapid at which the carbon dioxide was being released. The results of this experiment showed that with increase in oxygen concentration, there is rapid increase in the heat energy relesed and also the amount of carbon dioxide released. The test for carbon dioxide was lime water which turned white on the passage of carbon dioxide. The amount of energy released could be told by the temperature on the bottle( caroline,28) To both the plants and animals energy is the most fundamental driving factor. Almost all processes in the bodies of the organisms are initiated and run by energy. These processes ranges from reproduction, locomotion, fertilization, growth and development. This calls on scients like me and others in general to clearly show the factors which contributes to the respiration in organisms. It is of essence to note that the experiment went further to give details on the essential elements required in the respiration in which it was found out that oxygen is essential for aerobic respiration, again glucose or some subtrates like starch must be present for respiration to take place. Carbon dioxide was released this was to confirm that it is of less essence for animals though in plants its used fro the process of photosynthesis . Some environmental factors such as high temperatures and humidity affects the rate of respiration. In a very cold environment there is less activities experienced by the endotherms this result in utilization of less heat. When the requirement of heat energy is less in the body there is high likelihood of respiration process going slowly. Different food substrates effects differently on the process of respiration. For instance the starch is very rich in energy therefor when used it result in higher energy production. Respiration takes place in two stages in most

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Conflict and negotiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Conflict and negotiation - Essay Example However, my colleague was hesitant to communicate this as he viewed it as lying and unethical. This form of conflict between me and my colleague can be categorised as an interpersonal conflict. As provided in the Thomas–Kilmann Conflict Model of conflict, conflict are based on two axes, mine and that of my colleague. The aspect of interpersonal conflict is brought forth by the fact that it is a variance between two individuals that does not necessarily involve any other individuals. The other two forms of conflict; intrapersonal and intergroup, do not apply. The gap between functional and dysfunctional conflict is very narrow and is more preceisely dictated by the deeds taken by each set of individuals. The classification of our conflict in this regard is extensively dependant on the position we will both take to reach a resolution. Evidently, we are both on the same side, but with different ideas on how to deal with the situation. My view is to assure the client of the fact that the order will be completed and delivered before the due date. This will make the client happy to have worked with us and wait for his order on the due date. However, my colleague believes it is appropriate to tell the truth which is that the order has still to be worked on because of the fact that there were many earlier orders yet to be completed. My view on this is that this will make the client anxious and averse our organization. My colleagues view is that my suggestions are contrary to the code of ethics. In this case, the conflict may be termed as functional where the two of us try to resolve the issue before getting back to the client. In a very distinct way, the conflict may be termed as dysfunctional where the client is reached with one’s point of view without the input of the other. Fischer (2012) illustrates the main causes of conflicts as; injustices, communication breakdown, lack of adequate resources, diversity, and incompatible goals.

Monday, September 23, 2019

Hybridity and Neo-colonialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hybridity and Neo-colonialism - Essay Example A lot of symbolism and thematic illustrations has been applied by the author in demonstrating the fact that the white culture is superior to the blacks' culture in this play (Goellner and Jacqueline, 32). The author seeks to use these demonstrations to make a case for his claim of white preference over black culture and ideologies. In the contemporary society today, this claim of white superiority over black people's ideals can be likened to the concept of neo-colonialism. The reason behind this argument is that hybridity comes in after an influence of a white culture on a black person. This is exactly how neo-colonialism follows colonization of the third world countries. The dance in the play is symbolically used by the author to show preference of the white culture over black culture. Willie, a black man, has to struggle hard to learn the dance (from white culture) in order to participate in the competition. In fact at some point he talks so passionately about the dance that catche s the attention of the young Hall (Goellner and Jacqueline, 27). This shows that despite the whites enforcing apartheid rule in South Africa, Willie still believes the ideals of the whites is still superb. Willie talks so passionately about the "art" of dance and the setting in which it will take place that gets the uninterested Hally to buy in to the idea. Despite being an African, Willy still has high regard for white culture which points out the fact that white ideologies can still influence his position on many issues.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

IT - Hydro-Quebec Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IT - Hydro-Quebec - Essay Example The changing climate has affected the hydro electric utilities to a great extent. It should be noted in this context that the hydro power generation tends to be more vulnerable to the changes in terms of climatic conditions than other sources including the thermal power station. For instance, hydro power project located near the sea-coast have often been noticed to be affected by the rise in the sea level. Again, dry weather conditions and reduced water level in the reservoirs have also affected its electricity production. Numbers of other climatic factors such as lightning, rise in temperature, icing and pollution have been the major uncontrollable threats faced by Hydro-Quebec. Furthermore, the organization has been unable to take the advantage of wind power as one of the best options of renewable energy (Hydro-Quebec, 2008). During 1990s, technology and business units’ efforts to control return on the invested capital for IT management has brought major changes in the way o f Hydro-Quebec. The SSC was held responsible for the IT related decisions. However, it was observed that it initiated changes only in terms of human resources due to departmental expansion taking place within the company. Those changes made by the SSC caused distortion both within the business units and within the IT divisions. Furthermore, the SSC was responsible for developing and implementing all the technological aspects of the given solution, optimizing technological performance and maintaining as well as executing the developed solutions. However, creating new challenges for the SSC as the IT division had to negotiate all of the technology budgets with each division separately following a more complex process. Consequentially, it was observed that Hydro-Quebec Distribution (HQD) spent more than $50 million on over 200 IT systems. However, it had no clear strategy or proper system plan that could be formally drawn up after its establishment. Many factors force the division to i nclude the IT related issues under its caption, such as the technological zeitgeist during the 1990s. Owing to such circumstances; there has been an urgent requirement to update the company’s legacy system as it was observed that the old system was more vulnerable to risk along with a high maintenance cost. Furthermore, there was a need to update its entire infrastructure related to mailing and printing of bills. The factors like managing the addresses of its customers were also identified as impossible to be maintained with the traditional system. Thus, there was an urgent need to modernize customer software application (Hydro-Quebec, 2008). Question 2: What changes would you suggest for Hydro-Quebec and why? Hydro-Quebec should concentrate more on developing its research programs in order to boast its human resource knowledge in terms of climate change and technological adaption. Hydro-Quebec must identify the areas that are sensitive towards climatic changes and other unco ntrollable risks. Its activities also must be directed towards managing water resources, transports, distributions, equipment designs, and annual production volumes along with environmental and financial considerations. It should also contribute for the development of wind power and increase in the supply from the existing power generating stations (Dube, Berner & Roy, 2007). Furthermore, the organization should promote recycling processes along with educating employees in terms of

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Porters Five Forces model Essay Example for Free

Porters Five Forces model Essay In the banking industry rivalry among its competitors is a pretty common game. A few larger banks always dominate larger markets offering more locations and faster paced technologies for those consumers. Usually in a these larger areas larger banks can thrive because the expectation level of personalization is much lower since consumers don’t feel the need to frequent a location or rely on individuals to help them. While as areas grow smaller in population Small Community banks emerge with a fewer number of larger entities to compete with these banking giants being able to offer a more personalized approach allowing people to rely more on human interacting with technology, not only relying on the technology. Most banks primary function is to lend money of the deposits they gain, so most generally the most competitive is incentives for consumers to keep money on deposit and lower rate loans for consumers to take out. The potential for new competitors is not so common that it happens frequently but in today’s market groups of individuals with large resources who are frustrated with too much structure and to high of fee structures from larger institutions have formed smaller banks or credit unions to supply a need for better priced products, with hopefully a more home town approach with dealing with its customer base. Most markets are set competition mainly coming from outside banks wanting to tap into growing areas to capitalize on possible wealth of clients in that area or high traffic spots that business in that area have attracted. Other areas of new competition doesn’t come directly from a â€Å"NEW† bank but a bank buying out certain branches or absorbing the institution as a whole. This usually changes the dynamic that that competitor usually giving them more resources to utilize and make them more of a competitive force in the banking industry. Sometimes this can also work opposite and help out other banks in the area. If the â€Å"NEW† bank has processes or other items that are not favorable to the community they are in, that company could by an asset to lose it down the road when the client moves business due to not liking the new bank they are at.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Institution Based View of Business Strategy | Case Study

Institution Based View of Business Strategy | Case Study An industry-based view, illustrated by Porter (1980), decides firm strategy and performance. Sustainable competitive advantages can be discovered by industry analysis and by selecting from the generic strategies. The competitive strength and the firms ability can maintain positional advantages through the efficient and effective implementation of competitive strategy. (Morgan et al, 2004) Secondly, a resource-based view (RBV), was demonstrated by Barney (1991), advocates that firm-specific differences determine strategy and performance. RBV emphases internal resources and capabilities of organisations (Peng et al, 2009). RBV portraits companies as idiosyncratic bundles of resources and capabilities that are available for distribution by the organizations business units. Heterogeneity in the resources and capabilities is the reason of variations in organization performance. Sustainable competitive advantage is not the result of correct position in the external environment but is derived from the organizations internal resources, which are valuable, inimitable, rare, and nonsubstitutable. Industry-based view and resource-based view are complementary because they settle the relationship between a organizations resources and capabilities and its positional advantage by arranging how resources and capabilities are coordinated with market situations, the suitability of planned resource and capability and the quality of strategy implementation. (Morgan et al, 2004) Emerging economies institutions are largely different from those in developed economies. Formal and informal institutions are commonly recognized as the rules of the game that importantly outline the strategy and performance of both domestic and foreign firms in these economies. (Peng et al, 2008). Institution is the humanly created constraints that structure human interaction (Peng et al,2009). It is regulative, normative, and cognitive structures and activities that provide meaningful and stable social behaviour (Scott,1995). Institutions can be generally classified as formal and informal. Institutions rule societal issues in the areas of politics (e.g., corruption, transparency), law (e.g., economic liberalization, regulatory regime), and society (e.g., ethical norms, attitudes toward entrepreneurship). The culture can be viewed as a part of informal institutions in the environment that support formal institutions (Redding, 2005). Formal institutions (such as laws and regulations) and informal institutions (such as norms and cognitions) have long been presumed as background. However, Institution-based view is important for better understand the growth of emerging economies by investigation the complicated and fast changing relationships between organizations and institutions. (Pang et al, 2008) Institution-based view help internationalizing emerging economies companies to improve their competitiveness, knowledge of the game rules of abroad. In short, the industry-based view does not pay sufficient attention to contexts. Likewise, the resource-based view has been criticized for its little exertion to establish suitable contexts (Priem Butler, 2001). Barney (2001, p. 52) admitted the value of a firms resources must be understood in the particular market context within which an organisation is running. The frustration has called for the new perspective that can conquer these problems. The result is the rise of the institution-based view (Peng et al., 2008). An institution-based view focuses on the dynamic relations of institutions and organizations, and considers strategic choices as the result of such an interaction (Peng et al,2009). Strategic choices are not only determined by industry situations and company capabilities, but also the formal and informal constraints of a particular institutional situation. (Jarzabkowski, 2008) Therefore, IB strategy cannot just focus on industry conditions and capabilities. An institution-based view, in combination with the industry- and resource-based views, thus puts the strategy tripod on firmer ground. Institutions are much more than background conditions and it determines the formulation and implementation of strategy and creation of competitive advantage. Emerging economies is tended to have more essential and integrated changes to the formal and informal rules of the game which are regarded as institutional transitions (Peng et al, 2009). There are two core propositions emerging out of the institution- based view to reduce uncertainty in emerging market (Peng et al, 2008). The first proposition is that managers and companies rationally hunt for what they interest and make strategic choices within the formal and informal institutional situation. The second one is while formal and informal institutions combine to rule the organisation behaviour, if formal constraints are ambiguous or failed, informal institution will play a larger role in reducing uncertainty by providing guidance and legitimacy. For example, the institution-based view suggests that if a firm cannot be a cost or a differentiation leader in the markets, it can still overcome the competitors in nonmarket political area where informal relationships has large influence. (O liver Holzinger, 2008) There are three important questions in strategy that institution-based view brings new views beyond the perspectives of the industry-based and resource-based views. (Peng et al, 2009) The first question is why do firms differ? A major assumption in strategy, especially from the resource-based view, is firm heterogeneity. (Barney, 1991) It is long recognized that economic growth can hardly happen in ill-regulated economies. However, given Chinas strong economic growth and its underdeveloped formal institutional structures, there is always a question that how can Chinese economy become fast growth with such an institutional situation. An answer suggests that interpersonal networks (known as guanxi) which are used by managers may serve as informal substitutes for formal institutional support (Peng Heath, 1996). In other words, interpersonal relationships among managers are considered as an interfirm strategy of networks and alliances to grow the company that support to the growth of the economy (Peng Luo, 2000). There is a prevalent belief that guanxi and the related network-based strategies are commodities of the unique Chinese culture that favours collectivism (Peng et al, 2009). The use of informal networks during institutional transitions is mentioned in the second proposition, which stresses the stronger dependence on informal constraints to handle potential opportunism and transactions when formal market-supporting institutions are immature. From the first proposition, managers and organizations act rationally under these circumstances. In institutional situations, industry-based and resource-based views alone will not provide a strong reason of the differences between firms (Khanna Yafeh, 2007). Overall, in situations that formal institutions are weak, informal institutions, such as norms ruling interpersonal relationships, will play a larger role in organisation strategies and performance (Peng Heath, 1996). It is important to note that foreign entrants have also positively facilitated their network and relationships when going global, as shown by the abundant international strategic alliances with local organizations (Peng et al, 2009). For example, the UK retailer Boots opened a new shop in Japan. Although the Japanese market has opened to foreign company in recent years, the regulation, cultural norms and arcane business practices are still difficult for foreign firms. By being successful in adapting its style of retailing to the Japanese market, Boots found the best way to overcome the barriers that all foreigners face by adopting the strategy tripod. (Financial Times, 2000) As mentioned, strategic choices are not only driven by industry situations and firm capabilities, but also the formal and informal constraints of a particular institutional framework. For example, the company has reformulated more than 2,000 of its products to gain a Japanese licence, despite they meet the UK and US standards. Also, Boots has redesigned the packaging of its products to meet the Japanese preference and culture. Institution-based view helps to understand the impact of institutional transition (Peng, 2003). For example, at the beginning, Boots was unable to bring many of its products to Japan due to its regulations. Yet, the situations changed and there are new regulations that ease restrictions on imports of ingredients used in cosmetics. This helped in the formulation process and logistics process of Boots. Besides, Boots has realised the special rule of the game in Japan. The buy two, get one free campaign were failed in Japan. It is because many of its customers are single or have small families and they do not need to buy a large amount of products. Furthermore, to solve the regulation, cultural norms and arcane difficulties, Boots has adopted the institution based strategy to gain local support. It therefore formed joint venture with Mitsubishi. It is a good solution for complicated government contacts because Boots is dealing with logistics, contacts in the legal profession, healthcare professionals and advice on localising the business are very important for Boots. Apart from the institution-based view, Boots has adopted another two legs of views to compete in the market such as the introduction of seating at its cosmetics counters and this is an usual arrangement in Japanese stores. Besides, it has changed the packaging of its products to meet the Japanese preference for lavish presentation and the concept of lipstick amnesties that customers return old lipstick and get a free replacement. Even though the industry-based view is important for gaining the economy of scale and competing the rivalries by competitive advantage, and resource-based view is important for identifying the firms potential key resources and product differentiation, but organizations like Boots still actively seek to make use of the rules of the game. In terms of benefits, an institution-based view can help firms like Boots in emerging economies improve their competitiveness. Boots is necessary to know more about the rules of the game abroad that may be different from the familiar rules at home. Therefore, it is natural to expect firms in emerging economies (including some foreign entrants) to perform similarly (Lewin Kim, 2004). The second question is how do firms behave? The industry-based view suggests that the strategic task is primarily to remove a position that is vulnerable according to the five forces within an industry. The resource-based view uses capabilities to differentiate successful firms from failing ones. The institution-based view adds by arguing that except industry- and firm-level conditions, organizations also need to consider the effect of formal and informal rules of the game. Most research on entry barriers has focused on market-based variables such as economies of scale and product differentiation, but not nonmarket-based, institutional variables such as antidumping laws which are clearly considered as entry barriers in IB. The industry-based view, based on Porters five forces, rarely consider questions behind such rivalry. In international trade, the hunt of a cost leadership strategy that neglects host country trading laws and regulations can simply cause legal action such as antidumping (Peng et al, 2009) Foreign firms are often discriminated by the formal rules of the game in many countries (Peng et al, 2009). Discrimination is also obvious in the case of antidumping. Overall, when industry- and resource-based views fail, there is a strong implication for domestic organizations under competitive pressures to use an institution-based view by filling an antidumping petition to organisations which are selling below cost and planning to raise prices after eliminating domestic organisations. (Schuler et al., 2002). The IB strategy , concerning foreign market entry, needs to keep an eye on antidumping as entry barriers and institution-based view pays large attention to the strategic topic of antidumping. Besides, grey markets are defined as legal importation of genuine products into a country by grey marketers as they buy products cheaper in countries and sell it in another at higher prices. The grey marketer has to be careful as grey market is not legal in every country as it is banned in EU as retailers cannot sell products without the consent of trademark owners. UK supermarket leader Tesco has lost its legal combat for the right to sell cut price Levis jeans in a case which has implications for trade mark owners and retailers operating in the grey market. Tesco bought jeans from wholesalers in the US and Canada where jeans are sold more cheaply. The jeans were sold in the UK at about half the price suggested by Levis. (BBC, 2002) In short, company should not just keep an eye on industry based view and resource based view only but institution-based view as doing business needs strong knowledge about the formal and informal rules governing competition in various countries. What determines the success and failure of firms around the globe is the third question. From the cases above, it is obvious that it is difficult to imagine firms that do not know the rules of the game in a particular country will become winners. In general, an institution-based view suggests that the success and failure of firms around the world, at least in part, are allowed and constrained by the different rules of the game (Peng et al., 2008) The institution-based view has added meaningfully new insights to three questions above. Overall, the institution based view complements the industry-based and resource-based views to collectively sustain a strategy tripod. Industry position, resource and capability, and institutions all affect organisation strategy and performance. The institution-based view suggests that foreign entrants need to develop a strong knowledge of the rules of the game, both formal and informal in host countries. The industry-based view suggests that the degree of competitiveness in an industry determines organisation performance. The resource-based view suggests that firm-specific capabilities determine performance differences. The institution-based view argues that institutional forces also provide an influence to differences in firm performance because of its significant effects on exporters strategy and performance beyond the impact of firm competencies and industry factors. An institution-based view of IB strategy in combination with industry and resource-based views do not only help su stain a strategy tripod, but also provide significant new perspectives of international business that what determines organizations strategy in IB and What determines the international success and failure of organizations.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

John Calvin :: essays papers

John Calvin John Calvin was the founder of the Calvinist faith, the Presbyterian denomination of Christianity today. Calvin was born and died in 1564. John Calvin was one of the chief leaders of the Protestant Reformation. From his early life and start in Protestantism, to his life in Geneva, and the Proclamation of his faith, Calvin was an incredible individual. Calvin was born in Noyon, France, near Compiegne. His father was a lawyer for the Roman Catholic Church. Young Calvin was educated in Paris, Orleans and Bourges. Calvin planned to be a lawyer as his father was, but it is likely that he never inwardly committed himself to that career. With his father died in May of 1931, Calvin was free to make his choice. He completed his doctorate in law but then came to study Greek and Latin and the University of Paris. Calvin's life then took a new direction that he refers to as a "sudden conversion". He writes about his experience in the introduction to his Commentary on the Psalms written in 1557: "Since I was more stubbornly addicted to the superstitions of the Papacy than to be easily drawn out of so deep a mire, God subdued my heart-too stubborn for my age-to docility by a sudden conversion." Therefore, by 1533 Calvin had declared himself a Protestant. In 1534 Calvin moved to Basel, Switzerland where there, two years later in 1536, he published his first edition on Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin's book was the most influential work in the development of the Protestant churches of the Reformed tradition. It sets forth his basic ideas of religion, and he expanded it throughout his life. After much persuasion in 1536, Calvin became a leader of Geneva's first group of Protestant pastors, even though he was probably never ordained a priest. In 1538, Calvin and some of the other Protestant pastors were banished for their strict doctrines. While Calvin was banished from Geneva he became the pastor of a French refugee Protestant church in Strasbourg, Germany. There he met Martin Baucer who greatly influenced him. Calvin adapted many of Baucer's ideas on church government and worship. Also while in Strasbourg, Calvin met and married Idelette de Bure, a widow. The couple's only child died in infancy. In 1541 the Geneva city council begged Calvin to return due to their lack of able religious and political leadership. Calvin's wife died in 1549 and he never remarried. Calvin developed a constitution for Geneva with dealt with both secular and sacred matters.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Totalitarianism in Brave New World Essay -- essays research papers

The formative years of the 1900’s, suffered from communism, fascism, and capitalism. The author of the Brave New World, Mr. Aldous Huxley lived in a social order in which he had been exposed to all three of these systems. In the society of the Brave New World, which is set 600 years into the future, individuality is not condoned and the special motto â€Å"Community, Identity, Stability† frames the structure of the Totalitarian Government. The Brave New World â€Å"community† is divided into five castes ranging from the Alphas, who are the most intellectually superior, and ending with the Epsilons who are the most intellectually inferior. â€Å"Identity† is portrayed in the â€Å"Conditioning Center,† where babies are not born but made then separated into the five classes. â€Å"Stability† in this society is insured through limitations placed on the intelligence of each group. The fundamental tenant behind the New World is â€Å"UTILITARIAN TOTALITARIANISM.† The goal of utilitarianism is to make the society happy as a whole and thus more efficient. A Totalitarian Government is kept in the New World by control, conditioning, and a lack of emotion and intelligence. Through science people are not just created, they are conditioned to guarantee the happiness in humanity, â€Å"What man has joined nature, is powerless to put asunder,† shows how much conditioning can change behavior. In his writing, Huxley shows that misinformation starts at birth and can be used against us whenever we are unaware of it. The New World is a blend of capitalism and communism. Capitalism seeks to stimulate trade market to generate a substantial amount of money, which results in economic benefits for the country. The system of rule in the Brave New World has a similar aspect. In it, t... ...der, Adolf Hitler who led under a Fascist rule, controlled everything from religion to politics. â€Å"Fascism is a form of right-wing totalitarianism which emphasizes the subordination of the individual to advance the interests of the state.† The Nazi idea of life was that all â€Å"non-Aryans,† should be scorned, and German unification should be reached. Unification was to be reached in any way possible including terror and loyalty to their autocrat. â€Å"[People constantly requesting government intervention] are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbors.† --Margaret Thatcher September 23, 1937

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Metals and Water Essay example -- Iron, steel, Corrosion, Alkalinity

Certain metals could be affected by the pH of water. This, however, could reflect on real life situations that could affect us, the environment, and also our pipe system as well. Some metals such as iron and steel oxidize when they are exposed to humidity and water thus forming corrosion known as ferric oxides (Roy, 2009). Corrosion has destructive potential if left untreated (Stahl, 2005). Knowing what metals are prone to corrosion is an important issue to take notice about because corrosion happens all around us including possessions that belong to us. It is necessary for industrialized cities to estimate the cost of such devastating nature of corrosion (Newman, 1994). Much of money are spend each year to replace equipment that are corroded, in the United States alone, corrosion causes about $276 billion each year. By using specific metals or methods such as alloying, metallic coating or organic coating can prevent or minimizing corrosion (Drigel, 2008). A specific type of corro sion is rust. Rusts are produced when iron converts to Fe 2+ ions and subsequently reacts with hydroxide ions within the water (Roy, 2009 and N/A, 2006). The physical characteristics of rust are coating of powder, scaly reddish-brown and reddish-yellow hydrated ferric oxides (Roy, 2009). The types of corrosion can be used in evaluating the performance of engineered structures (A reservoir to reduce rust, 2006). Metals are easily corroded in the sea because the salt makes the water a better conductor from the electrochemical cells (N/A, 2006). The ever-changing pH of the ocean due to planktic forminiferal abundance and other variables (Saraswat, 2007), and this could affect the rate of corrosion in metals. The pH is a measurement of the acidity or alkal... ...ltimately save many problems and health risks. It is important to note which metals to use to prevent corrosion because some may post health risks such as Chromium. Prolonged contact with Chromium may lead to lung cancer, ulcers, liver necrosis, and allergic dermatitis, so improper metals used in water distribution system could lead to a high extension in terms of risks because it could also affect the ocean and the wild lives (Chandra and Kulshreshtha, 2004). The world is changing and new technologies are emerging. Some of these technologies include micro-sized chips that are able to run a computer, and if corrosion is one of the problems, then it will post many more complications. Humans rely on technologies and equipment that are sometimes created with metals and they sometimes fail simply because they are exposed to salt water or high humidity (N/A, 2006).

Monday, September 16, 2019

IBO Assignment Essay

Background The Case study is an email conversation between two colleagues Jane Epstein & Rick Lazarus. Jane has joined Technico recently and Rick was her colleague and trusted friend from the last company. Jane is discussing with Rick about the new current company and the staff she got there. She individually described the personalities of her staff like Caroline as universally trusted (according to her), Tom as a joker and a natural sales guy, Jack as intellectual and intense, and the most problematic figure for her as well as the organization – Andy Zimmerman. He is a person who is intellectually very smart but is very impatient, his intimidating tone is worrying. There were many instances like Jane’s AA, Maureen had made a scheduling error and Andy blasted over her even though Jane, his boss was standing there Jane had an opinion that this reaction was not supposed to happen and could have been dealt with tactfully. Rick on the other hand was of the opinion that Jane was over r eacting and that she had to establish her own authority with him, or Andy would step all over her. Then Jane described about the organization and the staff and also that the senior managers talk about the lack of hierarchy in the organization. Jane thinks she should not comment about the  organization as she had recently joined it. Then she also gave another instance where in a discussion with all the members, Jack was addressing an important concept and then Andy interrupted in between and he expressed all the issues, flaws, and that what Jack was trying to propose made no sense. Jane also later heard Andy reaming all the other AA members. The main personality traits Jane described about him were that Andy was smart, intelligent & efficient but doesn’t has any peculiar positive group traits that would win him any personality contests. He also was nasty to his other AA colleagues. When this came to Caroline, he also blasted over her despite her being the person who made him calm whenever he lost his cool with the others in the staff. Andy expressed his anger by mailing Ca roline about her incompetency in her work and the goof ups she made in a very harsh tone. This mail was shared with Jane and Caroline expressed her grief. Jane could see that Caroline was fed up with her smoothing over role. Sometimes Jane felt that she was playing the role of a kindergarten teacher and not a co-operate manager managing such highly paid people. Now Jane thought of finally confronting Andy and telling him that his behaviour is intimidating the staff in a negative way, his behaviour if continued for some more time would result in the decrease in the productivity of the firm. But in the one-on one meeting she came to know that Andy has got great insights, energy and was smart enough to justify his behaviour. Jane experienced that he behaved as if he was down to earth, but was opposite in the presence of a group. She advised him to overcome his impatience and to slow down and be a little considerate with the staff. Even after being so clear with Andy she noticed that he repeated the same old behaviour in the next group meeting. She now realized that he has no plans of changing at all. Now she is in a dilemma as how to tackle the bullying behaviour and maintain the productivity of the staff. So in this case we have to find the problems and issues of Andy’s behaviour and find the plausible solution for those problems. Analysis: Main Issues: Increasing job dissatisfaction in the team Team work getting affected Professionals carrying their personal issues at workplace Difference in performance among team members Incompatibility in attitude, creating the base for all problems Explanation: Productivity and efficiency are getting affected due to Andy’s attitude problem, and his way of handling things. As Andy continuously bullies employs they get demoralised and were unable to give their 100% to their work because of his fear and negative critics. Caroline despite of being a good worker, needs to be more professional. She needs to differentiate between her professional and personal life, and must prioritize her personal issues so that that they don’t affect her work and professional commitments (work –life balance). Work culture is being affected I a negative way, due to Andy s discouraging attitude, whenever somebody doesn’t performs, he is pissed off, One needs to work as a team –work attitude, bullying and dominating are restraints to growth and team –work. Team morale is going down. As the only feedback the get from Andy is negative Andy is not praising any of the efforts the team is putting in but is sure to highlight the glitches that are coming across the project because of them. The staff members do not know the importance of working in a diverse team and adjust within the team. Plausible solutions: 1 Have a second briefing with Andy and ask him to mellow down a little bit with the staff. Try to talk him out that the staff will cooperate more with him, only if he is a little adjusting and open with them and doesn’t humiliate them in front of others. People go through grey patch and as their senior, he should consider the emotional stance of his staff and try to make them comfortable, so that the staff may also think of trying to give their best even in adverse situations. 2 Have a discussion with the rest of the staff and try to make them understand that Andy is doing this for the betterment of the organization, and in the interest of the team, he wants to bring out the best of them. 3 Send him for personal counselling to tackle his attitude issues with his staff and juniors. 4 Try and change his role if his domain knowledge is applicable in any other role. 5 Also Caroline should also be sent for a personal counselling, as she is going through testing times in her life an d currently she needs as much support as she can get from her team mates for the time being so as to cope up. This support  will motivate her further to overcome and bounce back. 6 He can be sent for a month or two on a leave or for training for boosting his team work skills. 7 Write a memo that his behaviour is unacceptable, distracts from work and I want to stop. In case, if it happens again then write another memo stating the same problem and hand it over to her boss or her HR manager. 8 She should plan sessions for team dynamics preferably away from the work environment to cultivate a bond of understanding and openness between the team members hence increasing their trust amongst each other. By knowing each other well, it is possible that they would come forward and help each other in adverse conditions. Best possible solution would be to send Andy Zimmerman for a Management Development Program (MDP) so as to tackle his attitude towards his team mates and be an effective manager. Also Caroline should be advised to go through a personal counselling session where she can learn to cope up with her personal issues. Managerial Learnings: Manager should try to create a positive environment within workplace. Manager should try to avoid criticizing anyone in public. Manager should not blame a team member for small faults; instead he or she should try to talk to him regarding the same in private, so that they can improvise their performance. Manger should try not to be a ‘critic’ for his staff, but should appreciate their inputs and hard work. This would not only increase the motivation of his or her employees, but will consequently lead to greater commitment to the organisation. Manager should try to analyse the training required

Sunday, September 15, 2019

How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

Introduction How do you deal with your worries? Do you have any ways to solve your problems? We are not taught them neither at school nor on the job. We are supposed to find and figure out them by ourselves. Today I’d like to talk about: first, how serious damages we get from worries. Second, the solution for those of you who suffer from worries, and finally, how much benefit you can get with my suggestion. Need step As you know, worries mean nothing other than harms. For example, worries cause stresses and diseases. It is said if we could remove worries, 70% of sick people would completely recover from the disease.And the most significant factor of suicides is also â€Å"worries†. Human relationships, work environments†¦, there are lots of worries. I think everybody lives with certain worries more or less. Satisfaction Step But don’t worry. I have a solution. I have a book called â€Å"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living†, by Dale Carnegie. Althoug h it was written over 30 years ago, what he said hasn’t been out of date at all. Over 80% of reviewers rate this book on 5 star on Amazon. com. Visualization Step I can assure you that you’d enjoy the feeling that your worries are gone away as you read through this book.And it is also famous as a problem solving handbook for business persons. From only one book, you can learn not only the ways to deal with your worries, but also the useful methods of problem-solving. How amazing!! This is the reason why successful business persons around the world read this book continuously. Closing Now, I’d like to ask you, would you like to live a life with worries or without worries? If you choose a worry-free life, what are you waiting for? From the moment you start reading â€Å"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living†, you can â€Å"stop worrying and start living†. Thank you.

Bedbugs Research

There will be multiple research objectives to gain a clearer understanding of the direction that the entire bed bug pest control industry is moving towards. Since the recent introduction of the low cost no-frills, ‘do-it-yourself’ equipment, there has been no solid data available to support as to how effective those techniques are nor is there qualitative data on customer’s perception as to how effective it is. Both approaches (quantitative and qualitative) are important since if the customers feel they have fewer bed bugs (qualitative) but empirical analysis shows that in fact the number of bed bugs present in their homes remain the same, such data is of great importance. Unfortunately the perception of customers is more important and their positive word-of-mouth recommendation of the do-it-yourself devices (despite their failure by quantitative measures) will create a huge market for failed products that will do consumers more harm than good in the long run. The research objectives would be to find out empirically whether the ‘Do It Yourself’ approach is more effective, less effective or the same as by using the services of a qualified exterminator. After the use of the methodology described below, the test groups would be questioned specifically as to how they felt (qualitative approach) three months later: (a) Their overall feelings/beliefs as if there are less or more bedbugs present; (b) About their feelings/beliefs in the effectiveness of the product that they’ve used. The same groups will also have their homes examined at the same time through the use of bed bug detecting dogs and exterminators who were trained in locating bed bugs to see (quantitative) if there were any bed bugs to be found in the homes. The results gathered from the two groups (described below) will be compared so that a future course of action for Bed Bug Pest Control Of New York Inc. could be formulated. It will be of crucial importance for the company, as well as the bed bug removal industry to find out the effectiveness of different methods of bedbug extermination. Research Methodology The first part of the research methodology would be to gather a statistically significant random group of 1000 consumers who have experienced a bed bug infestation in their bedrooms. This group should be halved into two equal groups of 500: Group A and Group B. Individual members of each of the groups must have experienced similar levels of complaints of be bug infestation as will be measured on questionnaires prior to the inclusion of the individual in the study. Each of the groups must be willing to try out the devices given to them and agree to the post-extermination interviews as well as inspections by qualified, unbiased exterminators. Zikmund, 2010) The first group of 500 (Group A) will use what we will define as the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach (use of devices such as double edged masking tape, devices to place under the legs of furniture, and other no-frills devices that are marketed on late night television, on websites which make dubious claims, and are found at supermarkets in well designed containers plastered with ‘As Seen on TV’ stickers) to attempt to remove the bedbug infestation from their homes. To make sure that the devices are applied, a representative of the study will be present to make sure that the devices are used. We feel that without this mechanism, there is a high degree of uncertainty as to whether the test subjects will truthfully use the devices, thus significantly skewing the results from data gathered from Group A. (Joselyn, 1977) The second group of 500 consumers (Group B) will exclusively use the services of qualified bed bug exterminators and will receive two visits, one week apart, to disinfect their homes using professional bed bug removal technology. During the first visit, the qualified exterminator will use the steam method of bed bug removal, which uses a vacuum cleaner sized device to shoot 400 degree steam throughout the hard to reach areas of the bedroom, closet and the insides of the bed frame and furniture. This method boils away the bed bug nests as well as destroys the eggs. The second visit will use the scientifically proven cold method of bed bug removal which, through the use of a freezing stream -100 degree compressed carbon dioxide, will reach the deep nests hidden far within the falls, floors and walls that is unreachable by any other means. Gathering Data Data Sources Many attempts by the company have been made to find any external data available on this subject without success. Due to the fact that bed bugs were practically extinct in the western world since the 1950’s, the lack of modern equipment (carbon dioxide removal equipment, many of the current DIY gadgetry), no reliable sources of external data are available. Thus the company will use internal data or more specifically data collected internally from the new website (please see IT section below). Types of Surveys All data collected will be done through an online website where each individual member of either Group A or Group B will answer the questions on their own. This will be done so the data will not be contaminated by the bias of the individuals who collect the data as well as to make sure that each individual is able to answer each question thoroughly in the comfort of their own home, and not with a member of the research team present. (Dillon, 1994) Observation Studies This part of the study will be performed by the individuals who at the end of the study will come inside the test subject homes with bed bug sniffing dogs to determine empirically whether any bedbugs are still present within the premises. There is no known method besides the bed bug sniffing dog that can reliably determine their presence. Experiments / Test Markets The individuals to test out the premises of the experiment will be gathered from a specifically set up website that will gather the random individuals who will participate in the experiment. Use of Information Technology Information Technology will be used in multiple ways throughout the survey to not only save marketing budget dollars for the company but also to make the entire process less intrusive for the test subjects. The 1000 total sample will be gathered through a specially created website which will ask consumers if they wish to receive a free extermination in exchange for their participation. After a few thousand names are gathered, the individuals will be asked (via email) to return to the website (via a link inside the email) to fill out a detailed survey about their current infestation: (a) How often they were bitten (b) How often they see bedbugs (c) to rate the level of their infestation (d) to see if they have used any methods to deal with the infestation in the past, etc.. The website will then randomly assign (to make the study double blind) the individuals into two groups described earlier in this presentation. A simple random generator built into the website can accomplish this, that any second year IT student can write for under $100. The researchers will not be able to see the names, races, gender or any other information about any specific individual to remove any potential bias. Each of the individuals will also be assigned randomly to an exterminator, who will not know that individual is part of any experiment. (Calabrese, 2011) The post-study interviews will all be done via the internet so as to not inundate the individuals with unwanted visits or telephone calls. The individuals who participated in the study will receive emails with a link to fill out the qualitative parts of the study, which will ask them not only to rate how they feel (using their own words) about their current bedbug situation but the overall experience. In case of Group A, the questions will include (a) describe the ease/difficulty in applying the DIY products (b) Did they cause a mess? (c) How they felt about the infestation a week later, 2 weeks later, 1 month later (d) Would they recommend it to their friends and why? McKnight, 2011) The use of web based technology would make the entire process more comfortable and may result in more honest answers since the questions will be answered at the convenience of each individual who participated in the experiment and not at the convenience of the organizers of the experiment. The final data will also be much easier to break up and analyze since every response will be stored in the database and thus the final data could be bro ken down and correlated using a vast array of different scientific approaches. Reference http://www.economywatch.com/world-industries/steel-industry/trends.html

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Research Paper Taxation Essay

Wage is the fixed amount of compensation for service rendered covering a fixed period of time, usually hours, or fixed amount of work. It is usually a compensation given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to skilled and unskilled labor. Commission is usually a wage given to a salesperson based on the amount of his sales. This amount is usually added to basic salary. Bonus is given to simulate employees to work more efficiently and effectively (Valencia & Roxas, 2009) To make sure that employees comply with BIR regulation and local government laws, companies must include crucial employee and company information in their payroll systems. Setting up and running the different components that comprise a payroll system requires due diligence and adequate knowledge of tax legislation. Employee’s benefits In Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS) 19, paragraph 7 states that employees benefits are all forms of consideration given by an entity in exchange of services rendered by employees. These benefits may be paid directly to the employee’s or to their dependents, such as their children or spouses. These can be settled by payment in cash in form goods and services. Paragraph 4 of PSAS 19 enumerates the following four classes: (a) short term employee benefits; (b) post-employment benefits; (c) other term employee benefits; and, (d) termination. Employee information During the new hire process, companies must collect information such as medical insurance and W-2 forms to determine what should be deducted from an employee’s paycheck. These forms also provide employers which crucial information, such as the employee’s Social Security number and their withholding amount for government tax purposes. The systems must also track and process changes made to the employee’s tax exemption status, pensions, insurance plans or retirement funds. Salary information As part of the new hire process, payroll systems include a component that designates which employees are full time, part time and contractors. Classifying worker in a payroll system is important since the government levies high penalties on companies that categorize employees incorrectly. Applicable taxes and deductions The National internal Revenue Code (R. A 8424) requires the employer to withhold portion of the salaries earned by employees that will at least approximate an income tax due of the earner relative to the income earned. The monthly or semi-monthly withholding s taxable could be obtained from the BIR to serve as guide as to what amount to be withheld from the salary of the employee (http://www. ehow. com/list_6725482_components-payroll-system. html, 17 July 2010). In preparing a payroll, certain government mandated contributions needed to be deducted from the gross play of each employee. These include withholding taxes, PAG-IBIG, SSS (Social Security System) and PhilHealth contributions. Withholding taxes is remitted to BIR while PAG-IBIG is remitted to Home Development and Mutual Fund (HDMF) (Cabrera, Ledesma & Lupisan, 2009). Other payroll withholdings include employee contributions to benefits, retirement accounts, and charities, these are determined by the employee during the fringe benefits selection process offered by their employer and must be taken into account as well as any employer matches when reporting payroll . Methods of Payroll Computation A payroll system involves everything that has to do with the payment of employees and the filing of employment taxes. This includes keeping track of hours, calculating wages, withholding taxes and other deductions, thus appropriate methods must be applied in the computation to achieve a desirable output. More and more aspects of payroll are being handled electronically. Methods include direct paycheck deposit, debit cards, payroll and non-payroll, use Web-based information system to allow employees access, with a secure password, to their individual payroll records including pay stubs, an earnings record and in some cases, employer information, such as the company manual or health insurance plan overview (Banning, 2008) Giove (1993) stated the seven methods for computing payroll: Hourly Rate Plan Employees paid on an hourly rate plan receive a fixed amount for each hour they work. An employee’s regular earnings are equal to the employee’s hourly rate multiplied by the number of hours worked during the payroll period. Salary Plan Salaried employees receive a fixed amount for each payroll period, whether weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly. If an employee on the salary plan works less than the regular hours during a payroll period, the employer may deduct for the time lost, although in most cases the employer does not make such a deduction. Regular earnings would be determined by multiplying that hourly rate by the actual number of hours the employee worked during the payroll period. Overtime Pay All employees in all establishments and undertakings whether for profit or not are entitled to overtime pay for work rendered beyond eight (8) hours. But this does not apply to managerial employees, field personnel, and members of the family of the employer who are dependent on him for support, domestic helpers, person in the personal service of another, and workers who are paid by results. Employees in the government are also entitled to overtime pay but they are governed by Civil Service laws and rules. Only employees in the private sector are covered by the Labor Code. Guaranteed Wage It is a written agreement to pay an employee a guaranteed minimum amount regardless of the hours worked, with an extra half-hour premium for hours over 40. Piece – Rate Plan It is a compensation plan whereby employee earnings depend on the units produced. Commission Plan Sales commission plans vary greatly from company to company but are generally based on the sales made during payroll period. Combination Plan This is a compensation method whereby employees receive a fixed amount of salary for each payroll period plus an extra amount for production (piece-work) or sales (commission). Timekeeping Records Accurate timekeeping is an essential part of an efficient payroll system. Every business must have an orderly method of recording the hours employees worked during the payroll period. The time records show the date and the time the workweek starts, the number of hours worked each day, and the total hours worked during the week. Time records are filed after the payroll is prepared and, in accordance with the requirements of the law, retained up to three years. The most common methods of timekeeping use a time clock with timecards or a time sheet. There are two primary reasons to maintain accurate payroll records. First, is the collection of the data necessary to compute the compensation for each employee for each payroll period. Second, provision of information needed to complete the various government report-federal and state- required of all employees. All business enterprise both large and small are required by law to withhold certain amounts from employees’ pay for taxes, to make payment to government agencies by specific deadlines, and submit reports on official forms. (McQuaig & Bille, 2008). Other Aspects of Payroll Accounting System Payroll Register The payroll register summarizes employee earnings and deduction information in a journal entry that is inserted into the general ledger for accounting and general research purposes. Payroll registers are also used to create tax report. These documents are prepared by payroll staff or generated using payroll computer system. Payroll Services The meteoric success of payroll services is not accidental, but rather a reflection of the business community’s willingness to outsource the tedious and complex task of payroll accounting to outside specialists. The upside of outsourcing payroll is that payroll services ensure that the company complies with laws pertaining to payroll. That is a big deal considering the time investment it would take the payroll officer to stay current on payroll-related legislation. Another big plus is that payroll services are responsible for keeping track of each employee’s accumulated earning, tax withholding, and other information needed to issue W-2 forms at the end of the year. They also stay on top of things like direct deposits, salary adjustment, quarterly tax payments and all of the other details that can be distraction from the important job of leading the company (http://Gaebler. com/payroll-services, 8 Aug, 2010). In-house Payroll If contracting a payroll service does not sound like a good fit for a business, the management also has the option of doing it in-house. But if the management plans on saving money by personally administering the payroll, having more alternatives will be a better idea. Even if the company only has a few employees, dealing with payroll-related details can be a waste of time. Instead, designating the job to an employee who can give it the time it requires so precious time can be dedicated to other things (http://Gaebler. com/in-house-payroll, 8 Aug, 2010). Whoever ends up doing payroll in the company will be happy to know that there is a lot of software out there to help them. In fact, most accounting software solutions have payroll modules. Start by assessing the capability of their current accounting software program. If it does not have a built-in payroll function, chances are it is available from the manufacturer as an add-on. If it is not, then the company needed to decide whether to change accounting to one that does or attempt to find a payroll program that is compatible with the current system. Either way, it is worth the time to find a computerized system that meets the company’s needs rather than trying to do it the old-fashioned way. Internal Control A district’s accounting and payroll functions are critical for the maintenance of a solid financial foundation. Accurate and timely financial reports are crucial to administration and board decision-making. Payroll must be accurate, as it represents the district’s largest budgeted expenditure. Internal controls must safeguard the district’s assets from misappropriation. Payroll processing is an error prone activity. If organizations have just one or two employees it may seem relatively easy to compute salaries outstanding, taxes etc, but as small business starts adding employees they find spending more and more time in computation of salaries including variable pay. Errors are common in the full and final settlement and increases when employees join in the middle of a term as the processes are manual (http://ezinearticles. om/? expert=Mikael Anderson, 4 Aug, 2010). Waterhouse (2010) said in one of his studies that the objective of internal controls for payroll is to ensure that payroll disbursements are properly recorded and that related legal requirements (such as payroll tax deposits) are complied with. Segregation of duties is an effective internal control. The bank reconciliation clerk reconciles the bank accounts and is not involved in processing or approving items for payment. A payroll administrator, supervisor, specialist and six clerks perform the payroll function. The Human Resources Department (HRD) enters employee data into a database share by Personnel and Payroll and sets the rate of pay. The software system controls the ability of individuals to change information based on their access to the system. This prevents unauthorized individuals from changing this information (http://window. state. tx. us, 6 Aug, 2010). Gelinas, Sutton and Hunton (2005) included in their study some of the procedures that can be used to prevent or detect schemes. First is the direct deposit of payroll to eliminate alteration, forgery and theft of paper check. Second, is checking for duplicate names, addresses, and Social Security number in the employee data, finally is comparing actual to budgeted payroll. Expense Accounts are often an area of fraud and abuse. This include: (a) using legitimate documentation from personal expense for the business expenses; (b) overstating expenses by altering receipts; (c) submitting fictitious expenses by submitting copies of invoices. Such abuses can be minimized by formulating reasonable policies that compensate employees for their out-of-pocket expenses. Copies of invoices should only be accepted in extreme circumstances. Finally, expense account activities should be monitored on a regular basis to detect unusual patterns (Gelinas, Sutton & Hunton, 2005). Payroll Fraud Connection Payroll, similar to cash disbursements, is an area ripe with fraud potential. After all, large organizations will make thousands of payments to employees for payroll and expenses account reimbursement every payroll period. Firth (2006) expresses that Payroll Fraud is an important issue that needs to be addressed by both Finance and Payroll professionals. Some of the key activities need to be considered include: improving the quality of master file data, reviewing the end to end payroll process, and reviewing the people that are performing each step in the payroll function. It is worth remembering that improving each of these areas will not only reduce the risk of payroll fraud, it will also result in many other business improvements right across the organization. Here are some of the types of payroll frauds, along with the median loss for each to an employer: (a) Ghost Employee, employees do not actually work for the company but receives paychecks. These can be recently departed employees or made-up persons; (b) Falsified hours and salary, employees exaggerate the time that they work or are able to increase the salary in their employee date; (c) Commission Schemes, employees falsify the sales on which commissions are based or increase the commission rate in their employee date; and, (d) False worker’s compensation claims, employees fake injuries to collect disability payments (Gelinas, Sutton & Hunton 2005).