Roman, Julio-Claudian ImperialPortrait of Caligula, God, and Ruler Research Paper

Roman, Julio-Claudian ImperialPortrait of Caligula, God, and Ruler - Research Paper Example Primitive in the Stone Age, sculpture developed to bear full resemblance of the object of art expression. Development of crafts, materials and instruments allowed Greek artists to reach perfection in their art works. Roman art was highly influenced and followed the traditions of Etruria and Greece (Pollitt 6) Sculpture was used as a mean to preserve images of the ancestors. Therefore portrait sculpture emerged and developed. Typical material for sculpture was bronze, marble, or terracotta. Monuments and sculptures were also erected to commemorate military or political achievements. Roman Cesar Gaius Germanicus, better known by his pet name Caligula was born in 12 AD. He was confirmed by Senate as an emperor at the age on twenty-five. (Pollitt 102) The people welcomed young emperor. He shown mercy to those in exile, reinstalled his family as imperial. However, soon his relationship with the Senate was strained. The new emperor had poor health and became mentally unstable. His reign wa s full of violence, sadism and perversion. Simple men suffered his cruelty along with the nobility. He was assassinated by his praetorians only four into his rule. Caligula was megalomaniac. From the beginning of his reign tenaciously was destroying statues of great men. According to Suetonius, â€Å"He (Caligula) broke them in pieces to such an extent that it has not been possible to restore them with their inscription intact.†(Pollitt 136) Instead, he proclaimed himself a god. Monuments were erected and imperial portraits created to feature his human image as divine nature. The imperial portrait was usually displayed in the imperial temple. The Emperor was to be worshiped during his lifetime, and Caligula was even worshiped to the excess to the opinion of the Senate. The imperial image established by Augustus was upheld – the face shape designed hairstyle and carefully carved hair locks. The sculptures were powerful tools in political propaganda, along with the coina ge. After Caligula’s death his images were destroyed the same way he was destroying those of others. Not many portraits are preserved. One of them is an imperial Portrait of the Emperor Caligula, God and Ruler which is displayed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Clearly defined and well-known features also replicated in the coins issued during his reign. It is likely that this bronze head was meant to be a focal point of a temple, however, it is difficult to say for certain. If the purpose and the meaning of Roman sculpture are clearly defined, it is not so with the art works from the ancient times, such as the Woman from Willendorf statuette. A statuette discovered by the archeologist Josef Szombathy in 1908 near Austrian town Willendorf in loess deposit during railroad construction. The excavations on the site had started well over 20 years prior to figurine discovery and many artifacts were found, first by the land owner, then by archeologists. The flint tools, human skeletons, tools made out of animal bones, shells, decorations were found at the site. Many of them are displayed in the Venusium – a museum at Willendorf devoted to the discovery of Woman of Willendorf figurine and other finds from the near-by archeological sites. The Woman of Willendorf statuette or as it more often called, Venus of Willendorf, is displayed at The Vienna Natural History Museum. When the statuette was found, it was dated approximately 15  000 to 10  000 BC. With the technology development and new methods of

An Analysis Of Water Pollution In China Environmental Sciences Essay

An Analysis Of Water Pollution In China Environmental Sciences Essay The challenge of escalating water pollution in China has posed a formidable threat to the existing water bodies that are immensely beneficial to the natives, industries and the government. This water pollution has been as a consequence of effluents from the heavily industrialized areas, which drain chemicals to rivers and other related streams. The escalating quandary of water pollution in China requires swift and practical measures geared towards safeguarding the few water bodies that have not been polluted, and halting further pollution of those already polluted. These efforts will aid in protecting the aquatic life, and improving on environmental conservation. To effectively limit the levels of water pollution, the Chinese Government ought to implement reasonable and valid systems that will guarantee the reduction in release of toxic effluents into the aquatic ecosystem. The appalling state of affairs resulting from the Chinese industrial effluents from the densely populated manufacturing states have reached to points where they threaten to literally extinguish the aquatic life, and thereby rendering once valuable rivers and streams useless. Indeed, these rivers, streams and other water bodies are affected to a point that they can be seen to be contaminated from visual observation. Additionally, strong and awful smells can be felt emanating from the flowing bodies of water; these polluted masses of moving water are usually black in color (Economy 2010). The Chinese authorities ideally want to intervene and implement effective measures to regulate the culpable industries on their commercial release into these rivers and streams. Many industrialists however argue against such a move, instead positing that by implementing a number of restrictive measures, the authorities will be deterring the growth and development of upcoming industries. Such arguments fall flat in face of logic and only help to champion the further degradation of the environment. The industrialists also posit that these measures will reduce production of some companies, which they argue, are particularly critical in global industrial production and the emergence of China as a superpower. Implementation of restrictive laws should not be compromised by vested interests from industrialists. Restrictive and regulatory environmental laws are designed help in guarding environment for the future generations in China. Environmental standards in China are deteriorating at a particularly unsettling pace when compared to other countries. Natives of Chinese towns are pessimistic about future environmental outlooks. They have witnessed once clean rivers turned into sewerage drainage channels because of extremely uncontrolled dumping of industrial refuse. In an environmental conservation article, Rivers Run Black in Shanxi Province in CHINA.ORG.CN website, a farmer called Li Yonggang recalls a few years back when a nearby riverShushui Riverwas remarkably uncontaminated and bustling with marine life. He notes with vivid contract of how the landscape of back then is so different to that of today. At thirty years, everything has changed and very different to what he used to see in th e 1980s. Li compares how he dug a mere 60 meters in the past to get clean drinking water, but nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦well is 180 meters deep (Rivers Run Black in Shanxi Province). Water pollution is normally graded on a scale of I, II, III, IV and V-where I is the purest with least pollutants and V is the most polluted. Shushui River is currently on grade V. Shanxi province is categorized as leading in having worst river waters in the country because of the big industries in the region (China Knowledge Press Pte Ltd Xiahou, 2005). Environmentalists and natives are equally conscious of the heightening status of the quandary, and most wonder if the deteriorating status will be halted in time since all the ten most polluted cities are in Shanxi (Rivers Run Black in Shanxi Province). According to Jian Xies book Addressing Chinas water scarcity: recommendations for selected water resource management issues, which was written in collaboration with the World Bank, the Peoples Republic of China possesses no adequate and proper sewerage management system and as a result, both the public and domestic waste is channeled into nearby water bodies. Some rivers have turned red as a result, clearly depicting the extent of pollution. (See illustration below). Also about 500 million citizens do not have any kind of access to hygienically treated drinking water and majority resort to taking filthy water from rivers (Xie World Bank, 2009). Current studies depict excessive discharge of mans refuse and other pollutants from agricultural area. The discharging of waste in the sea is rampant because the majority of the rural populations do not have abundant water conditioning facilities. This puts them on the verge of getting infected with industrial and human waste related diseases. The Xie/ World Bank book highlights the concerns of many people lacking domestic water, and indicates that such predicaments have pushed people to use flowing water from streams and rivers. Here, they can wash clothes and get water for cooking and drinking. The most culpable industries in the list of agents of pollution are plants that manufacture drugs, chemicals and tannery mills. The picture below shows how factories located near water bodies in China easily dump heaps of wastes. Wastes can be seen spilling in the river depository. Yangtze effluence Evident as it is, water contamination is primarily caused by industrial processes. From the observation of the visual evidence above, not only is water being affected, but the air is equally polluted. These emissions of toxic substances into the environment cost the Chinese government almost $69 billion annually, a figure that is spent on dismal efforts closely related to environmental conservation but which barely have any effect. Marquita Hill reports in Understanding Environmental pollution that China disposes about 11.7 million pounds of organic waste annually. This is mindboggling when you consider that industrialized nations such as the United States emits about 5.5, Japan emits around 3.4, Germany 2.3, India 3.2 and South Africa a paltry 0.6 (Hill, 2009). When you do the mathematics, Chinas emission is almost equal to all these five countries. This is intense pollution according to the statistics the rate is increasing endangering the human existence. There has been evidence of algae blooms in rivers and lakes caused by surface run-off during rainy seasons where industrial and farming chemicals are deposited in the rivers. Hill elaborates on how these run-offs result in the depletion of oxygen in the water leading to death of aquatic life. Chinese residents did try to curb this by pumping oxygen mechanically in water but the ultimate responsibility rests on the government to regulate the use of toxic industrial chemicals in these sectors. China aimed at cutting down on water effluence by ten percent from 2008 to 2010. It also attempted to clean Huai basin in Anhui Province in the 80s and 90s but those efforts foundered; $8 million dollars was spent on the project. It is clear currently that China must invest in river protection. China says water pollution double official figure, (Reuters 2010). According to this report China had grossly underestimated the levels of corruption posted in 2007. Apparently, the government estimation did not factor in the waste from agricultural activities, A study by Chinas Environmental Protection Agency in February 2010 said that water pollution levels were double what the government predicted them to be mainly because agricultural waste was ignored (Reuters, 2010). This unmasked the truth of the matter in China; the extent of Chinas environmental predicaments could be much worse! This also questioned whether the Chinese government is cognizant of its predicament and what measures it must take to reduce negative effects. Earlier in 2007, government reported it had reduced COD by 30 percent to 13.3metric tons. The article reports of extremely alarming statistics of water pollution which need quick action before things get out of manageable brackets. Coupled with both industrial and domestic emissions, the COD rose by 5 percent around the original one in 2007 (Reuter, 2010). China faces dual predicament of water pollution and scarcity. Its vast population is faced with severe water problem which is extreme in heavily populated cities. There are also cases of inadequately treated municipal waters which is unhygienic for human drinking. China therefore is forced to harvest or extract impure water especially in Yantai, Qingdao and Behai. China must supplement its water resources; straighten out any sluggishness in municipal facilities, equip sewerage firms with resources to treat toxic waste and properly channel the drainage system and enact laws to combat irresponsible industrial behaviors. In the country, most of the rivers have grade IV and grade V of pollution; these rivers are toxic and extremely unhealthy for human and living things use. It is the governments responsibility to clean the rivers and avert possible ecological disasters.

Herman Melville: The Great American Writer :: Biography Biographies Essays

Herman Melville: The Great American Writer Everyone has heard of the novel Moby Dick at some point in their educational career, yet few know much about the life of its author. Herman Melville , the author of Moby Dick had an interesting life. Throughout his life he had many ups and downs. He was born on August 1, 1819 to a wealthy family that owned their own export business. This privileged life was short lived when Allen Melville, Herman's father, died in 1832. This was two years after the family business had gone under. Through this early example of a high and low in Melville's life you can see that his roller coaster like life was just beginning. In his writing you can see the three different stages that he had in his life. There are three stages to Herman Melville's life they are adventuresome young writer, mildly popular author, and finally a depressed old man who changed his entire style of writing. (Columbia 1, Padilla 1-2) Melville's first novels come from his imagination and were inspired by trips that he took across the sea as a young man.Melville had a stint on a boat headed to Liverpool from New York in 1839, yet only spent one summer on it because he had to come home and help his family out with their monetary situation.Finally in 1841, Melville found his way back to adventure and sailing.He headed out to the South Seas on the Acushnet.On this voyage it is said that Melville and one of his shipmates abandoned ship and were held by a group of cannibals in the French Polynesia.This experience led him to write his first novel that was not published until 1846, Typee.It was named after the Typee people who Melville had supposedly lived with for four months; however, ship records show that he was on another ship only a month after he had supposedly been with the Typee.Melville's next trip that inspired his second novel was on the Lucy Ann, a ship that was sailing to Tahiti.The novel Tahiti and Omoo, wr itten in 1846, 1847 respectively, are about Tahitian jails and revolts against the ship owners in Tahiti.These things never actually happened to Melville although his readers thought that they did.Melville was one of those authors who believed that bending the truth to make a great story was well worth it and his creative right.

Capital Markets and Market Efficiency

Part 1 The Efficient market hypothesis states that all financial markets are efficient in their use of information to determine prices. This means that investors cannot expect to achieve excess profits that are more than the average market profits with similar risk factors, given all available information at the current time of investment, aside from through some form of luck. In part 1 of this report we will discuss the three different forms of market efficiency that Eugene Fama identified in her 1970 report. These can be explained as follows: 1) Weak form efficiency Fama (1970) observes that a market is efficient in weak form if past returns cannot be used to predict current stock price changes. It also assumes that prices on assets that are traded publicly already have and use all available information on the stock at any moment in time. It therefore stands to reason that the weak form of the market efficiency hypothesis means that past returns on stock are uncorrelated with future returns on the same stock. Future prices cannot be predicted by studying carefully the past prices of the stock. Excess returns cannot be earned over an extended period of time by using investment strategies that are based only upon the historical prices of shares or differing forms of historical analysis. This means that this style of technical analysis will not be able to produce high levels of returns on a consistent basis for investors. Overall one cannot expect future price changes to be predicted by using the past stock prices. Simply put weak form efficiency a ssumes that historical analysis on past stock data is of no use in predicting future price changes on stocks. 2) Semi-strong efficiency The semi-strong market efficiency form progresses from the aforementioned weak form market efficiency by stating that markets can adjust easily and very quickly to new information that is provided about various stocks. Fama (1970: 383) cites semi- strong efficiency as â€Å"whether prices efficiently adjust to other information that is publicly available. e.g. announcements of stock splits, etc†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Here it is assumed that asset prices fully reflect all of the publicly available information on the stocks meaning that only those investors who manage to possess additional unique information about the stocks could have an advantage over the market to make large gains. This form also asserts that any price outliers are found quickly and on this basis the stock market manages to adjust. In a semi-strong form efficiency share prices are able to react quickly to new information made available publicly in a quick manner so that no large returns can be gained from using the recent information. This leads us to imply that neither fundamental analysis or technical analysis will be able to produce consistent excess returns. Strong-form efficiency Strong-form efficiency assumes that prices reflect completely any type of new information about the market be that public or private information. Fama (1970: 383) says that strong form tests are concerned with â€Å"whether given investors or groups have monopolistic access to any information relevant for formation†, however Fama claims that the efficient hypothesis model still stands up well. The strong form claims the market price also includes different forms of insider information and not solely public information, and this is how it differs from the semi-strong form. The implications of this is that no one at all can therefore have any kind of advantage over the market in prediction of the stock prices as no possible additional data exists which would provide additional value to any investor. However, if any legal barriers exist which prevents the spread of useful information, such as insider trading laws for example, then this form of market efficiency is not possible. Part 2 The Efficient Markets Hypothesis was introduced by Eugene Fama in 1970. The main idea of the Efficient Market Hypothesis is predominantly that market prices must take into account all available information at any given point. Therefore meaning that no one can outperform the market by using readily available public information aside from through luck. A market is said to be efficient if the price fully reflects information about that market, for example if the price of the stock would be unaffected if all information surrounding it was revealed to all stakeholders in that market. Part two of this report will be critically discussing the evidence for and against the Efficient Market Hypothesis and whether it is possible to exploit market inefficiencies. The implications for investors and companies of the Efficient Markey Hypothesis will also be considered. Arguments For the Efficient Market Hypothesis To begin with following the birth of the efficient market hypothesis the theory was widely accepted, and it was widely assumed that the markets were very efficient in taking this information into account (Malkiel, 2003). It was accepted that when information came to the fore this would spread rapidly and would then be incorporated almost instantaneously into the share prices without hesitation. This meant that technical analysis, study of prior stock prices, nor any analysis of relevent information of a financial sense would lead an investment to achieve more successful returns than holding random stocks which have a comparable risk factor. Dimson and Mussavian (1998) observe that the evidence accumulated during the 1960s and 1970s was consistent with the Efficient Market Hypothesis view. There was a substantial backing for the weak and semi strong Efficient Market Hypothesis forms. Even though more recent times have seen an attack against the Efficient Market Hypothesis, Roll (1994) still observes that it remains incredibly difficult to make a high level of profit on a consistent basis even with the wildest variants of stock market efficiency. These violations of market efficiency are often sporadic events that do not last for a period of time. This can be seen by looking at the fact that on the whole profitable investment successes are referred to on a consistent basis as outliers (Dimson and Mussavian, 1998). Malkiel (2005: 2) says that: the strongest evidence suggesting that markets are generally quite efficient is that professional investors do not beat the market. Indeed, the evidence accumulated over the past 30-plus years makes me more convinced than ever that our stock markets are remarkably efficient at adjusting correctly to new information. This is showing that the markets must be efficient due to the fact that professional investors do not on the whole beat the market, and therefore all available information must be taken into account by the market prices and thus there is no gain to be had by any investors by using past prices, or publicly or privately readily available information. Arguments against the Efficient Market Hypothesis Malkiel (2003: 60) observes that by the beginning of the twenty first century â€Å"the intellectual dominance of the efficient market hypothesis had become far less universal† and academics were starting to question the premise and were not accepting it as they had done previously. Shiller (2003 ; 83) states that, â€Å"[contained in the EMH is] the idea that speculative asset prices such as stock prices always incorporate the best information about fundamental values and that prices change only because of good, sensible information.† However he then moves on to discuss how not all information is sensible and not all actors are rational, this would conflict with the efficient market hypothesis which relies on information having a large impact on the prices of stock. As well as this several recent reports have shown a range of empirical evidence which suggests that stock returns can actually possess components of a predictable nature, therefore also rejecting parts of the efficient market hypothesis which profess that looking at past trends do not allow for excess gains when investing on the stocks against the market. Keim and Stambaugh (1986) state that using forecasts based on a number of factors can find statistically significant predictability in a range of different stock prices. Lo and MacKinlay (1988) reject the random walk hypothesis, which is so often considered with the efficient market hypothesis theory, and show that it is not at all consistent with the stochastic nature of weekly returns. Empirical evidence of return behaviour which has been anomalous in the form of variables such as price to earnings ratio (Fama and French, 1992) has defied any kind of usual rational explanation and has resulted in a great number of researchers cons idering their views and opinions of market efficiency. Evaluation and Implications for Investors In conclusion, it is clear to see that market prices are not always predictable and that the markets have made large errors at certain points in time, for example at the recent dotcom internet bubble. Here it was obviously possible to exploit the market inefficiency to make money for investors. In the short run it may be possible to exploit these sporadic inefficiencies, but in the long term true value will always come to the fore. As long as these markets do exist, due to it being reliant on the judgement of investors, there will occasionally be errors made and some participants In the market are likely to behave in a less than rational manner, as is inherent in human nature. As well as this all information will not necessarily be sensible and investors are not likely to necessarily use it rationally. Thus irregular pricing or predictable patterns on stocks can appear and be exploited from time to time. In terms of the implications for investors in terms of the efficient market hypothesis, it is plain to see that all markets cannot be one hundred percent efficient all of the time or there would not be an incentive for people who are professionals in the field to discover different facets of information that is often quickly reflected by market prices (Grossman and Stiglitz, 1980). However, things such as the 1999 dot com bubble are exceptions rather than the rule to providing investors with extraordinary returns on their investments to exploit market inefficiencies. Therefore one could assume that the markets are efficient more often than not, and Fama (1970) is on the whole correct. This could lead to the conclusion in agreeing with Ellis (1998) and the overall idea that active equity management is indeed a ‘loser’s game’. Malkiel (2005) further advises on Ellis’ claim and professes that indexing is likely to produce higher rates of return than active por tfolio management. This is becoming more and more likely to impact investors as markets become more and more efficient, as Toth and Kertesz (2006) show in their examination of an increase in efficiency of the New York stock exchange. Therefore investors are required to question if it is indeed possible or feasible to exploit market inefficiencies using strategies the efficient market hypothesis calls into question. Bibliography Dimson, E. and Mussavian, M. (1998). ‘A Brief History of Market Efficiency’. European Financial Management. 4(1): 91-103. Ellis, C. (1998). Winning the Loser’s Game, McGraw-Hill: New York. Fama. E.G, (1970). ‘Efficient Capital Markets: A Review of Theory and Empirical Work’. The Journal of Finance. 25(2): 383-417 Fama, E. and French, K. (1988) ‘Dividend yields and expected stock returns’. Journal of Financial Economics.(22): 3-25. Fama, E. and French, K. (1992). ‘Common risk factors in the returns on stocks and bonds’. Journal of Financial Economics. (33): 3-56. Grossman, S. and J, Stiglitz. (1980). ‘On the Impossibility of Informationally Efficient Markets.’ American Economic Review. 70(3). 393-408. Keim and Stambaugh (1986). ‘Predicting returns In the Stock and Bond Markets’. Journal of Financial Economics. 357-290. Lo and MacKinlay. (1988) ‘Stock Market prices do not follow random walks : Evidence from a simple specification test’. Review of Financial Studies. (1): 41-66. Malkiel, B. (2003). ‘The Efficient Market Hypothesis and Its Critics Authors’. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 17(1): 59-82 Malkiel, B. (2005). ‘Reflections on the Efficient Market Hypothesis: 30 Years Later’. The Financial Review (40):1-9 Shiller, R. (2003). ‘From Efficient Markets Theory to Behavioral Finance’. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 17(1) : 83-104. Toth, B. and Kertesz, J. (2006). ‘Increasing market efficiency: Evolution of cross-correlations of stock returns’. Physica 360(2): 505–515.

The Lego Case

1. What were LEGO’s main expectations and learnings from the relationship with the Flextronics? Expectations: a. Saving cost by outsourcing to low-cost countries: Prior to outsourcing, LEGO owned and operated production plants mainly in relatively high labor-cost countries, such as the United States, Switzerland and the South Korea. The main reason for this is that LEGO built plants close to its main markets to save transportation cost.But LEGO finally realized that the reduced labor cost in some labor-intensive countries outweighed the reduced transportation cost. Then they decided to outsource to Flextronics who has production capacity in low-cost regions; b. Subcontracting to Flextronics allowed LEGO to reach the economy of scale as well as reduce production complexity by combining its production with that of other Flextronics’ clients; c. Contracting production to Flextronics can help LEGO eliminate the risk of production price fluctuations. Learnings: a.LEGO learne d from Flextronics the importance of documentation and standardization of the production, which give LEGO Group transparency and often help LEGO manage the challenges of complexity and to identify the stronger and weaker parts and links of the production network. b. LEGO should consider more factors before they outsourcing. Things like Flextronics’ operation style, the cost and time of providing engineering support and training, and variable lead time incurred by global sourcing are really critical for making decisions. 2.What are the key challenges in maintaining a relationship like the one between LEGO and Flextronics. The key challenge in maintaining a relationship between buyer and supplier is how to reach an agreement that benefits both parties. Take LEGO and Flextronics for example, it’s a big problem for LEGO to solve the conflict between its need for flexible and Flextronics’ more stable and predictable operations. LEGO had wide range of products, includ ing many licensed products like Harry Potter and Star Wars, and each of its products consisted of different unique bricks.And it’s difficulty for LEGO to make a precise forecast with fluctuating demand. These two points made LEGO over-dependent on flexible production, which is totally against Flextronics’ operation style in which economies of scale is a key phrase. Since both LEGO and Flextronics require a profitable business model, it’s a great challenge to reach agreement that benefits both parties with difference emphasis. Also, LEGO has to consider how to communicate withFlextronics pertaining to making a clear plan for training and educating their staff so that they can be able to meet LEGO’s efficiency requirement quickly. 3. How can LEGO handle the supply chain complexity to improve knowledge sharing, flexibility and coordination? LEGO introduce a sophisticated planning system called sales and operations planning (SO&P) to its daily operation. SO&P can help LEGO monitor and coordinate different parts in supply chain and provide LEGO the visibility of its global operation, which usually involve numerous outsourcing partners.Besides, to maintain a good relationship with supplier over the long term, it’s reasonable to invest some resources to help the supplier achieve the level of performance required by LEGO. Through training and educating staff in Flextronics, LEGO can help Flextronics to build production capacity to meet the requirement of flexibility. Also, LEGO can put quality control personnel in factory to monitor production line and prevent quality variation. And frequent communication about production progress, updating issue and feedback is necessary for improving coordination and knowledge sharing.Building a sophisticated information system is of great help to improve supply chain flexibility and coordination, by conveying information seamlessly, it allows the supplier to get the visibility of sales and invento ry and adapt their own production to these information. This can eliminate the situation of overstock and out of stock. 4. What are the key considerations when outsourcing or offshoring production? Discuss them. To make a make versus buy decision, company should first consider the total cost of outsourcing.This cost should include not only the quotation from supplier but also the cost of monitoring the relationship, cost of providing training, education and engineering support to the supplier and cost of dealing with cultural and operational difference. Outsourcing globally is also subject to ethical and environmental violations. Buying company should conduct a comprehensive investigation of the supplier’s production and related issues like child labor, below-minimum wage and safety production. If the supplier violated any of these laws, it is usually the buying company that became the target of social media and NPOs.A company’s reputation can be greatly damaged due to the noncompliant supplier. If a buying company outsourcing its production, it may become over-dependent on supplier for production and finally lose the production ability, which may turn out to be a great disadvantage. Company should decide smartly which part of its business is appropriate for outsourcing. Besides, company should consider the variable lead time which is often impossible to control with outsourcing on global scale. Above all, it’s critical for buying company to make a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to decide in-house production or outsourcing. . Describ the competitive environment of the industry and how it relates to LEGO’s choices? A number of toy companies had built production plants in China, statistic show that 90 percent of the world’s toys are made in China. This means many of LEGO’s competitors have price advantages over LEGO and it’s hard for LEGO to survive in some developing countries, which have relatively low purc hasing power. That lead LEGO make the decision to outsource its production to Flextronics who have production line in low cost countries.Competitors in toy markets are also compete for decreasing lead time which is critical in the eyes of customers. Customers usually don’t like to wait for long to receive the order, especially during the time before holidays when toys are brought as gifts for their kids. Variation in lead time often annoyed customers and triggered in market share losing. Since it’s difficult to control the lead time concerning to LEGO’s complex products with Flextronics’ stable and standardized production and operation style, LEGO decided to source back its production task.

Richard M. Nixon Biography and Presidency

Richard M. Nixon Biography and Presidency Richard Nixons Childhood and Education: Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 in Yorba Linda, California. He grew up in California in poverty, helping out at his fathers grocery store. He was raised a Quaker. He had two brothers die of tuberculosis. He went to local public schools. He graduated first in his high school class in 1930. he attended Whittier College from 1930-34 and graduated with a history degree. He then went to Duke University Law School and graduated in 1937. He was then admitted to the bar. Family Ties: Nixon was the of  Francis Frank Anthony Nixon, a gas station owner and grocer and  Hannah Milhous, a devout Quaker. He had four brothers.  On June 21, 1940, Nixon married  Thelma Catherine Pat Ryan, a Business Teacher. Together they had two  daughters, Patricia and Julie. Richard Nixons Career Before the Presidency: Nixon began practicing law in 1937. He tried his hand at owning a business which failed before joining the navy to serve in World War II. He rose to become a lieutenant commander and resigned in March, 1946. In 1947, he was elected a U.S. Representative. Then, in 1950 he became a U.S. Senator. He served in that capacity until being elected Vice President under Dwight Eisenhower in 1953. He ran for President in 1960 but lost to John F. Kennedy. He also lost the Governorship of California in 1962. Becoming the President: In 1968, Richard Nixon became the Republican candidate for President with Spiro Agnew as his Vice President. He defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and American Independent George Wallace. Nixon received 43% of the popular vote and 301 electoral votes.In 1972, he was the obvious choice for renomination with Agnew as his running mate again. He was opposed by Democrat George McGovern. He won with 61% of the vote and 520 electoral votes. Events and Accomplishments of Richard Nixon’s Presidency: Nixon inherited  the war with Vietnam  and during his time in office, he cut the number of soldiers down from over 540,000 troops to 25,000. By 1972, all U.S. ground combat troops were withdrawn.On April 30, 1970, U.S. and South Vietnamese troops raided Cambodia to try and capture the Communist headquarters. Protests erupted around the nation. The most visible was at Kent State University. Students protesting at the campus were fired on by the Ohio National Guard killing four and wounding nine.In January 1973, a peace treaty was signed whereby all U.S. forces left withdrew from Vietnam, and all prisoners of war were released. Soon after the agreement, however, fighting resumed, and the Communists eventually won.In February 1972,  President Nixon  traveled to China to try and encourage peace and more contact between the two nations. He was the first to visit the country.Acts to protect the environment were huge during Nixons time in office. The  Environmental Protection Agen cy  was created in 1970. On July 20, 1969,  Apollo 11  landed on the moon and man took his first step outside of earth. This fulfilled Kennedys goal to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade.When Nixon ran for reelection, it was discovered that five individuals from the  Committee to Reelect the President  (CREEP) had broken into the Democratic National Headquarters at the  Watergate  business complex. Two reporters for the  Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein,  uncovered a massive cover-up  of the break-in. Nixon had installed a taping system and when the Senate asked for tapes recorded during his time in office he refused to hand them over due to  executive privilege. The  Supreme Court  did not agree with him, and he was forced to give them up. The tapes showed that while Nixon was not involved in the break-in he was involved in its cover-up. In the end, Nixon resigned when he was faced with impeachment. He left office on August 9, 1974. Post-Presidential Period: After Richard Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974, he retired to San Clemente, California. In 1974, Nixon was pardoned by President Gerald Ford. In 1985, Nixon mediated a dispute between major league baseball and the umpire association. He traveled extensively. He also provided advice to various politicians including the Reagan administration. He wrote about his experiences and foreign policy. Nixon died on April 22, 1994. Historical Significance: While many important events occurred during Nixons administration including the end of the Vietnam War, his visit to China, and putting a man on the moon, his time was marred by the Watergate Scandal. Faith in the office of the presidency declined with the revelations of this event, and the way that the press dealt with the office changed forever from this time on.

artist throughout history that essays

artist throughout history that essays Artists throughout History That Have Self-Destructed The most successful or famous artists are not always as happy as successful people are portrayed- living a life of fame, fortune, and glamour. The following examples will show some of the problems that four different artists have suffered in the past century.Vincent van Gogh was a Dutch painter who lived from March 30, 1853 to July 29, 1890. He is now one of the most famous painters in modern art (World Book 306). He only sold one painting in his living days, but now his paintings are considered priceless.Some of his paintings and drawings include: The Bedroom at Arles 1888 Self-Portrait 1888 Vase with 12 Sunflowers 1888 Langlois Bridge with Women Washing 1888 (Sweetman 378)Those are just a few of his accomplishments, though he has created many, many more works of art.In 1888, artist Paul Gaugin moved into Vincent's house with him. At first everything worked out fine, but within the year, their personalities started to clash , and big problems arose. Then, on December 23, 1888, Paul Gaugin was taking a walk in the nearby public garden, when, according to his memoir "Avant et Apres," Vincent chased after Gaugin with an open razor blade. But, when Gaugin turned around, Vincent turned and ran home. Gaugin decided that this threat was too much for him to take, so he checked into a hotel room for the night. When Paul Gaugin arrived at home the next morning, he saw a crowd of police officers and citizens surrounding the house. When he went in the house he saw that there was blood everywhere- on towels and blankets, then a trail leading up the stairs. When he got to Vincent's bedroom, he found him curled up on his bed covered in sheets pink with blood. Gaugin thought Vincent was dead, but when he went to touch his friend's hand, it radiat! ed warmth from his friend's body (Sweetman 290). Gaugin found out later that Vincent had cut off almost his whole left ear, wrapped it in newspape...

FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships

FAFSA App Your Ultimate 2016 Guide to Max Scholarships SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the one application you’ll need to submit in order to be considered for all forms of federal aid. If you’re interested in financial aid at all (even if you’re thinking about private funding sources or school-based aid), it’s of the utmost importance you submit one of these applications. The application itself seems daunting at first, but with a little bit of forethought and a few hours of your time, you’ll be able to complete it successfully! I'll start off this post with some info about the FASFA, before moving on to step-by-step instructions on how to apply for FAFSA. Finally, I'll give you some tips on what you should be doing after your submit your FAFSA. Ready to get some financial aid? We'll present everything you must know in order to apply most successfully. Why Is the FAFSA Important? As I'm sure you already know, attending college in the US is pretty expensive. Prohibitively so, actually, for a lot of students - in fact, most US college students have some sort of financial aid. When you submit a FAFSA, you're taking a step in mitigating some of these expenses. This application will open up opportunities for both federal and non-federal aid. The aid programs you're automatically considered for include: The Pell Grant Stafford loans Perkins loans Direct Unsubsidized loans Direct Subsidized loans Non-federal aid opportunities come mostly in the form of institutional aid. Schools use information generatedby the FAFSA to award college-specific grants and scholarships. Private need-based scholarship programs also often require applicants to complete a FAFSA (for example, the Gates Millennium Scholarship). All in all, it's a really versatile application, and one of the most important parts of applying for financial aid for college. Now that you're excited about your own FAFSA let's talk about how to submit one! How Do You Submit a FAFSA? Follow these step-by-step instructions to successfully submit a FAFSA. Step 1: Check Your Deadlines There are different deadlines you should be aware of: federal and state.The deadline for federal funding for the 2015-2016 school year is June 30, 2016, whereas the deadline for 2016-2017 is June 30, 2017.You may be able to get federal aid even after you’ve finished your year at school (if you’re a current college student), so it could be worth your while to apply later on if you’ve already missed the state application window. Different states (if you also want to be considered for state funding) have different deadlines for applying for student aid. You can check the deadline for your state here. In general, though, it's better to apply well in advance of these deadlines. Someaid programs run out of funding earlier rather than later - like the Perkins Loan program - so try to get your FAFSA in as early as possible. The application openedJanuary 1 for the 2015-2016 academic year; schools won't use the information from your FAFSA until after you're admitted. You won't lose out on any opportunities if you don't submit your FAFSA on January 1, but try toget it in by early spring. Step 2: Gather All the Information You'll Need Perhaps the most tedious part of completing a FAFSA is hunting down all the relevant financial information you need for the application. If you gather this information ahead of time, though, sitting down to complete the actual app should be a cinch. Here's everything you need in order to fill out a complete FAFSA. From your own personal records, you'll need: Social Security Number Alien Registration Number (if you're not a US citizen) Most recent federal tax returns, W-2s, and other records of income Bank statements and investment records (if applicable) Records of untaxed income (if applicable) A FSA ID to sign electronically (if you're submitting the application online). You can create a FSA ID. Your parents' financial information is also considered when determining your aid eligibility, even if they won't be helping you pay for school. Because of this, you'll also need to gather all of the above information from your parents as well. Here'sexactly what you'll need from parents or guardians: If your parents are married, gather information for both of them. If your parent is widowed or single, you'll just need information from that one parent. If your widowed parent is currently remarried, you'll need information from your parent and your parent's spouse. If your parents are divorced or separated, you'll need information from your custodial parent (the parent you've lived with the most within the past year). If your parents have joint custody, and you spendtime between them equally, you need information from the parent who's supported you the most financially. Some FAFSA applicants qualify for what's called a dependency override - this is when parents' financial information is not taken into account when determining federal aid eligibility. Most of the time, this means that applicants are eligible for more aid. If you think you might qualify for a dependency override, you should gather any supporting documentation around those circumstances as well as any relevant financial information. Common override situations include being married, having kids, being in foster care, and being legally emancipated.Just answer questions about these circumstances honestly on your FAFSA - the application will process as incomplete, and you’ll need to follow up with the financial aid office of the school you’re seeking an aid package from. One last thing -If you’re a male between the ages of 18-25 and living in the US, you'll need to be registered for Selective Service in order to submit a FAFSA. Selective Service is essentially a registry of all men eligible to be called for a military draft in an emergency. You can registerin just a few minutes. Step 3: Choose Your Submission Method Got all that paperwork ready? Now comes the easy part - choosing how you'll submit your FAFSA. You have a couple of different options: electronic submission and paper submission. I'll discuss the pros and cons of both. Electronic Submission It's generally easier to submit your FAFSA online than it is to send in a paper copy. Just be aware that if you have a tight submission timeline, you should apply for a FSA ID for you and your parents ahead of time - you need a FSA ID to sign the FAFSA electronically, and it can take about threedays to come in. The electronic version of the app tends to guide you through the application process pretty well, and can even catch minor errors as you complete it. You'll also get fast results with this submission method - you'll receive a SAR (student aid report) containing the results of your FAFSA in about 3 days. Paper Submission Nothing against snails, but snail mail is not a good option if you're rushing to submit your FAFSA. Paper FAFSAs are a bit more cumbersome than the electronic version, take the longer to file, and are more prone to error - all of these factors will delay your application process. This is not a good option if you're tight on time. If you do want to submit a paper FAFSA, you can find copies at high school guidance offices, college financial aid offices, or at local libraries. You can also download and print the application yourself. Step 4: Set a Time to Complete the Application This is one application you don't want to procrastinate completing. As I mentioned earlier, you'll likely need a lot of information from your parents or guardians to properly fill out the application.The form will be much easier to complete if you can sit down with them, completing each section together. The electronic FAFSA should take about 1-2 hours, and the paper FAFSA a bit longer than that.You don’t need an accountant or financial aid consultant in order to fill out the FAFSA, but if you do have access to these resources, they should be able to assist you with any questions. Strategies for a Winning FAFSA Application From a wide variety of students, we've gathered a few tips that will max your reward. You absolutely must do these, or at least be aware for them. First, you should file earlybecause certain scholarships are first-come-first-serve. Applications become available much sooner than they're due, and you're well off using last years application as a mock up to submit as soon as possible. Second, it's important that you file even if you're not surewhether you'll get the aid. The amount of money is hugein comparison to the amount of time it'll take you. Some families earning up to even $200K/year will qualify for aid. Also, as with all forms, you must do your best to fill out the form completely. Technical glitches will delay or even stop your application. Double check every line, every blank for precision. This is a lot of money on the line here folks it's well worth your time. Finally, for many need base calculations, you'll do well to have as little savings in the child's name as possible. The child is expected to put a larger fraction of his/her savings into education versus the parents assets. Move money out of children's banks accounts. Likewise, parents will do well to reduce the savings amount that shows up on the file. Parents can do things like paying down debt to reduce their assets. Of course, be sure not to be penny-wise pound-foolish don't just go wasting money, but do understand the optics of where your money is will affect the aid given! What Do You Do After You Submit the FAFSA? The hard stuff is done - you've done the tedious work of gathering intel from financial records and answered each question on the application. There's not much left to do, but it's important to stay on top of tracking the status of your application. If there are any problems with the processing of your FAFSA, these next steps will help you get back on track in no time. Within 3-5 days, you will receive an email with directions to access your SAR, or Student Aid Report. The colleges you listed on your FAFSA will have access to your SAR shortly after you do.If your application were complete, your SAR would include an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. The EFC is a number used by your school to calculate the amount of federal aid you are eligible to receive, not necessarily the amount of money your family will have to pay. If you're interested in learning more about the EFC and how it affects financial aid awards, check out our Pell Grant guide. You can check the status of your application (if there are any delays) by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center (1.800.433.3243), or by logging in to the FAFSA website with your FSA ID. Your Financial Aid Package Your school will use the information generated from your FAFSA to generate a financial aid offer, which can include grants, loans, and scholarships.You’ll then make a decision about what aid to accept. If you’re offered grants, you should accept in pretty much all cases (it’s free money). It might be prudent to discuss with family about what loan offers you’d like to accept. For example, you should discuss whether you're happy with the loan terms and interest rates and if it's important that you take out those loans in order to afford college.The financial aid office at your school will explain how and when you’ll get any money awarded to you, and whether you will need to take any further steps. What's Next? The FAFSA is a particularly useful application - in submitting it, you'll be considered for the Pell Grant, Perkins loan, Direct Subsidized loan, and Direct Unsubsidized loan. Read more about each program by clicking the link. If you want to learn more about how much money you'll actually need for college (after you get any federal financial aid), read our guide on what college really costs. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Strategic Management Analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Strategic Management Analysis - Case Study Example In a scenario where reference governments ban Cirque performances in public spaces like Las Vegas, the Cirque du Soleil will have to change its strategy. Indeed, this will have a significant effect since permanent shows attract a huge audience since they host a portfolio of different shows with a series of related displays. The huge audience that attends Cirque performances in public place increase the total number of spectators experiencing Cirque du Soleil's shows worldwide, which is the company’s strength. As such, this scenario will reduce the company’s market presence and revenues derived from ticket sales and concessions from products sold during the shows in the public spaces. The company will lose its competitive advantage. To avert this crisis, the company must consider changing its strategy by investing more on world tours. This will involve altering the calendar of events for the convenience of performing artists, celebrities, audience, and other stakeholders sponsoring the events. Indeed, the company can also establish partnerships with interested parties that will host Cirque performances and finance the building of private theatres. Moreover, the company will invest huge resources on building private theatres designed for Cirque performances at the company headquarters and branches. The company will diversify and market its operations by establishing television deals to broadcast Cirque performances and venturing in other related businesses like selling the Cirque du Soleil's shows merchandise.

Traditional Absorption Costing versus Activity Based Costing Assignment

Traditional Absorption Costing versus Activity Based Costing - Assignment Example In fact Geri and Ronen (2005) indicate that cost accounting systems do not normally command a high ranking in the hierarchy of most organisations, it is the information that they generate that plays a critical role in the performance of organisations and in the decision making process. The range of systems available and the claims made by the proponents of each have led to several debates. However, some of the arguments have some merits in as much as they allow for a better understanding of the methods that are being utilised. Some of the techniques and systems in use are of traditional management accounting domain while others are of the more recent strategic management accounting domain. Some of the criticisms that have been put forward in relation to traditional systems are that they fail to provide the necessary information that would improve the strategic decision making process (Johnson and Kaplan, 1987; Bromwich and Bhimani, 1989; Roslender and Hart, 2003). Suggestions like th ese are based on the perceived inability of the traditional systems to provide information that would make the organisation more competitive and therefore improve long run performance. In fact, Benjamin et al (2009) indicates that the inefficiencies of traditional systems especially in the area of absorption costing in coping with modern business environments have been of great concern. The gaps that are thought to exist as well as changes in the manufacturing industry including the move from being labour intensive to being capital intensive have provided the impetus for innovation in this very critical area of business (Benjamin 2009; Chenhall 2003; Lukka and Shields 1999). Johnson and Kaplan (1987) indicate that this change can be found in the application of ABC to manufacturing concerns. This paper looks at two forms of full costing systems - traditional absorption costing and the more recent activity based costing (ABC). Both methods take a different approach in assigning cost t o products. 1.1 Absorption costing Absorption costing has it roots in the manufacturing industry (Benjamin et al 2009). BPP (2011) indicates that the objective of this method of costing is to include an appropriate share of an entity’s overheads in the cost of a product. What is appropriate should be reflective of the time and effort that was used in the production of the product. The method becomes complicated when an organisation produces a mix of products and activities or resources used do not bear any relationship with the volume of items produced. Geri and Ronen (2002) indicates that the use of this method requires the allocation of a proportional rate of the fixed cost of production to units produced but which has not yet been sold (Geri and Ronen 2005). 1.2 Activity Based Costing Activity based costing (ABC) was developed as an alternative to absorption costing. (BPP 2011). This method of costing identifies the cost drivers of the activities of an entity’s prod uction process. Overheads are then charged to products based on how they utilise a particular activity. 2.0 Literature Review This review while critically assessing the literature examines the features of two costing methods and looks at the justification for their use. It also provides a comparison while it examines the advantages and disadvantages of using

Methods of Research in Media and Communications Essay

Methods of Research in Media and Communications - Essay Example This paper aims at evaluating the perception that the Greek had during the economic crisis, which threatened to paralyse their economy due to its incapacity to pay its debts. The study utilises an interview form of research to get the views from various individuals with respect to the information they got from the media during the crisis. The information obtained from the interview was then analysed, and findings used to ascertain the perception of the people. Background Information People all over the world have different reactions in relation to the news and reports relayed unto them (Corner et al., 1997). According to European Journalism Centre (2010), the press is the second-most imperative source of information after the television. The news and reports are relied on heavily by the public for any eventual news either in the country or abroad. Therefore, with respect to the economic crisis, the media channels and information sources did their best to bring out the situation exper ienced economically both at home and at the international level (Mullen and Klaehn, 2010). The manner in which news and reports are relayed to the public has a considerable impact to individuals and the implications are dependent on the perception taken by the public (Priest, 2010). Undertaking a research study in the field of media, has positive implications in the sense that it will help in ascertaining the constructive measures to be undertaken by the media bodies, in the kind of news or reports they air, and the manner of delivering the same (Fernandez, 2008). The upsurge and demonstrations portrayed by the public during the Greek crisis can be ascribed to the discernment of the debt crisis as prescribed by the media. This is through the public concept of encoding and decoding what they heard or watched as discussed by Stuart Hall. Various mass media concepts and theories are very crucial in understanding the study undertaken. With respect to the propaganda concept, it helps und erstand and expound on the development, stratification and functioning of communities and how the members interact via communication. The classical Marxist thinking on ideology paved the idea for developing new concepts to understand and explain the role of the media in the contemporary democratic world. According to Herman and Chomsky (2000), the mass media serve as a means for communicating information and symbols to the public. Further, in a world of intense wealth and major conflicts of classes of interest to realise set roles entails the systematic propaganda (Herman and Chomsky, 2002). Political economy entails a fundamental theoretical framework employed in the media studies research. This entails the attempts to understand the power relations that determine distribution, consumption, and production of communication resources (McQuail, 1994, p. 82). This is very relevant to this study as the Greek crisis was national and constituted the authorities. Media has been transformed by technology to be the most crucial a rapid influence on opinions and indulgent in the current world (Wimmer and Dominic, 2011). Chandler (2000) argues that media possess a powerful tool and capacity to encourage global awareness thus, promoting economic trends, cross-cultural understanding,

INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTY LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

INTRODUCTION TO PROPERTY LAW - Essay Example Kumar does not possess the right to claim any right to be given the first preference. In fact, the sale is a three stage process starting from contract, transfer of conveyance and finally registration of title (Lecture Note- formal acquisition of title). In Mr. Kumar’s case, even the contract was not done according to legally valid terms (Lecture note- must be in writing) and hence his claims hold no ground. At this juncture it is necessary to check the formal way to be adopted in developing a contract. At the pre-contract stage, or before signing a contract, the buyer and the seller can negotiate and agree on the sale leading to a ‘subject to contract’. However, as far as a contract is not signed and exchanged in the usual way, the contracts are not legally binding (Lecture notes). As Goo (69) illustrates, similar was the case of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co Ltd. V. Doreen Appliances Ltd. [1942] 2 KB 32 at 35; Keppel v. Wheeler [1927] 1 KB 577 at 584. In fact, a ccording to 1975 Law Commission directive (Law Commission 65, January 1975, Para 4), before a formally signed contract, there is no legal validity for the ‘subject to contract’. ... Then, the buyer can ask the seller to make necessary changes in the draft and can ask for explanations. Thereafter, both the parties sign the contracts and exchange them. At this stage, the purchaser is normally required to make a deposit of 10% of the purchasing price. If the buyer fails to do the transactions in time, he loses the money. In this context, it is apt to note another example that Goo (73) describes i.e. Union Eagle v. Golden Achievement [1997] 2 WLR 341, PC) as in Sourcebook on the law. The above information proves the weak position of the claims made by Mr. Kumar. All the communication he had with Thorpe Trustees were in the pre-contract stage and one can say, they have agreed on the ‘subject to contract’. However, as evident from Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & Co Ltd. V. Doreen Appliances Ltd, ([1942] 2 KB 32 at 35) this will not have any legal validity. In addition, the payment Mr. Kumar made was another mistake. Such a payment, not according to the normal procedures of contract, will not give him any ground, especially as it was made under cover of a Compliments Slip. In addition, the long time that has elapsed, that is from 8th September to 11th November, will further weaken Mr. Kumar’s stance as even in his letter, he has promised to act quickly. Making his situation even pathetic, Law of Property (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1989, Section 2 states that the agreement must be in writing (Lecture Note-the agreement must be in writing). The conversation Mr. Kumar had on telephone with Thorpe Trustees on 9th September will not have any legal value. Thus, in total, it is evident that Mr. Kumar will not be able to claim any legal right to be solely considered for

Effects of Entire les Murs On Traditional French National Identity Essay

Effects of Entire les Murs On Traditional French National Identity - Essay Example This report stresses that someone who views this film for the first time may be obliged to have a negative attitude towards French culture due the fact that pupils are a force to learn it at schools. The fact that this teacher enjoys French does not mean that everybody will like it and failure to understand that will cause someone who might have been willing to learn the French culture to have second thoughts about it. If a certain pupil does not understand this language, then definitely he/she will assume that their culture is not that pleasing as well hence dislikes it. This paper makes a conclusion that the Entre les murs is a good representation of the French education system that has its guiding rules from the western ideas. However, these ideas have caused problems by affecting other cultural groups without taking into consideration their rights. Although public education is free in France and it has been every citizen's right to access it, the way it is made available violates other people's culture and rights. This is because the education system is public centralized and incorporates compulsory French language classes that are not liked by many. This film widely focuses on ethnicity and the failure of the French education system to incorporate other people's ethnicity into their system. If that were not possible, then the education system would try to avoid making the French culture compulsory to foreign students who were interested in learning in France.

THEARTER the play The Zoo Story by Edward Albee Thesis

THEARTER the play The Zoo Story by Edward Albee - Thesis Example Jerry is an fairly attractive, repressed homosexual male in his late thirties whose demeanor suggests a man who has known better days. It is difficult to determine Jerry's exact socio-economic status because, although he has clearly fallen on hard times, living in a single room in a boarding house along with an assortment of society's rejects, Jerry is very intelligent and it is clear from his few, reported possessions, that he is probably a writer, or at the very least, a struggling writer. Jerry comes from a lower class background than Peter and has never known life on the upper east side of Manhattan. Jerry initiates the action at the beginning of the play in a direct, aggressive manner telling Peter, a total stranger, "I said, I've been to the zoo. MISTER, I'VE BEEN TO THE ZOO!" He is clearly the one with a mission and that mission is to make a connection with another human being. His desire is so strong that it is the driving force of the play. Once Jerry connects with Peter by eliciting his attention with the promise of "what happened at the zoo", he is able to unburden himself with his life story that culminates in "THE STORY OF JERRY AND THE DOG".

Effects of Entire les Murs On Traditional French National Identity Essay

Effects of Entire les Murs On Traditional French National Identity - Essay Example This report stresses that someone who views this film for the first time may be obliged to have a negative attitude towards French culture due the fact that pupils are a force to learn it at schools. The fact that this teacher enjoys French does not mean that everybody will like it and failure to understand that will cause someone who might have been willing to learn the French culture to have second thoughts about it. If a certain pupil does not understand this language, then definitely he/she will assume that their culture is not that pleasing as well hence dislikes it. This paper makes a conclusion that the Entre les murs is a good representation of the French education system that has its guiding rules from the western ideas. However, these ideas have caused problems by affecting other cultural groups without taking into consideration their rights. Although public education is free in France and it has been every citizen's right to access it, the way it is made available violates other people's culture and rights. This is because the education system is public centralized and incorporates compulsory French language classes that are not liked by many. This film widely focuses on ethnicity and the failure of the French education system to incorporate other people's ethnicity into their system. If that were not possible, then the education system would try to avoid making the French culture compulsory to foreign students who were interested in learning in France.

Budget Measures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Budget Measures - Essay Example A relaxing environment contributes to the well-being of a patient. Food - An External Caterer seemed to be a wiser alternative compared to an internal facility. An internal facility seemed too luxurious and could probably promote patients not eating on time. Aside from being less expensive, an external caterer would make the dining area more spacious. A larger eating area can house more patients so that they could eat together and thus promote interaction among one another. In the case of patients getting hungry between meals, the center still offers a facility for cooking light refreshments. Medication - Although much expensive, an Automatic Dispenser is more accurate. With the automatic dispenser residents can be traced they have indeed obtained their required medicine. And since they are the only ones who know their individual codes it is easy to check if they have complied with specific dosage regimen. Recreation - I checked Recreation Area, Library, and the TV Room. Recreation is essential to one's recovery from illness and trauma. The sports area will provide effective wellness and fitness programs for the residents. The upgraded amenities offered by the Library will be for leisure and also for learning process. A TV Room would be great for entertainment. These facilities will provide the patient with a "sound mind, sound body." I left out the Transportation because the residents wouldn't always be going out for a leisure trip and the two new vans can only accommodate 30 passengers and 12 wheelchairs. Perhaps renting transportation for occasional trips is wiser. Communication - I chose Dedicated Telephone over Internet Access because internet access is very expensive. If residents need internet services, they can access the web in the library. In addition, communication over the telephone is much clearer as compared to the internet Miscellaneous - I chose to install an Audio System because soothing music is proven to contribute to the wellbeing of persons in any environment especially in a health care facility. Improving the Interior Decoration will encourage the resident to stay outside the room and mingle with other residents. Social interaction is proven advantageous. But I left out Furnishing because it is unwise. Perhaps it is more appropriate for particular residents to furnish their individual rooms at their additional expense. My decision for the accommodation proved to be a good one as it caters the need of a larger part of the private payer population. The $3.3 million was wisely utilized for the expansion plan. With concerns to food, external catering was not a good decision. I guess I failed to consider the preference of the age group to flexible dining time especially when their families come to visit them. Medication through an automatic dispenser was also not a good decision. I should have researched more about it before preferring it over Common Inventory. Also it was unwise not to purchase new vans as these vans are aimed to provide the patients comfort while traveling. Anyway, I was right not opting to provide each room with a computer. The evaluation said that it was also a good idea to repaint the walls and provide the rooms and the corridors with paintings. I was also correct on deciding not to purchase new furnishings because it was very expensive and unnecessary.

Impact of Health Inequality in the UK

Impact of Health Inequality in the UK According to the NHS (2013) the UK is perceived as healthier that it has ever been in its history. This is mainly due to the enhancement of life expectancy, the eradication of diseases, and the advantages brought by public health reforms and technology. However, the problem of health inequalities remains omnipresent. Even if the health of the population is improving, the health of the poor or those less well-off is either improving really slow or it gets worse. This is a main challenge for the policy makers, who see that even though their interventions work, they fail in some sections of the population. Health inequalities in the UK To understand the impact of health inequalities, we need to start from the beginning. Economic and social changes, the downfall of manual work, the development in women’s employment, as well as migration patterns and the change of the family structure have modified the population’s nature. Additionally, the NHS (2013) believes that these changes also affect the data about health. They also add that occupation-based classification attracts social inequality in Britain. Moreover, living standards improve the higher one moves on the social ladder, but so do a range of people’s wellbeing factors, such as education, employment opportunities and, last but not least, health. Researchers believe that in an intricate society as Britain, there are â€Å"a number of axes of social differentiation† (Anthias (1990) as cited by the NHS (2013)). These refer to ethnicity, gender, sexuality, age, area, community and religion. Furthermore, it is believed that these classifications are linked but represent separate dimensions of inequality. Exposure to racism is a major factor why the wider population is disadvantaged, and this can take and additional effect on the health of black and Asian communities (Karlsen, 2002). (NHS, 2013) The table provided illustrates a pathway, in the same time giving examples of determinants or factors that operate at different stages along the way. It runs from social structure to health and wellbeing. As it can be seen, education impacts on a person’s health and wellbeing through social position and intermediary factors that are associated with it. Besides the environmental and behavioural factors (housing quality, exposure to smoking) the table also presents health and social services among the intermediary factors. These not only have a strong role in preventive care, but they also contribute so reducing the effects of illness and injury on health. We need to keep in mind that the figure does not provide a complete picture. It shows examples from a key set of pathways. This can refer to poor health and disability which can affect an individual’s socioeconomic circumstances, which influences health and all the way to social position. In addition, due to a person’s social standing, which can alter access to societal resources (education and job opportunities) and exposure to risks, this has a strong relation with health over time and across different diseases. In order to make sure that health inequalities are eradicated, the NHS (2004) comes up with a series of changes that can be applied. Attention needs to be given to the baseline data collected and compare it within and across the New Deal for Communities. Moreover, the planning agenda needs to be more focused towards local health and make sure that goals are realistic and measurable. Last but not least, planned activities need to be specified, resourced and targeted towards change. However, David Buck (2014) states that reducing health inequalities should not be left only to local authorities. Although they have an essential role to play when dealing with these issues, Buck proposes a joint commitment by the leaders of communities on how they approach and deal with this situation by using the â€Å"big levers: commissioning, incentives and accountability†. Further, if health inequalities are not solved, it can have disadvantages not only on the population, but also on the economy. The Marmont Review (201) as cited by Jane Dreaper (2010) states that inequality in health accounts for  £33bn of lost productivity every year. She also advises the NHS to start spending more on prevention than the 4% it currently does, so as to provide more help to those who need it. Challenges When identifying and analysing challenges I have decided to focus on diet and lifestyle factors. Diet and nutrition The Department of Health (England) states that food poverty is â€Å"the inability to afford, or to have access to, food and to make up a healthy diet†. The Faculty of Public Health (2009) also adds that the poorer an individual is, the worse their diet and the more diet-related diseases they suffer from. This represents a risk which can backfire to diseases such as cancer, coronary heart disease and diabetes. It has been found that poor diet accounts for 30% of life years lost to early death and disability (National Heart Forum, 2004). Inequality in health has a strong correlation to food poverty. People with low incomes suffer from poor diets, due to low intakes of fruit and vegetables, and also dental caries among children, to name a few. Already the government is trying to solve the issue, but the actions needs to be more than health professionals giving advice to individuals. The â€Å"food environment† needs to change, referring to accessibility, affordability and culture. By strategically including public health professionals in key areas and developing programmes, the barriers to healthy eating can be broken down and nutrition improvement can be achieved (Faculty of Public Health, 2009). Some barriers to healthy eating have been tackled and presented. One of the main factors is the low income and debt. This can restrict an individual’s access to fresh fruit and vegetables, which are normally more expensive. Additionally, this is influenced by the poor accessibility to affordable healthy foods. In disadvantages neighbourhoods, shops are starting to close down, and the construction of supermarkets out of town proves to be difficult due to transport links and impossibility to pay for the fair. Furthermore, foods which are high in fat, sugar and salts are cheaper and more available, making it one of the biggest factors of poor nutrition. The same findings have been stated by Hillary Shaw in her study conducted in Birmingham (Hillary Shaw 2012). Exercise The Health Survey of England conducted a survey in 2008 regarding participation in all types of physical activity at work, and during leisure time. The results showed that social class is a great factor in participation, but it differs regarding gender. (Health Survey for England 2008) This measurement includes physical activities carried out during work. However, when this is excluded, a connection between physical activity and income is observed among men, but not women. This can also be explained by active transport, such as walking or cycling, since people on lower income may walk or cycle more due to not owning a car or affording public transportation. Furthermore, The Active People Survey conducted in 2011/12, with 500 participants, found a relation between socioeconomic factors and participation in sport. The figures in the table below use the notations of the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classifications (NS-SEC). From the findings, we can observe that 43% of the adults in groups 1 and 2 take part in sport for at least 30 minutes once a week or more, compared to 27% of adults in groups 5-8. (Active People Survey 2011/12) The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) affirmed that the figures reported from the above surveys are influenced by the built and natural environments people live in. People from lower social standings tend to live in areas or neighbourhoods which have poor access to environments that support physical activities (parks, gardens or safe areas), and tend to live near busy roads. To add, people from lower socioeconomic groups tend to live in areas that do not present a framework for public transportation, therefore they rely on walking or cycling for transport and to access employment (The Marmont Review 2010). More, fear of traffic can be another factor in allowing children to play outside, walking or cycling. The Institute of Public Policy Research (2002) revealed that children in the 10% most deprived wards in the UK are more than three times as likely to be pedestrian casualties as children in the 10% least deprived wards. Affordability may also be a barrier to taking part in sports and activities. This is due to gym membership costs that are out of the range for many people with low incomes. The Health Survey for England (2007) showed that 13% of men and 16% of women cite lack of money as a barrier to exercise. Even though, taking part in activities such as walking or hiking are less costly, 45% of men and 34% of women stated that work commitments represent another obstacle to being active. Therefore, people from a lower social standing may not have the money and the time to take part in physical activities. One example for these findings is provided by Rowenna Davis (2011). She compared two neighbourhoods in Glasgow which are close to one another, but differ in every way: Jordanhill, a posh area, and Parkhead, a poor neighbourhood. The ladder area is known for having worse housing, not enough parks and poor transportation links. Moreover, researchers believe that children living in this area are more likely to start smoking, drinking and having a poor diet. Smoking People in poorer social classes are believed to die sooner due to a series of factors. The dominant factor among men is smoking, accounting for nearly half of the difference in risk of premature death between the social classes. Additionally, smoking is more concentrated in Britain’s poorest families, with low income lone parents having the highest rates of smoking. This is also influences the high rate in illnesses in this category, such as cancer and heart disease (NHS 1999) Smoking during pregnancy also has its say in this issue. It not only hurts the mother, but also the unborn child. The highest rates have been recorded among expectant mothers under the age of 0 and women who have left school at the minimum leaving age and with no educational qualifications. These results show to be three times higher among women from a bad social standing than women in the rest of the categories (NHS 1999). Leaders There are many charities nowadays that are trying to solve the health inequality prove by helping those who need aid. One of the charities I have identified is the Gleaning Network UK. This initiative’s goal is to save thousands of tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetable which are wasted on UK farms. These crops cannot reach the market because they fail the cosmetic standards of due to overproduction. The Gleaning Network UK uses teams of volunteers, local farmers and redistribution charities in order to salvage this food and give it to those that need it. In 2013, they have saved 48 tonnes of produce which were made into 200,000 meals that helped communities around 6 major cities (Gleaning Network UK, 2014). The British Heart Foundation is also fighting to stop health inequalities, by providing support to those who smoke and want to quit, with the help of â€Å"No Smoking Day†. This is one of the UK’s biggest annual health awareness campaigns which creates supportive environments for everyone and provides sources of help and advice. Already in 2013, 20% of the smokers aware of this campaign made an attempt to stop smoking, reaching an estimate of 1 million quitters (No Smoking Day website 2014). Regarding exercise and physical activity, one of the most prolific charities I have found is the Right To Play. They believe that play and exercise if a tool for education and health, so volunteers teach children and youth that through sport one can be taught about values and goals. Their vision is â€Å"to create a healthy and safe world through the power of sport and play†. Even though the organisation works at a global level, it helped many communities in the UK to start taking up sports and leading a healthier life (Right to Play website 2014). Recommendations Improving people’s lifestyles and eradicating food poverty need to be top priorities for primary care organisations and local authorities. Moreover, collaboration of organisations, charities and councils need to focus on developing strategies which will reduce barriers to a healthy life. One of the first recommendations drawn from the charity examples from before is to establish a local â€Å"food poverty partnership† with organisations including health services, local authorities and voluntary organisations to develop a local food poverty strategies. One successful example is the Cyrenians in Edinburgh, Scotland, a charity which started an initiative of â€Å"turning waste into opportunities†. Their aim is to get food waste down to zero, by working with local restaurants and shops and socially disadvantaged people from different communities. The food that the eateries and shops do not use anymore is donated to charities which will prepare meals for those who need it. Moreover, they provide jobs for those who also wish to work in the fields of collection and cooking (Cyrenians 2014). The next recommendation focuses on working with local communities and understanding their priorities, barriers and opportunities. With the help of community meetings and surveys, healthy living can be promoted. One of the best examples in this case is the Good Gym organisation. This charity encourages people to combine their exercise routine with volunteering, matching busy workers with elderly â€Å"coaches† who receive their paper or deliveries in exchange of an incentive for their weekly visitors to keep on running. The Good Gym works with the NHS, charities and local community centres, and talks to people from poor neighbourhoods trying to understand their situation and what can be done. As a result, the foundation organises monthly group runs in east London, performing useful activities along the way. Up till now, the members have distributed flyers for a local hospice, tidied up community gardens and hauled compost on to a school roof (Barkham 2012). When tackling smoking, care providers, local councils and the organisations involved need to put together treatments that will prove to be effective. The GP should consider holding brief interventions to those trying to give up smoking, also providing advice, self-help materials and suggestions for more intensive support. Individual behavioural counselling will be essential when lending a help for those seeking motivation to quit. Additionally, mass-media campaigns need to become the main means of sending the message of â€Å"stop-smoking† across, by using radio commercials, internet and TV ads. The same strategies have been used by the NHS with their â€Å"No Smoking Day† campaign. This movement has recorded an increase of 10% over the last 4 years of those who want to smoke.

George Orwells Nineteen Eighty-Four 1984 :: Free Essays on 1984

In his novel, â€Å"1984,† George Orwell warns us against three things. He stated that people are only out for personal gain, and will use any means to reach their goals. He also warned against these types of people who are already in power. And lastly, he warns us against the lost of privacy through constant surveillance, and how we actually allow this to happen.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If we all have the traits to become evil, why does it become a reality only in some? Before this question can be answered, we must first ask what evil actually is. Evil is â€Å"an intent to cause emotional trauma, to terrorize the helpless, to prolong suffering, and gain satisfaction from it all.† Someone is considered evil if they willingly and gratuitously inflict harm on others. These people cannot empathize, they revel in others pain, they dehumanize their victims, they are narcissistic, and grandiose (they play God).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  People are not just born evil. There are certain factors that contribute to this type of outcome in a person. There is a usually history of abuse or neglect. They felt unloved, or even unworthy of love. There is also the possibility of there being a chemical imbalance, causing abnormal brain functions, thus, making someone incapable of certain human emotions such as empathy, compassion, or pity. Other things that can cause someone to ‘snap’ could be sexual inadequacy, maternal smothering, paternal abuse, and narcissistic borderline personality disorder (a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They tend to have a way to justify their actions. They will use an ideology, or beliefs that what they are doing is what is morally correct, and therefore have every right to commit the acts that they do. Take Reverend Arthur Allen for example. His church, the House of Prayer, has a firm belief in corporal punishment. After a young boy complained to his teacher that he was in pain, and the teacher found welts on his body, the police and county officials began to investigate the church. However, even when the investigation was going on, the parents of the children in the congregation would not agree to stop the punishments for just two days. The children were taken away and the pastor and five of his followers were arrested on charges that they participated in the beatings of these children. This is also not a first time offense of them.

Ancient greek art :: essays research papers

Art of ancient Greece My report is on ancient Greek art mainly sculptures and vase art I will also be writing about a day in the life of a Greek artist. Artists in ancient Greece varied from designing coins, mosaics, gem engravings, architecture, pottery and sculptures. I’m also going to talk about what tools the sculptors used and the various methods used to make pottery and vases. The second part of my report will be about a day in the life of a Greek artist for example how they were treated were they considered middle class, upper class or were they looked down upon also what were their daily tasks, how did they would start their day and end it. The main reason I picked this topic is because art is a very important key to learning about a cultures history and beliefs. Greek art has influenced many other countries especially Rome most of their art and art from the Italian renaissance were copies of original Greek works of art. Sculpture Sculpture is one of the most important parts of Greek art since it is almost the only art form that has survived in some quantity. The ancient Greeks were especially known for their sculpture because their sculptures were extremely life like and beautiful. It was important to the ancient Greeks to combine passion and reason in their sculpture. Greek sculptures were mostly of the human form since they looked at their gods as having a human form. All of the sculptures were nudes of males because society looked down upon female nudity until latter on in time when you started to see sculptures such as the Venus di Milo, which was modeled after Aphrodite (Wikpedia the free encyclopedia. Wikpedia.11 Nov 2004. 12 Nov 2004 http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Greek_art ). One of the most amazing sculptures is the colossus sculpture of Zeus in Olympia it was one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world. Ancient writers said that it stood 12.40 meters high, 6.65 meters long and 9.76 meters deep the b ody of Zeus was made of ivory followed by a robe made of gold topped with a silver olive wreath and his throne was decorated with mythological scenes painted by Panainos and Kolotis the statue itself was created by Phidos. Michael Lahanas. 25 Dec 2002. 11 Nov 2004 (http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/ZeusStatue.htm). Another great sculpture is the colossus Athena Parthenos. This sculpture just like the colossus statue of Zeus was made of gold and ivory and had various mythological engravings in her shield, helmet and pedestal.

Room 101 Talk Ideas

Arun day 9D1 English (go compare adverts-traffic jams-midges) 20/12/12 the first thing i would put in room 101 would be the most irritating thing probley on TV which of course would be the go compare adverts. now how many people would want to listen to a crazy dancing loony tick running around yelling ‘go compare'. Also to make matters worse at the end of the advert you have probley got a headache from his deafening voice.I bet that quite a few people have literally turned off their TVs because of the adverts. so overall i think that's why the go compare adverts should go in room 101 and fast. ow the second thing i would put in room 101 would be traffic jams. traffic jams in my opinion are just a waste of valuable time where you could be doing something better than sitting in your car somewhere half way down a motorway not moving. but when you do move you commonly move at least 100 yards before stopping again. now for example say you're going to a family get together or meeting up with a old friend you don't want to be late. but guess what there's probley a 3 mile long traffic jam and when you finally reach your destination you get moaned like it was your fault for not being on time.But what really annoys me is when you have your window open in a traffic jam and all of a sudden a midge decides to appear then of course it bites you. Now that brings me onto my third thing i hate. the reason i hate this little bugs are because of their annoying but painful little bites that don't stop hurting for around a week. also i hate it when i walk into Tesco's and see the midge repellents which say they work but trust me they don't. there's nothing at all that can stop these fly's from biting your skin and ruining your summer holidays. I hope you all see why these three things should go into room 101. thank you for listening.

Accounting Information System 5

American Journal of Scientific Research ISSN 1450-223X Issue 4 (2009), pp36-44  © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2009 http://www. eurojournals. com/ajsr. htm Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori Department of Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Management Universiti Putra Malaysia Abstract This study seeks to examine the use of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) by ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. , and it’s contribution to the knowledge management and strategic role of the organisation. ZBMS is a company that registered in Kuala Lumpur and operate in construction industry.The company used automated AIS known as ‘Contract Plus – Financial & Project Accounting’ package commercially developed by a private company (ZYXW). Wide variety of people that involve in the company’s operation within and outside the organisation uses accounting information generated by this system for decisionmaking. Ba sed on input provided by operational level managers, the Contract Plus software produces monthly projects’ income statements, balance sheets and statement of changes in financial position for the strategic and tactical managers to plan, control and make decision on the resources allocation.The role-played by AIS enhanced the organisations’ accounting functions, and add information value. The automated AIS speed up the process to generate financial statements and overcome human weaknesses in data processing. The system enhances management of resources and the process of monitoring, control and prediction of ZBMS business for better future. With the advent of AIS, the growth of tacit and explicit knowledge could be seen from the intensive training of personnel at the early stage of system implementation to the development and use of company’s own manual in training of new staff and assisting the job of existing staff.Given the benefit of AIS to ZBMS, this paper re commended that the source of data should be fully automated, and the existing system should be upgraded through computerise the pre-tendering and post-tendering of projects to enable AIS integration. Keywords: Accounting Information Systems, Knowledge Management, Accounting Functions, Information Value, Financial Statements 1. Introduction Accounting Information System (AIS) is vital to all organisations (Borthick and Clark, 1990; Curtis, 1995; Rahman et al. , 1988; Wilkinson, 1993; Wilkinson et al. 2000) and perhaps, every organisations either profit or non profit-oriented need to maintain the AISs (Wilkinson, 2000: 3-4). To better understand the term ‘Accounting Information System’, the three words constitute AIS would be elaborate separately. Firstly, literature documented that accounting could be identified into three components, namely information system, â€Å"language of business† and source of financial information (Wilkinson, 1993: 6-7). Secondly, inform ation is a valuable data processing that provides a basis for making decisions, taking action and fulfilling legal obligation.Finally, system is an integrated entity, Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 37 where the framework is focused on a set of objectives. The combination of the three words Accounting Information System indicate an integrated framework within an entity (such as a business firm) that employs physical resources (i. e. , materials, supplies, personnel, equipment, funds) to transform economic data into financial information for; (1) conducting the firm’s operations and activities, and (2) providing information concerning the entity to a variety of interested users.Indeed, the combination or interaction between human, technology and techniques would permit an organisation to administer its knowledge effectively (Bhatt, 2001; Thomas and Kleiner, 1995). Currently, the world and human life has been transformed from informat ion age to a knowledge age (Syed-Ikhsan and Rowland, 2004: 238; Thomas and Kleiner, 1995: 22), and knowledge has been recognised as the most valuable asset. In fact, knowledge is not impersonal like money and does not reside in a book, a data bank or a software program (Drucker, 1993).Drucker believed that knowledge is always embodied in a person, taught and learned by a person, used or misused by a person. As the world moving into knowledge era, this paper will examine how ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. manages its knowledge in order to remain competitive amongst the construction industry. Probst, Raub & Romhardt (1999, p. 1) stressed that companies must learn to manage their intellectual assets (i. e. knowledge) in order to survive and compete in the ‘knowledge society’. Indeed, knowledge management is concerned with the exploitation and development of the knowledge assets (Davenport et al. , 1998).This paper seeks to examine the Accounting Information Systems (AIS) used by a Malaysi an company named ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. The paper will highlight the users of the system and the way information adds value to the organisation. Also, the paper will investigate the way knowledge is managed through the process of creating, storing, disseminating and applying and how information system plays an important role throughout the process and the AIS contribution in the organisation’s strategic role. The remainder of the paper is organised as follows. The following section describes the background of ZBMS and the use of accounting information systems.The third section provides research findings on accounting information systems employed by ZBMS. The fourth section offer suggestions for future research. The final section concludes the paper and outlines the limitations of the study. 2. The Use of Accounting Information Systems in ZBMS ZBMS is a private limited company registered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that operate in construction industry, where the main activities ranging from construction of infrastructure, building, power, waste water to property development as well as engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) in the oil & gas sector.The company used automated AIS known as ‘Contract Plus – Financial & Project Accounting’ package in their Finance Department, which was commercially developed by a private company (ZYXW). Contract Plus is a fully integrated business solution designed specifically for companies in the engineering and construction industry. The software will generate financial data to be analysed by the accountants and subsequently used by top level of management for strategic decision making, thus, these managers could identify future opportunities and limitations face by the company and industry (McCarthy, Minichiello and Curran, 1987: 243-244). . Findings As mentioned earlier in section 2, ZBMS is a company that operate in construction industry. The industry was identified as one of the most difficult to understand due to its complexity mixture of people, plant, materials, locations, technology, knowledge of the law as well as the design and valuation of work done, which are much subjectivity (Capon, 1990: 1). However, these challenges are under control with the advent of technology such as software development that allows systematic data 38 Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori processing.Therefore, it is important to understand the information flow in ZBMS in order to appreciate the usage of information within the organisation as shown in Figure 1-1 below. 3. 1. Users of AIS As shown in Figure 1-1, the finance personnel that reside at site project office (or called Project Accountants) and head office such as the Financial Accountants, Management Accountants and Finance Manager are the internal users of the system. Also, the management team that consists of Finance General Manager, Chief Operating Officer, Managing Director and Board of Directors are among the internal users of the system.On the other hand, the external users consist of government agency (i. e. Inland Revenue), external auditors and creditors. Indeed, wide variety of people within and outside the organisation uses accounting information for decision-making (Rahman and Halladay, 1988, Renau and Grabski, 1987). Figure 1. 1: Information Flow of ZBMS ZBMS HEAD OFFICE Management Team Inland Revenue ZBMS HEAD OFFICE External Auditors Finance Department Bankers Suppliers Site Office Design Team SubContractors Client 3. 2.Function of AIS The main function of AIS is to assign quantitative value of the past, present and future economics events. At ZBMS, AIS through its computerised accounting system (i. e. ZYXW-Contract Plus) produces the financial statements namely income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statement. The system will process the data and transform them into accounting information during input, processing and output stages that will be used by a wide variety of users such as inter nal and external users (see for example Wilkinson, 2000: 10-11).Wilkinson noted that an effective AIS performs several key functions throughout these three stages such as data collection, data maintenance, data Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 39 management; data control (including security) and information generation. Figure 1-2 summarised the transformation process of AIS. Figure 1. 2: Data Processing in Finance Department at ZBMS Input – Progress Billing Certificate, Subcontractors Progress Certificate, Suppliers’ Invoices Processor – ZYXW Accounting System Output – Financial StatementHuman Element – Finance Personnel 3. 3. Usage of Information Within AIS The construction projects undertaken by the company are divided according to the type of construction activities that comprised of five divisions, namely infrastructure, building, power, wastewater and oil and gas, where each project is treated as a se parate company. The number of projects undertaken by each division depends on the contracts being awarded to the company. As indicated by Figure 1-2, the sources of data originated from external parties such as client, subcontractors and suppliers.The Project Accountants will work closely with the Quantity Surveyors to come out with the appropriate information as illustrated below: Client – The client’s Quantity Surveyors (QSs) will evaluate work in progress (WIP) and come out with percentage of WIP to be agreed by both parties. Once agreed, Progress Billing Certificates (PBC) will be issued by Client’s QSs, which a copy of it will be sent to head office for data processing. Subcontractors – The ZBMS’s QSs will evaluate subcontractor’s WIP at site and come out with percentage of WIP to be agreed by both parties.Once agreed, Subcontractor Progress Certificate (SPC) will be issued by ZBMS’s QSs and verified by ZBMS’s Project Mana ger, which a copy of it will be sent to head office for data processing. Suppliers – QSs and Project Accountants will ensure that the materials and machineries are delivered in good condition at construction site before delivery orders are accepted. The delivery orders will be attached to supplier’s invoice and sent to Head Office for processing. 40 Figure 1. 3: Simplifies the AIS within ZBMS: Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori CLIENTSUBCONTRACTORS SUPPLIERS Site Valuation by Client Site Valuation by ZBMS Materials & machineries delivered Certified by Client Certified by ZBMS Materials & machineries delivered PBC SPC Invoices Verified & KeyPunched by Project Accountants Projects’ Accounts Receivables HQ Database (ZYXW) Head Office Maintenance Projects’ Accounts Payable Projects’ Fixed Assets Projects’ Cash Book Project Ledger Projects’ Trial Balance Projects’ Financial Statement Consolidated Consolidated General Ledger Consolidated Trial Balance Consolidated Financial StatementsThese documents will be verified and input into the system by Project Accountants. The projects’ data will be stored at Projects’ Account Receivables, Account Payables, Fixed Assets accordingly. Projects’ cashbook will be updated automatically after the data being entered to the projects’ Account Receivables and Account Payables. Any expenses incurred at head office will be stored at HQ Maintenance master file by Financial Accountant. The Contract Plus Accounting System software will process the data and produce financial statements of individual company’s projects onAccounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study 41 monthly basis, which subsequently consolidated at group level. The process flow is shown in Figure 13 above. The automated AIS play an important role in the ZBMS’s operational level. As indicated by Rahman and Halladay (1988: 20), most modern organisationâ€⠄¢s operational control of financial resources depends largely on automated support. This is due to the financial statements are generated by the Contract Plus.As shown in Figure 1-4, projects financial statements are generated by the Project Accountants, while the Financial Accountant generates the consolidated financial statements. The Management Accountant uses the consolidated financial statements to prepare company’s Performance Report such as cash-flow forecasts and ratio analysis. Once the Finance Manager (operational level) approve the report, it will then be submitted to the Finance General Manager and Chief Operating Officer (tactical level) to assist them for planning, control and decision making.The Performance Report will provide the information regarding work in progress relevant information. Therefore, AIS plays very important role at operational and tactical level as the activities at these level depend heavily on the information generated by the AIS. Figure 1 . 4: Type of Information in ZBMS Strategic Board of Director, Managing Director Tactical Chief Operating Officer, General Manager (Finance) Finance Manager, Management Accountant, Financial Accountant, Project Accountant Operational Transaction Processing ZYXW Accounting System . 4. Value Added of AIS The role played by accounting functions has been enhanced with the development of AIS, which in turn contribute to the profession’s value added to organisation. In fact automated AIS employed by ZBMS expedite the process to generate financial statement and reduce the human errors compared to non-automated AIS, which add the existing value of accountants. AIS also provide information on both actual and budget data of the organisation that helps company’s management to plan and control business operation.Good management of resources and better control of cost, budgeting and forecasting enhance the well being of ZBMS to continually generated profits. The AIS also played a cr ucial role that contributes to ZBMS’s value added by providing internally generated inputs from financial statements. Rahman and Halladay (1988: 19) believed that viable strategic plan must have inputs based on history of organisation, the current assets and capabilities of the organisation, and the trends in operations of the organisation. 42 3. 5. Role of Knowledge Zulkarnain Muhamad SoriAt ZBMS, both tacit and explicit knowledge are used as shown by the extensive used of accounting information system to assist business decision-making. The ZBMS begins its computerised accounting system in 1997. During the transformation process from manual to computerised accounting system, all finance personnel were sent for comprehensive computer training. Table 1: Relationship of AIS at ZBMS and Knowledge Management System Knowledge Management System Creation of knowledge Creation of Knowledge Storing of Knowledge Disseminating of Knowledge Knowledge Conversion Explicit to Tacit Explici t to Tacit Tacit to Explicit Tacit to ExplicitDevelopment of Automated AIS Training by hands-on experience ZYXW implemented, staffs learned from vendor’s manual Staffs gaining experience; Problems and solution being recorded on paper Improvement on system; Internal manual that suits the ZBMS needs being produced; Widely used in the department; Assists learning process of new staffs Explicit to Tacit System constantly use in Finance Department to generate monthly financial statements Applying of Knowledge Explicit to Explicit As shown in Table 1, the staffs were given hands on experience on the ZYXW System.During the early stage of system implementation, finance personnel were given flexibility to explore the system due to limited experience on the software at that time, and most of the staffs depend largely on the manual provided by the vendor for trouble-shooting. At initial stage, two-way communications with the vendor were developed to solve problems arised. As the time go ing on, the personnel were encouraged to record the problems aroused. Problems that have been solved were recorded for future reference.Currently, the ZBMS Finance Department has its own ZYXW manual that suits with the department needs. The manual provides valuable information to new employees as well as to the existing personnel at Finance Department. Indeed, AIS provide the systematic recording, processing and generating of accounting information, and in the absence of AIS, information would be scattered, random and hard to access, which would become a barrier to the growth of knowledge. 3. 6. Strategic Role and AIS To analyse the AIS strategy in ZBMS, McFarlan Strategic Grid will be utilised. The McFarlan’s strategic grid would locate ZBMS to the appropriate category with respect to its information system strategy (Curtis, 1995: 61). Automated AIS is fundamental part of the strategic plan of ZBMS in 1997. It has been improved over the years of implementation and generates accurate and timely accounting information that contributes to a good decision-making. Realising the benefit brought by the AIS, the source of data must be fully automated. The existing system should be upgraded through computerise the pre-tendering and post-tendering of projects in the primary stages of the construction activities.When the system is upgraded, the ZYXW Contract Plus will integrate the two modules of pre- and post-tendering with the currently automated Financial and Project Accounting. Therefore, the most suitable position to locate AIS at ZBMS on the McFarlan Grid is on Factory Grid as shown in Figure 1-5 below. Accounting Information Systems (AIS) and Knowledge Management: A Case Study Figure 1. 5: ZBMS Location on McFarlan’s Strategic Grid 43 Low Current Dependence on AIS Support Turnaround High Factory –AIS at ZBMS Strategic Low Future Importance of AIS High 4. Direction for Future ResearchHaving mentioned the above opportunities and challenges to t he AIS, future research should investigate the AIS contribution on the organisation’s growth of knowledge. Though AIS would organise and structure the data input and knowledge, lack of understanding on the potential effect of human behaviour on the system such as human error, manipulation and work-style. In fact, Ponemon and Nagoda (1990) noted, â€Å"the most difficult problems often are caused, or are exacerbated, by those individuals who have erroneous expectations of the new system being implemented† (p. 1).The study would be fruitful with the use of questionnaire and interview survey. Perhaps, the survey should concentrate on a sample of senior managers of the top hundred companies listed on the Bursa Malaysia (Malaysian Stock Exchange), banks and regulatory bodies. These groups could contribute significantly due to their role as a decision maker in their respective organisations. Secondly, future research should also investigate the possibility to expand the use of AIS to the other areas that still did not use the system such as non-profit organisation and society.Indeed, the current level of usage shows that the benefit outweighs the investment cost. The successful implementation of AIS could save shareholder’s money and time. Finally, future research should explore issues on the information value generated by AIS to shareholders and stakeholders in making investment decisions. Case study approach on top companies would be appropriate methodology because the understanding on specific AIS model would be more valuable rather than using questionnaire and interview approach that assumes AIS across sampled organisation is identical. 5. ConclusionThis paper examines the use of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) by ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. The wide varieties of people that involve in the company’s operation get the benefits from the implementation of AIS and the use of Contract Plus software developed by ZYXW. The system assists the operati onal managers to come out with monthly reports for the top managerial level (i. e. tactical and strategic) plan, control and decide resources allocation. In addition, the paper showed that the AIS add value to information processed within the company. The automated AIS could speed up information process and overcome traditional human weaknesses.As a result, the system supports the resource management and help ZBMS pursue its projection of continuing business profit. The use of AIS indicate the growth of tacit and explicit knowledge, where personnel were trained intensively and experience and trouble shooting were 44 Zulkarnain Muhamad Sori recorded for future reference and training. Indeed, the successful implementation of an accounting information system can be described as a series of complex, interconnected activities necessitating participants to have technical and managerial skills to sort out prospective problems (Ponemon and Nagoda, 1990: 1).Note To keep the identity of the r espondent and it’s software developer anonymous, an imaginary name was used in this study i. e. ZBMS Sdn. Bhd. and ZYXW respectively. References [1] [2] Bhatt, G. D. (2001). 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