Thursday, October 31, 2019

Buying Prescription Drugs outside the United States Dangerous or Term Paper

Buying Prescription Drugs outside the United States Dangerous or Protectionism - Term Paper Example made it look as if all drugs bought from Canada, and other international origins are the same as those that originates from websites that sell counterfeit drugs. Even the F.D.A. too has suggested saying that foreign unauthorized drugs posed the same health risks as counterfeit drugs. From the late 19th and through to early 21st centuries, several countries began to ban the keeping or using of some recreational drugs and buying of drugs out of their countries, for instance the United States war on drugs. Many individuals nonetheless continue to acquire these drugs, and a black market is there to supply them too. Despite law enforcement determination to intercept them, demand continues to be very high, providing a huge profit motive for organized criminal groups to maintain drugs supplied (Abood, 13). Even though law enforcement agencies seize a fraction of the drugs considered dangerous drugs, and detain hundreds of thousands of retailers and wholesalers, the very constant demand for such drugs and the huge profit margins encourages new distributors to get into the market without a falling in the retail price. In the recent past, there has been divided opinion of whether United States claims that the drugs into the country bought out are dangerous, or it is just one of their protectionism policies. Through a keen analysis, a thought provoking comprehensive overview of the topic can be provided and argument for or against each claim. There various multinational whose policies have contravened with the countries policies on drugs but still continue with the vise (Bhagwati, 4). For instance, in September 2006, Wal-Mart announced a pilot plan to sell generic drugs at only $4 per prescription. The pilot plan was launched at stores in the Tampa, Florida region, and expanded to all stores in Florida by January 2007. The average price of generics is $29 (equated to $34.00 this year) per prescription, compared to $102 (equated to $119.00 in 2014) for name-brand drugs. Many

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Drunk Driving Essay Example for Free

Drunk Driving Essay Driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol is one of the most dangerous things you can do. There is a mass of research evidence to show that driving performance and reaction times are seriously affected by alcohol. Our law in Georgia states, that it is illegal to operate a motor vehicle if your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) exceeds . 10%. Georgia observes a per se law. (Craft) If you drink and drive, you are not only a danger to yourself but also to your passenger, other road users and pedestrians. In fact, every 30 minutes, someone in this country dies in alcohol-related crash. Every 30 minutes! And last year alone more than one million people are injured in alcohol-related traffic crashes. Alcohol is a depressant that slows down body reactions and the working of the brain. Each year drunk driving is responsible for about 25% of these deaths. The risks of drinking are alcohol-related accidents and violence. The effects of alcohol are poor coordination and slurred speech, double vision, decrease of self-control loss of consciousness and death. There are legal consequences due to drinking also. The more a person drinks, the more their ability to make important decisions becomes impaired. After just one drink, a driver can lose their ability to perform the tasks necessary to drive a car. At a certain point, a driver will become illegally intoxicated and can be arrested for attempting to operate a motor vehicle. In every state on out country there is a legal limit to how much alcohol you can have in your body if you are driving. If you drink and drive you can lose your drivers license and even go to jail. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens and young adults. More than 5,000 young people die every year in car crashes and thousands more are injured. Drivers who are 16 years old are more than 20 times as likely to have a crash, as are other drivers. There are two main reasons why teens are at a higher for being in a car crash and lack of driving experience and their tendency to take risks while driving. Teens drive faster and do not control the car as well as more experienced drivers. Their judgment in traffic is often insufficient to avoid a crash. In addition, teens do most of their driving at night, which can be even more difficult. Standard drivers education classes include 30 hours of classroom teaching and 6 hours of behind-the-wheel training. This is not enough time to fully train a new driver. Teen drivers are more like to be influence by peers and other stresses and distractions. This can lead to reckless driving behaviors such as speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, and not wearing safety belts. There is no safe amount that you can drink and still drive. Even one drink can influence your driving offences. Nowadays, drunk driving has become driving while intoxicated, driving while impaired, driving while under the influence, operating while under the influence (impaired, intoxicated, or whatever), and in many states, one can be convicted of DUI even though the police didnt even see you drive. (JMD) It is often too late by the time they seek help. They face losing their license; having embarrassing court appearances, press coverage and heavy fines. Many are just ordinary people who have a few social drinks, get behind the wheel and then get pulled over by the police. Such as Henri Paul that thought he was not too drunk to drive. However, evidence proves otherwise in this report that states, French pathologists drew five separate samples: blood from directly above the heart; also urine, eye fluid, bile and hair. These showed: a. A blood-alcohol level of about 180 milligrams per 100 mil. equivalent to eight or nine scotch whiskies, which is three times over the legal limit in France. b. A little over 20% carboxyhemoglobin, which is inhaled carbon monoxide. c. Traces of two drugs, the antidepressant Prozac and Tiapridal, a drug used to treat alcohol addiction; the Prozac taken regularly since May that year, and the Tiapridal since July. So try to manage your life so that you do not drink and drive. If you go out for a drink, try to go somewhere that you can reach either on foot or by public transportation. Think about sharing the driving on different days with a group of people so that you can take turns at driving. If you do drink even though you meant not to, and you went out with your vehicle, consider taking a taxi or take a Saferide home and leave your vehicle behind. (Saferide) This is a whole lot cheaper than getting prosecuted! Work Cites Craft, Stephen. Interview with Winde Rovira. A ttorney at Law licensed in Georgia and Alabama. 8 March 2000 Saferide. http://www. baddpage. com/saferide. html JMD. DUI Help Website (2000) all rights reserved by jmd-ent. com http://www. dui-help. com/index1. html Bartram, John. The Mysteries Surrounding Princess Dianas Death http://dianaconspiracy. homepage. com/.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

The Features Of Institutional Bargaining Approach Politics Essay

The Features Of Institutional Bargaining Approach Politics Essay The birth of the concept of institutional bargain approach stems from the work of Oran R. Youngs criticism on the current rationalist and cognitivist approaches to define the regime formation. Schools of thought of the realist or neorealist highlights the existence of the dominant actors or hegemons possessing structural powers is a necessary condition for international regime formation or maintenance.  [5]  In the other hand, the liberal-institutionalism stresses that a sizable number of self-interested states would coordinate their behaviours to maximize absolute gains by devising mutually beneficial institutional arrangements reducing transaction costs.  [6]  The cognitive theorist underlines that it is the role of cognitive factors that influence the regime formation.  [7]   Literature Review The process of negotiations in climate change poses huge diplomatic and legal challenges to international community. The complexity of the climate change negotiations especially its dependence on science for political decisions have produced two set of perspectives at the negotiations; these are the countries of the view that they would do something to the problem and other countries of the view that would not do something to the problem. Most importantly, climate change negotiations has a unique political dynamic. Power at these negotiations does not derive simply from the size of the economy, but it derives from the fact that how much the country is emitting Greenhouse gases. The countries that pollute the environment hold the most bigger bargaining power. This paradigm poses a huge obstacle to reach a balanced outcome at the climate change negotiations. The book by William Marson (2011)  [8]  highlights the flaws of the climate change negotiations in Copenhagen, stating that group of elite polluters: the United States, the European Union and China have chips to deal and so they rule the game. The other barrier in ensuring a transparent negotiation lies on the issue of a paradigm shift in the environmental politics. The book by Pamela S. Chasek, David L. Brownie, Janet Welsh Brown (2010)  [9]  highlights that the paradigm shift in environmental politics has given rise to the participation of various actors in international environment negotiations and has drawn the climate change issue from dominant socio economic paradigm to the rise of alternative paradigm, in some cases making the problem of climate change a security issue. A collection of articles on the concept of equity  [10]  written by climate change negotiating experts of the BASIC  [11]  countries state the importance of having equitable access to atmospheric space and actions needed in mitigation and adaptation to come up with a long term global goal. In addition, Steve Vanderheiden ( 2008)  [12]  aims at presenting the negotiations of the climate change as revisiting norms such as fairness, equity and atmospheric justice. According to Vanderheiden, it is imperative to address the climate change negotiations in a manner that promotes fairness based on the ideals of equity and national responsibility has practical and principle justification. Dieter Helm and Cameron Hepburn (2009)  [13]  highlights that despite the acceleration of research and scientific explorations on climate change, the policy formation in climate change still disconnected with the findings of science and explains as to why this disconnect prevails. Dieter Helm, analysing the pros and cons of the existing international regimes on climate change highlights also disparity between the share of responsibility in the mitigation efforts between the developing and developed countries and states that unless all the countries are shouldering the responsibility in terms of mitigation, any future agreement in this regard will not be effective. With regard to the process of negotiation from Bali to Copenhagen, books by Abdrew E Dessler and Edward A. Parson ( 2006)  [14]  and a collection of articles in Political Theory and Global Climate Change by John Barry (2008)  [15]  and Negotiation capacity and strategies of Developing countries by Pamela Chesak and LavanyaRajamani ( UNDP report on Global Public Goods 2003)  [16]  and a UNDP report on sustaining human progress in a changing climate (2012)  [17]  present the argument of the disadvantages faced by the developing countries in international environment negotiations as they are being underrepresented or unrepresented at the key decision making moments. Even more so, an in depth analysis by Pamela S. Chasek in her book  [18]  on 30 years long negotiations on the Earth highlights the realpolitik of the environment negotiation and the reasons as to why an agreement is not feasible in the near future. In addition, on the academic literatures, the theoretical framework presented by Young highlights most of the issue as he has been carrying out lot of research and studies on the governance of natural resources and regime formation on same and also through his intervention of the institutional bargaining approach. In his book in 1989  [19]  , he has made an effort to explain the possibility of applying the international regimes and international institutions to address the problem of international coorperation on natural resources and environment. Also, another book by Young in 1994  [20]  is re-examines the basic issues focusing the distinction between governance systems and governments. Apart from regime formation it deals with the flaws of the international governance system and also it reaffirms the emergence of the concept of institutional bargaining as a method to create international regimes. In his books, Young (2002  [21]  and 2010  [22]  ), says that the cli mate change regime which us been created and in the process of being created does not account the nature of the problem, thus there is a mismatch between the character of the regimes created to address the nature of the problem. Thus so far, the materials that have been referring to however, does not approach the process of negotiation through the lens of the developing countries which are not major emitters. For example, those countries which did not allow the Copenhagen Accord to be adopted at the Copenhagen climate conference, are not the major emitters nor they were financially powerful. They were belonging to an economic block in the Latin American continent and to the Small Island Developing States. Most of them were poor countries with least economic and political standing in the world affairs. Then how did Copenhagen go wrong and what was the reason for hundreds of other nations to rally around this small group of countries with weak or no economic power? According to the institutional bargain theory, it could be because of the power of transnational alliances as well as the breaking of the consensus rule. Through the theoretical analysis, this paper will examine the reasons for a small group of coun tries to win the climate battle without allowing it to divert the years long negotiations to fail. It also aims at examining the different tactics and strategies by major emitters in terms promising much and committing little and thereby utilizing the process of negotiation to produce yet again an international agreement which has taken into account the concerns of the most vulnerable and badly affected by the problem. Features of Institutional Bargaining Approach Critics of realism, neorealism and neoliberalism often states that these theories base their assumption on the same flaws and dynamics thus does not pay much attention to the process of negotiation. As stated earlier, most of the time, these theories explain why states cooperate rather than how they are cooperating and as to how the regimes are being formed. The approach of institutional bargaining display the dynamics and flaws of how states cooperate based on their interests which derive from their domestic realities. The main assumption of this approach is analysing the regimes through interests. Main features of the institutional bargain approach are highlighted as follows: Consensus Rule and Multiple actors There are several actors in international institutions. Be it states parties which could be as low as 15 and there are international regimes which has 180 States parties and hundreds of observers from international organizations and civil society etc. In addition, the institutional bargain model base the assumptions on the consensus rule. It is normal for some parties to resist, reject an international negotiations, but it does not mean that the others who would want an outcome not to put their full effort in reaching an agreement, which all parties would be approving. Even though it may be difficult to reach politically an unanimous agreement, it is the basis for any agreement to come to life in the international system. Therefore unanimously is essential when States bargain in designing international regimes  [23]  . Mixed Motive Bargaining According to Young, there are two types of bargaining. One is termed as distributive, is when negotiators will know in advance what they would gain out of a negotiation. This information reaches them through the strategic behaviour and the tactics that they would use in committing to certain issues and positions of others. One of the main points in the distributive bargaining is that the negotiators would lose in one while they gain from the other. The second type of bargaining is integrative bargaining where the negotiators bargain in the absence of fixed contract or negotiation set.  [24]  Due to the lack of information on strategies, the negotiators will try to explore the possible agreements for the mutual benefits. Climate change negotiations and its framing into a model of distributive or integrative lies on the degree of approach of the negotiators to bargain with each other. This can be done only through the level proof through science on the scale of the global warming a nd thereby to rest aside the uncertainties on the issue itself. The veil of uncertainty The term veil of uncertainty is the explanation of dearth of information, knowledge about the issue, or the lack of confidence in making decisions or expressing the preferences. According to Young, the veil of uncertainty give rise for the parties to agree with each other.  [25]  Most of the time, the negotiating parties in the institutional bargaining process perform under a veil of uncertainty on the future positions and interests. No Party would know what would be their future positions when negotiations are taking place. Therefore, when the Party has to choose among many rules, it is much more difficult for a person to determine which of the several choice options confronted will, indeed, maximize whatever set of values that person desired to maximize  [26]  . One of the reason for this behaviour is that the negotiator may be suffering from the notion of loss of interest identity. This becomes all the more prominent in climate change negotiations as the negotiators are de pending on scientific evidence, which some States do not accept as a negotiation information, therefore, individual negotiators who faces different set of choices can become uncertain about the impact of the alternate position that it can take. In addition, this level of uncertainty makes the negotiator to agree with the arrangements or the choice that can be perceived as the faire one which is broadly acceptable to the majority. Problems and Approaches In a negotiation, the negotiators are focusing on the key issues and try to reconcile their differences on these issues rather than trying to reach an agreement on the exact areas of the regime. In this context, the negotiating text is produces to serve as a guiding tool for the negotiators and to reconcile their differences in the process. For example, as Chasek highlights one of the major characteristics of Climate Change negotiations is producing a draft text either by the chair of the working group or the COP President  [27]  . For example, after the Bali Road Map was adopted the Ad-Hoc Working Group on Longterm Cooperative Action ( AWG-LCA) was initiated and at each COP the Chair of the LCA was requested by the negotiators to produce a text highlighting the key issues of divergence and convergence. This course of action was repeated till the Copenhagen and at the Copenhagen there were texts produce by the Chairs of Working Groups each day. This course of action was aiming at narrowing down the differences and to leave the key issues of divergence for the political leadership to deliver. Transnational Alliances States are of diverse interests and political identities. The grouping in the international negotiations, especially at the United Nations have been made on the basis of geographical regions. Therefore, states with diverse interests and identities have been composed into these groups  [28]  . It is then natural that conflict of interest arise and they tend to be inter regional or/and intra- regional. Thus the States, in a negotiation process tend to align themselves or create alliances among the similar states with similar interests, these transnational alliances are highly influential in regime creating. They hold the negotiation positions or let lose them as and when they deem fit and as and when they cater their interests. For example, the Alliance of Small Island Developing States ( AOSIS)  [29]  and the ALBA  [30]  ( Alliances of Bolivarian Republic)group of countries as well as the LDCs ( Least Developed Countries) play a critical role in climate change negotiations . Their critical role was one of the key elements in shaping the negotiations as well as reaching agreements from Bali to Copenhagen  [31]  . Shifting Involvements According to Young, the institutional bargaining model all the time linked with gamut of issues and events happening in the socioeconomic and political environment  [32]  . These unfolding political and socioeconomic events pose different degrees of obstacles for the regime creation, and also complicating the negotiations and sometimes some parties as they struggle with domestic matters, they simply ignore the current issues. This situation can lead to reach an agreement through package deals such as that of practised in Copenhagen through the Copenhagen Accord. Or in some cases, the parties may borrow the assistance from the civil society and the NGO community to facilitate them in regime creation. For example after the failure in Copenhagen, the package deal reached in Cancun at the COP 16 was generously assisted by the civil society and the NGO community at the time it was being approved by the COP plenary despite the objection by the State of Bolivia. Factors to account the success of Institutional Bargaining Approach in Climate Change Negotiations Institutional bargaining is simply is bargaining to create an institution and this approach focuses on the process of regime setting as a priority. Young foresee major two flaws in rationalist approach of bargaining  [33]  . On one hand the rationalists approach according to Young is overly optimisitic as it regards that actors are rationally cooperate. On the other hand, the rationalists fails to consider major obstacles that disturbs the process of reaching an agreement. Severe obstacles such as problems arising strategic behaviour, intra-party behaviour, lack of trust among the parties are not considered in the rationalist approach. In sum, the model of institutional bargaining has two folds, these are descriptive and analytical. Under the descriptive folder, it seeks to outline essential circumstances under which collective efforts to form regimes regularly takes place. Analytically, it lays down several factors that are critically useful for the success of those efforts  [ 34]  . These are as follows: Contractual Environment blurring the zone of agreement and veiling the future distribution benefits Institutional bargaining can succeed only when the issues at stakes lend themselves to treatment in a contractarian mode.  [35]   Under a veil of uncertainty, negotiators of a process aim at reaching agreement on the terms of a social contract in order to solve the collective-action problems. Also, in a consensus-ruled situation, it is important that the parties avoid positional deadlocks in this contractarian environment. Thus, collective-action problems which will be solved through devising institutional arrangements vary in the degree to which they lend themselves to treatment in contractarian terms.  [36]   Exogenous shock of crisis Exogenous shocks or crises increase the probability of success in efforts to negotiate the terms of governance systems  [37]  . For example, in the case of Chernobyl, led the process of negotiation for a legal outcome in the nuclear treaty. In the case of the depletion of Ozone layer also influenced enormously the negotiations in the Montreal Protocol. In the case of climate change negotiations, the hot summer in the USA and Canada, influence the two countries to make arrangements for the Toronto Conference. However, Young informs that creeping crisis of global warming has not thus so far had an effect just as the Chernobyl crisis or Ozone hole on the negotiation process  [38]  . Availability of equitable solution Young asserts that the availability of arrangements that all participants can accept as equitable is necessary for institutional bargaining to succeed  [39]  . Without emphasising the achievement of allocative efficiency by utilitarian models, equal attention should be paid to equity as negotiating environment features a consensus rule. In this context, the institutional bargaining can yield success only when all the major parties and interest groups agree that their concerns have been treated fairly. For example, the importance of historical greenhouse gas emissions and the act

Friday, October 25, 2019

Melvilles Moby Dick :: Essays Papers

Melvilles Moby Dick Melville was born in a time of American history where inspiring works of American literature began to emerge. It was also a time when America had not completely separated its literary heritage from Europe, partly because there were successful literary genius’ flourishing there. Melville proved to be a genius of his own, with his many works such as Moby Dick, Billy Bud, and Bartleby. Three distinct themes could be seen throughout most of his literature; whales and the whaling industry, commentary on the universe and human destiny, and ideas about God and nature. Moby Dick is an incredible work by Melville most often referred to as an epic, a tragedy, a novel, an exposition on the whaling, and a spiritual autobiography. It is often overlooked that a deeper, more symbolic, meaning may have been the driving force behind Moby Dick. Herman Melville was born on August 1, 1819, to Allan and Maria Melville. He was the third of eight children in the Melville family. He was generally described as silent and slow; his mother thought him to be a very dull child. In 1832 Melville suffered tragedy when his father died. Finishing school when he was fifteen, Melville took service as cabin boy aboard the St. Lawrence. After returning to his home in New York for some time after serving as cabin boy, Melville took berth as an ordinary seaman aboard a whaling ship called the Acushnet. After approximately four and a half years as a seaman on various ships, he set down, again in New York, to write of his experiences. Within six years he had published five books. Shortly thereafter Melville was married and moved his family to a farm near Pittsfield, Massachusetts. It was at this location where Moby Dick was written. Moby Dick was first published in 1851. Melville continued to write, both poetry and stories, until three months before his death in 1891. Melville’s perspective on life was that God created the universe with an infinite number of meanings and man is always trying to determine one specific meaning (Robertson-Lorant 65). It is possible that Melville, through writing, was seeking out some of his many destinies bestowed upon him by God. The basis of the name Moby Dick can be traced back to an article in the New York Knickerbocker Magazine in May of 1839 (Madden).

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

The Manchurian Candidate

Films have always been an outlet for a confused society; with themes of politics, religion, relationship and illness movies are the way the modern world deals with its hardships and examines its own motives and actions.   â€Å"The Manchurian Candidate† is one of the more controversial films in this eye-opening genre, with political themes running strong throughout in such a way as to seemingly point fingers and make strongly opinionated remarks about our current political situation. The 2004 film was remade from an earlier 1962 version, which before taking that format was actually a novel written by Richard Condon in 1959.   Its political premise was originally based on the Cold War; the book and the original film shied away from the usual opinion that it was Communists who were solely misguided and instead portrayed a world where Communists, Capitalists and everybody in between was faulted ideologically.   The people in Condon’s book existed within a conspiratorial net that saw brainwashed operatives of the Communist Party seeking to take office and exploit their position for monetary gains (Gianos 1998). The 2004 version, by contrast, has been quite clearly adapted for the age of the War on Terror, with Communists replaced by the new perceived enemy, corporate giants, in this case â€Å"Manchurian Global†.   It becomes clear as the movie progresses that the main characters have been brainwashed by Manchurian Global to protect and grow the interests of the corporation. One character, under the direct influence of his power hungry mother, seeks election into office, while the other is representative of an entire section of the military in supporting his campaign.   This latter character, Marco, becomes suspicious of his own actions concerning the vice-presidential candidate, Shaw, when he realizes that he and every other military officer who served with his is using the exact same words to describe their support of the man; basically that he is a wonderful man and an excellent soldier who will make the best vice-president. Marco believes he is suffering from a mental illness, and seeks help from the military doctors who are pledged to offer comprehensive care following service in the army.   They seem willing to help until Marco finally refuses the pills they keep giving him.   He claims they don’t work and that he wants something different, however the doctors won’t do anything for him – in fact they are very concerned about his refusal to accept their treatment.   In the end, Marco pieces together the entire story that he has forgotten: while serving together in the army, he and his companions, including Shaw, were brainwashed by Manchurian Global to support the candidacy of Shaw while Shaw himself was groomed to take the vice-presidency. Through the brainwashing, the corporation expected to gain high level contracts and a huge amount of money and power.   It falls to Marco to expose the plot and explain it to Shaw before he gives the company and all the people connected to the plot exactly what they want.   It is a story of corruption in government and the overall will of those in powerful places to exploit whoever is necessary to stay on top and bring in the cash. The reverberations of this film in current American politics is very strong and very controversial.   Political controversy in film is of course not a new thing; Brian Nerve explains that Hollywood has been a refuge for the suspicious world since its earliest days, and that movies like â€Å"The Manchurian Candidate† are not the product of unsound minds but of a lack of transparency throughout the political world (Nerve 1992). This movie in particular has been built upon that ever-present facet of the American public: the conspiracy theory.   Whether it’s a Presidential assassination or a corporate cover-up, Americans want to know every detail and whether or not there are real conspiracies of this magnitude actually occurring is difficult to tell when questions constantly go unanswered and the imagination takes over.   More than anything, Manchurian Global has a startling likeness to American corporations like Halliburton, who have in recent years been harshly chided for their role in global inequality and exploitation in the name of money. The people in league with Manchurian Global are portrayed as basically heartless, inhuman and scandalous; these elements of scandal can always be found in political films according to Gillespie and Lerner (2000).   The producers were well aware of the parallels they were drawing between their characters and the members of America’s present government, and the audience was generally predisposed to believe the worst of its government before seeing such a shocking story of manipulation played out for them onscreen.   They wonder if they are being brainwashed to accept a fabricated reality, or if they are simply not seeing the whole picture. In its entirety, â€Å"The Manchurian Candidate† has questioned the accuracy of media portrayals of events in such a way as the American public truly wanted to see – however the movie was so undeniably outrageous in its plot details that instead of reinforcing the idea that the government is hiding something from the public all it really did was make the audience question their current beliefs concerning conspiracy. Few people are prepared to believe blatant military brainwashing, and this is the major weak point in the film.   â€Å"The Manchurian Candidate† is a movie that sets itself far apart from mainstream entertainment in its political aspects and ideas.   It has drawn an audience mostly intent on getting angry at the state of government and politics, though unfortunately in the end it falls short.   Instead of solidifying current thought patterns or expanding on them, the film merely sparks doubt in the minds of those most willing to believe its plot.   All in all, â€Å"The Manchurian Candidate† is quite unworthy of the hype. Works Cited Gianos, Phillip. Politics and Politicians in American Film. CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. Nerve, Brian. Film and Politics in America: A Social Tradition. New York: Routledge, 1992. Schultz, David. It's Show Time!: Media, Politics, and Popular Culture. New York: Peter Lang, 2000.      

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Marketing Culture

Marketing Culture Introduction The International Council of Museums (ICOM) defines a museum as a lasting institution that is not profit oriented, focused on serving and developing the general public which obtains, preserves, researches, corresponds and displays, for the goals of learning, education and leisure, tangible evidence of man and his surrounding (Ambrose and Paine, 1996, p.8).Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marketing Culture Museums in Kuwait specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Museums exist in diverse forms though they have two common aspects: They are concerned with objects and their purpose has to do with communication. From the definition, three vital duties of museums are highlighted: Obtaining and conservation of accumulated objects to keep for a long time for purposes of learning and use, research on items in the assortment and exhibition and other utilization of resources for information and enlightenment for the ent ire public. These duties normally entail a clash of interests. For instance, it may be challenging to research on an item being exhibited and a resource may not be well conserved if it is visitors frequently get in touch with it for education reasons. The concentration of museums on attaining equilibrium among these diverse roles is also changing. Initially, museums focused on acquisition of works of art and did not so much value how people benefited from them. The museum’s contemporary duty has very much to do with communication. Why Marketing Is Important To the Success of a Museum Marketing is adequately bendy enough to fit to emerging situations. Past information on marketing reveals that its focus has been gradually shifting through commodity, institution, function, management, and social settings. Marketing basically encompasses a client need, fulfillment of this need, a connection between the company and the customer, and optimization of gains. Museums have not been ac tively involved in marketing because since marketing aims at meeting the customers’ needs, they fear that if they engage in it, they will lose their mission and instead focus on fulfilling only what customers need. This ought not to be the case since, marketing, if well conceptualized, can enable museums attain their objectives. Services marketing is becoming increasingly imperative to museum marketing. As such, the extended marketing mix is applicable. This refers to price, product, place, promotion, people, process, and physical support. The museum being a non-profit making organization ought to interface strategic marketing by linking its mission to marketing. A museum, being a non-profit making entity, has two unique parties that they need to reach out to funders and clients. In the same vein, marketing is needed to convince funders to keep on supporting the museum.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The purpose of this work is to: identify the varying target markets for museums, discuss the use of psychographic base as a tool for segmenting the market for the Kuwait National Museum, show how consumer’s decision in visiting the firm is affected by personal influences and reveal a marketing strategy that the Kuwait National Museum can devise in order to remain relevant to the contemporary consumer. This report is divided into four parts. The background highlights some profile information about the museum such its history, sources of funding, staffing, location, and collections. The second part describes the product market and market segmentation of the museum. The third section aims at recommending the appropriate target market, positioning strategy, and marketing mix for the museum. The conclusion part contains a summary of the recommendations and explains how they will result to a greater value to both the customers and the m useum (Cox, Radbourne and Tidwell, 1998,). Background The Kuwait National Museum was designed by architect Michel Ecochard. Having been completed in 1983, it encompasses five different buildings put up around a central backyard, and grouped in accordance to the knowledge of the Arabian Peninsula, its olden times, topography and civilization. The buildings are connected with galleries that enable easy movement from one to another. Those sightseers who wish to access only one part of the building can get into it through a lawn, protected from strong heat from the sun-by-sun breakers that are three-dimensional (Ecochard, 2000, p.1). First, there is the management, and cultural section comprising of conference facilities, a library, nightclub, restaurant, and administrative offices. Second, there is Land of Kuwait section, showing Kuwait’s aspects like botany, and zoology among other national aspects. Third, there is man of Kuwait partition exhibiting how the Kuwait man has devel oped socially and economically with time. Fourth, there is a section showing how Kuwait has developed both before and after oil discovery, and finally, the planetarium that shows the ancient devices of observation, a state of which the Arabs were the undebatable leaders up to the nineteenth century (Global markets, 2010, p.15). The museum is in a public and cultural building located in Kuwait city.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Marketing Culture Museums in Kuwait specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Between 1990 and 1991, the Iraqi invasion took place leading to the looting of the museum’s exhibits by the Iraqis. After looting most of the artifacts, they then set the facility ablaze. From about 1994, the museum has been seeking fiscal support from the United Nations Educational and Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This is meant to help it both restore its collection and renovate the museum build ing. Studies reveal that both Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) and Kuwaiti fund have devoted significant amount of finances towards the study for construction, construction works, and procurement of equipment for the construction of the national museum that is expected to transpire between July 2010 and January 2013 (CDR, 2009, P.18). These form the three sources of funding for the museum. However, the museum has undergone renovation and is currently among the best ones in Middle East with about 20000 artifacts (O’shea and Spilling, 2009, p.136). Therefore, with regard to the Product Life Cycle (PLC), the museum is in its introduction stage given that it has been in the decline stage after its destruction by the Iraqis (Mukherjee, 2009, p.80). In this stage, its management has developed innovative products that include 20000 artifacts and other olden valuables from Faylaka Island. Product Market Product market is a strategy that enables people to purchase goods or services with ease. The museum competes in several cultural markets. First, there is the cultural market. The product offered by the museum is intricate and transient. It may be interpreted in diverse ways by different people such as the experience brought about by the item, a specific item in the collection and social approval. This confusion regarding the actual product complicates the possibility of categorizing museums on the product / service foundation. The reason behind the existence The Kuwait National Museum has a strong market view gauged from the method through which it presents its materials, the duration it is open to the public and its tools of promotion. Its artifacts reveal much about the Kuwaiti and Islamic culture. Secondly, the museum plays an educative role. Due to its rich reservoir of ancient and cultural items, the museum is able to offer these products to people from Kuwait who may be interested in broadening their cultural knowledge. Tourists also use the facility as an educative instrument where they are able to acquire knowledge concerning both ancient and Arabic culture. Thirdly, the museum also competes in the leisure market. Numerous tourists from other parts of the world go the Kuwait National Museum to for recreational purposes. The museum is in the growth stage. This is due to increased awareness resulting from the cultural, educative and leisure product markets. Market Segmentation Market segmentation refers to the process of portioning the market into identifiable groups or segments. Market segmentation will enable the museum administration to develop a marketing mix that will meet identifiable customer needs in an effective manner. Secondly, by prioritizing the needs of customers, market segmentation will enable the museum to meet its goals and objectives.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In order to meet the specific needs for customers, it is essential for the museum to segment the clients into different groups in accordance to their wants, to be able to design a marketing mix that will suit them. An appropriate base of segmentation will therefore be psychographic segmentation. This segmentation approach is based on personality, motives, lifestyle, and geo-demographics (Mouncey Wimmer, 2007 pg.310). Personality defines whom a person is in terms of behavior, attitude towards the product for instance, if a potential customer harbors negative attitude towards the artifacts, it is highly probable that they may not show up for it. On the hand, those with a positive attitude will buy. A person’s trait also defines his or her personality and most people buy products and services they believe to be in line with their personalities. Segmentation based on geodemographics integrates some geographical aspects with demographic aspects. Geo-demographic segmentation is ba sed on the assumption that people tend to move to locations in which their classes fit and with people that they share occupation. Geo-demographic segmentation may use either acorn or Mosaic methods to segment the market. Acorn method categorizes people with identical socioeconomic characteristics together while the mosaic method analyzes information obtained from different sources (Beamish Ashford, 2006, p. 65). Lifestyle is also another important base for segmenting the market. It takes a more subjective approach and classifies markets based on factors such as opinions, social activities, and interests. Under social activities, emphasis is on activities or functions that bring people together such as shopping and sports. Interests refers to what people like or enjoy doing and especially during their free time and this would include music, internet etc. such factors are then interlinked with demographics to form a better foundation for market segmentation (Beamish Ashford, 2006 p g 65). Incorporating this base of marketing segmentation will enable the museum devise suitable product markets that will suit the needs of the customers. That is categorizing customers based on the geo-demographic segmentation will enable the museum design products that reflect the culture of the customers. Successful segmentation is based on four essential criteria. First, the market should be substantial implying that the target market segment should be large enough to justify development and maintenance of marketing mix. Demographic segmentation suits this criterion because personality, motives, lifestyle, and geodemographics cover a very diverse region within the market. Secondly, the target market segment should be identifiable and measurable meaning the marketer should at least know the number of people interested in the marketing mix. Based on the psychographic segmentation especially the geo-demographic aspect, it is possible to identify and measure the exact number of clie nts based on their lifestyle, as well as where their respective class enables them to be. Thirdly, accessibility of the target market should be considered since it would not make sense to develop a marketing mix that will never get to the customers. Personality base focuses on people’s social activities and interests, and as such, it is possible to access a target market based on these aspects. Finally yet importantly, the market segment should be responsive to the particular mix designed. All components of psychographic segmentation such as personality, motives, lifestyle, and geodemographics are likely to respond to the marketing mix in a similar way. For example, all these components involve people, that is, the museum administration interacting with potential customers to find out the best way of reaching them with their product. Recommendations The target market for the museum could be the working class of the Taiwan people. This is because in segmenting the market with regard to geodemographics, people tend to be close to where their counterparts fit and their classes are. Potential customers who are likely to have this tendency are the working category. Given that they have a source of income, they are likely to provide a wider market for the Kuwait National Museum. Structurally, such a category of consumers has a well-structured lifestyle in terms of their varying opinions on range of issues, diverse interests for themselves and their families and plenty of leisure time to be utilized in fulfilling their interests. Due to varying personalities, it is possible to equip the museum with those artifacts that reflect the respective personalities of this target market. As such, the artifacts are supposed to be as diverse as the personalities themselves and therefore this segmentation implies growth to the museum and hence fits it. Positioning strategy refers to the act of painting in the minds of the target audience what the organization stands for, w hat makes it so unique in comparison to other organizations in a bid to place a perception in their mind that will make them prefer it to similar others (Sargeant and Jay, 2010, p.83). The attributes crucial to the target market is the ability of the museum to provide products that suit their cultural expectations, their interests. A product that is in line with their culture and likes will definitely cause them to have a positive attitude towards it. The Kuwait National Museum being based in the Kuwait city is stocked with diverse works of art that reflect the Arabian culture. It has five different apartments that contain varying artifacts to suit the different needs of the customers who also have different personalities. However, with the changing demography and hence personalities, the museum ought to reposition itself to suit the emerging client needs. This may include increasing the diversification of its products. The museum should adopt the conventional marketing mix that inc ludes product, place, price, and promotion. To support the museum’s position, the artifacts in the museum should be designed to reflect and suit the social, cultural, and political perceptions of the customers. Since museums are believed to be for public good, prices should be set in accordance to the value that clients attach to the service provided. Promotion informs the customers about the services being offered in the museum. Since financial considerations restrain promotions carried out in the museums, the museum should work attracting funding in a bid to influence decision makers like the local government. Concerning the place, the Kuwait National Museum is strategically located in Kuwait city and there may be no need for changes. Conclusion To ensure that the museum has a greater value for its works of art, the marketing mix should be improved accordingly. First, the products should be diversified to reflect the broad cultural and social needs of the clients. This will lead to increased value for the customers because it will be a measure to suit their needs. Secondly, the prices should be adjusted to reflect the value of the customers to the facility and its public significance. This will enhance the museum’s competitiveness, cause many customers to prefer it and in turn show the value for the clients. Thirdly, since promotion is expensive and the museum is non-profit making organization, attempts should be made to raise funds to enlighten customers on the museum’s services. This will reflect the museum’s concern for the customers’ needs and will better its relations with other parties. In addition, the place where the national museum is located is in Kuwait city and as such, it is strategic. Reference List Ambrose, T. and Paine, C., 1993. Museum Basics. New York: Routledge. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=dmQ30uy8vWcCpg=PA8lpg=PA8dq=Ambrose+%26+Paine+%281993%29+on+museum+definitionsource=blots= jkdK0TfotPsig=iZSW_QgUaw1-E7Lt2Tx3EOYvm1Yhl=enei=H6UFTejhIueX4gaStJnGCgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CBgQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false . Beamish, K. and Ashford, R., 2006. CIM Course book 06/07 Marketing Planning. MO: Butterworth Heinemann. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=7rfmjL86sv8Cpg=PA64dq=steps+in+marketing+segmentationhl=enei=4eLPTOg6wpKMB9G9kaMGsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=10ved=0CFgQ6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=steps%20in%20marketing%20segmentationf=false . CDR. 2009. Social Infrastructure. Web. Available from: cdr.gov.lb/eng/progress_reports/pr102009/Eeduc.pdf . Cox, S., Radbourne, J. and Tidwell, P., 1998. Museum Marketing: Implications for Extending the Current Literature. (Attached material) Ecochard, M., 1980. The National Museum of Kuwait. In Places of Public Gathering in Islam. Philadelphia: Aga Khan Award for Architecture. Global Markets. 2009. Kuwait 2009 Hospitality Market Overview. Kuwait: Global Markets. Web. Available from: https://books.g oogle.com/books?id=Y_PCONVeMjACpg=PT14dq=history+of+Kuwait+National+Museumhl=enei=BdMFTYfwH8-H5Ab6_OXPCgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=5ved=0CD0Q6AEwBA#v=onepageq=history%20of%20Kuwait%20National%20Museumf=true . Mouncey, P. and Wimmer, F., 2007. Market Research Best Practice: 30 Visions For the Future: A Compilation of Discussion Papers, Case Studies and Methodologies from ESOMAR. England: John Wiley and Sons. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=3pZz3n1NNk8Cpg=PA310dq=market+segmentation+based+on+psychographic+variableshl=enei=pQDRTO71MOag4Qak#v=onepageq=market%20segmentation%20based%20on%20psychographic%20variablesf=false . Mukherjee, K., 2009. Product Management: Texts and Cases. New Delhi: PHI Learning Private Limited. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=X7yLhiQvRNwCpg=PA84dq=plc+stageshl=enei=FPMFTYuUA5G74gb71YjyCQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=4ved=0CDoQ6AEwAw#v=onepageq=plc%20stagesf=false . O’shea, M. and Spilling, M., 2009. Kuwait. New York: Michelle Bisson. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=SKpyD-B34KQCpg=PA136dq=product+life+cycle+phase+of+the+kuwait+national+museumhl=enei=aPYFTYb4ENOD4QbtlPCuCgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCYQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false . Sargeant, A. and Jay, E., 2010. Fundraising Management: Analysis, Planning and Practice. New York: Routledge. Web. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=4Fc_Td_Q5eoCpg=PA83dq=Positioning+strategyhl=enei=5P4GTZCVD-SLnAfSwqHlDQsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=10ved=0CFYQ6AEwCQ#v=onepageq=Positioning%20strategyf=false .

Monday, October 21, 2019

Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Essays

Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Essays Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Paper Lessons of The parable of the sadhu Paper In The parable of the sadhu Bowen H. McCoy recounts an ethical conflict that confronted he and his companion Stephan while on a private mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas. On the verge of traversing a high altitude pass, which constituted the goal of their expedition, McCoy’s group discovered a near naked local native (sadhu) on the verge of death from starvation and hypothermia.   McCoy’s group clothed the old man and pointed him in a direction where after two days of walking he could find a hut.   McCoy and Stephan then continued with their own trek with a full complement of attending porters and Sherpa guides.   Stephan immediately challenged McCoy for leaving the elderly sadhu to near certain death. McCoy attempts to transfer his own bygone, inhumane moral choice into the broader problem of corporate ethics and business organization.While the essay is apparently utilized by institutions of higher learning such as Berkeley and Harvard to open discussions on those business topics, The parable of the sadhu reads more like the tormented justifications of a errant man attempting to shed his own guilt. If McCoy really believes his experience with the sadhu should be analyzed in the context of the organization of his expedition, then he should have provided the most glaring omission from his essay.   To wit, who was in charge of his group?   Who retained the Sherpa guides?   Who retained their porters?   After all, the most obvious solution to the ethical dilemma of McCoy was to have one or more of his guides and porters accompany the sadhu to the safety of lower elevations.   If the reader were provided with that bit of information, the weighty metaphysical questions raised by McCoy would be a snap to answer. Having been deprived of that vital data, the reader is left to surmise.   One can infer from the essay that McCoy, in fact, had the final say.  Ã‚   McCoy is confronted by Stephan for having left the old man to die, and it is McCoy who begins the justification process to quiet Stephan’s protestations.   Look says McCoy to Stephan we all cared. We all stopped and gave aid and comfort.  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the conclusion of his essay, McCoy postulates as a possible reason for their neglect of the sadhu’s life perhaps because we did not have a leader who could reveal the greater purpose of the trip to us. It is McCoy who plies Stephan with the incredulous, rhetorical question are you really saying that, no matter what the implications, we should, at the drop of a hat, have changed our entire plan?  Ã‚   The wealthy, Western investment banker considers his recreational trek   of far greater importance (our entire plan) to the life of an Eastern religious pilgrim (the drop of a hat). As McCoy’s justifications mount, they take on a social darwinistic tone.   First, he arbitrarily distinguishes business from philosophy by ascribing action and implementation getting things done exclusively to the former.   If business is individuated and apart from philosophy, when then, anything goes.   When combined with his pronunciamento that the manager who pauses to contemplate what is the ’good’ thing to do threatens the entire enterprise, McCoy has all but nullified any evil in his decision to allow the old sadhu to perish in the snow. Once McCoy acknowledges that hypothetically it could be argued it was not an ethical decision to leave the sadhu behind, he begins to transfer responsibility from any one individual, including himself, to the group as a whole.   Having taken the moral load off his own shoulders he ponders where such a thing as collective or institutional ethics even exists.   He chafes at the idea of the formulation formalized, group ethical rules that clearly delineate what is right and good conduct and what is wrong or evil conduct within an organization.   He find this impractical.   In support of that idea, he describes how he eschews lawyer and colleague advice to avoid conflicts of interest, instead opting to feel my way through conflicts. Two lessons can be learned from The parable of the sadhu that university professors, and certainly business executives, are not likely to suggest. First, beware the philosophizing business man who maintains that business and philosophy do not mix.   While putting on airs of caring a wit for another member of humanity, Mr. McCoy injects ideas that would justify a leader plowing under the weak in achieving the greater interest of strong.   Even when such an overarching interest consists merely of a recreational pursuit.   It is akin to Nike positioning itself as hip and international while at the same time operating inhuman, slave labor sweat shops in Third World countries to maximize its own profits. Second, beware the man who tells you ethical   problems are of such complexity they are beyond the reckoning ability of any single individual.   By telling us the difficulties of dealing with the sadhu were so complex that no one person could handle it, McCoy perfects his own irresponsibility.  Ã‚   I cannot think of a single working class American I have encountered in a half century who would consider the sadhu problem complex in the slightest.   I also cannot think of a common man or woman I have met who would have solved the sadhu problem as Mr. McCoy saw fit.   No, they would not have marched over the pass, porters and Sherpa guides abreast. To   one, they would have accompanied the sadhu back to safety. The essence of The parable of the sadhu is its own antithesis.   McCoy, while making the case for the opposite, quite clearly validates the notion that humanitarian philosophers are required to draft black-letter ethics law for the leaders of industry and commerce (including bankers) who left to their own devices would lose the weak to save the strong.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

An American Tragedy vs A Place in the Sun Essay Example

An American Tragedy vs A Place in the Sun Essay Example An American Tragedy vs A Place in the Sun Paper An American Tragedy vs A Place in the Sun Paper Often, movie adaptations of novels will have many variances. These inconsistencies can change major themes in the story. Such differences appear between Theodore Dressers An American Tragedy and its film adaptation, A Place in the Sun. The films title has a light-hearted and paradisiacal implication, in contrast to the novels title, which suggests hopelessness and suffering. These titles mirror the overall thematic difference in the two versions. The novel blatantly exposes the reality of American society to illustrate how the American dream is an illusion, whereas the film focuses on the consequences that result from foolishness. In An American Tragedy, Cycles downfall is caused by tragic flaws deeply ingrained in American Society. Dresser includes characters from every spectrum of social class and exposes their faults. Both Hornets Briggs and Sandra Finley feign interest in Clyde for their own benefit. Hornets is a lower class Kansas City girl who manipulates Clyde in search of material possessions. Sandra, a wealthy and beautiful woman, shows interest in Clyde to irritate Gilbert Griffith. Dresser introduces many other characters with this same self-centered attitude, such as Orville Mason, the district attorney. It looks to be the biggest and most important case in all my term in office, and if we can only clean it up satisfactorily and quickly, before things break here this fall, it made do us all some good, eh? (532). Orville does not see Cycles case as a fight for Justice, but an easy win for his political standing. Dresser includes these details to highlight the harsh intentions and motivations of Americans. This consistency in motive emphasizes the theme that Americans have a toxic obsession with personal gain that drives many individuals, regardless of class. Clyde is manipulated and his mind is irrupted by people trying to achieve what they think is the American dream, when in reality there is no such thing. Clyde becomes obsessed with being on top both economically and socially, driving him to commit the murder that ultimately leads to his death. In A Place in the Sun, George (Clyde) is led to committing murder not by his obsession with obtaining the American dream, but by his infatuation with Angela (Sandra). The movie focuses less on society and more on the individual. Georges intention to murder Alice (Roberta) to be with Angela exposes his own selfishness, UT his actions are Justified by love. The film skips the first part of the novel, which expands on why Clyde desires to achieve the American Dream. Because of this omission, the theme of the story is changed. Instead of being pulled to the top by greed, the film suggests that George is motivated by love. Georges foolishness in dealing with his two relationships results in Lices accidental drowning. This presents the theme that love can lead to good as well as evil. George is not corrupted by society, (as in the novel), but wrapped up in a situation caused by his own, individual folly. The title of the film suggests this same theme. George is introduced to this place in the sun of luxury, wealth and beautiful women, but his mistakes lead him in another direction. The differing themes between the novel and the film are the novels idea of the tragedy of American society and the films focus on individual mistakes. Dresser portrays characters as greedy and manipulative, while the film portrays them as foolishly in love. The reasons behind this inconsistency may more light-hearted because its purpose is more to entertain, while the novel may be meant to be intellectually profound.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Nuclear Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nuclear Energy - Essay Example However, nuclear energy has both advantages and disadvantages that should be evaluated in order to gauge the worth of utilizing it. Electricity production cost has proved to be a barrier to developing countries, and the nuclear energy could be a solution to this problem. Comparing uranium to other products of energy production such as coal and oil, it is evident that small quantities of uranium are needed to produce an equivalent amount of energy by either coal or oil. Uranium is available at cheap prices and the costs of procurement and transportation are relatively low. The costs of running and maintaining an industry manufacturing electricity using uranium are cheap as compared to those of coal that require regular maintenance and hence a high cost implication. Experts say that a nuclear plant that is in good functionality can run uninterrupted for up to 540 days (Beth, Advantages and Disadvantages of Nuclear Energy, LoveToKnow, Green living). One of the major keys of marketing is the ability of the manufacturer to gain consumer confidence .in the year 1979 incident of a partial meltdown of a reactor was reported, and this gave rise to a lot of critics about the safety of nuclear plants. As compared to coal burning plants, the nuclear plant is safer since the reactors are contained in concrete structures of large thickness unlike those of coal that often burst. Another safety advantage of the nuclear energy industries is the availability of a passive system that does not require a person to shut it down in occurrence of a malfunction. Environmental conservation is of great priority to any project, and so is the nuclear project (Burgess, 10 Pros and Cons of Nuclear Power, Grab life by the globe, Energy). The process of power generation using the nuclear project releases relatively low amounts of carbon dioxide among other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere since nuclear power plants don’t smoke. Nuclear waste is

Friday, October 18, 2019

Responsibility of Internal Audit in the Detection of Fraud Research Paper

Responsibility of Internal Audit in the Detection of Fraud - Research Paper Example Auditing is mostly of two types: Internal and external audit. The internal audit team is a team appointed by the management of the company which aims at ensuring that the company is acting according to the rules and operations are in compliance to all type of internal and external rules. Internal audit prepares a company for an external audit by evaluating the operations and checking for fraud within manageable levels. External audit, on the other hand, is conducted by independent authorities who have no personal concern or take in the company and are appointed by the SEC or legal authorities to check the company’s operations. When an internal audit team audits, the company does not face any fine or legislation in case of fraud detection but in case of the external audit team, companies face legislation, fine and other legal processes in case of any fraud in their operations. Fraud in operations is one of the most occurring and costly issues faced by organizations. Studies sho w that US organizations have faced a very significant and increasing proportion of fraud in their operations every year. US economy faces the highest proportion of fraud in the period of economic downturn that is because employees and management do not get money enough for their survival or many other reasons contribute. It has also been observed that proportion of fraud had been increasing with significant percentage each year since 2001 (Howe, 2009). As a proportion of fraud is increasing in the organizations, it has brought high concerns to the management. Organizations today strive their best to lessen fraud and corruption in their operations. For this purpose, they rely heavily on the internal audit team and internal auditing activities. Internal auditor reports only to the board of directors he gets better control on fraud and corruption because of the fact that board of directors have a stake in the company and hence they don’t tolerate any kind of fraud and donâ€℠¢t hold any other personal interest. Organizations believe that as internal auditors review the activities in depth and monitor the operations independently without any personal take on them, they usually stem well in the areas where fraud is taking place. Internal audit teams get a good knowledge of the operations and organizational process over time and this is what makes it easy for them to detect any fraud happening. The internal auditors are believed to have better knowledge of the risk areas, control systems, employee profiles and this is what helps in effectively dealing with fraud in the organization. It has been stated by ACFE US that the internal audit team has detected the highest proportion fraud in organizations. The survey elaborates that internal auditors have no concern or personal interest in the organization. Rather they are independent authorities. Contrary to them, management has a personal interest in bonuses, rewards, and promotions as well as job retention whi ch given them the way to fraudulent behavior.  

An Artistic and Intellectual Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

An Artistic and Intellectual Revolution - Essay Example The greatest service that the Renaissance was the liberation of the human spirit and the birth of an original thought. This led to rapid progress in all spheres of activity. It also led to various movements, which took place at the same time, such as the emergence of new geographical discoveries and political reform movement that inaugurated the modern era. Renaissance spirit that emerged during the Middle Ages. Currently in Europe lived in the spiritual tyranny of the church. As the dogmatic attitude of the church was a spiritual concern, as quiet and patient, the development of thought. Seeds of independent thought, which are seeded trees grown in the Middle Ages in modern times. Several factors have contributed to the success of the Renaissance. Ideas that are not based on reason cannot continue indefinitely. The clergy in the church, in practice, acted contrary to the principles of true Christianity that is preached. This faith in the ideas of commitment to the universal Church a nd the universal rule. Original thinkers like Roger Bacon and Peter Abelard succeeded in weakening the intellectual authority of the church with new trails. Peter Abelard (1079 1142) considered it essential to apply the principles of reason to Scripture. In his view, the mysteries of Christianity are not taken for granted. They were examined in the light of reason and intelligence. Original thinkers like Roger Bacon and Peter Abelard succeeded in weakening the intellectual authority of the church with new trails. Peter Abelard (1079 1142) considered it essential to apply the principles of reason to Scripture. In his view, the mysteries of Christianity are not taken for granted. They were examined in the light of reason and intelligence. Another revolutionary thinker was Roger Bacon (1214-1294). Aristotle criticized the church severely. He agreed in the past, everything that was reasonable and worked patiently for the cause of the new spirit. With an open mind and the spirit of scien tific research, studied subjects like math, physics, natural sciences and philosophy. He had the vision to anticipate the latest invasions and wrote about the possibility of having a boat without oars, without draft animals, vehicles and flying machines. However, because of the bold approach of Bacon and original thought, he earned the enmity of the church, which was punished, and Peter Abelard. The Fall of Constantinople led to a widespread and systematic study of the Greek heritage. After Constantinople, the great center of civilization and culture, fell to the Ottoman Turks, the Greek scholars fled to various parts of Europe that emit the great ideas of ancient Greece. Thus, the enthusiasm for the study of the classics was injected into the minds of Europeans. (Pink Monkey, 2011) The rapid spread of ideas was made possible by the introduction of printing. A mid-15th century, Johannes Gutenberg was able to operate the first movable type in Mainz in Germany, where the

Research proposal in the public service (public services for example Essay

Research proposal in the public service (public services for example police, fire service etc...) - Essay Example are some of the important types of public services which a government arranges for the general public. With growing population, widening areas of services, growing public expectations, constant monitoring by the public and the media besides the government appointed regulatory mechanism the public services offices have come under severe pressure to perform well. The police services for example are now under pressure to sniff the terror plots being hatched by terrorists. In addition the crimes like online identity theft, internet banking frauds etc. are further addition to the list of crimes that the local police department is supposed to investigate. The manpower and resources on the other hand has not been match up with the exponential numbers and types of crimes. It is under such circumstances that at some places, question marks are being raised about the effectiveness of the public services. Discussions are also being held to figure out the possible remedial measures that could be taken up by the government/s to make such services more effective and efficient. The main intention of the study is to develop a better understanding of the concepts of public services in general and their effectiveness in these challenging times. During the study an effort would be made to study some of the recent incidents where the role of public services has been quite constructive. In addition, some such incidents will also be analysed where the role of public services has been criticised in the media or amongst the intelligentsia. The study will try to seek answers to the following key objectives. i. To analyze the availability of some pre-identified public services with respect to the numbers of people. This will involve comparison of per capita availability of such services in different regions. ii. What types of expectations do the general populace have from the government of the day iii. Find out the impact of public private cooperation in some fields. As a part of the corporate social responsibility, a number of corporate houses have also come forward in lending a helping hand to the people and the government. An effort would be made to assess how successful such associations proved in the recent past. iv. As responsible citizens we too have a responsibility towards the state and nation, which implies that we must allow the public service offices to function in an effective manner without hampering their cause or without burdening them with our irresponsible behaviour. An effort would therefore be to assess how conscious the citizens are towards their duty as responsible citizens in making the public services more effective. v. Analyse some of the public services like Fire services, police services, health services etc. This will be an effort to point out some areas which require attention in order to make such services more effective. Approach Research approaches and methods radically influence research content and, consequently, the policies designed in response to that content. If carried out in an objective manner, research not only helps the researcher in knowing about many unknown aspects, but it often provides a benchmark for future researches as well. This thesis is more of a qualitative case study which focuses on an

Thursday, October 17, 2019

The Influence of Technology on Contemporary Photographic Media Essay

The Influence of Technology on Contemporary Photographic Media Practice - Essay Example The emergence of such technologies as laptops, cell phones and digital cameras transforms the nature of media practices and opens new possibilities for 'citizen journalism' (Gillmor 2006). An average citizen receives a chance to publish unique videos and photographs on line neglecting strict censorship rules and privacy concerns. The problem is that "the production values of the image are hardly professional. What does matter is the utter authenticity of the image, made so by the fact that the man was there at the right time with the right media-creation gear" (Gillmor 2006). Following Bowman and Willis, people are not passive consumers at the mercy of technological instruments but active users of different technologies and mediums. Just because the average television is switched on for several hours a day does not mean it is being avidly watched (Peterson 87). Gillmor (2006) and Bowman and Willis (2003) call this process 'we media' underlining an increasing role of citizens in news creations. "Everything from eyewitness accounts and photo galleries to commentary and personal storytelling emerged to help people collectively grasp the confusion, anger and loss felt in the wake of the tragedy" (Bowman and Willis 7-8). Individual sites and blogs tend to focus on what a person wants to tell the visitor rather than responding to the visitor's requirements. Typical of this category is a focus on the way in which the blog is structured, photographic facilities and details. Audience-centric sites reflect the fact that many types of visitor will use the site and that their needs may be very different. A brief visit to a site of this type will give a clear picture of why it was constructed and which audiences are being targeted. Rosenblum (1997) underlines that new technologies allow an average citizen to manipulation public opinion and produce fals e images of news and public figures. This can lead to negative perception of journalism and photography in general (Peterson 87). Technology such as the video machine can also allow audiences to take more control over their viewing practices and shared video-watching can be used as a social event in itself. It can also be a way of gaining access to cultural resources unavailable on mainstream programming (or only shown unsociably late at night). Following Bowman and Willis (2003) "From a participatory journalism perspective, P2P [person-to-person] has enormous potential to distribute the content created by digital amateurs. One example is the recent emergence of P2P photo-sharing software programs" (31). Thus, interest in the use of media technologies and the process of consumption also opens up new questions about power, not the power of the media per se, but the social power structures within which consumption is embedded (Rosenblum 569). Web blogs and web sites are designed to gain a tangible advantage. While the nature of the WWW site gives an insight into the way the audience intends to use the Internet i t is only a snapshot of how far the strategy has evolved. The visual attractiveness of the site will still be important but the main concentration is on the quality of the content and facilities it provides (Peterson 87). The other problem is many amateurs do not want to be paid sharing unique images and photos for

Authority, Structure and Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Authority, Structure and Organization - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  board of directors plays a very rudimentary role in plan implementation. They formulate organization’s vision and mission. They audit all components of plan implementation.   The board of directors also ensures the planned strategy is effective and efficient. At the beginning of the process, they help the team, members in choosing the ideal course and direction. Similarly, they provide an overview of specific opportunities and planning process. After implementation program, they review all strategies to ensure consistency of the implementation plans and main aims. Additionally, they give planning teams insight on the current trends. Lastly, they evaluate opportunities and threats.This paper discusses that the executive leaders execute the strategies of implementation. They ensure there is clear communication between the implementation committee. In future consideration, the leaders make long-term and short-term goals. Also, they play a cru cial role in strategy implementation that helps the idea to become part of the organisation.   In the long run the leaders align, measure make plan implementable.  The committee addresses issues of quality when the plans are being implemented. They evaluate the plan and give a further recommendation on how to improve the quality. The committee also evaluates, provide a report and implement involvement. Furthermore, they help in developing action plans in the health sector.

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Research proposal in the public service (public services for example Essay

Research proposal in the public service (public services for example police, fire service etc...) - Essay Example are some of the important types of public services which a government arranges for the general public. With growing population, widening areas of services, growing public expectations, constant monitoring by the public and the media besides the government appointed regulatory mechanism the public services offices have come under severe pressure to perform well. The police services for example are now under pressure to sniff the terror plots being hatched by terrorists. In addition the crimes like online identity theft, internet banking frauds etc. are further addition to the list of crimes that the local police department is supposed to investigate. The manpower and resources on the other hand has not been match up with the exponential numbers and types of crimes. It is under such circumstances that at some places, question marks are being raised about the effectiveness of the public services. Discussions are also being held to figure out the possible remedial measures that could be taken up by the government/s to make such services more effective and efficient. The main intention of the study is to develop a better understanding of the concepts of public services in general and their effectiveness in these challenging times. During the study an effort would be made to study some of the recent incidents where the role of public services has been quite constructive. In addition, some such incidents will also be analysed where the role of public services has been criticised in the media or amongst the intelligentsia. The study will try to seek answers to the following key objectives. i. To analyze the availability of some pre-identified public services with respect to the numbers of people. This will involve comparison of per capita availability of such services in different regions. ii. What types of expectations do the general populace have from the government of the day iii. Find out the impact of public private cooperation in some fields. As a part of the corporate social responsibility, a number of corporate houses have also come forward in lending a helping hand to the people and the government. An effort would be made to assess how successful such associations proved in the recent past. iv. As responsible citizens we too have a responsibility towards the state and nation, which implies that we must allow the public service offices to function in an effective manner without hampering their cause or without burdening them with our irresponsible behaviour. An effort would therefore be to assess how conscious the citizens are towards their duty as responsible citizens in making the public services more effective. v. Analyse some of the public services like Fire services, police services, health services etc. This will be an effort to point out some areas which require attention in order to make such services more effective. Approach Research approaches and methods radically influence research content and, consequently, the policies designed in response to that content. If carried out in an objective manner, research not only helps the researcher in knowing about many unknown aspects, but it often provides a benchmark for future researches as well. This thesis is more of a qualitative case study which focuses on an

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Authority, Structure and Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Authority, Structure and Organization - Essay Example From this study it is clear that  board of directors plays a very rudimentary role in plan implementation. They formulate organization’s vision and mission. They audit all components of plan implementation.   The board of directors also ensures the planned strategy is effective and efficient. At the beginning of the process, they help the team, members in choosing the ideal course and direction. Similarly, they provide an overview of specific opportunities and planning process. After implementation program, they review all strategies to ensure consistency of the implementation plans and main aims. Additionally, they give planning teams insight on the current trends. Lastly, they evaluate opportunities and threats.This paper discusses that the executive leaders execute the strategies of implementation. They ensure there is clear communication between the implementation committee. In future consideration, the leaders make long-term and short-term goals. Also, they play a cru cial role in strategy implementation that helps the idea to become part of the organisation.   In the long run the leaders align, measure make plan implementable.  The committee addresses issues of quality when the plans are being implemented. They evaluate the plan and give a further recommendation on how to improve the quality. The committee also evaluates, provide a report and implement involvement. Furthermore, they help in developing action plans in the health sector.

José Rizal Essay Example for Free

Josà © Rizal Essay Jose left Calamba for Binan to study under the instruction of Maestro Justaniano Aquino Cruz. His days in school were full of memories and It is where he develop his skills in painting and the arts of wrestling. He was also the best student in their school. Jose surpassed all the Binan boys. It contributed for the love of independence in Jose. At that tender age, he was able to control himself. Although he was struck by homesickness but diverted the feeling of nostalgia in developing talents and focused more in his academic studies. I remember when I was in my elementary years. Sometimes, I was left alone by my parents. I just use my time by coloring books and playing with my friends. This activity helps me in identifying colors and building harmonious relationship with others. December 1871 Jose went to Calamba, his home town, where he was welcomed home by his parents, brothers, and sisters. He also spent his Christmas in Calamba. He was given a chance to celebrate with his family the Christmas on 1871. He even shared his experience in Binan. Christmas and other holidays would be merrier when we spend it with our family especially when we exchanges jokes and stories. January 1872  The Cavity Mutiny flared up, followed by the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora on February 17th. Paciano was deeply affected with the execution of his friend. As a sympathy and protest against the injustice of Spanish authorities, he quit studies and went back to Calamba. This was the period when Jose’s determination to consecrate his life to combat the evil forces of his times despite of his tender age. As a Filipino, I too, is greatly affected by this event because it shows injustice and racial discrimination because Filipino priest were considered inferior and given limited assignments. They were not allowed to hold parishes. June 1872 The hero’s mother was accused and arrested on malicious charge that she aided her brother, Jose Alberto, in trying to poison Alberto’s wife. She was forced to walk on foot from Calamba to Santa Cruz. Jose Rizal experienced the injustice of the Spanish authorities. This event in his life was inculcated in his mind and opened his eyes to reality and dreamed to have equality between Filipinos and Spaniards before the law. This event shows how Spaniards manipulate justice for their own benefit. This will also leave a message to the reader not to trust anyone be June 1872 to 1873 Jose entered Ateneo Municipal. He was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon promoted and kept on being promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the end of the term he obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in the examinations. . He had reason to feel proud of his advancement; and so when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see his mother in the prison and tell her the happy news. Jose shows that he can do better even when he is Second year in Ateneo (1873 to 1874) The second year, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year; but instead of lodging outside the City, he resided at No. 6 Calle Magallanes. At the end of the term he obtained a medal, and upon returning to his town, he again visited his mother in jail alone. This was three months before her release. Third year in Ateneo (1874-1875) Rizal family was happy because Dona Teodora was released from prison however, Rizal returned dissatisfied to his hometown because he only won one medal. He failed to win a medal in Spanish because his spoken Spanish was not that fluent. A Spaniard who delivered Spanish with fluency and right accentuation defeated him. He studied harder this year and regained his leadership composure and became an emperor again. Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1876) Rizal obtained five medals, which pleased him immensely because with them I could repay my father somewhat for his sacrifices. Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877) Rizal was considered as â€Å"the pride of the Jesuits† because he was the most brilliant Atenean of his times.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Analysis of the International Accounting Standards on Inventory

Analysis of the International Accounting Standards on Inventory This eassy mainly introduced the information about the International Accounting standards of Inventory(IAS 2). First, we introduced the background of the IAS 2; then we discussed the major requirements of the standards and the importance of these requirements; after that we critically evaluate the IAS 2. Background The IASs, International Accounting Standards, which issued with the IASC setting up in 1973, are the common standards followed by accountancy bodies. Then, the IASB with new accounting standards (IFRS) and more member countries was founded to replace the IASC. Both of the two committees concerned with the regulation improvement and global harmonisation of international accounting. Inventory valuation plays a vital role in the profit calculation and assets valuation process. However, method differences and controversy still exist in stock valuation among different companies. In terms of that, a consistent benchmark seems necessary to eliminate them and compare companies profit on the same basis. IAS 2 is such an international standard to offer regulation and method for inventory. Its first draft of Valuation and Presentation of Inventories came out in 1974, and was brought into the IAS one year later. The former standard of stock (IAS 2(1993)) set up in 1993 and it took effect on the date of January 1st 1995. Since IASB replaced of IASC, the modified version was published in 2003 and it took effect in 2005. Aiming to obtain the accurate calculation result of cost and subsequently expense of inventory, IAS2 mainly concern with the write-down to Net Realizable Value. In order to allocate cost to stocks, it provides cost principle as well. To be more specific, IAS2 classifies that the inventory includes finished products, goods in process and raw material. Furthermore, it also contains measurement of inventory, fundamental principle of IAS2, write-down to Net Realizable Value, expense recognition and the required disclosures as well. Requirements and importance of IAS 2 There are many requirements of the inventories in International Accounting Standard, in terms of IAS 2 regulate how to analysis the cost of inventories, how to measure inventories, how to assign inventories etc. The first requirement is that the cost of inventories is the total cost to deliver inventories to their present location and condition. According to IAS 2 (2005) cost of inventories shall comprise all costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition. The second requirement of IAS 2 is that inventories should be measured at the lower of net realisable value and cost on an item by item basis Once measured, the lower of net realisable value and cost must be used as an asset in the balance sheet. When the inventories net realizable value below its cost, it means that the future economic benefits will less than its carrying amount, which are brought to the companies by inventories. Therefore this part of the loss should be deducted from the value of assets, and included in accounting subjects of current profit and loss. Otherwise, there will be the phenomenon of virtual assets. Thus, we should use the lower of the net realisable value and cost in the stocktaking process. The third requirement of IAS 2 is that the cost of inventories should be assigned by using the First-in First-out (FIFO) or weighted average cost formula unless there are some special inventories. IAS 2 does not require that the fairest possible approximation to the cost should be reflected by the formula used. Therefore, the Standard gives the FIFO, as well as the weighted average cost formula for free choice. Accounting to Wikipedia (2009), FIFO is an abstraction ways of organizing and manipulation of data relative to time and prioritization. This method describes the principle of what comes in first should be handled first, what comes in next waits until the first is finished. FIFO is the formula, which is frequently-used, to bear the cost of inventories which are out and which are still in. Weighted average cost formula is easier than others, also when the market price rising up or falling down, this formula is easy to calculate the average unit cost of inventories, in order to s hare the cost of inventory is more trade-offs and objective. Options IAS 2 offers some optional rules for companies to choose. These options, to a certain extent, affect the internationally implement of IAS. The following essay will list three primary options. Firstly, IAS 2 stipulates two alternative formulas for measuring the cost of inventories, which are first in, first out (FIFO) and weighted average. FIFO assumes that goods sold are those produced earlier. That is to say, the cost of inventories is those produced later. This approach may lead to underestimate cost and overestimate gross profit in the year of inflation. Weighted average is the average cost of all units currently in stock at the time of reporting. (kcsi) IAS 2 is not mandatory for which formulas companies should choose. Obviously, these two optional formulas would measure different cost of inventories. Secondly, IAS 2 stipulates that normally expenditure incurred is not recognized as cost of inventories. Nevertheless, IAS 2 supplies option of including some expense of inventories or not in the cost. For example, it is appropriate that non-productive indirect expense could be part of the cost of inventories if they are for special projects. Apart from that borrowing cost of inventories could be included in the cost under special circumstances. Thirdly, there are two optional techniques in the inventories cost measurement, standard cost method and retail method. IAS 2 requests retail industry use retail method to measuring the cost of inventories. However, other industry could apply either retail or standard cost method, which may result in discrepancy between companies that use different methods. Applicability At present, IAS 2 is widely implemented in Asia and Europe, while US GAAP plays a significant role in North America. This becomes a critical restriction factor of the applicability of IAS 2 internationally. Most stock exchanges in the world incline that quote companies should treat IAS 2 as financial report benchmark. It could improve the transparency and reliability of inventories information if listed companies apply IAS 2. Besides, more and more multinational corporations apply IAS 2 on their own, such as Air France, Nestle and Adidas. Owning to multinational corporations have companies in more than one country, it would be convenient for parent companies to consolidate statement if parent and subsidiary companies all implement IAS 2. Although IAS 2 has been applied by most countries worldwide, during the process of applicability IAS 2 internationally, some deficiencies still have arisen inevitably. Take net realizable value as an example. IAS 2 prescribes it as the estimated selling price in the ordinary course of business less the estimated costs of completion and the estimated costs necessary to make the sale(Birzeit Consulting). With regard to costs of completion and costs necessary to make the sale, IAS 2 does not list exact items, which implies lacking comparability between companies. The defects cause that some countries apply their own national accounting standard which are related to their national conditions. Opportunities for creative accounting The item inventory plays a significant role in companies operation and financial performance since it is not only determines the computation of profit, but also impacts the valuation of assets which displayed on the balance sheet. IAS 2 probably is a comprehensive guidance which prescribes systematic accounting treatments for inventory in terms of the determination of inventorys cost, the recognition of correlative expense, and the formulas for assigning costs to inventory. Despite the constraint of IAS 2, it is acknowledged that there are several stratagems for those unethical companies to manipulate their valuation of inventory, thereby expressing a fictitious favourable performance to the authorities and public. A study from Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) described that there is no area of accounting provides more opportunities for subjectivity and creative accounting than the valuation of inventory. More precisely, because of the close relationship between the inventories and revenues, companies often tend to inflate their revenues by overstating the value of inventories which is a direct and effective measure. There are a number of approaches to manipulate the value of inventory and those methods are mainly categorized into three aspects which are time horizon, NRV and overhead. Firstly, because IAS 2 do not have detailed guidance in respect of time dimension, companies usually like to employ tricks at the end of fiscal year by utilizing cut-off procedures. Assume that goods are delivered to a company at the last day of fiscal year 200X but the invoice date is at the first day of next fiscal year. In this situation, the company probably takes the goods into inventory immediately but not records the purchase invoice. The premature recording of inventory leads to the automatic increase of revenue which displays a false boost on the financial report. Furthermore, companies can falsify a transfer of non-existent inventory at the year-end which is difficult to confirm by auditors. Thus, the overstated value of inventory will generate from these fictitious in transit inventories. Secondly, IAS 2 adopted a specific method which is use the lower figure of net reliable value and cost to measure inventory. This measurement concerned the true value of inventory in a large extent and let this valuation reflects the real market appropriately; on the other hand, it also provides opportunities for frauds because the calculation of NRV is largely depends on accountants anticipations. More specifically, it is obvious that the extent of provisions should be reduce to NRV are highly subjective and manipulative. Just like Barry Elliott argued that a provision is an effective smoothing device and allows overcautious write-downs to be made in profitable years and consequent write-backs in unprofitable ones. Thirdly, although IAS 2 provides guidelines for allocating appropriate overhead into the cost of inventory, the distinctions between diverse of overhead are still hardly to be distinguished exactly. Companies might find opportunities of manipulation and include those overhead which indirectly attributable to production in the inventory valuation, thereby differing the influence of overhead and so rising profits. Weaknesses and Improvement Overall, the statements about the inventory at the International Accounting Standards (IAS) are understandable and comprehensive. However, it seems that problems still obviously exist in the inventory standards. Firstly, the calculation methods for the same industry are not unified. Although IAS2 has cancelled LIFO method, two different methods are still available: FIFO and weighted average method. Different methods of calculation will produce different results. Thus, it makes no sense for the companies of the same industry to compare the ratio results. Therefore, the standard should be more detailed. First, it should select the most appropriate measurement based on the characteristics and nature of various industries. Second, it should be clearly defined that all the companies in the same industry should adopt the same measurement method. These two measures help to eliminate difference, and subsequently to promote development of harmonisation. Secondary, it offers the opportunities for creative accounting. There are many cases about listed companies involved in the stock fraud, and the most famous one is the U.S. Fallmos case. Its creativer Monas first get a pharmacy located in Ohio, and in the subsequent decades, he acquired another 299 stores, then he formulated a company called Fallmo. Unfortunately, all of these brilliants are fraud based on the overestimation of the inventory. Such a fraud ultimately led to the bankruptcy of Monash and his company as well. At the same time, the Big Five firm who provided audit services to it also lost millions of dollars. From these cases, it seems that fraud happened owing to the inadequate inventory management system. In order to prevent companies from cheating by inventory, the standards should require the audit firm to check the companys inventories regularly. The third one is that the International Accounting Standards failed to keep pace with the times process. With the development of enterprises, it generates a lot of new inventory management methods, such as the Just-In-Time (JIT) method. JIT originated from Toyoda in Japan, it was created by Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota, his son Kiichiro Toyoda and the engineer Taiichi Ohno. Toyota implemented the Kanban management which runs with the physical. For example, when an order which includes the requirements of the delivery time is proposed, Toyotas workers entered these information on the Kanban. The ordering department get the ordering information through Kanban and give the new order to the production department through Kanban, and so forth; all orders will be connected to the entire department. Aiming to eliminate waste, reduce costs and improve economic efficiency, its core is to seek a non-stock production system or to minimize inventory production system. In that case, it is the reverse order of the traditional mode which product first then looking for customers. Although the demands of JIT are high, many companies have adopted this approach, such as Dell Inc. In the JIT, the zero inventory is the main goal. Thus, the traditional methods such as FIFO and weighted average method lost the meaning of their existence, and the traditional fields of the closing stock inventory system and the perpetual inventory system also appears to be meaningless.