Microsoft And Government Essays - Egalitarianism, Social Inequality

Microsoft And Government The economic system of the United States is modeled after the theory of capitalism. "Capitalism supports free enterprise - private business operating without government regulation (Janda 22)." The United States does regulate private businesses. Sometimes special circumstances arise which threaten to weaken the overall economic stability of the country. In order to sufficiently deal with these situations, the United States government has passed many laws granting certain groups the authority to bring attention to and to stop the threat. This is extremely important in terms of its effects on individuals. It protects the freedoms of individuals, maintains order and stability, and attempts to promote equality. One example of the ability of the United States government to interfere with the natural progression of the American capitalist society, is the existence of antitrust laws. These laws regulate certain actions of individuals, trusts, corps, and combinations of corps in an attempt to prevent or forcibly end a monopoly (Gilbert 21). Since 1989, Microsoft has been repeatedly accused of violating antitrust laws. Many times these accusations have led to an antitrust case being filed against Microsoft. These antitrust laws and law suits are extremely important. Despite the verdicts of the cases, antitrust laws served their purpose - to maintain the balance of the concepts of freedom, order, and equality. Freedom is one of the three main concepts that government must pursue for its people. Freedom has two main contexts in which it is used which are freedom of and freedom from. "Freedom of is the absence of constraints on behavior; it means freedom to do something (Janda 10)." These types of freedoms guarantee individuals certain liberties such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, and all other civil liberties. These individual liberties are extremely important in a democracy. "Freedom from . . . suggests immunity from fear and want." Freedom from is also important in a democracy. It guarantees that certain things cannot be done to anyone (Janda 10). This is important because it places limits on the powers of the government. Another duty that government must pursue is maintaining order. Order is "the rule of law to preserve life and protect property. Maintaining order is the oldest purpose of government (Janda A31)." There is also a third aspect associated with the idea of order. This is a belief in maintaining traditional patterns of social relationships. Both the preservation of life and the protection of property are pursued in similar ways. The most common ways in which the government attempts to maintain order are through government legislation, interpretation of the law, and enforcement of the law. The final aspect of order is maintaining traditional patterns of social behavior, also called social order. "Social order refers to established patterns of authority in society and to traditional modes of behavior (Janda 20)." Social order is, therefore, what society feels is right. For this reason, social order is largely maintained by the society in question along with the government. As the values, beliefs, ideas, etc of a society gradually change over time, the social order will change as well. Even though the social order is continuously changing, it is not upset. The norms of the society change, butthe change is gradual. The social order is upset when there is a sudden change in some value, belief, idea, etc of a large number of the people within a society that is in contrast with the norm of the society and causes the whole society to forget the original social order in order to argue and put an end to the new "untraditional" values, beliefs, ideas, etc that oppose the old societal norm. Order is a concept that applies to all systems. Most of these systems use a completely unique way of maintaining order. Similarly, different areas that humans try to maintain order within may have other natural ways to better maintain its order. This is why the government must work very hard in order to maintain order; it must decide whether government intervention is needed or whether allowing the natural course of events is appropriate to maintain order in the most proficient way. The last concept that is essential for government to pursue is equality. The concept of equality has many different senses in which it can be used. In terms of what government should pursue, there are two main types of equality, political equality and social equality. Political equality is defined as "each citizen has one and only one vote (Janda 14)." The fact that all citizens have one and only one vote is

buy custom International Financial Reporting Standards essay

buy custom International Financial Reporting Standards essay IFRS are the most applied accounting principles all over the world. More than 10000 companies in 114 countries have embraced the use of the IFRS standards in one way or another, and an increasing number of countries are adopting the principles every year with a reason of enhancing the comparability of various financial statements. This will thus enable investors globally to trade their wealth in bonds, best stocks and a variety of financial instruments available (IASB, 2009). IFRS have been implemented and adopted as the major requirements for all countries. This is because it outlines the basis used for accounting and reporting in most companies. The European Union companies listed on the stock exchange were required to report all their financial data following the IFRS from 2005. India and Canada wanted to ensure that all their companies adopted the IFRS principles by the year 2011 (IASB, 2009). More countries are voluntarily adopting the IFRS because of gains like higher economic growth and increased accessibility to foreign capital. The other benefits include improved transparency, accountability, quality, and comparability of the various financial statements that will later result in lower cost of preparation of these financial statements. It also aid in making investment decisions (Abbas Mirza 2011, p. 68) The adoption of IFRS standards in other countries have lead to critical analysis of how to carry out costs- benefits analysis. The voluntary adoption of IFRS standards by some firms has some effects, which could be either positive or negative. A group of scholars examining German firms which adopted IFRS accounting standards found out that these firms experienced low bid-ask spreads and a more improved turnover compared to firms who were using German GAAP accounting standards. Studies performed on mandatory IFRS reporting analyzed the effects brought about the introduction of these accounting principles. Earlier studies carried out by scholars tried to find out whether the implementation of IFRS in EU has benefits or costs to various firms In relation to their stock market views (Krishna Palepu 2007, p. 76). The scholars found an insignificant, negative market view to the adoption sequences. Firms, which were audited by the Big Five Auditor, showed increase in their market reactions after the implementation of the IFRS. When another study was conducted based on the capital market effects of IFRS introduction, it was found out that market liquidity increased by almost 5% as compared to market liquidity of 3% prior to adoption (Abbas Mirza, 2011). The firms also showed a decrease in their costs of capital and the increase in gross equity valuations, which were measured in Tobins q. These benefits, however, according to the case study, exists in nations which have strict policy enforcement regimes and in environments that booster developed reporting incentives. The magnitude of the benefits usually exceed the effects or consequences for mandatory adopters of IFSR standards, meaning that unlike voluntary adopters, mandatory adopters never gain in terms of market liquidity in the IFRS mandate. As the mandatory adopters of IFRS policy already uses the policy in reporting, the explanation for this outcome is that the mandatory adopters pass positive externalities on the voluntary adopters through increasing a class of comparable firms, which will later result in enhanced risk-sharing over a wider pool of investors. As the voluntary adopters have good reporting policies to reckon with, they are also required to be responsive to various institutional changes, hence indicating that they have larger and more pronounced effects than mandatory adopters (Abbas Mirza 2011, p. 66). Today, there is no tangible proof that the changes in the internal environment of a firm are wholly responsible for the realized capital market outcomes. Countries with poorly developed legal framework and reporting incentives, firm value, and market liquidity will remain unchanged under the IFRS mandate. Moreover, the consequences on forced implementation are highly recognizable in countries with high GAAP and IFRS disparities together with developed and efficient reporting incentives (Abbas Mirza 2011, p. 66). The evidence suggests that the existing strength in the countries formulation regimes and the firms reporting incentives usually play a great role for capital-market effects. The findings reported therefore, indicated that there is a positive relationship between capital-market results and IFRS adoption. There is still, however, a considerable heterogeneity as regards the consequences across firms and even countries. In addition, with the results from voluntary adoption, there is no clarity as to what extent the effects so far documented can be linked to IFRS- disparities in accounting standards and principles per se. The cost-benefit analysis (CBA) of IFRS implementation in most countries deals with analyzing the cost incurred and benefits gained by the affected (users and preparers). The cost-benefit analysis done in Europe concerning the implementation of IFRS is also applicable in studying the potential implementation of the IFRS in the USA. What needs to be considered first is that US economy together with its internal institutional framework is different in several ways (Thomas, et. al. 2008, p. 66). Therefore, even if we consider IFRS implementation and the resulting benefits in other countries, it is not necessarily true or applicable to the US. The dilemma is therefore, to ascertain as to whether the switching of GAAP to IFRS will change the quality of US corporate financial reporting or not. Assessment of the compatibility of these standards with vital features of the USA internal framework like taxation and litigation is important. Later, we need to explain the relevance or importance o f the already existing IFRS/US and GAAP accounting disparities. Lastly, a need to discuss the diverse macroeconomic shocks like the impact it has on US capital markets competitiveness, service providers, foreign direct investments, and trade flows is important (Thomas, et. al. 2008, p. 67). The adoption of IFRS in the US was arrived by the decision of US Securities and Exchange Commission. However, the adoption of these principles in summary is that it enhances high quality reporting and increased efficiency during the preparation of the vital financial statements (Abbas Mirza 2011, p. 66). The benefits of reporting vary greatly across various companies, markets, and countries. The importance of adoption of IFRS standards in the USA cannot be underestimated. The reason is that IFRS will bring comparability benefits for ll US investors and firms. These stated effects result from the greater adopting of universally accepted accounting standards and not due to the fact that IFRS is better or worse than GAAP rules adopted in the United States. The comparability benefit to most US investors and firms is that USA is a large country with a developed economy (Thomas, et. al., 2008). Comparability benefits could be much more pronounced in small economies with fewer firms. Another reason is that industries and countries do have a lot of incentives in order to carry out the implementation of IFRS standards in some methods that is commensurate to the institutional infrastructure and can meet the required needs of the stakeholders (Commerce Clearing House, 1964). Thus, the cost benefits analysis of the implementation of IFRS standards in the US shows that the benefits tend to be limited. The impact of the implementation of IFRS in the United States shows that the costs will be born by the firms especially in their reporting costs, the reporting system, and supporting infrastructure. There seems to be a transitional cost to be born by the US firms if they fully embrace the IFRS standards. Certain US firms like multinationals are likely to experience costs savings from the adoption of the IFRS since they can be able to use single system of reporting in their operations globally (Thomas, et. al., 2008). Despite the wide acceptance of IFRS standards worldwide, they cannot be used for tax purposes and statutory reporting. Hence, the amount of costs savings to multinationals depend on the future application of IFRS in order to carry statutory reporting worldwide and the general acceptance of the American GAAP in foreign settings (Commerce Clearing House, 1964). Based on the cost benefit analysis, IFRS adoption in the USA involves a trade off between- short-term transition costs to the new system, comparability benefits, and recurring cost savings of a particular reporting which normally face most US multinationals. The specific effect, however, is not as direct as it depends on time and discount factor employed in the cost benefit analysis. The effects of adopting IFRS causes redistribution effects across service providers and firms. There would be also effects from comparability facing trade flows, foreign direct investments, and portfolio flows. These effects directly are linked to the magnitude of comparability features and the specific future use of IFRS for the sake of statutory reporting globally (Abbas Mirza 2011, p. 66). IFRS implementation in the USA have political benefits, too, as it reflects USS willingness to show corporation internationally. The main political cost, however, is that most countries have different financial reporting requirements as regards their existing differences more and thus in their institutional framework likely to influence IASB directly towards their specific goals. This will lead to standards that are not suited for the American accounting environment. Hence, IASB reforms should have to be followed by the American firms. Implementation of IFRS in the US can also affect the cost of capital. The issue is that investors usually require their returns got from less liquid securities. Better disclosure when using IFRS may also lead to lowering of the investors risks, for example, it enables the investors to project future cash flows. The effect can drastically reduce the required rate of return of a given security and the market risk premium in the whole economy. Moreover, improved disclosure escalates the risk sharing in the economy. This could be by informing the investor community of existence of certain securities or attracting them to purchase more of these securities, which in turn reduces the costs of capital (Walton 2009, p. 15). IFRS, when implemented, will improve the corporate decision-making as it enhances the efficiency of investment decisions made by most firms. The main concept is that IFRS will reduce the various information asymmetries that could have negatively paralyzed the raising of external capital. For example, the highly developed reporting will facilitate or enhance evaluation by investors and financial analysts, which can then result in reducing the inefficiencies in managerial decisions. Another benefit of IFRS implementation can positively affect the decision-making and help curtail agency issues in the firm. For example, the reporting of operating performances and various governance arrangements can provide a very good benchmark that assists external investors to assess and evaluate different firms managerial efficiency. IFRS implementation in the US will improve the comparability of US firms performance with other firms in other states or even countries. It will be less costly and easier for investors to make comparisons across firms, which enhances the usefulness of corporate reporting. Comparability in reporting enhances the investors ability to differentiate between profitable and less profitable firms or high risk and low risk firms. This reduces information asymmetry existing among investors and thereby lowering the estimation risk. Increased comparability can also lead to increased market liquidity and lower the firms costs of capital. Comparability in reporting also can lead to facilitation of cross-border investment and capital markets integration. Foreign investors are able to carry out investment activities in the national firms, which will also improve the liquidity of various capital markets and expand the firms investor base hence, lowering the cost of capital, and improving risk sharing (Thomas, et. al., 2008, p. 64). Cost benefit analysis of IFRS implementation in the United States shows that it will improve the corporate decisions. Most comparable reports enable firms to make informed decisions and come up with relevant investment options because of a better and deeper understanding of other competing firms within and outside US. Firms, which have adopted IFRS standards, can efficiently enter into contract with their customers and suppliers in other countries. It may also enable the companies to bid easily on various government contracts elsewhere. Adoption of IFRS standards makes the firms to increase their linkages or networks with other firms. Firms with comparable financial reports will enhance their two-way communication networks in financial reporting linkages, which increase the network value to investors and firms. As the network increases, the other individual firms adoption of IFRS makes other firms to experience externalities. Other firms will gain from the individual firms reportinng standards choices. Nevertheless, firms may not be in a position to consider the positive externalities that could arise from their individual reporting options (Commerce Clearing House, 1964). In sum, provided the quality and the advanced nature of US GAAP connected with developed reporting strategy and market;-oriented policies in effect, the IFRS adoptions is less likely to bring positive changes in the quality of US reporting standards any further. Therefore, it would become extremely difficult to substantiate the eventual move to IFRS policies on the basis or grounds of reporting standard consequences and the related capital-market benefits, which we have so far discussed. Besides, there is less likelihood of limits as to what extent the cost of capital and market liquidity can be improved due to reporting quality advancement. Such limitations are more pronounced for USA where the reporting standards are already high. Costs consequences of implementation of IFRS in the USA can also be felt in the transition costs. IFRS implementation requires the shedding off the existing policy and implementing the required policy. Firms will be required to bring adjustments to their initial accounting systems and procedures that requires substantial amount of money (Commerce Clearing House, 1964). During the first year, upon the publication of IFRS reports, the firms will be required to provide one-year comparative information prior to the implementation of IFRS standards. Moreover, firms will be required to train all their accounting, financial and managerial employees in the eventual preparation of these IFSR statements and to make the stakeholders and investors to be conversant with IFRS rules (Wolfgang Piera, 2010). The breakdown will include, but not limited to, hiring external specialists because of insufficient internal knowledge and proficiency of IFRS, planning conference meetings and road shows. These transition costs will result in increased revenues or incomes for auditing and financial reporting advisory boards. This means that there will be a financial drain from the firms to finance these advisory firms (Commerce Clearing House, 1964). The most important thing to understand is that these costs are usually incurred by firms, which, for the first time, start using the IFRS rules. The costs will pose a strong financial drain to the comp0anies as it involves hiring third parties to facilitate the training of personnel and updating of the existing US/GAAP to the recommended IFRS. IFRS also affects state and federal industries like telecommunications, utilities, and financial institutions that provide statements of financial position to regulators. For example, the necessary capital requirements for most financial institutions are always determined by using US.GAAP financial statements (Walton, 2009). In addition, a transition to IFRS may require a consistent evaluation of given implicit and explicit contracts together with accounting numbers (D'Atri et. al. 2010, p. 43). A transition to IFRS in the short-run run affects managerial compensation policies which are tied to the reported after tax earnings performance and debt covenants. Therefore, transition cost in the US is expected to be greater and expected to have fixed cost component that will eventually negatively affect the smaller firms. It is not easy to determine accurately the transition costs per firm due to numerous numbers of firms in the US (Wolfgang Piera, 2010). According to data on 2005 EU IFRS transition, it will be much easier to estimate the initial preparation costs and expenses of IFRS financial statements (consolidated) for listed firms. The estimates indicate that the per-firm projections from 0.31% of all the total sales for US firms with sales revenue of more than$700 million up to 0.05% of all the gross sales revenue for bigger firms. From these estimates, it is observed that the transition cost would total up to $ 8 billion in US alone. This estimates, however, does not include financial institutions in which their gross sales are not available or not economical. The costs are also projected to escalate if the Stock Exchange Commission needs all firms to furnish them the IFRS reports inclusive of reconciliations to the US/GAAP (Walton 2009, p. 15). The cost benefit analysis of the implementation of IFRS in the US also reflects recurring costs. However, single time costs of conversion are less certain to be useful, they individually are unlikely to support sustaining the existing US.GAAP policy. If there exists benefits generated from the IFRS that always recur and are substantially huge, they, at last will outweigh the initial costs (D'Atri et. al. 2010, p. 43). Therefore, it is imperative to ask if there exist any crucial recurrent costs from IFRS implementation, since they will change the cost-benefit tradeoff. Since the US.GAAP consist of a comprehensive class of rules, it is less likely that about the continuing basis the direct costs for IFRS preparation may be more than those under the current system. If there is anything to go by, an individual can argue in the sense that the said direct costs and other expenses can decline due to the less complex nature of IFRS (D'Atri et. al. 2010, p.43). US firms undertaking their business operations worldwide may see that the cost savings realized from utilizing a single stream of regulations and standards for financial reporting purposes is more important. The foreign companies undertaking their operations in the US must comply with the existing domestic standards for statutory reporting and tax purposes. In conclusion, the journey towards the implementation of the IFRS policies is long and difficult but the Stock Exchange Commission has given companies more time to adjust. Once implemented, the benefits experienced will far outweigh the costs. Therefore, it is very wise for all companies in the US to embrace the new accounting standards, which not only will it, enhance investor confidence, but will increase the performance of the organizations. The case studies of success stories I have mentioned in the earlier paragraphs should be a motivation to companies and US firms to adopt these policies. It is therefore, the work of the Stock Exchange Commission to adjust time element so that all the companies can gradually cope up (Catty 2010, p. 43). The discussion in itself reveals that besides the benefits that companies will reap from embracing the IFRS standards, there will also be some costs to incur. Since the costs are less than the cumulative benefits, then the decision criteria is t hat the companies should adopt and fully implement the IFRS guidelines in their day to day preparations of all financial statements. Buy custom International Financial Reporting Standards essay

The Strategic Role of Human Resources Management in the Organization Essay

The Strategic Role of Human Resources Management in the Organization - Essay Example On the same lines, Mayer (2008) defined strategy as the actions that are undertaken by the organization to achieve success and competitive advantage in the market place. The human resources are the most important driving forces that affect the performance level of the organization and make the attainment of competitive advantage possible for the organization. The lack of consideration for the human resources department in the decision making of the organization creates differences between the execution and strategic plans; it is required to include the human resources department in the formulation of strategies so that the employees can be managed in a fitting manner. SHRM cannot be understood or addressed in a complete manner unless HRM is explained; therefore the reasons of inadequacy of the traditional HRM have been explained in the following section. 2.1 Reasons of Inadequacy of Traditional HRM Mayer (2008) stated that traditional human resource management mainly focuses at the d ay-to-day functioning of the organization thereby reducing the focus on the long term objectives of the organization. Taylor (2005) pointed out that HRM adopts a people-centered approach that diminishes the focus on the real business needs of the organization. The role of HRM, in other words, people management seems to be limited to the management of the following four objectives; staffing, performance, change management and administration. Human resource managers lack the knowledge about the business needs therefore the policies and procedures are not aligned with the direction and overall vision of the organization. It is due to these reasons that the prefix ‘strategic’ has been added to the idea of human... The Strategic Role of Human Resources Management in the Organization Earlier, human resource management was considered to be a mechanism to manage the people, policies and routine procedures in the organization. It bore no greater relevance than this paradigm. Human resource management was often reversibly used for personnel management or people management. It is due to the passage of years that the field of human resource management has evolved and its horizon has broadened. The demanding needs of the current markets and dynamic customer behaviours make it necessary for the human resource management to be aligned with the strategic goals and plans of the organization. The isolation of these aspects creates a gap between the execution of the goals and management of the company’s resources. The evolution in the field of HRM has made it come out of its narrow scope and has created the concept of strategic human resource management (SHRM). The traditional human resource management was considered to be ‘people management’ that mainly involved the basic HR functions of administration, staffing, controlling etc. The field of business has changed with time and people have become important assets in the competing world. Strategic human resource management promotes the amalgamation of HR practices with the organizational goals so that the human resources can be managed and hence directed towards the attainment of the objectives.

Computer crime Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer crime - Article Example My personal security and information is protected under the various provisions of the U.S. constitution and I am not just about to surrender it to the FBI based upon a court order. The FBI has it all wrong, the citizens of America do not pose a threat to national security in general. But they are creating situations wherein the actions of the very government that was sworn to protect our interests, become the very threat to our national security. In fact, â€Å"...a group of prominent computer security experts argues that mandating â€Å"back doors† in online communications products is likely to compromise the security of Americans’ computers and could even pose a threat to national security. â€Å" (Lee, 2013). Would there be any reason for the FBI to legally intercept my electronic communications and spy on my internet activity? I believe that the only reasons that should be allowed would be if the person being surveilled is a foreigner on American soil who hails fr om a known terrorist country. If that person, or any American for that matter, proves to have some sort of terrorist leanings as evidenced by his offline activities, or, if the person is a known activist or perceived terrorist threat listed in other international terrorist warning lists. There is absolutely no reason in my book to surveille any average American citizen based on the assumption that he is a potential threat. According to Sanchez (2013), â€Å"The FBI’s misguided proposal would impose costly burdens on thousands of companies (and threaten to entirely kill those whose business model centers on providing highly secure encrypted communications), while making cloud solutions less attractive to businesses and users. It would aid totalitarian governments eager to spy on their citizens while distorting business decisions about software design. Perhaps worst of all, it would treat millions of law-abiding users with legitimate security needs as presumed criminals â€⠀ while doing little to hamper actual criminals. â€Å"It is upon those beliefs that I would not support any legislation to monitor private citizens on the internet if I were a legislator. Sources Lee, T. (2013). How the FBI's online wiretapping plan could your computer hacked. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/05/17/how-the-fbis- online-wiretapping-plan-could-get-your-computer-hacked/ Sanchez, J. (2013). FBI's latest proposal for a wiretap ready internet should be trashed. wired.com Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/05/the-fbis-plan-for-a-wiretap-ready-internet- is-misdirected-shortsighted-and-ridiculous/ Journal Question 2 The first big threat to computer security that I believe will be a big issue over the coming days will be the increased Windows 8 attacks geared towards malware, ransom kits, and rootkit modifications. I consider this threat to be a general one as it affects all computer users. The rootkits, ransom kits, and malware programs that are unknowingly installed into the computer poses a high level of personal information security breach and big scale attacks, thus leaving everyone vulnerable to the problem. Once our personal information, as stored on our computer hard drives are accessed by others, the problem of identity theft becomes a very hard to solve problem for everyone. This will not be an easy problem to solve as Windows has a track record of having the most problematic software that hackers can easily

Ancient Persian Cuisines and Dinning Rituals Research Paper

Ancient Persian Cuisines and Dinning Rituals - Research Paper Example For example, the Mesopotamian, Central Asia and the Anatolian cuisines are some cuisines that have influenced the Persian cuisine such as ice cream and kebab (Batmanglij 2011, 34). Some of these Persian cuisines rice that is served along with meat, basmati rice served with stew, soup made from herbs and vegetables, pure white rice, pastries, salad, appetizers, desserts and drinks (Batmanglij 2011, 34). Notably, the Iranian people love rice although they have an extensive list of cuisines. Logically, the Persian community loves to take green herbs together with fruits. This includes fruits like quince, plums, prunes, raisins, pomegranates and apricots (Batmanglij 2011, 35). Typically, the Iranians love meat, rice, fish, chicken and lamb. Moreover, they work hard to ensure that they take a balanced diet but add some flavor (Ghanoonparvar 2006, 67). Consequently, cinnamon, saffron, parsley and lime are some of the spices used in making special dishes. In summary, the Persian cuisine and dinning ritual that is intriguing and exciting to adapt into the daily dishes. Evidently, rice is a common Persian dish. There are different modes devised in cooking to ensure that the meals had a different touch. Sometimes, the rice is served with marinated chicken or served as saffron ice-cake (Batmanglij 2011, 97). Historically, rice was imported from India into Iran. For instance, the basmati rice is an import from India while Pakistan rice is definitely from Pakistan but is similar to that of Persia. On the other hand, rice is seen as a staple food in northern Iran. However, the rest of the Iranians consider bread as their staple food. Interestingly, the aroma of the Persian rice caused it to be a prized cuisine. In summary, rice and bread are the main staple foods in Persia. Logically, every community has its ways of preparing its cuisines. Therefore, the Persians have their ways of preparing different rice cuisines. The common ones are Tah-deeg, damy and kateh, alongside oth ers (Ghanoonparvar 2006, 79). One is soaking of rice in salt water, followed by boiling. This is called chelo, which is returned for steaming after boiling. Consequently, the rice becomes fluffy, and the grains are not sticky. The other is Tah-deeg, which has a golden crust at the bottom of the pot (Ghanoonparvar 2006, 79). This rice is taken plainly but is eaten alongside bread of potato slices. On the other hand, there are additions of nuts, meat, fruits and vegetables. Interestingly, all these additions can be served together in one meal. Interestingly, the heat is lowered when the chelo is still in the pot then covered with a piece of cloth so that it absorbs the steam (Ghanoonparvar 2006, 81). This chelo is plain and is mainly served with kebab or stew. However, chelo and polo are more or less cooked in the same way. On the other hand, kateh is rice that is cooked until water is completely dry. This is the most traditional mode of cooking rice. Finally, the preparing of the dam y is more like kateh, one starts with other ingredients such as beans. Damy is stemming of the rice. In summary, there are different methods used in the preparation of rice, which makes a difference to each rice meal. The other major additions in the Persian cuisines are vegetables and fruits. Luckily, Iran is known for its wide production of vegetables and fruits. Consequently, most homes in Persia will have a fruit bowl on their tables. Moreover, most meals are accompanied with herbs and vegetables. Additionally, Persians have promoted eating fruits and vegetables because of the health benefits they have on them. As a result, some vegetables like garlic, pomegranate and onion are included in the cooking of

Robert Reich’s “Supercapitalism” Chapter 2 Analysis

Robert Reich’s â€Å"Supercapitalism† Chapter 2 Analysis Richard (Ben) Dowden Analysis of a chapter from Robert Reich’s â€Å"Supercapitalism† Outline of Reich, chapter 2 Argument outline of Reich, chapter 2 Overall argument Since the 1970’s competition between corporations grew as technology developed, American companies began to pursue profit to remain competitive resulting in supercapitalism triumphing over democratic capitalism. Reasons Globalisation, new production processes and deregulation increased competition giving consumers and investors more choices. Increase in investor culture drove companies to compete for shareholders (i.e. highest possible profits) regardless of their social responsibility. The decline in union membership as a result of pursuits in profit has led to the decline of power workers have over their employers, the corporations. Evidence for reason 1 In Section 2 (pp. 56-60), Reich describes how technology developed for use in the Cold War had influence over American business. He asserts the technology had three indirect outgrowths: globalisation, new production processes and deregulation (p.60). He argues that each of these outgrowths increased business competition giving concrete evidence for each in the following sections. Section 3 (pp. 60-63) argues that globalisation has reduced the cost of overseas trade creating opportunities for global supply chains. Reich states that the Vietnam War resulted in the growth of commercial, global logistics. Reich gives concrete evidence of how seven new containership companies entered the market in the year following the war and how industry grew at a high rate thereafter (p.61). Moreover, Reich argues this created the concept of global supply chains. Reich notes the great increase in American imports from American owned overseas factories between 1969 and 1983 (p.62). He then gives examples describing large companies’ global supply chains (p.62). Section 4 (pp.64-65) argues new production processes trumped the economies of scale used by the oligopolies resulting in a marketplace growing in complexity. Reich gives examples of how new production processes allows specialisation. He explains how standardised steel gave way to specialised galvanised steels designed for a niche market (p.64). Furthermore, a huge brand like Coca-Cola faced a variety of specialised drinks taking away Coca-Cola’s market share (p.65). In section 5 (pp.65-70) Reich argues that as businesses innovated, new profitable, yet restricted opportunities were discovered within regulated markets, companies lobbied for deregulation, driving competition. Reich states that in some cases, deregulation put companies out of business since they lost the cross-subsidies from other previously regulated, profitable companies. He gives evidence of the Bell System’s segmented telecommunication companies based in the country becoming unviable, opening business opportunities to smaller, extremely competitive companies (p. 68). Furthermore, trucking and airline deregulation led to added competition, particularly in freight (p.69). Evidence for reason 2 At the end of section 5 (pp.65-70) Reich quotes Edward E. Furash stating that due to the change in psyche in American’s management of wealth, the American financial system will shift towards competing for investors (p.70). Reich describes the financial deregulation of banking giving new opportunities to investors among others he gave evidence of stock broker, Merrill Lynch setting up mutual funds (p.67). Reich seems to contribute the increase in investment choice and effectiveness because of deregulation to savers becoming investors. Reich backs the claim with statistics at the start of section 6 (pp.70-75) citing the increase in percentage of households owning stock (pp.70-71). Reich goes on to say this also coincided with the bull market of 1980-2000 (p.71). His overall argument here is that companies had to compete for investors which meant maximising returns. Reich gives evidence of how profit margins rose from the beginning of the 1980 to 2000 at a high rate of change (pp.72-73). He also gives evidence of how the number of companies that ran at lower profit margins that were subjected to hostile takeovers increased by a factor of 11 from the 1970’s to the 80’s (pp.73-74). In Section 7 (pp.75-80), Reich begins by quoting the former CEO of Coca-Cola stating companies have the sole responsibility of generating returns for their investors (p.75). He continues to point out a CEO’s job security is increasingly attributed to the company’s stock price recommendation. 50% of CEOs’ company’s stock was downgraded in investment recommendation were fired in the following six months (p.76). Reich uses evidence of how 60% of senior executives in the Fortune 500 companies had been at their firm for fewer than six years (p.76). His argument is that CEO’s no longer have room to worry about the social consequences of their organisation. He uses the example of Malden Mills, a family-owned textiles company which ran at a loss manufacturing in New England. Their CEO did not want to close the factory since the local economy had high dependencies on it – he was eventually sacked by the company’s creditors (p.79). Evidence for reason 3 Section 8 (pp.80-86) focusses on the decline in union membership starting from the 1970’s. He cites evidence from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of how union membership rapidly declined beginning in the 1970’s (p.80). He explains this is a consequence of employers contesting unions, giving concrete evidence of this through the decrease of uncontested union elections (p.80). Reich also gives evidence of how the rate of illegal dismissals of union members rose through the 1970’s and into the 90’s (p.81). Reich’s explanation for corporations’ behaviour was related to cutting the costs of the payroll to remain competitive as consumers and investors looked for the cheapest deal. Reich gives concrete evidence of how the nonunionised sector of the American economy grew at a greater rate than the unionised sector (pp.82-83). This increase in opposition arising from nonunionised companies forced unionised corporations fight the unions to remain competitive. Reich uses evidence from a range of industries to describe this citing: the air travel industry (p.83), the ‘Big Three’ American car manufacturers (pp.83-85) and the construction industry (p.85). Reich goes on to explain how the public services sector was never unionised, consequently suffering low wages. Reich uses the evidence of how members of the public services industry went on strike responding to their wages being cut as anti-union Wal-Mart entered their industry (p.86). Reflection: How the chapter intersects with my life The chapter reaffirmed my own opinion that wealth distribution in developed nations, particularly America’s, is unequal. It shows that while deregulation may improve its GDP per capita, it doesn’t guarantee a higher quality of life. In fact, in more regulated economies like in Scandinavia, quality of life indicators are higher since wealth distribution is far more equal (Wilkinson Pickett, 2009). The chapter is interesting, considering the debate surrounding the deregulation of tertiary education in Australia. It does give universities ability to form an identity, which is a way of saying it encourages elitism. After all, a university’s ‘prestige’ is generally attributed to how well-endowed it is. But is it just the first step to university privatisation? Will universities eventually just pursue profit like companies? List of references Reich, R., 2008. Supercapitalism. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K., 2010. The spirit level. London: Penguin Books.

Ludwig Van Beethoven 9th Symphony Essay -- Music Beethoven Musician Es

Ludwig Van Beethoven 9th Symphony Symphony number nine in D minor, Op.125, the "Choral" is the outstanding piece accompanied with a vocal chorus. Beethoven began concentrated work on the piece in 1822. It occupied him throughout 1823, and he completed it in February 1824. The first performance took place at the Karntnertor Theater in Vienna on May 7, 1824. The deaf composer stood on stage beating time and turning the pages of his score, but the real conducting was done by Michael Umlauf. The first American performance was given on May 20, 1846 by the New York Philharmonic under George Loder. Its performance can never be an ordinary event, just another concert, it is something special because the feeling you get inside when you hear it for the first time. The work of Friedrich von Schiller to set "An die Freude" should be much of the credit of the ninth symphony, but Beethoven's ability to put into music; it’s an art song, which is lovely poetry put into music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 1823, Beethoven was not yet sure whether the finale would be vocal or instrumental. Once the symphony was finished, a performance had to be organized. Beethoven saved the premiere for the city that had been his home for the past thirty-one years. At the end of the premiere, Beethoven was still hunched over toward the orchestra, so he was gently turned around so that he might see the applause he could not hear. "The D" turns out to be the "answer" on which the whole orchestra agrees in the great fortissimo summit of that first crescendo, but the tense anticipation of that note is a personal, marvelous, and utterly characteristic touch"(Orga 155).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ninth symphony is my favorite symphony just because the music is so heavenly. It seems in the beginning of the piece brings a person from darkness to light. Beethoven, I believe, was ahead of his time. To me, he is the greatest composer of all time. His music is not just sounds of music played together in harmony, but a way of life. The music he created for the world is not just to listen to it, but grabs onto the emotion he was setting up. Beethoven's unordinary style cannot ever be copied by any composer or music artist. Today, when we hear music of any kind, we can only thank a certain person, and that person should be Ludwig van Beethoven.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is how I heard the music, piece by piece with some help to understand and ... ...ers--over the canopy of stars Muss ein lieber Vater wohnen! A loving Father must live. and these lines are then repeated. The religious section of the ode begins as the chorus intones in an awed manner: Ihr stà ¼rzt nieder, Millionen? Millions, do you fall upon your knees? The music rises hopefully toward God and the heavens as the final lines of verse are sung: Ahnest du den Schà ¶pfer, Welt? Do you sense the Creator, world? Such' ihn à ¼berm Sternenzelt!Seek Him above the canopy of stars! ÃÅ"ber Sternen muss er wohnen. Surely He lives above the stars. The last section, from "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" is repeated triumphantly in counterpoint. A dramatic hush, the music rises steadily. The quartet then re-enters with the following lines from the beginning of the poem: Daughter of Elysium Deine Zauber binden wieder, Thy magic binds together Was die Mode streng geteilt; What tradition has strongly parted, The chorus underlines "Alle Menschen werden Brà ¼der," "All mankind will be brothers." The same line is repeated ecstatically by the quartet, which soars upward to it’s peak. The orchestra and chorus re-enter at a rapid tempo to bring the movement to its conclusion.

Discuss the Relationship Between Persuasion and Attitude Change.

Discuss the relationship between persuasion and attitude change. The procedure of changing attitudes to then furthermore change behaviour has led psychologists to develop research into the topic of how persuasion takes place. The Hovland-Yale model was initially developed to persuade the American public for more support in the last stages of WW2. It was learnt that in order to persuade effectively, the need was to focus on who and what. Principally the content, the audience and the communicator.It was found that the most effective sources were experts as they had more credibility than non-experts, but also popular and attractive sources were more effective than unattractive sources. Bochner & Insko asked students to suggest how much sleep was needed, before showing them two different sources of information – an expert and a non-expert. Students were more persuaded by the expert even when it conflicted with their own beliefs. Another finding from the model found that messages a re more effective if the audience feels that their main purpose is not to persuade.Also, if a message contains a moderate level of fear it becomes more successful. McGuire also found that there was a primacy effect in messages. His research found that when he was trying to persuade students to join a course, he was more persuasive if he gave the positive points first. The final factor involved in the Hovland-Yale model is audience factors. It was seen that moderately intelligent audience members were more easily persuaded and when aiming at high intelligence audience members, it would be more effective to present both sides of the argument.The Elaboration-Likelihood model focuses on the message itself and splits this into two sections. Whether the audience focuses on the main content of the message or if they focus on other factors such as the communicator giving the message. Petty et al. called this the central and peripheral route. The central route audience members focus on the q uality of the arguments and are motivated to think about the message. It’s been suggested that this has a lasting attitude change.The peripheral route is quite the opposite as audience members are not motivated to think about the message and they focus on the peripheral tools (such as music, celebrities, colour) rather than the arguments presented. Attitude change through the peripheral route is temporary. The Hovland-Yale model has good research support for all three factors involved in the model. Morton et al. found that children had more favourable attitudes after being given information from an expert (doctor) than a parent. Lewis et al. ound that fear arousing messages were effective in the short-term, but messages containing humour were more effective in the long-term. However, Fechback et al. found that high fear level was most effective in messages which disputes McGuire’s findings. However, McGuire’s findings can also be explained another way to show su pport. If following the basis of the psychodynamic approach, messages using high fear arousal may trigger defence mechanisms such as denial or repression in audience members, suggesting moderate fear level is the most effective.Research also supports the key points of the Elaboration-Likelihood model. A psychologist supports the claim that the central route is more effective for high need-for-cognition audience members. Models have heavily relied on laboratory based research, which causes us to question the ecological validity. However, real-life application has occurred and found that when students were exposed to a fact-based or emotion-based health campaign, the higher NC individuals were more influenced by the central route (fact-based) and the lower NC were more persuaded by the peripheral route (emotion-based).Although both models are heavily supported by research, many research studies have involved students which brings problems of generalisation. Students have an age, wealt h, and education status which is not typical of the general public. In addition, experimenters have exposed participants solely to their stimuli, whereas in the real world, we are exposed to thousands of media forms everyday; thus lacking in mundane realism.

Relationship of the United States and Japan

Relationship of the United States and Japan The earliest contact between both countries was through merchants and explorers. Later in the mid-1800s several representatives from the U.S. traveled to Japan in order to negotiate trade agreements, including Commodore Matthew Perry in 1852 who negotiated the first trade treaty and the Convention of Kanagawa. Likewise, a Japanese delegation came to the U.S. in 1860 in hopes of strengthening diplomatic and trade relations between both countries. World War II World War II saw the countries pitted against each other after the Japanese bombed the American naval base at  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in 1941. The war ended in 1945 after Japan suffered tremendous causalities from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo. Korean War Both China and the US got involved in the Korean War in support of the North and the South respectively. This was the only time when soldiers from both countries actually fought as the U.S./U.N. forces battled Chinese soldiers upon Chinas official entrance in the war to counter American involvement. Surrender On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered leading to an occupation by the victorious Allied forces. Upon gaining control of Japan, U.S. President Harry Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur as Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan. The Allied forces worked on the reconstruction of Japan, as well as consolidating political legitimacy by publicly standing on the side of Emperor Hirohito. This allowed MacArthur to work within the political system. By the end of 1945, approximately 350,000 U.S. servicemen were in Japan working on a wide variety of projects. Post War Transformation Under Allied control, Japan undertook a remarkable transformation characterized by the new constitution of Japan which emphasized democratic principles, educational and economic reform, and demilitarization which was embedded in the new Japanese constitution. As the reforms took place MacArthur gradually shifted political control over to the Japanese culminating in the 1952 Treaty of San Francisco which officially ended the occupation. This framework was the beginning of a close relationship between both countries that lasts until this day. Close Cooperation The period after the San Francisco treaty has been characterized by close cooperation between both countries, with 47,000 US military servicemen remaining in Japan by invitation of the Japanese government. Economic cooperation has also been playing a large role in the relationship with the US providing Japan with significant amounts of aid in the post-war periods as Japan became an ally in the Cold War. The partnership has resulted in the reemergence of the Japanese economy which remains one of the strongest economies in the region.

100 Persuasive Essay Topics

100 Persuasive Essay Topics Persuasive  essays are a bit like argument essays, but they tend to be a little kinder and gentler. Argument essays require you to discuss and to attack an alternate view, while persuasive essays are attempts to convince the reader that you have a believable argument. In other words, you are an advocate, not an adversary. A Persuasive Essay Has 3 Components Introduction: This is the opening paragraph of your essay. It contains the hook, which is used to grab the readers attention, and the thesis, or argument, which youll explain in the next section.Body: This is the heart of your essay, usually three to five paragraphs in length. Each paragraph examines one theme or issue used to support your thesis.Conclusion: This is the final paragraph of your essay. In it, youll sum up the main points of the body and connect them to your thesis. Persuasive essays often use the conclusion as a last appeal to the audience. Learning how to write a persuasive essay is an essential skill that people use every day in fields from business to law to media and entertainment. English students can begin writing a persuasive essay at any skill level. Youre sure to find a sample topic or two from the list of 100 persuasive essays below, sorted by degree of difficulty. 1:53 Watch Now: 12 Ideas for Great Persuasive Essay Topics Beginner Kids should get paid for good grades.Students should have less homework.Snow days are great for family  time.Penmanship is important.Short hair is better than long hair.We should all grow our own vegetables.We need more holidays.Aliens probably exist.Gym class is more important than music class.Kids should be able to vote.Kids should get paid for extra activities like sports.School should take place in the evenings.Country life is better than city life.City life is better than country life.We can change the world.Skateboard helmets should be mandatory.We should provide food for the poor.Children should be paid for doing chores.We should populate the moon.Dogs make better pets than cats. Intermediate The government should impose household trash limits.Nuclear weapons are an effective deterrent against foreign attack.Teens should be required to take parenting classes.We should teach etiquette in schools.School uniform laws are unconstitutional.All students should wear uniforms.Too much money is a bad thing.High schools should offer specialized degrees in arts or sciences.Magazine advertisements send unhealthy signals to young women.Robocalling should be outlawed.Age 12 is too young to babysit.Children should be required to read more.All students should be given the opportunity to study abroad.Yearly driving tests should be mandatory past age 65.Cell phones should never be used while driving.All schools should implement bullying awareness programs.Bullies should be kicked out of school.Parents of bullies should have to pay a fine.The school year should be longer.School days should start later.Teens should be able to choose their bedtime.There should be a mandatory entrance exam for high school. Public transit should be privatized.We should allow pets in school.The voting age should be lowered to 16.Beauty contests are bad for body image.Every American should learn to speak Spanish.Every immigrant should learn to speak English.Video games can be educational.College athletes should be paid for their services.We need a military draft.Professional sports should eliminate cheerleaders.Teens should be able to start driving at 14 instead of 16.Year-round school is a bad idea.High school campuses should be guarded by police officers.The legal drinking age should be lowered to 19.Kids under 15 shouldnt have Facebook pages.Standardized testing should be eliminated.Teachers should be paid more.There should be one world currency. Advanced Domestic surveillance without a warrant should be legal.Letter grades should be replaced with a pass or fail.Every family should have a natural disaster survival plan.Parents should talk to kids about drugs at a young age.Racial slurs should be illegal.Gun ownership should be tightly regulated.Puerto Rico should be granted statehood.People should go to jail when they abandon their pets.Free speech should have limitations.Members of Congress should be subject to term limits.Recycling should be mandatory for everyone.High-speed internet access should be regulated like a public utility.Yearly driving tests should be mandatory for the first five years after getting a license.Recreational marijuana should be made legal nationwide.Legal marijuana should be taxed and regulated like tobacco or alcohol.Child support dodgers should go to jail.Students should be allowed to pray in school.All Americans have a constitutional right to health care.Internet access should be free for everyone.Social Security should be privatized. Pregnant couples should receive parenting lessons.We shouldnt use products made from animals.Celebrities should have more privacy rights.Professional football is too violent and should be banned.We need better sex education in schools.School testing is not effective.The United States should build a border wall with Mexico and with Canada.Life is better than it was 50 years ago.Eating meat is unethical.A vegan diet is the only diet people should follow.Medical testing on animals should be illegal.The Electoral College is outdated.Medical testing on animals is necessary.Public safety is more important than an individuals right to privacy.Single-sex colleges provide a better education.Books should never be banned.Violent video games can cause people to act violently in real life.Freedom of religion has limitations.Nuclear power should be illegal.Climate change should be the presidents primary political concern. Sources Arizona State University Writing Center staff. Persuasive Essay Structure. ASU.edu, June 2012.Collins, Jen, and Polak, Adam. Persuasive Essays. Hamilton.edu.

English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 19

English - Essay Example The people, who watch over her in this condition, are Jason Posner, who solely resorts his faith in being a doctor. Another person is, Susie Monahan, who is a nurse with a humanitarian approach, she is the only one in the entire hospital who really cares for Vivians deplorable state. Dr. Kelekian is the head doctor in the hospital, who is just interested in the results; it does not matter to him, what they are. The doctors counsel for an untried treatment of painful chemotherapy, and she agrees to it. Partially it is her own choice, but also her own personal states of affairs force her to act so, she comes to a decision to endure the agony of the treatment by herself. However, as her treatment develops, she desires that she really had some more actually gentle human interface from the people who treat her as a human being and not just an object of research trial. The tone of this theatre is grim, and quite unlike to the name, ‘Wit’ is not explicit here; but the play has many intelligent moment of humor in it. The story revolves around a question of life and death, but has a much more intricate humanitarian tone in it. The excellent background music of piano helps to understand the underlying tone of the story more deeply. Emma Thompson’s outstanding performance and Mike Nichols’ excellent direction made it more appealing to the spectators. This theatrical production Stage Beauty (2004), is based on 1660s Londons theatres production of Londons theatres. The plot turns around the established system of gender positions in the theatre production houses. It intends to modify these gender issues for everyones benefit. Ned Kynaston is a homosexual, cross-dressing artist who has been portraying on-stage female characters in several plays for many years, mainly the role of Desdemona in Othello. He also shares a close bonding with a certain male co-actor. Gradually, the long and

Business intelligence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Business intelligence - Essay Example lped shape firms business strategy as cross-functional and global processes that help business activities to be conducted across boundaries of time, distance, and function (El Sawy et al, 2013). The authors argue that digital technologies cannot be separated from businesses because it helps firms operate in distinct forms of dynamic capabilities relevant for difficult environments. In addition, digital technologies are reshaping the structure of social interaction in both the enterprise and consumer space with social sites and social media easing the means of interaction. The author wants to make it clear that digital technologies have introduced new trends in business strategy (El Sawy et al, 2013). They include emergence of huge information, pervasive connection between businesses and customers, enhanced price, growth of cloud computing and international supply chains. The author observes that digital business strategy has led to emergence of new organization shifts such as trans-functional role for information technology, increased knowledge with information technology and limitation of old business models. Furthermore, the emergence of digital business strategy has resulted in digitization of services and products and data or information around them (El Sawy et al, 2013). This incorporates the design of services and products with other related platforms using digital resources. The increase in speed of digital business strategy makes firms to reason about time and distance in significant