Ancient and Medieval Political Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Ancient and Medieval Political Theory - Essay Example Plato was an enemy of democracy because according to him, he identified deficiencies in the Athenian democracy. Plato asserted that the Athenian democracy promoted inherent class tension did not focus on promoting equality and liberty of all the people and it was incompetent form of governance (Plato 295). Aristotle offers the best explanation about just city because according to him, a regime is that which provides ‘eidos’ or form to a certain political community. This type of regime by description means a distinct end or ‘telos’ that a regime will hold as its authoritative manner of life. This implies that the regime will organize the authoritative institution within that particular political community. Therefore, a regime is the scheme or form, which arranges political society with respect to its bureau or offices particularly the sovereign. Aristotle argues that the polis is the political environment or society and the political society has power over the citizens or the governed. Aristotle states that what structures the political society is the scheme or structure of the community that has power over and governs over all the other schemes or forms of political community or society that influence human habitat (Aristotle 21-3). According to Plato, inherent class tensions were evident in the disunity between the Athenian classes that lacked discipline and respect to the ordinary citizens because of power. This according to Plato came from the incentives of the governed not to submit to the opinions of the governors. Democratic society in this sense goes on to abuse as contemptible people who honor and respect the authorities and preserves its approval in personal and public life for governors or rules who act like subjects and subjects who act like governors or rulers. Consequently, this leads to dictatorship and revolution. Plato explains that this eventuality leads to totalitarianism which is the most cruel and unjust system of

Water Quality Pollution

Water Quality Pollution TOPIC: WATER QUALITY REPORT Question one: Potential sources of pollution and their potential impact on human health and environment. The Bevern River in Wales has for many years been clean and free from pollution. However in the recent years it have faced different threats of pollution that have posed risk to the water environment and the existence of the several fish species living in it. The major potential source of pollution to the Bevern stream is the sewage system that runs along the Bevern stream the inspection chambers between the Barcombe and the Barcombe sewage treatment work overflow sometimes and the waste are directed to the stream. The overflow has made the levels of the E. coli to rise above the normal required amount in such a stream. The feaces also contain a lot of ammonia and has therefore increased the amount of the dissolved Nitrogen and phosphates. The surrounding that is also polluted with the sewage wastes has also raised a concern over pollution in the stream. The waste is washed down the stream during rain season and the problem of pollution therefore continues. In September 2007, the problem of serious pollution was encountered in the Bevern stream when the raw sewage burst into the stream. The raw sewage has more health and environmental effects than the treated sewage and during the leak of the raw wastes into the river; the water quality was adversely affected. (Lorna, and Jamie, 2001) The dangers that are associated with the problem of pollution are serious. The pollutant cause the rise of the E. coli and amount of the dissolved phosphates and Nitrates that also reduce the amount of Dissolved Oxygen in the water that can affect the life of the species living in the waters that cannot cope with low oxygen. The problem of overflow of the Inspection chamber was solved but the danger still remains as the as the walls of the river near the chamber are weak and with the slightest rain, they can still burst and overflow. Bevern stream drains its water to Sussex River Ouse whose tributaries are at risk from the pollution of the several sewage treatment plants that drain the sewage waste to these streams. As a result, the Sussex river remain threatened to pollution from these treatment plants that have very low standards according to the river Sussex Conservation Society and other societies. The often breakdown of the infrastructure around the Bevern stream is also a potential source of water pollution in the stream. The presence of high levels of E. coli and low dissolved oxygen can lead to the death of the fish species in the water. The pollution of the water with Nitrates and Phosphates is also dangerous as it can lead to the growth of harmful water plants that can cause effect to the vertebrates in the river and can also reduce the rate of floe of the river that can also affect the amount of Dissolved Oxygen. The solid wastes from Wales community neighboring the stream also block the flow of water in the Bevern stream, the solid wastes also increase sediments in the river that affect the movement of the vertebrates hence lack food and die. They also destroy the breeding sites which has adversely reduced the number of species in the water. The consumption of this polluted water can be dangerous to human health as they cause Typhoid from the E. Coli bacteria present in the water from the sewage wastes. Question Two: The limitations to obtaining data on water quality that accurately reflects the changing conditions in the stream. The collection of data on the quality of water in Bevern stream is not efficient and reliable. The problem of collecting data is associated with the changing in the fauna and flora in the stream, at the mouth of the where the tributary Bevern joins River Sussex, there are several species of vertebrates which are as a result of low level of pollution at the site while in the lower mainstream of the river, there are less species as they die from the immediate sewage pollution from the Barcombe sewage treatment section. If samples of the water are taken from these two points of the stream, there will be a great difference in the results that cannot be relied for the real water quality changes currently experienced in the river. Several snail species that are not capable of surviving in low dissolved Oxygen die at some point of the stream as well as nymph. (Duncan, and Horan, 2003) This is from the increase in the level of the phosphates and ammonia level in the water. There is a greater difference in the quality of water at different points of the river, the data collected therefore should not be limited to few samples and should include several samples from different points. The analysis carried out on the water should be used to look for an average so that the water quality results can be compared to the European Community Fresh Water Fish Directive. The other limitation that can also emerge from the data is from the capability of different vertebrates and other species to survive in different water quality. Some can survive in low dissolved Oxygen while some like fish cannot. The PH of the water may also not be fit for some animal species but can favor some. Therefore it is very unreliable to collect data at the stream based on some factors. The stream should be upgraded to the salmonid water quality standards which are rigorous than the EC standards. The Bevern water quality deteriorates downstream as a result of the treated sewage discharge into the stream Dichling which is closer to the sewage discharge. The effect on the quality of water also depends on the season, for example during the dry summer seasons; the stream water quality is very poor as compare to the winter. The standards are compared for two fish species, the Salmonid and the Cyprinid in which the former is delicate and need extremely high quality water. (Lorna, and Jamie, 2001) Question Three: Outline what the results for nutrient levels (e.g., ammonia, nitrate and phosphates) tell you about the trophic status of the stream. Trophic status of a water body is defined in relation to the concentration of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients present in the water as well as the algae. These two nutrients are the key determinants of the trophic status which is the biological fertility or productivity of the water body. The levels of the three nutrients in the Bevern stream are significantly higher than the standard EC Fisheries directives for both the Salmonid and Cyprinid species. (Crompton, 2002) This indicates that the stream is relatively productive which is the reason why the stream has a lot of plants growing in it as well as algae in the water. These plants provide food for the different vertebrates in the water that result to breeding and increase in the number of species in the stream. The nymph in the stream eats the algae. The fish feed on these small invertebrates and from their waste they add the amount of Ammonia and phosphates in the water. The balance between the levels of these nutrients is maint ained through the different trophic levels. Treated sewage discharge from Barcombe treatment section into the stream help to increase the levels of these nutrients. The high level of Dissolved Oxygen is also favorable for the increment of the fertility of the stream that increases productivity. The DO in the stream is very high as compared to the set EC standards for dissolved oxygen as seen from the table above. Oxygen favors the development of algae and other water plants. The availability of these plants is a ready source of food to some species. This result to the increase in number of this species which form food for the fish and other vertebrates. The trophic status of the Bevern stream is reasonably high and the future increase in the number of species is possible as long as pollution is controlled. Bavern stream fresh water aquatic environment studies showed that at the mouth of river Sussex, there are several species of fish that exist as a result of the trophic status in the stream. The problem of pollution in the stream has been sought by the Environmental Agency and this has assisted in the improvement and maintenance of good trophic status in the stream. Question Four: What do the bacteriological data tell you about levels and sources of faecal pollution in the Bevern stream? The level of the Escherichia coli is 64000 per 100ml and the Entercoli is 32000 per 100ml. These values are very high in the stream which shows that there is faecal pollution in the stream. The faecal pollution is from the sewage discharge from the treatment works along the stream. The are also possibilities of untreated sewage discharge into the stream that has caused in the high level of the Enterococci which is a colony of the intestinal coli in water. The levels are triggered by the leakage of the September incident where the sewage over flew into the river. The surrounding area may also be producing faecal pollution into the stream. The animal faeces in the nearby forest is responsible for the intestinal coli in the stream which are very high. Generally the water quality in Bevern stream is good and favorable for aquatic biodiversity as the level of Dissolved Oxygen and the ammonia and phosphate nutrients are high. The E. coli is high which is dangerous to the health of the people living around the stream. (Crompton, 2002) The faecal pollution is a major source of the waterborne diseases that affect the community living around. The sources of the faecal pollution are many and cannot be avoided unless the level of treatment for the sewage discharged in the stream is raised to better standards. The biological data shows that the stream is more polluted with the faecal wastes from both the treated sewage and the surrounding area which is also potential source of faecal pollution for the Bevern stream. The intestinal coli is a guarantee that their must be some direct disposal of feaces into the stream without treatment or there is discharge of raw sewage into the stream. This also shows that there are infected people around with the E. coli bacteria that cause Typhoid, Dysentery or Diarrhea in human beings. However it has not been proved that water shrew faeces are present in the stream. The current research that is being conducted by the Sussex Conservation Society is underway where plastic tubes are set near the water with muslin bait at one end, the shrews will enter in the tube to feed on this delicacy. If they are found then the faecal wastes will be too high which will have attracted the faecal shrews. (www.sussex-ouse.org.uk/research/index.htm) References Crompton, R. (2000). Determination of Organic Compound in Water, (New York, Mac Graw Hill) Lorna, F. and Jamie, B. (2001). Water Quality, Guidelines, Quality and Health, (London, MacMillan) Joseph, A. (2004). Waterborne Zoonoses, (London, MacMillan) Mason, F. (2002). Biology of Freshwater, (New York, Wesley) Duncan, D. and Horan, J. (2003). Water and Wastewater Microbiology, (London, Oxford University Press) Bull, T. and Marrs, L. (1998). Biotechnology for Clean Industrial Products and Processes, (London, Oxford University Press) Kavanagh, D. (2006). A Country Pillow Book, (London, Cambridge University Press) Information on the Bevern Stream also available from www.sussex.org.uk (Retrieved on 15th April, 2008)

Exploring Love in Shakespeare’s Sonnets Essay -- Sonnets 24, 31, 46, 4

In Plato’s Symposium, the discussion on the nature of love between Socrates and his companions in the house of Agathon clearly discerns key ideas that Shakespeare uses in the sonnets. Beauty, youth, and love are all topics of discussion in the conversations, and Plato’s ideas show up again and again when the sonnets are explored. In Symposium, Aristophanes gives a detailed description of a time when humans were not in their present physical form (Plato 353). His tale posits that the original form of humankind differed from the present in that â€Å"sexes were not two as they are now, but originally three in number,† to which he adds, â€Å"there was man, woman and the union of the two, having a name corresponding to this double nature,† which is called androgynous (Plato 353). The physical nature of primeval man is discussed: "[Man] was round, his back and sides forming a circle; and he had four hands and four feet, one head with two faces, looking oppo site ways, set on a round neck and precisely alike; also four ears, two privy members, and the remainder to correspond" (Plato 354). Aristophanes goes on to explain that the gods split these beings in two so that primeval man would not be as powerful as them. Eventually, the halves are filled out to create symmetry. Plato says, â€Å"human nature was originally one and we were a whole, and the desire and pursuit of the whole is called love† (Plato 357). Thus, the explanation of heterosexual and homosexual behavior can be delineated from this myth. The drive for love goes beyond the sexual into the spiritual. In Shakespeare’s sonnets, the poet persona battles feelings between a fair youth, who is often characterized as a young male, and the dark lady, who is a sensual female. Throughout th... ... of Plato’s knowledge into one metaphysical string of sonnets dealing with two great organs geared towards the pursuit of beauty and truth, and he has made the arguments therein immortal, timeless, and beautiful, bringing every reader to a better understanding of Platonic love. Works Cited Plato. â€Å"Symposium.† The Works of Plato. Edman, Irwin, ed. New York, NY: Random House. 1956. â€Å"Eye.† Oxford English Dictionary. Second ed. Volume V. 1998. â€Å"Heart.† Oxford English Dictionary. Second ed. Volume VII. 1998. Landry, Hilton. Interpretations in Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Los Angeles, CA: University of California Press.1964. Shakespeare, William. The Complete Sonnets and Poems. Ed. Colin Burrow. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2002. Violi, Unicio J. Shakespeare’s The Sonnets. New York, NY: Monarch Press. 1965.

Building Trust

Teaching Guide Building Trust (DVD Title: Building Trust in a Large Organization) LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE: TEACHING OBJECTIVES: Manager must win the trust †¢ Importance of building trust of over 500 employees in his with people when leading a large team Understandcall center team to motivate ing how to earn the trust them to maximize customer of subordinates who are different than you satisfaction. LEADERSHIP DECISION AND RESULT: Manager ? nds a common ground with people, learns their names, changes his dress, learns about their job, and makes himself visible to win their trust. Importance of knowing your people and their job †¢ Importance of identifying with your people and being visible. Center for Leadership Development and Research Leadership in Focus TEACHING THEMES: †¢ Motivating Teams †¢ Vision, Values and Culture †¢ Taking Charge Building Trust Jim Roth Manager, Dell Background on Company Dell, Inc. and its subsidiaries engage in the design, development, manufacture, marketing, sale, and support of various computer systems and services worldwide. Discussion Questions: Have you ever had to build trust with a large number of people who are fundamentally different than you? †¢ As a manager, what are the advantages and disadvantages of seeing yourself as part of a team rather than leading a team? †¢ Do you think Jim will still have the respect of his team if he is so focused on serving them and their needs? †¢ What does Jim mean when he says that a manager should be â€Å"conscious of how they ? t into the organization† and â€Å"have a sense they are always on stage? † Background on Leader Jim Roth is a graduate of Northwestern and has a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering.He worked as a Venture Capitalist, in a software start up, in management consulting and at Dell manages a large tech support team of 500 people. 1 Building Trust | Jim Roth These videos are prepared for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of an administrative situation. Copyright  © 2007 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All Rights Reserved. Teaching Notes Building Trust (DVD Title: Building Trust in a Large Organization) Center for Leadership Development and Research Leadership in FocusVideo Segment 1: (Run Time: 1 minute 5 seconds) Challenge: Manager must win the trust of over 500 employees in his call center team to motivate them to maximize customer satisfaction. Note: Operations are 24/7 and units are located in Texas and Idaho. This is the ? rst time Jim has managed a large (550 person with 26 managers) group—he felt intimidated. The pressure to reach 90% looming. Dell had prioritized Wall Street ahead of customers— and service suffered—lots of bad press. better results. You think this new manager is too â€Å"touchy feely† and will get walked all over.You want results! Group Work (optional): As sume it is the ? rst day on the job as the new manager of this team. Discuss what you should do. Writing Exercises (optional): Write a message to the managers of your new organization, setting expectations about the team and goals they will be working towards moving forward. Describe your leadership style and approach to the challenge. Make your message motivational. Discussion Questions: †¢ Have you ever had to build trust with a large number of people who are fundamentally different than you? What did you do? What are the advantages of disadvantages of being the boss who is feared? †¢ Do you agree with all the things Jim does to earn the trust of his team? Why or why not? †¢ Do you think Jim will still have the respect of his team if he is so focused on serving them and their needs? Why or why not? Oral Presentations (optional): As the new manager, give an introductory speech to the managers in your organization about you and the goals you hope to achieve. Clearly s tate the messages you want to convey to your direct reports. Role Play (optional):Discussion between Manager (Jim) and his Supervisor (Sam) whose leadership philosophy is very different and thinks a manager should be feared by his people. Explain yourself and try to gain your supervisor’s trust. †¢ Background for Manager (Jim): You believe you should think of your team as your customers and make every effort to make their job easier. You do not want to be feared by your people and think you will be even more productive thanks to your leadership style. †¢ Background for Supervisor (Sam): You think the new manager needs to come in strong and put fear in his employees to achieve 2 Building Trust | Jim RothCopyright  © 2007 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All Rights Reserved. Teaching Notes Building Trust (DVD Title: Building Trust in a Large Organization) Center for Leadership Development and Research Leadership in Focus Video Segme nt 2: (Run Time: 3 minutes 20 seconds) Decision: Manager ? nds a common ground with people, learns their names, changes his dress, learns about their job, and he makes himself visible to win their trust. Writing Exercises (optional): As the manager, write an email to your employees announcing your new purchase of headsets for all agents.Discuss how they will be distributed. Will you incentivize the high performers by awarding them with new headsets ? rst? Discussion Questions: †¢ Do you agree with all the things Jim does to earn the trust of his team? Why or why not? †¢ Do you think Jim will still have the respect of his team if he is so focused on serving them and their needs? Why or why not? †¢ Is there anything Jim should do differently and how successful do you think he will be with his approach? †¢ As a manager, what are the advantages and disadvantages of seeing your team as your customers?Role Play (optional): Discussion between Manager (Jim) and direct re port (Fred) who believes everybody needs new headsets and new chairs. †¢ Background for Manager (Jim): You believe you should make your people more comfortable, but you are limited in budget and must make your people and Fred understand there are limits to what you can do for them. †¢ Background for Direct Report (Fred): You think everybody needs new headsets and chairs. You know the new manager is anxious to make a positive impression and you think this purchase could help.Group Work (optional): What does Jim mean by having an â€Å"early victories† when he talks about getting new headsets? What kind of a precedent does this set and how should he manage expectations for the future? 3 Building Trust | Jim Roth Copyright  © 2007 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All Rights Reserved. Teaching Notes Building Trust (DVD Title: Building Trust in a Large Organization) Center for Leadership Development and Research Leadership in Focus Vid eo Segment 3 and 4: (Run Time: 2 minutes 10 seconds)Writing Exercises (optional): As the Manager, write an email to your team telling them how you want them to come to you when they have problems. You want them to understand you are there to help them, but also don’t want them to abuse this privilege. Make the message motivational. Result and Lessons Learned: Manager receives feedback from his people and sees this as a victory that he has earned their trust. To earn trust and improve performance, it is important to learn the details about your people to determine why they come to work everyday.Discussion Questions: †¢ As a manager, what are the advantages and disadvantages of seeing yourself as part of a team rather than leading a team? †¢ What does Jim mean when he says that a manager should be conscious of â€Å"how they ? t into the organization† and â€Å"have a sense they are always on stage? † †¢ What does Jim mean when he says a manager sho uld come across as a â€Å"real person? † †¢ Do you agree or disagree with Jim’s statement when he talks about his subordinates, â€Å"They are not beneath you. † Explain. Group Work (optional):Discuss the ideal leadership style and image of a manager for a large organization who needs to improve team performance. Oral Presentations (optional): Assume you are talking about your vision for the future of your team. You are in front of 300 of your employees and when you pause, somebody from the audience yells out a quote you said three months ago that is different than what you are saying now. Everybody laughs and starts talking amongst themselves. How do you handle this and what do you say? 4 Building Trust | Jim Roth Copyright  © 2007 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All Rights Reserved.

Revenue recognition Essay

The study has been conducted to have a view on Revenue Recognition and how is important for entities in financial reporting and the link between revenue recognition and creative accounting. The primary issue in accounting for revenue is to determining when to recognize revenue. Revenue is recognized when it is probable that future economic benefits will flow to the entity and these benefits can be measured reliably. There are identifiable criteria to be met and for revenue to be recognized. By definition, Revenue is the gross inflow of economic benefits during the period arising in the course of the ordinary activities of an entity when those inflows result in increases in equity, other than increases relating to contributions from equity participants. The entities revenue may be arising from the transactions and events, such as the sale of goods; the rendering of services; and the use by others of entity assets yielding interest, royalties and dividends. The recognition criteria usually applied separately to each transaction. However, in certain circumstances, it is necessary to apply the recognition criteria to the separately identifiable components of a single transaction in order to reflect the substance of the transaction transactions are dealt with shall be measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable. Fair value is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transaction.1 Creative on the other hand refers to the use of accounting knowledge to influence the reported figures while the jurisdiction of accounting rules and laws, so that instead of showing the actual performance or position of the company, they reflect what the management want to tell the shareholders. It is the transformation of financial accounting figures from what they actually are to what preparer desires by taking advantages of the existing rules and /or ignoring some of them2. There are number of ways management can use to practice Creative accounting such the choice of accounting policy and also the use of artificial transactions to Revenue Recognition. The focus of this study lies more on the Revenue recognition a tool of creative accounting. The Management objective is to maximize shareholders wealth. Sometimes Organizations performance do not always be good to meet this objective, Management may use creative accounting tactics to create a good image of company (find ways to improve results) to meet the objective of shareholders. Also Management use creative accounting to maximize for their own wealth maximization, among other thing is end bonus and salaries increments Literature Review Revenue recognition Financial reporting statements are tools to communicate entity performance to internal and external users of its financial results information. Revenue recognition is important aspect of organizational. The performance organization is measured based on the results from its operations activities and the bottom line (the profit) plays a significant role. Revenue is determinant of performance of Organization since the profit which is indicator of organizational performance is the results of the Organization’s total revenue less total costs.Internation Accounting Standard (IAS) 18 Revenue recognition, specify criteria to meet for revenue to be recognized in Financial Statements. By definition, Revenue is the gross inflow of economic benefits (cash, receivables, other assets) arising from the ordinary operating activities of an entity (such as sales of goods, sales of services, interest, royalties, and dividends) Recognition of revenue, recognition, as defined in the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB) Framework, means incorporating an item that meets the definition of revenue (above) in the income statement when it meets the following criteria, that: Its probable that any future economic benefit associated with the item of revenue will flow to the entity, and the amount of revenue can be measured with reliability. As mentioned, each activity has its recognition criteria on top of the one mention. These are as follows; Sale of goods  Revenue arising from the sale of goods should be recognized when all of the  following criteria have been satisfied: i. The seller has transferred to the buyer the significant risks and rewards of ownership ii. The seller retains neither continuing managerial involvement to the degree usually associated with ownership nor effective control over the goods sold iii. The amount of revenue can be measured reliably  iv. It is probable that the economic benefits associated with the transaction will flow to the seller, and v. The costs incurred or to be incurred in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably Rendering of services For revenue arising from the rendering of services, provided that all of the following criteria are met, revenue should be recognized by reference to the stage of completion of the transaction at the balance sheet date (the percentage-of-completion method) i. The amount of revenue can be measured reliably; ii. It is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the seller; iii. The stage of completion at the balance sheet date can be measured reliably; and iv. The costs incurred, or to be incurred, in respect of the transaction can be measured reliably. When the above criteria are not met, revenue arising from the rendering of services should be recognized only to the extent of the expenses recognized that are recoverable (a â€Å"cost-recovery approach) Interest, royalties, and dividends For interest, royalties and dividends, provided that it is probable that the economic benefits will flow to the enterprise and the amount of revenue can be measured reliably, revenue should be recognized as follows: i. Interest: using the effective interest method ii. Royalties: on an accruals basis in accordance with the substance of the relevant agreement iii. Dividends: when the shareholder’s right to receive payment is established Creative Accounting Creative accounting refers to the use of accounting knowledge to influence the reported figures, while remaining within the jurisdiction of accounting rules and laws, so that instead of showing the actual performance or position of the company, they reflect what the management wants to tell the stakeholders. Purposeful intervention in the external financial reporting process with the intent of obtaining some exclusive gain. There are some many ways management can use to practice creative accounting such as choices of accounting policies, use of artificial transactions and revenue recognition. In this study, our main focus will be on later, the revenue recognition. Revenue Recognition is the most manipulated item. Deloitte on its review on what fraud scheme are most common, revenue recognition represent 41% of all fraud schemes in United States between 2000-2006.For Many Companies the revenue figure is a single aggregated big number. Creative accountant has always known that, one of the ways to inflate profit is to inflate revenue. In achieving this goal first they manipulate fair value measurement criteria. The criteria are subjective and depend upon the parties to the transactions integrity. The fair value determination is based on knowledge and willingness of the parties to the transactions. Secondly they recognize revenue before it is earned i.e. pre mature recognition of revenue. In complex transactions which involves the lengthy stages of sale especially with accrual system. The recognition of revenue in terms of its timing can be very unclear, therefore the opportunity for manipulation occurs and this can facilitate premature recognition of revenue. Before looking how revenue recognition link with creative accounting, first we have to look the motive behind Creative accounting. Dr. Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah and Dr. Safdar Butt in their article Creative Accounting: A Tool to Help Companies in a Crisis or a Practice to Land Them into Crises which also appeared on NBAA journal No.28 of April-June 2010states and explains the following as motives for creative accounting. To meet internal targets The managers want to cook the books for meeting internal targets set by higher management with respect to sales, profitability and share prices. Meet external expectations. Company has to face many expectations from its stakeholders. The Employees and customers want long term survival of the company for their interests. Suppliers want assurance about the payment and long term relationships with the company. Company also wants to meat analyst’s forecasts and dividend payout pattern. Provide income smoothing. Companies want to show steady income stream to impress the investors and to keep the share prices stable. Advocates of this approach favor it on account of measure against the ‘short-termism’ of evaluating an investment on the basis of the immediate yields. It also avoids raising expectations too high to be met by the management. Taxation The creative accounting may also be a result of desire for some tax benefit especially when taxable income is measured through accounting numbers. Change in management There is another important tendency of new managers to show losses due to poor management of old management by some provisions Revenue Recognition as method for Creative accounting practices There are number of ways management use to conduct creative management, among them is revenue recognition. Firms virtually have a free hand in timing the booking of their revenues at any stage starting from the moment sales contracts are signed till the promised product or service has been fully delivered to and accepted by the clients. For this we can refer to a classic example of Microsoft which was heavily fined by US SEC for its manipulative revenue recognition policy. Microsoft recognized only a small percentage (20-30%) as revenue at the time of the sale and remaining amount was kept as provision for future after sales services. Why Microsoft adopted that strategy. The answer is to (1) hide substantial profits, (2) signaling effects, (3) avoiding complacency and last but not the least (4) to report smoothed  earnings to its shareholders & stakeholders.3 Moreover, NBAA Account Journal vol.25 No 4 October –December 2010, outline ways in which Revenue Recognition can be used as a method of creative accounting. This include but not limited to Common revenue Manipulations and channel stuffing, Multiple element arrangements, side letters or agreement and non substantive round trip arrangement, Bill and hold arrangements, backdated contracts and Fictitious transactions Common revenue Manipulations Revenue recognition irregularities often involves both omission and commission acts which are inherently either or both inclusive and exclusive of creative accounting manipulation.In books and records include commissions such as false entries,misstated contracts,back dating,misapplication of accounting standards.Commissions result into overstated revenue,mis-timing of recognition,overstated receivables. Channel Stuffing Channel Stuffing is a practice of bringing revenue forward from future fiscal periods.This is done by inducing customers to submit purchase orders in advance.Channel Stuffing is an example of real earning management which involves manipulation of real or normal operations to influence reported performance. A good example of channel stuffing is Coca cola channel stuffing practice of 1997 to 1999 where coca cola offered downstream bottlers extended credit to induce them to purchase more than demanded. Multiple element arrangements, IAS 18 provides guidance on revenue gain from the normal sale of goods and provision of services. The complex issues that arise from the principle-agent relationship and multiple element arrangement .The revenue collected for third parties is not to be recognized by an entity.For example, in a telecommunication industry, operator firm form alliances and enter into Side letters or agreement This involves act of seller to credit the buyer for unsold goods or to provide future stock rotation rights or to extend payment terms such that a transaction becomes a consignment Bill and hold arrangements, This include the sale of product and performing the warehousing service for the product.It is a contract of supplying goods where the seller transfer the title but does not transfer physically deliver the goods until a later date. The bill and hold arrangement are popular in the oil and gas industry as well as international sales.They are only acceptable when it is probably that the delivery will be made,the items on hand is identified and ready for delivery to the buyer at the time when sale is recognized, the buyer specifically recognizes the differed delivered instructions and the usual payment terms apply. The sale on bill and hold arrangement must satisfy conditions that the seller only retains the goods for safe keeping and shipping and the goods must not used by the seller to fulfill other orders. When these condition are met then sales can be recognized on a bill and hold arrangements. In practice these rules can be violated by seller and this go to be an act of creative accounting. The specific case in point would be on timing of the recognition between years as the transfer of risks and rewards can be distinguish and difficult to uncover. Therefore due to this the Revenue recognition can be shifted forward or backward to suit the needs of the creative accounting. Backdated Contracts Backdating of revenues contracts facilitates early recognition of revenue than normally expected recognition date. Company must comply with any laws, rules and regulations relating to dating documents used in business. Any departure from this may attract litigation because such backdating may amount to fraud, forgery and criminal offenses. Recognition of revenue earlier than its expected date act as a method of creative accounting because the financial statements for early recognition period will not present a true and fair value of the company’s performance, rather performance results from manipulated figure through creative accounting. Genuine Transaction Genuine transactions can also be timed so as to give the desired impression  in the accounts. As an example, suppose a business has an investment at historic cost which can easily be sold for a higher sales price, being the current value. The managers of the business are free to choose in which year they sell the investment and so increase the profit in the accounts Fictitious Transactions Financial Statements are inflated by recording sales of goods or services that never occurred or by inflating actual sales. This is one of the leading malicious manipulations than the other type of earning management because it engrosses documents falsification, forgeryand manipulation. On the other hand fictitious revenue can be accomplished with side agreements, contra agreements (sales that offset a purchase transaction) and conditional sales. Practical Example Xerox Corporation Source: The Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2001 Xerox Corporation had the habit of recognizing leasing payments as sales. In April 2002, after an investigation by the SEC, the American company was forced to reclassify its financial statements for the years 1997 to 2000 and reduce recognized revenues by US$3,000 million and profits by US$1,500 million, with equity being reduced in the same amount. As a result, the SEC fined Xerox US$10 million. By that time, the price of the company’s shares had plummeted from US$62 to US$4.5. How did this company manipulate its revenue figures? Xerox sold customers photocopiers under long-term agreements, in which the customers paid a sum of money to Xerox, part of which was to purchase the machine and the other part to cover repairs and maintenance on a long-term basis. This was not problematic in itself from a bookkeeping perspective, provided that the amount corresponding to the sale price of the machine was recognized as revenue in the first year, plus revenues corresponding to maintenance services in the current year, transferring the rest of the received amount to deferred Revenues, which, in turn, were recorded as sales in the year in which the repair services were rendered. So, if a photocopier, for example, is valued at US$100, and five-year maintenance costs US$50, the customer would pay Xerox US$150 when purchasing the machine. The correct accounting method for recording this operation, if the transaction were performed on 1 January, would be to recognize US$110 of sales in year 1 and US$10 of sales in each of the following four years. Accounting malpractice on the part of Xerox consisted in recognizing US$125 of revenues from the sale of the machine, thus undervaluing the amount of future repair services, recording US$130 as revenues in year 1 and deferring only US$20 over the remaining four years of the contract. In this way, it increased year 1profits substantially and reduced future profits. The total amount of the transaction in sales remained the same (US$150); the problem is simply the timing of the recognition of these sales ENRON Enron and other energy merchants earned profits by providing services such as wholesale trading and risk management in addition to developing electric power plants, natural gas pipelines, storage, and processing facilities. When taking on the risk of buying and selling products, merchants are allowed to report the selling price as revenues and the products costs as cost of goods sold. In contrast an â€Å"agent† provides a service to the customer, but does not take on the same risks as merchants for buying and selling. Service providers, when classified as agents, are able to report trading and brokerage fees as revenue. Enron’s method of reporting inflated trading revenue was later adopted by other companies in the energy trading industry in attempt to stay competitive with the company’s large increase in revenue. Enron’s use of distorted, â€Å"hyper-inflated† revenues was more important to it in creating the impression of innovation, high growth, and spectacular business performance than the masking of debt. Between 1996 to 2000, Enron’s revenues increased by more than 750%, rising from $13.3 billion in 1996 to $100.8 billion in 2000. This extensive expansion of 65% per year was unprecedented in any industry, including the energy industry which typically considered growth of 2-3% per year to be respectable for just the first nine months of 2001; Enron reported $138.7 billion in revenues, which placed the company at the sixth position on the Fortune global 500. Group Discussion Regarding Revenue Recognition The Management objective is to maximize shareholders wealth and this is achieved when the companies they are managing are performing well, recording high revenue figure and a good bottom line figure, the profit. Though this study we have learn that, Revenue recognition and Creative accounting is a tool which is much like a weapon. If used correctly it can be of great benefit to the user but if it is mishandled it can cause much harm. Many people are taking creative accounting as negative act; the image to their mind is that creative accounting is dishonest act and manipulation of figures. Though the study we have learned out that Creative accounting has both advantages and disadvantages. It can help the company to get out of a crisis than land them to a crisis. Therefore our discussion will focus much the advantages of creative accounting as the results of Revenue Recognition to the Organization. Not all aspects of revenue are covered under IAS 18 (Revenue Recognition), which give the room to management to use their judgments which will ends up with results favors position. For example IAS 18 provides guidelines on revenue gain from the normal sale of goods and provision of services. The revenue that arises from the principle-agent relationship and multiple element arrangement is not falls on the two. Deciding whether one operator is acting as an agent in delivering of services is subjective and unclear. Thus the decision will be based on matter of judgment and circumstances of situation. When Management use their judgment to recognize revenue for situation like this we can not say they have manipulated the figure, therefore creative accounting become advantageous to them. Creative accounting also can be used in genuine transactions. For example, the disposal of Investment, the authorization of sale lies on owners but the decision on when to sale is on hands of Management. For example, if the Company have investment of TZS 2m at historical cost which can be easily sold for TZS 3m in current Value, when authorized to sale, the Management of Company are free to choose in which year to sell the investment and to increase profit in the company results. Due to the tendency of Investors preference on smooth income to up and down  income, Management would like to dispose this Investment in the period when they see the entity’s performance is poor. The revenue from sale will help to boost their performance and end up reporting smooth income and help to meet expectations. This is creative accounting, but applied on genuine transaction and according to the requirement of the transaction. Revenue recognition acts as a method of creative accounting but on genuine transaction. The two examples we have discussed explain in brief how weapon, creative accounting could be beneficial to Company. When using creative accounting on in good manner, if the Company is in crisis, can help the company to acquire loans from Bank, to attract Investors and also to motivate employees because not only lenders and Invertors interested with Company Performance, Employees also interested to assure their job security and this is important because will enable the Company to retain their key personnel and also attract more qualified workers Conclusion Creative Accounting is both desirable and undesirable. It depends on the point of one’s argument. The practice of creative management has some advantages and disadvantages. Creative accounting is a tool which helps a company to get out of crisis than to land in it. It is much like a weapon. If used correctly it can be a great benefit to the user. Some advantages of creative accounting as a result of revenue recognition has helped to stabilize share prices, helps/helped companies to straighten their borrowing limits and rescue companies from hostiles takeover. On other hand it has brought more harm to companies especially through untimely corporate failures that have brought immense losses to various stakeholders. Also the improper use of such creative accounting practices had fooled both auditors and regulators in the past and it continues to do the same. The complex and diverse nature of the business transactions and the latitude available in the accounting standards and policies make it difficult to handle the issue of creative accounting. It is not that creative accounting solutions are always wrong. It is the intent and the magnitude of the disclosure which  determines its true nature and justification. Revenue recognition can as a tool can enhance both advantage and disadvantages of creative accounting. When Revenue recognition applied on genuine transaction and company end up with good results it enhance the advantages of using creative accounting practices but the worse of it is when it is used to recognize revenue on artificial transactions and fictitious transactions, this end up landing the company into crisis like ENRON, this is disadvantages of practicing creative accounting. REFERENCE 1. The Accountant. The Journal of the National Board of Accountants and Auditors Tanzania.No.4 October-December,2010 2. The Journal of the National Board of Accountants and Auditors Tanzania.Vol.25 No.28 April-June 2012 3. The Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2001 4. Oriol,Amat:Journal of Economic Literature classification: M41.Creative Accounting: Nature, Incidence and Ethical Issues

Lesson Plan Sample for 3rd Grade

Lesson Plan Sample for 3rd Grade PA Standards READING- MATH- 1.1,1.2,2.3,3.4 1.1,1 .2,2.3,3.4 Objectives: MONDAY-FRIDAY 3RDGrade  Ã‚   3rd Grade Students should: Read 17 wpm at an accuracy rate of 85% Read and write 10 whole numbers in expanded Pronounce sounds correctly at 25 sounds per minute (spm) form in 10 out of 15 trials Read 200 vocabularies at 115 words per minute (wpm) with 2 errors Read and write 15 whole numbers in a standard Read a passage at 140 wpm with only unsystematic errors form in 15 out of 18 trials Learn to decode words easily at 105 wpm accurately Classify the place and value of a digit in a four Reading and analyzing the main concept in each paragraph digit numeral Decode words as well as write the title or topic with random faults Round place valued numbers to the nearest 10, State the main concept in 3 paragraphs out 5 100 and 10 000 Read and tell the correct time in a clock Identify factors of whole numbers and their Read and analyze the faces of clocks in 3 out 6 trials multiples in 3 out of 5 trials Read and follow single-step direction less than 1 out of 6 times -Compare whole numbers and learn to use a Read evaluate spoken words in every sentence at 100 wpm number line with 5 integers in 7 out of 10 trials Read 400 words with utmost understanding and fluency Use fractions and multiples of whole numbers Read 90 wpm at an accuracy rate of 90% to compare sections of whole numbers Read and retell a story in a sequential order with 100% accuracy Identifying the dimensions of shap

African American History and Women Timeline

African American History and Women Timeline What have African American women contributed to American history? How have they been affected by historical events? Find out in the timeline, which includes these: events featuring African American womenbirth and death dates for many notable African American womengeneral African American events which had significant impact on African American women and families as well as menevents involving key women whose work influenced African American history, for instance the involvement of many European American women in anti-slavery workbirth and death dates for key women whose work was important in African American history, for instance in anti-slavery or civil rights work Start with the timeline period youre most interested in: [1492-1699]  [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-] Women and African American History: 1492-1699 1492 Columbus discovered America, from the perspective of Europeans. Queen Isabella of Spain declared all indigenous peoples her subjects, in the lands claimed by Columbus for Spain, preventing the Spanish conquerors from enslaving the Native Americans. The Spanish thus looked elsewhere for the labor they needed to take advantage of the New Worlds economic opportunities. 1501 Spain permitted African slaves to be sent to the Americas 1511 first African slaves arrived in Hispaniola 1598 Isabel de Olvero, part of the Juan Guerra de Pesa Expedition, helped to colonize what has since become New Mexico 1619 (August 20) 20 men and women from Africa arrived on a slave ship and were sold in the first North American slave auction by British and international custom, Africans could be held in servitude for life, though white Christian indentured servants could only be held for a limited term 1622 Anthony Johnson, son of an African mother, arrived in Virginia. He lived with his wife, Mary Johnson, in Accomack on Virginias Eastern Shore, the first free Negroes in Virginia (Anthony taking his last name from his original master). Anthony and Mary Johnson eventually founded the first free black community in North America, and themselves held servants for life. 1624 Virginia census lists 23 Negroes including some women; ten have no names listed and the rest only first names, likely indicating lifetime servitude none of the women are listed as married 1625 Virginia census lists twelve black men and eleven black women; most have no names and do not have the dates of arrival that most white servants in the census have listed only one of the black men and women has a full name listed 1641 Massachusetts legalized slavery, specifying that a child inherited its status from the mother, rather than the father, reversing English common law about 1648 Tituba born (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) 1656 Elizabeth Key, whose mother was a slave and father was a white planter, sued for her freedom, claiming her fathers free status and her baptism as grounds and the courts upheld her claim 1657 A daughter of a free Negro Anthony Johnson, Jone Johnson, was given 100 acres of land by Debeada, an Indian ruler. 1661 Maryland  passed a law making every person of African descent in the colony a slave, including all children of African descent at birth whatever the free or enslaved status of the childs parents. 1662 Virginia House of Burgesses passed a law that a childs status followed the mothers, if the mother was not white, contrary to English common law in which the fathers status determined the childs 1663 Maryland passed a law under which free white women would lose their freedom if they married a black slave, and under which the children of white women and black men became slaves 1664 Maryland became the first of the future states to pass a law making it illegal for free English women to marry Negro slaves 1667 Virginia passed a law stating that baptism  could not free slaves by birth 1668 Virginia legislature declared that free black women were to be taxed, but not white women servants or other white women; that negro women, though permitted to enjoy their freedome could not have the rights of the English. 1670 Virginia passed a law that Negroes or Indians, even those free and baptized, could not purchase any Christians, but could purchase any of their owne nation [race] (i.e. free Africans could buy Africans and Indians could buy Indians) 1688 Aphra Behn (1640-1689, England) published the anti-slavery Oroonoka, or the History of the Royal Slave, first novel in English by a woman 1691 The term white is first used, rather than specific terms like English or Dutchman, in a law referring to English or other white women. 1692 Tituba disappeared from history (Salem witch trials figure; probably of Carib not African heritage) [Next] [1492-1699] [1700-1799] [1800-1859] [1860-1869] [1870-1899] [1900-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-]