Research Paper on Tax Incentives in Singapore

1. INTRODUCTION 1. Tax Incentives for Investments in Singapore Tax incentives have been an integral part of Singapore's economic development strategy since the 1960s. For more than 30 years, tax incentives have been used to attract investments and create jobs. Now we are the focal point for foreign investments, research and development and services in Asia. Over the years the government has introduced a wide range of tax incentives for a balanced economic growth of the various business sectors. This paper analyses how these incentives play a part in attracting foreign capital inflows to enhance the financial and industrial sectors in Singapore and their effectiveness in achieving our goals. 2. Purpose The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the tax incentives scene in Singapore, how it works and it effectiveness in achieving our aim of being a vibrant and robust global hub of knowledge-driven economy. 3. Our Research Questions for this Study As part of our research, the following questions were asked to direct us on our study: †¢ What are the tax incentives available under the ITA, EEIA and DTA to attract foreign capital inflows? †¢ How effective are these tax incentives? 4. Methodology We derived our information from books, online journals and other internet resources. 2. BACKGROUND 1. The Birth of the Income Tax Act, EEIA and DTA From a small fishing island to a cosmopolitan country within a span of 44 years is what Singapore has become today, with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008)[1]. As a small island with limited, or rather, no resources to depend on, we have simply taken the world by surprise through the phenomenal economic growth that has taken place in a short period of time (Fordham, 1992)[2]. Our only resources are fish and deepwater sea and despite all the limitations that we were faced with, we have secured a place in the world map as the leading financial, educational, services, manufacturing and research and development hub. Then, â€Å"what is the clandestine of our achievements? † is the question that arises in all our minds. After being separated from Malaya, the government’s ambitious plans for the country to be industrially developed seemed too far-fetched especially with no natural resources to call its own (Fordham, 1992). It did not, however, relent to the fact that achieving its goals is uncertain now with its given economic state. Its leaders knew at that time Singapore needs to promote investment in new industries so that its goals can be achieved. Being under developed and with no achievements or resources to call its own, it was a palpable fact that Singapore had to make radical changes to attract foreign investors,. This is when tax incentives were spotted as a viable option to magnetize foreign capital inflows. The pre-existing Income Tax Act (1948) was evaluated to see how tax incentives could be integrated to accomplish these aspirations. Along with this, in 1967, the Economic Expansion Incentives Act (EEIA) was first introduced to solidify the expansion and development programs that were being carried out by the Economic Development Board (Fordham, 1992). In early 1960s, Singapore recognised the need for a dynamic manufacturing sector and export policies to draw MNCs so that we could be used as a production base to export goods worldwide. As a result of these aims, EEIA was introduced to grant tax benefits to manufacturing companies setting up production in pioneer areas in Singapore (Fordham, 1992). The development of international trade and multi national corporations has increased the issue of double taxation. As a company or individual looking beyond your own country for business opportunities and investments they would naturally be concerned with the problem of double taxation. Consequently they would seek to structure your operations at a minimum tax cost. This is where DTAs or tax treaties come into play 2. Incentives Available under ITA to Attract Foreign Capital Inflows Singapore has always been maintaining a competitive tax rate by being the lowest among the developed countries. Its purpose is to create an encouraging business environment for economic expansion (Tan, 1996). According to GuideMeSingapore, 2008, a web portal providing one-stop information on Singapore’s business environment to entrepreneurs, commented that â€Å"Singapore is often cited as the leading example of countries that continues to reduce corporate income tax rates and introduce various tax incentives to attract and keep global investments†. This is obvious in the frequent lowering of corporate tax rates since 1987. In 1989 the corporate income tax was reduced to 33 percent from 40 percent to follow the worldwide trend of lowering corporate taxes. The corporate tax rate was further lowered in 1990 to 31 percent to encourage multi-national companies (MNCs) to locate their treasury and financial operations here (Tan, 1996). From then on, corporate tax rate has been gradually decreasing. In 2004 corporate tax rate was reduced to 20 percent and with the release of the 2009 budget speech, corporate taxes will be cut to 17 percent in 2010. The aim of these reductions is to help businesses to curb operational costs so that Singapore can gain a competitive edge in continuing to attract high-tech and high value-added investments (Liu, 2007). From our research we found that there are several tax incentives in place to pull foreign investments to Singapore (IRAS, 2008) and we will be focusing on those that are relevant to our study. 1. DEDUCTION FOR EXPENSES ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (R) This incentive was introduced in 2003 to allow company to deduct a second round of qualifying expenses from its income in addition to the automatic first deduction allowed under section 14D. Further amendments[3] were made in 2008 to entitle companies for an automatic 50 percent tax allowance (PWC, 2008). This R allowance can be used to offset against the company’s chargeable income for the next 3 years (i. e. 2009 to 2013) to motivate companies to carry out more R projects. This is coupled with meeting our aim to be a research and development hub in the global arena (MOF, 2008). After the introduction of the tax incentive, total R expenditure increased from $3. 4 billion to $4. 6 billion in 2005 (Lai, 2007)[4]. Majority of the R spending was contributed by the private sector, whose gross expenditure on R (GERD) increased by 1. 2 percent. By the end of 2005, GERD was at 2. 4 percent of GDP. Singapore had surpassed the EU-15’s[5] and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) averages of 1. percent and 2. 3 percent respectively (Lai, 2007). The increase in figures shows the effectiveness of the tax incentive program. According to the report, this figure is still lower compared to U. S (2. 7 percent) and Japan (3. 0 percent). Considering the fact that these countries are bigger in land and population size, our achievement is still commendable. 2. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR APPROVED HEADQUARTERS PROGRAM The purpose Headquarters Program was to encourage multinationals to base their main back offices in Singapore. This was to be achieved through reduced tax rate which is applied primarily to large-scale multinational corporations that relocate the management and headquarters functions of their subsidiaries and affiliates from other countries to Singapore. Section 43E of Income Tax Act provides that companies with their substantial operations located here can qualify for a 10 percent concessionary rate of tax (IRAS, 2008). This tax incentive has pulled and is continuing to pull foreign venture capitalists who provide the foreign capital infows. One such company is Societe Generale who received the OHQ award in January 2000. Besides this, Legg Mason Asset Management, Deutsche Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Mercury Asset Management and Zurich Scudder Investments are a few that were named in the MAS publication on New Initiatives for Enhancing Financial Sector Expertise, 2001. The motive for large-scale multinationals to relocate in Singapore is not only because of our highly advanced infrastructure, telecommunication and information facilities. It is also due to the support and encouragement that our government has been continuously offering through such tax incentives. 3. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR FINANCE AND TREASURY CENTRE (FTC) Foreign and Treasury Centre was introduced with the aim to entice foreign corporations to use Singapore as a base for conducting treasury management activities for related companies in the region. Under this scheme, foreign companies can enjoy a 10 percent concessionary tax rate from fee income from FTC subsidiaries, related companies and associates for provision of FTC services. According to Mr. Lee Chuan Teck, Executive Director for Financial Markets Strategy in MAS, by 2006 a total of 600 companies had chosen Singapore as their focal point to operate their financial services (MAS, 2006). According to the Survey on Corporate Risk Management Practices, 75 percent of the foreign MNCs cited EDB’s incentives as a reason for relocating their treasury centres in Singapore (Craig, 1997). This tells us the success of this incentive. 4. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR FINANCIAL SECTOR INCENTIVES (FSI) The FSI scheme offers a concessionary tax rate of 5% for qualifying high growth and high value-added activities and 10% for mature but tax-sensitive activities. The FSI is a measure designed to invite the front and back offices of multinational financial groups to Singapore so as to meet our overall goal to be a leading centre for competence in knowledge-driven activities and a choice location for company headquarters with responsibilities for product and capability charters (Geeta, 2002). Singapore’s vision is to be a pre-eminent financial centre in Asia. Technopreneurship 21 is the initiative that the government launched to achieve this goal. FSI plays a key role in attracting foreign multinationals to start-up their financial services in Singapore so that its dream of becoming a financial hub in the international arena can materialize. How far have been successful in this attempt is the question that we should be asking. As at 2005, 24 foreign full service licensees, 35 wholesale licensees and 46 offshore licensees operated in Singapore. Statistics provided by EDB (Embassy, 2006) for 2005 shows that foreign financial institution J. P Morgan Securities Asia, U. S. based MNC, had assets totalling up to US$14. 5 billion in Singapore. Singapore Department of Statistics reported that the financial and insurance services sector had generated US$49,223 of Foreign Direct Investments in 2003. That is 34 percent of the total FDI for that year (Embassy, 2006). 5. APPROVED GLOBAL TRADING COMPANY Global Trading Company was launched to facilitate and develop international trading activities. The GTP is a merger of the Approved Oil Trader (AOT) and the Approved International Trader (AIT) programmes. The programme encourages global trading companies to use Singapore as their regional or global base to conduct activities along the total trade value-add chain from procurement to distribution, in order to expand into the region and beyond (IEsingapore, 2009). Over the years, the programme has attracted a vibrant cluster of global trading companies to hub their strategic business functions in Singapore. These companies are key players in their respective industries such as oil trading, petrochemicals, agri-commodities and metals (IEsingapore, 2009). Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang announced in his speech during the Global Trader Networking Cocktail 2008 that in 2007, offshore trade by companies under IE Singapore’s Global Trader Programme, GTP, grew more than 30% to reach over US$465 billion. These companies employed over 7,000 staff and contributed S$7. 8 billion worth of total business spending. Much of the spending was in shipping, freight management and storage services, lending further testimony to Singapore’s strengths as a logistics and auxiliary services hub. From a modest start of 25 companies in 1989, there are currently more than 230 companies under the GTP (MTI, 2008) . 3. Incentives Available under EEIA Tax incentives available under EEIA are discussed below (IRAS, 2008). 1. PIONEER INDUSTRIES INCENTIVES The first aim of Pioneer Industries was to attract capital from both local and foreign companies who invest in new industries in Singapore. This incentive was introduced to draw investment in innovative areas to enhance Singapore’s industrial development (Fordham, 1992). Companies which qualified for PI were given a full tax exemption on qualifying profits for a period of time ranging from 5 years to 15 years. Implementation of this incentive saw a surge in the number of manufacturing industries that were set up here. By 1997, petroleum industries and electronics industries were dominating the Pioneer Manufacturing Establishments. MNCs like Exxon, Shell Sumitomo, Seagate, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq were already located here then contributing a total of S$117,104 million of foreign equity investment in Singapore (H H, 1997). As at 2004, the qualifying activities include services such as medical, publishing, education, automated warehousing facilities, exhibition and conference, financial, venture capital fund activity and so on (H H, 1997). 2. DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION INCENTIVE (DEI) This incentive is granted mainly to manufacturing and service industries that are engaged in capital investment to upgrade or modernize production capacity. The purpose of this incentive is to encourage greater growth and attract more companies to move into higher value-added activities. Under this scheme, eligible companies are entitled to preferential corporate tax rates for qualifying profits above a pre-determined base for a specific period (SPRING Singapore, 2008). According to the statistics collated by Ministry for Trade and Industry, the total investment by foreign companies in Singapore in development projects increased from$6,608 in 1997 to $17,187 in 2007. 3. OVERSEAS ENTERPRISE INCENTIVE (OEI) OEI was put in place to encourage local businesses to invest in a venture company, technology investment company or overseas investment company. OEI provides tax exemption on the qualifying income. Overseas investment should result in new business opportunities, activities as well as new technology to be introduced in Singapore. For instance DBS Bank, Bakerzin and Charles and Keith are a few prominent local bred companies which have ventured overseas. DBS Bank, Singapore’s local bank, has ventured into countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Japan, U. S and many more (IESingapore, 2008). Bakerzin has franchises in KL, Jakarta, Shanghai and US while Charles and Keith had ventured into the Middle East and Asia Pacific markets (IESingapore, 2008). . Effect of DTA in attracting foreign capital inflows According to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, we have 59 Double Taxation Agreements with various countries. These treaties were signed to relieve taxpayers from the burden of double taxation when they repatriate their earnings to their home country. These treaties aim to offer relief from double taxation, either by way of tax credit, tax exemption or a reduced tax rate. These reduced rates and exemptions vary among countries and specific items of income. Treaty provisions generally are reciprocal (apply to both treaty countries). Only Singapore tax residents and tax residents of the treaty country can enjoy the benefits of a DTA. Signing of these treaties has resulted in increased foreign investments from countries such as Europe, U. S. and Japan. In 1996 the total foreign investments was $125,274. The major investors then were Japan, Europe and U. S. In 2006 the investments rose to $363,935 and the major players are Japan, Europe, U. S, European Union and South and Central America and the Caribbean. 3. CONCLUSION Policies have been the driving force for a small nation like Singapore to achieve so much within a short period of time. With no natural resources, foreign capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investments has played major part in shaping our nation to what it is today. With less to offer, tax incentives are one of the key reasons that had attracted many foreign companies creating a pool of foreign capital inflows. Our research on the various tax incentives has showed us that, indeed, they were effective enough to attract foreign companies to locate here with their technology and know-how. The early years efforts to industrialize our economy paid off and that had enabled us to improve our air and seaport facilities, telecommunication, information technology, warehousing and logistics facilities. Tax incentives have been working in the background and today these are some of our achievements (www. sedb. govs. sg): Now as we move towards being knowledge based economy with technopreneurial goals, our tax incentives have been further enhanced through the R deductions and allowing more activities to be qualified under the Pioneer Industries. Thus in our opinion, the tax incentives offered under ITA, EEIA and DTA have been effective in attracting foreign capital inflows which have shaped our country thus far. BIBILIOGRAPHY Agency, C. I. (2008). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from CIA: www. cia. gov Craig, F. (1997). Survey of Coporate Risk Management Practices 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee: http://www. sfemc. org/annual_report/Tansformation_AR_1997_-b. pdf D. J. (1996, December). Learning from Singapore: Road to Non-agonised Budgeting. Asian Journal of Public Administration . E. o. (2006, January). Singapore Investment Climate Report. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://singapore. usembassy. gov: http://singapore. usembassy. gov/uploads/images/HiMDAFJ23iuXGl0Th5mNsA/InvestClimate2006. pdf Fordham, M. (1992). Tax Incentives for Investment & Expansion (2 ed. ). Longman Singapore Publishers (Pte) Ltd. G. H. (2002). Singapore as an Investing Ground: A Review. Retrieved April 2009, from www. excelsol. com. sg: http://www. xcelsol. com/env/envsg. pdf GuideMeSingapore. (2008, April 14). Singapore Corporate Income Tax Guide. (GuideMeSingapore, Editor, & Janus Corporate Solutions 2006) Retrieved March 28, 2009, from GuideMeSingapore: http://www. guidemesingapore. com/corporate-taxation/c321-corporate-taxation-system-overview. htm H H, A. T. (1997, August 27). Official Efforts to Attract FDI: Case of Singapore's EDB. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from National University o f Singapore: http://www. fas. nus. edu. sg/ecs/pub/wp/previous/AHTAN2. pdf IEsingapore. (2009). Global Trader Program. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from IE Singapore: http://www. iesingapore. gov. sg/wps/portal/AssistanceProgrammes/FinancialIncentives/GTP IRAS. (2008, February 14). Applying for Tax Incentives. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore: http://www. iras. gov. sg/irasHome/page04. aspx? id=1746 L. D. (2007, March). Growth of Research and Development in Singapore: 2000 – 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Singapore Statistics Department: http://www. singstat. gov. sg/pubn/papers/economy/ssnmar07-pg1-7. df L. Y. (2007). Nanyang Technological University. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from ScienceDirect. com: http://www3. ntu. edu. sg/home/ayuliu/2007%20JPM%20LYH%20-%20Facing%20the%20challenge. pdf MAS. (2006). SPEECH ON REGIONAL TREASURY CENTRES IN SINGAPORE BY. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Monetary Authority of Singapore: http://www. mas. gov. sg/news_room/statements/2006/Speech_on_Regional_Treasury_Centres_in_Singapore. html MOF. (2008). L iberalization of R&D Tax Deduction. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from Ministry of Finance: http://www. gpolitics. net/budget2008/annexb-2. pdf MTI. (2008, May 25). Global Trader Networking Cocktail 2008 Speech By Minister Lim Hng Kiang. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Ministry for Trade and Industry: http://app. mti. gov. sg/default. asp? id=148&articleID=13861 PWC. (2008, November). IRAS issues a circular on research and development (R&D) tax measures . Retrieved April 2, 2009, from PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited: http://www. pwc. com/extweb/manissue. nsf/docid/6D2E3517BF8BE91DCA25753C00373526 T. T. (1996). Corporate Income Tax in Singapore: Issues and Future Directions. In M. G. Asher, & a. Tyabji (Eds. ), Fiscal System of Singapore (p. 196). Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd. ———————– [1] CIA – The World factbook – https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn. html. [2] Fordham, Margaret BA Durham â€Å"Tax Incentives for Investment and Expansion 2/E 1992 [3] Based on the IRAS circular, definition of R&D was amended to incorporate the requirements that the R&D study must be systematic, investigative and experimental. R&D project must involve novelty or technical risk and be undertaken with the object of acquiring new knowledge or using the results of the study for the production or improvement of materials, devices, products, produce or processes. The list of specifically excluded activities in the definition of R&D has also been expanded so that routine modifications, cosmetic modifications or stylistic changes, as well as the development of software that is not intended for sale, lease or license to third parties are excluded. However, an exception is introduced for research in the social sciences and humanities and for software development that is undertaken wholly or mainly to support a qualifying R&D project. In these cases, the expenditure can be included as part of the qualifying R&D project expenditure. More information is available at http://www. pwc. com/extweb/manissue. nsf/docid/6D2E3517BF8BE91DCA25753C00373526 [4] The National R&D Survey is attached as Annex 2 [5] The European Union-15 comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

Japanese Hrm Essay

International Journal of Human Resource Management, Human Resource Management Journal, Organizational Dynamics and Asian Business and Management. In 2005 he co-edited a book entitled â€Å"Japanese Management: The Search for a New Balance between Continuity and Change† with Palgrave. Anne-Wil Harzing is Professor in International Management at the University of Melbourne, Australia. Her research interests include international HRM, expatriate management, HQsubsidiary relationships, cross-cultural management and the role of language in international business. She has published about these topics in journals such as Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, Strategic Management Journal, Human Resource Management, and Organization Studies. Her books include Managing the Multinationals (Edward Elgar, 1999) and International Human Resource Management (Sage, 2010). Since 1999 she also maintains an extensive website (www. harzing. com) with resources for international and cross-cultural management as well as academic publishing and bibliometrics. Abstract The objective of this chapter is to develop suggestions as to how Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) might best make use of foreign, here specifically American and German, HRM practices in order to reform their own HRM model. These suggestions are based on a large scale empirical study, encompassing responses from more than 800 HR managers. The learning possibilities for Japanese companies from abroad are analyzed on two different levels: at headqu arters and at subsidiary level. One obvious difficulty we are presented with if we wish to answer the question what Japan can learn from ‘the West’ is the selection of countries that are representative of ‘the West’. In this study we limit our empirical research to the inspirations Japan might receive from the USA and Germany. This selection has some merit, in representing the largest and the third 2 3 largest developed economies in the world (with Japan being the second largest economy), and the economically dominant nations of North America and Europe (with Japan being the leading economy in Asia). In addition, the USA and Germany each embody the prime example of two of the three main varieties of market economies: the USA representing the free market economy of Anglo-Saxon countries and Germany the social market economy of continental Europe (with Japan embodying the third main variety of market economies, the government-induced market economy of East-Asia). Furthermore, according to Smith & Meiksins (1995: 243) the USA, Japan and Germany are most frequently referred to as role models, â€Å"as they provide ‘best practice’ ideals from which other societies can borrow and learn. Consequently, these country models have been subject to numerous comparative analysis (Thurow, 1992; Garten, 1993; Yamamura and Streeck, 2003; Pascha, 2004; Jacoby, 2005). As economic performance and growth paths vary over time the role of a ‘dominant’ economy also rotates among countries. In the 1950s, 1960s and most of the 1970s the American management style clearly was domi nant and a common expectation was that it would spread around the world, gaining application in many foreign countries. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, this argument increasingly was applied to Japan (Mueller, 1994), and to a lesser extent and limited to the European context, to Germany (Albert, 1991; Thurow, 1992). Since the implosion of the Japanese economy, the stagnation of the German economy, and with the advent of globalization, the conventional wisdom over the last one and a half decades up to the current economic crisis has been that the American management model is particularly well suited to provide the necessary flexibility to cope with rapidly evolving economic and technological conditions. Consequently, the USA became again the dominant role model (Edwards et al. , 2005). This study employs a very carefully matched design in which we investigate the same three countries (Japan, the USA and Germany) as home and host countries. We not only study HRM practices at headquarters (HQ) in each of these three countries, but also the practices of the subsidiaries of MNCs from each of the three countries in the two other respective countries. As a result, we re able to compare the HRM practices of nine different groups of companies: HQ in Japan, the USA and Germany, subsidiaries of Japanese and German MNCs in the USA, subsidiaries of Japanese and American MNCs in Germany and subsidiaries of American and German MNCs in Japan. This design will enable us to disentangle the inspirations companies seek from abroad to a far greater extent than has been possible in other studies. 3 4 The structure of our analysis is separated into two main sections. The first main section describes empi rical results from HQ and the second main section depicts the situation at subsidiary level. For each of the two main sections, first the context of existing research is summarized. Subsequently, the methodology of the empirical research is described. Findings are then presented and subsequently discussed. Finally, suggestions are made as to how the Japanese might best make use of foreign HRM policies to reform their own HRM practices and ultimately improve competitiveness. Research context As mentioned above, the Japanese HRM model has often been recognized as a key factor to the rise of the Japanese economy, particularly during the 1980s (see for example Inohara, 1990). However, the same Japanese HRM which until recently has been much celebrated in the West, and presented as a role-model to be learned from (see for example Vogel, 1979; Ouchi, 1981; Peters and Waterman, 1982; Bleicher, 1982; Hilb, 1985), is now increasingly viewed as outmoded, and necessitating substantial reform (Frenkel, 1994; Smith, 1997; Yoshimura and Anderson, 1997; Crawford, 1998; Horiuchi, 1998; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Pudelko, 2005, 2007). Others, however, continue to stress its inherent strengths and warn against significant change (Kono and Clegg, 2001; Ballon, 2002; Ballon, 2006). On the other hand, American understanding of HRM has traditionally been viewed by Japanese managers with skepticism. It is regarded as contradicting in many ways the broad concept of ‘respect for people’ (Kono and Clegg, 2001) and the aim of ‘human resource development’ (Ballon, 2002) that is ingrained into the Japanese management philosophy. In particular, the idea of defining the employees of a company as ‘resources’ (instead of members of the company ‘family’) that need to be managed (instead of ‘developed’) runs contrary to the key concepts of traditional Japanese HRM. However, in response to the deep crisis of the Japanese economy and management model, which has lasted for more than a decade now, it is clear that some shift toward Western management principles is taking place 4 5 (Frenkel, 1994; Ornatowski, 1998; El Kahal, 2001; Matanle, 2003). Thus, mirroring the economic growth patterns, adoption of Japanese HRM principles seems in the USA to be largely an issue of the past, whereas the question of adoption of American HRM policies is more current in Japan than ever. The key issue in Japan seems to be to find a new balance between the continuation of traditional (human resource) management principles and changes inspired largely by Western or more specifically American strategies. Regarding finally the specific German understanding of (human resource) management, it has to be concluded that this is a subject of no significant importance in Japanese business research, if it is considered at all (Pudelko, 2000a). Methodology Data collection and sample It may be noted from this brief review that existing literature in this field is in some respects inconclusive or somewhat contradictory. Nor has it generally been informed by empirical examination of HR managers’ own views on cross-national adoption processes. As this group might be expected to constitute the chief change agent, empirical insight appears in this context all the more important. Accordingly, this chapter provides data on the perceptions of HR managers from three different countries on the possibility of learning from each other. In this task, a quantitative approach seemed to be the most appropriate. The analysis is therefore based on empirical data which have been drawn together from an extensive survey (Pudelko, 2000a-c). The heads of HR departments from the 500 largest corporations of Japan – and for comparative reasons – the USA and Germany were selected as units of investigation. It was assumed that the heads of HR departments would have the highest degree of experience, knowledge and vision with regard to the issues being investigated, due to their senior positions within corporate hierarchies.

Victor Hugo †Les Miserables

Victor Marie Hugo was the son of a general in Napoleon’s army, and much of his childhood was therefore spent amid the backdrop of Napoleon’s campaigns in Spain and in Italy. The first three years of his life were spent in Elba, where he learnt to speak the Italian dialect spoken in the island in addition to his mother tongue. Victor got a little education in a small school. At the age of eleven, Hugo returned to live with his mother in Paris, where he got a little education in a small and where he also became infatuated with books and literature.By the time he was fifteen, he had already submitted one poem to a contest sponsored by the prestigious French Academy. There he learnt much from an old soldier, General Lahorie, who, obnoxious to Napoleon for the share he had taken in Moreau's plot, lived secretly in the house, and from an old priest named Lariviere, who came every day to teach Victor and his two brothers. In 1815, at the age of thirteen, he was sent to a board ing school to prepare for the Ecole Polytechnique. But he devoted himself, even at school, to verse-writing with greater ardour than to study.He wrote in early youth more than one poem for a prize competition, composed a romance which some years later he elaborated into the story Bug Jargal, and in 1820, when only eighteen, joined his two brothers, Abel and Eugene, in publishing a literary journal called Le Conservateur Litteraire. Hugo published his first novel the year following his marriage (Han d'Islande, 1823) and his second three years later (Bug-Jargal, 1826). By the end of 1822 Victor Hugo was fully launched on a literary career, and for twenty years or more the story of his life is mainly the story of his literary output.Because of his successful drama Cormwell, the preface to which, with its note of defiance to literary convention, caused him to be definitely accepted as the head of the Romantic School of poetry. The revolution of 1830 disturbed for a moment his literary a ctivity, but as soon as things were quiet again he shut himself in his study with a bottle of ink, a pen, and an immense pile of paper. For six weeks he was never seen, except at dinner-time, and the result was : The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831).During the next ten years four volumes of poetry and four dramas were published in 1841 came his election to the Academy, and in 1843 he published Les Burgraves, a drama which was less successful than his former plays, and which marks the close of his career as a dramatist. In the same year there came to him the greatest sorrow of his life. His most famous poem was ‘Demain, des l’aube’ in which he describes the crucial moment where he visits his daughters grave. As Hugo grew older, his politics became increasingly leftist, and he was forced to flee France in 1851 because of his opposition to the monarch Louis Napoleon.Hugo remained in exile until 1870, when he returned to his home country as a national hero. He continue d to write until his death in 1885. He was buried with every conceivable honor in one of the grandest funerals in modern French history. The Book – Les Miserable : Hugo began writing Les Miserables twenty years before its eventual publication in 1862. His goals in writing the novel were as lofty as the reputation it has subsequently acquired; Les Miserables is primarily a great humanitarian work that encourages compassion and hope in the face of adversity and injustice.It is also, however, a historical novel of great scope and analysis, and it provides a detailed vision of nineteenth-century French politics and society. By coupling his story of redemption with a meticulous documentation of the injustices of France’s recent past, Hugo hoped Les Miserables would encourage a more progressive and democratic future. Driven by his commitment to reform and progress, Hugo wrote Les Miserables with nothing less than a literary and political revolution in mind.Les Miserables emp loys Hugo’s style of imaginative realism and is set in an artificially created human hell that emphasizes the three major predicaments of the nineteenth century. Each of the three major characters in the novel symbolizes one of these predicaments: Jean Valjean represents the degradation of man in the proletariat, Fantine represents the subjection of women through hunger, and Cosette represents the atrophy of the child by darkness. In part, the novel’s fame has endured because Hugo successfully created characters that serve as symbols of larger problems without being flat devices.

Music and Soundscapes Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Music and Soundscapes - Research Paper Example The sound effects, sounds that are made outside of the scene and applied, are used in tandem with the scene (Klaus 136). In the clip from Jaws, the music has a duality, revealing both the joy of the chase and the seriousness of what they are about to accomplish. As the tension builds, so does the tension of the music. There is a playfulness, even within the music score that accompanies this scene. As the captain goes to shoot the shark, the tension builds even higher. Once the first shot is in, it builds towards him taking the next shot, but then descends as the barrel descends into the water. The music is complex, reflecting the moment. This is in contrast to the simplicity of the theme music that is so well known about the shark. In this scene, the humans feel that they are in control and that they are working the shark towards their own ends. However, there is a sense that this is not true, thus the playfulness within the music reflects something of the self-delusion that they are experiencing (Movie Clips. ‘Barrels’ Jaws (1975). The sound in the ‘Opposites do not Attract’ in When Harry Met Sally is a series of sounds that are developed to reflect the situation. The two lead characters are riding in a car so the rush of the car as it travels underlies the sound.

De young museum ( San Francisco ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

De young museum ( San Francisco ) - Essay Example When the building was initially constructed, there were lacking tools and equipment that could be used for construction. The museum is an amalgamation of past and present designs and architectural excellence. This paper contains description of the museum’s construction and relevant details. De Young Museum (San Francisco) The M.H De Young memorial museum is the complete name of a fine arts museum situated in San Francisco but it is commonly known and called â€Å"De Young Museum†. This museum is located in the famous golden gate park of San Francisco. Initially the museum was housed in a fine arts building having the Egyptian style structure. The old museum occupied the area of approximately 1, 40000 square feet where as the new building occupies the area of about 292,000 square feet. De young museum was founded in 1895 and since then it is the hub of the cultural fabric of the city of San Francisco. Fine arts museum was an outgrowth of an exposition that took place in San Francisco in 1894. Different sorts of construction material were used to construct a splendid building of all times. Copper, wood, steel and glass were so beautifully used to merge the outlook of museum with surroundings of golden Green Park. Effort was made to complement the old hazardous building of the museum. Italian porphyry stone is used on the lobby floor of the museum. Fabric ceilings and wood flooring were used for designing the interior. The building was decorated with the images of hathor, commonly known as cow goddess. Museum was badly damaged by the earthquake in 1906 and it was closed for public. Concrete ornaments and large quantity of steel was used in museum’s construction (M.H. De Young Memorial Museum, et al. 184). De young memorial museum is great specimen of construction, engineering and architecture. Construction of such a building in those times without use of modern machinery was only possible by labor force and use of skills by the construction co mpanies. M. H. de Young Memorial Museum (Old Building) The M.H De Young memorial museum is the complete name of a fine arts museum situated in San Francisco but it is commonly known and called â€Å"De Young Museum†. The museum is the result of California midwinter international exhibition held in 1894. After the exhibition the museum was first opened for the public in 1895. The midwinter fair used to operate from January to July during that era. The exhibition of 1894 was held in the same golden gate park where the museum is situated now. De young was editor and proprietor of the San Francisco chronicle. The San Francisco exhibition was the idea of De young that resulted in the construction of great fine arts museum at golden gate park (M.H. De Young Memorial Museum 64). The M. H. De Young Memorial Museum in 1895 Since then the museum faced natural disinters and renovation of the museum is still a continuous process. The earthquake of 1906 badly damaged the fine arts buildin g and after words the building was demolished and reopened in 1929 in a Spanish style structure. The building was again declared a hazard as the ornaments decorated in the building began to fall in 1949. In 1972, De young fine arts museum was created as a separate entity. The museum aging faced a devastating earthquake in 1989 and building was again demolished and once again constructed at the same place in 2005. Since then

Eco luxury Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Eco luxury - Essay Example Since it requires a special skill and talent to be able to create clothing that can be use and re-use for decades, our future fashion designers, seamstresses, and tailors are being challenged to design and manufacture creative pieces of fashion designs that are classic and elegant. Also known as the â€Å"earth-friendly fashion†, â€Å"ethical fashion†, or an â€Å"eco fashion† (Fletcher); a sustainable fashion is a significant â€Å"part of the fashion industry that recognizes social and environmental responsibility† (Matthews 117; Preston 150). In general, there are some designers who would design and create garments for the purpose of â€Å"wear, wash, and throw away† (Matthews 119). Since the main purpose of promoting sustainable fashion is to enable the local and international fashion designers to establish a system that will indefinitely be supported by the public in terms of becoming an environmentalist and a responsible member of the social, sustainable fashion designers should avoid creating garments of poor quality and low class design. The concept of a sustainable fashion is slowly becoming a special part of the continuously developing trend in sustainable design. As part of a sustainable design which aims to decrease levels of carbon emission in our environment, a lot of people started creating different products that are environmental friendly (The Economist). In order to save the mother Earth, the concept of â€Å"environmentalism† has been adopted in the world of fashion. For instance, to actively participate in charitable work, some members of the fashion industry are giving out a small percentage of their total sales as a donation to non-profit organizations who are reaching out to the less fortunate individuals. Likewise, there are some famous fashion designers around the world who are actively promoting the use of environmental friendly materials such as the â€Å"natural and renewable fibers† that does not use pesticides (i.e.

The History and Practices of Voodoo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The History and Practices of Voodoo - Essay Example In the documentary, Witchcraft & Magic, Patrick Macnee suggests that â€Å"voodoo is generally perceived as tribal black magic practiced in primitive cultures.† Ross Heaven, the first white priest of Vodou in Europe, explains that â€Å"Vodou is a spiritual tradition of Africa and Haiti† (Heaven 7). Brandi Kelley, the Director of the Voodoo Museum in New Orleans, states that â€Å"voodoo is a compromise between African voudon and Catholicism† (Macnee). While all of these statements are applicable, the history of voodoo and its evolution is somewhat nebulous. In the book for middle school students, The Real Monsters, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen discusses perception and reality, â€Å"sometimes movies and books portray voodoo as a dark and evil religion that is dominated by black magic and pin-struck voodoo dolls. In reality, these things are not a part of traditional voodoo practices† (45). Bardhan-Quallen relates the observations of photographer Lynne Warberg, who has documented Haitian voodoo for years. â€Å"Participation in voodoo ritual reaffirms one’s relationships with ancestors, personal history, community relationships—and the cosmos. Voodoo is a way of life† (qtd. in Bardhan-Quallen, and Cochran 45). Slavery played a defining role in the history of voodoo. ... Linking their deities [†¦] to Catholic saints, slaves could pretend to pray to St. Barbara, for example, while really delivering their wishes to the vo-du thunder god, Songo† (Davis 8) Open to suggestion and seeking answers within the social constructs that confined them, slaves developed a new religion in which â€Å"transplanted voudon borrowed freely from native Indian cultures, European witchcraft, and other non-voudon African slave religions, for example the Kongo-based palo mayombe. And it co-opted precisely as much Catholicism as locally necessary to prevent the African content from being crushed by the Europeans† (Davis 8). In the words of Rod Davis, a reporter who researched and studied Voodoo for his book, American Voudou: Journey into a Hidden World, â€Å"Voudou took as many guises as necessary to survive, [†¦] hoodoo, root medicine, spiritual healing, ju-ju, black magic, and dozens of other euphemisms and forms† (75). Davis states that †Å"in different areas, voudou has different rituals and doctrines† (9). One can deduce that differing circumstances in each location, as well as other religions and cultures in the region, influenced the evolution of the religion. According to Davis, â€Å"in Haiti, the religion metamorphosed into vodun or vaudoux; in Cuba, Santeria; in Brazil, candomble; in Trinidad, Shango Baptist; in Mexico, curanderismo; in Jamaica, obeah. In the American South, it became voodoo and, in the most extreme caricature, hoodoo, the petty hexing (pins in dolls, love potions, etc.) which most people, black and white, confuse with the real thing† (Davis 9). In discussing people’s attitudes toward voodoo in early

Royal Air Force Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Royal Air Force - Essay Example Metamorphic success has its inveterate roots in the past history which makes people accept and adapt to the environment of Leaning process, training and ability. All these aspects play a vital role in the Royal Air Force to facilitate its members in the longer run in terms of training and learning to operate new apparatus and equipment. Change in the Royal Air Force has both positive and negative side to the picture. Both the facets of change should be considered to supplement information about the Royal Air Force. Different projects manifest the darker and denser version of reality in relation to change in the Royal Air Force. As Sir Michael Howard puts it"[The military] is like a sailor navigating by dead reckoning. You have left the terra firma of the last war and are extrapolating from the experiences of that war. The greater the distance from the last war, the greater become the chances of error in this extrapolation. Occasionally there is a break in the clouds: a small-scale conflict occurs somewhere and gives you a "fix" by showing whether certain weapons and techniques are effective or not but it is always a doubtful mix. . . . For the most part you have to sail on in a fog of peace until at the last moment. Then, probably when it is too late, the clouds lift and there is land immediately ahead; breakers, probably, and rocks. Then you find out rather late in the day whether your calculations have been right or not". ROBERTSON, 1998, Air Power Journal; Successful change and clear vision lay the foundation of handling affairs such as --. Managing Resources, Engaging Communication and Empowering. Future research is the essence of findings leadership Competencies; Leader Activities; Leading Change; Royal Air Force Leadership; Change Context; Change Management; Change Success Wren, John; Duelist, Vic(2005)(title review) Aspects of managing change in the Royal Air Force: The system of the Royal Air force can be managed by setting up goals. Through management of objectives, goals can be achieved for any organizational unit such as the Royal Air Force. George S. Odiorne, in his book Management By Objectives throws light on this concept of managerial change "A system of management whereby the superior and subordinate jointly identify objectives, define individual major areas of responsibility in terms of results expected, and use these objectives and expected results as guides for operating the unit and assessing the contribution of each of its members."2. Krahenbuhl, 1975 Facets of managerial concern with in the Royal Air Force: Organization Objective setting; this facet requires the manager of the Royal Air Fore to review the purpose for which an organization comes into power. For example mission statement and discussion about its progressive maneuvering is of great significance to the Royal management. Periodic review assiduously stresses the need for the emergence of an organization fully managed and controlled. This should be the starting point for the supervisor and the staff to set organizational objective in relation to the unit's concentrative areas, thus adapted during the approaching objective setting period. Goals upheld by staff members are as follows; to assist and guide the entire organization, to guide subordinate managers to formulate their own objectives. Consequently, by setting up

New Visa Policy Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

New Visa Policy - Article Example In recent news articles regarding the visit of President Barak Obama in China, as part of his official trip to Asia, talks on new visa policy allegedly elicited diverse reactions from members of the CSSFA, as well as other Chinese citizens living in the United States. According to the reported written by Leavenworth, the new visa policy focused on extending the time frame of visits to the U.S. of Chinese businessmen and students and likewise, of U.S. businessmen and students in China. As explicitly noted: â€Å"The new visa policy announced Monday was lauded by business and other groups. For U.S. citizens residing in China, the current one-year visa for business in China would be extended for as much as 10 years. The education visa would be extended as long as five years. Chinese business investors and students would also benefit, enjoying longer visa extensions to reside in the United States, according to a White House statement. A senior administration official said Monday that it could lead to hundreds of thousands of jobs being created in the United States, many of them in tourism. Some 100 million Chinese traveled worldwide last year, but only 1.8 million came to the United States† (Leavenworth 1). From an approximate number of students enrolled in the Miami University, where â€Å"based on Fall 2013 enrollment, 15,460 undergraduates and 2,260 graduate students study on the Oxford campus† (Miami University 1), the Chinese students represent about 1% of the student population. As such, membership to the CSSFA is about 150 to date. The reactions to the new visa policy were relayed diverse. Most of the members of the CSSFA expressed optimism that the new visa policy would create increased benefits in terms of access to greater potentials to learn more about American culture, including its language, way of life, and possibly pursuing higher

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century Essay

World Trade - Global Economics in the 21st Century - Essay Example In the United States, trade deficits with China have soared as American products are unable to compete with the less expensive Chinese imports. American agricultural exports of corn, soybeans, and wheat reach markets all around the globe as vegetables from Chile and Mexico fill our supermarket shelves. Trade is everywhere and world trade seems to be a chaotic mix of goods and money, commodities and cash. However, world trade, administered under regional trade agreements and the World Trade Organization, are actually rather well-orchestrated transactions with rules, agreements, quotas, and regional trade organizations. A central component of the agreements on international trade is the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is the "only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations" (What is the WTO?). The WTO was established in 1995 as a successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The GATT evolved as an international forum for establishing fair trade guidelines, negotiating agreements, and settling trade disputes. The biggest accomplishment of the international forum is that it has "dramatically lowered both tariff and non-tariff barriers around the world, creating freer trade and contributing to postwar world growth" (Democratizing the World Trade Organization). In addition, the WTO has addressed the issues of quotas and subsidies that give nations an unfair advantage on the world market. The 153 members of the WTO have agreed to non-discrimination in regards to tariff levels among the member nations, and have agreed to treat them all equa lly. The WTO is simply an organization that works to liberalize trade and reduces the barriers to international commerce. The vast amount of world trade is conducted under the WTO and is regulated by a set of agreed-upon principles. All members agree to treat all other members equally.

Earth is my mother Essay Example for Free

Earth is my mother Essay The author’s purpose in writing was to understand for herself and to be able to present Navajo sandpaintings as â€Å"dynamically sacred living entities whose meanings lie in the process of their creation and use† (page xix). Sandpaintings, created from different colored sands and sacred objects, are not art. They are representations of mythical beings and legends created for the purpose of reestablishing someone’s health and harmony. The study of sandpaintings and their various meanings permits the reader considerable insight into Navajo land-tied religious beliefs, world view, creation myths, society, history, and even concepts of time. The author, Trudy Griffin-Pierce, provides little autobiographical information in the book. She mentions her rootless Air Force upbringing and how her early readings were devoted to books about Native American culture, especially the Navajo. Although she is distantly related to the Catawba Indians of South Carolina, she always felt a kinship with the Navajo and lived for a time with a Navajo family, learning their traditions, history, and language. This bond drew her to Arizona after she completed her undergraduate degree in art at Florida State University. N. Scott Momaday, in his â€Å"Forward†, adds that Ms. Griffin-Pierce is a very creative artist, capable of understanding and discussing the artistic dimension of the Navajo world. She makes the inventive and imaginative Navajo system of belief without our understanding. Ms. Griffin-Pierce received her doctorate in anthropology from the University of Arizona in 1987, where she is currently Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department and teaches three courses. The information on her website at the University of Arizona reveals that this was her first published book. She has written four newer books, The Encyclopedia of Native America (1995), Native Americans: Enduring Cultures and Traditions (1996), Native Peoples of the Southwest (2000), and Paridigms of Power: The Chiricahua Apache Prisoners of War and Naiche’s Hide Paintings (in press); and two articles, â€Å"When I am Lonely the Mountains Call Me: The Impact of Sacred Geography on Navajo Psychological Well Being†, and â€Å"Navajo Religion†. All of her writings center on the history of Indians in the United States’ Southwest. She is currently studying aging and dementia among Arizona’s Native Americans. In Earth is my Mother; Sky is my Father, Ms. Griffin-Pierce details Navajo religious beliefs, world views, historical myths, societal structure, and astronomical concepts before she discusses the use and structure of Navajo sandpaintings. Basic Navajo religious beliefs are still followed by many Navajos who chose not to assimilate the tenets of Christianity presented to them in the 1800’s. There is no word for â€Å"religion† in the Navajo language. Spirituality, health, harmony, and beauty are inseparable. The universe is an all-inclusive whole where everything has a unique place and beneficial relationship to all other living things. God is the â€Å"Unknown Power† worshipped through His Creation. The Navajo also have a close relationship with the Holy People, with whom they interact daily. (page 34) Navajo religious beliefs are closely tied to their intense longing for and their love of their homeland, which they consider the â€Å"point in space from which all conceptions of the cosmos proceed†. (page xv) The land and the earth is their foundation of all belief, wonder, and meaning in human existence, and the four sacred mountains are the center. There are no permanent religious centers. The Native American Church is a local peyote visionary religion.    The Navajo have a circular concept of time that permits their mythic, spiritual world to coexist with their physical world. The author suggests that the Navajo sacred sandpaintings cannot be understood unless we accept the Navajo’s â€Å"mythopoetic context of layered time, space, and meaning†. (page 7) Navajo spirituality affirms humanity’s place in nature as a whole. Their ceremonies restore the interconnectedness of all life. They believe sickness results from failure to maintain reciprocal responsibilities with the environment, infringement of ceremonial rules, and transgressions against one’s own mind and bodies. Her purpose in writing this book is to share a more humane, more connected view of the world and its contributions in reestablishing humanity’s alignment with the universe. (page 9) Navajos still worship gods and goddesses of specific purposes. Their deities include the Sun; Changing Woman, who brings the earthly seasons; and their children, Hero Twins, Monster Slayer, Born-for Water, First Man and First Woman, First Boy and First Girl, the trickster Coyote, and the Speechless Ones, who cannot utter words. (page 34) These are often depicted in the sandpaintings. Navajos have a concept of the â€Å"Holy Wind†, reminiscent of the Christian Holy Spirit, as a being that exists everywhere and is in all living beings. For them this means that all living beings are related and that humanity has a responsibility to care for other living beings. Curiously, in Navajo Creation stories, the Holy People spoke, sang, and prayed the world into existence with their sacred words. Since everyone has an inner form and is part of the Holy Wind, each has a Holy Person located within. Oneness with the universe creates a responsibility to treat one’s fellow creatures with the same respect one has towards oneself. (page 73). The Navajos were among the last American Indians to migrate from Asia to North America and were late in arriving in the Southwest. They settled in the geographical area bounded by the four Sacred Mountains in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. Their geographical isolation protected them from diseases brought by the Spaniards and provided them with access to stealing their horses, sheep, and goats. They learned weaving from the Pueblos. The Navajo societal structure was and is matriarchal, clan, and family based, and they dwell in isolated family groups structured by the nuclear family, the matrilocal extended family, close relatives, and other relatives. Many Navajo live in frame houses today, but some still choose well-constructed hogans. (page 21) Navajo ceremonial healings involving sandpaintings are conducted by highly trained practitioners called â€Å"chanters† who have learned to sing the elaborate Navajo rituals. The Navajo chanter can cure witchcraft, exorcise ghosts, and establish immunity to illness.   A chanter is a priest, not a shaman, and never enters the shaman’s characteristic trance state. Most chanters are men. Women become diagnosticians, or shamans who acquire knowledge in a trance state. (page 39) Navajo ceremonials are rites (rattle is not used) or chants (rattle accompanies singing. The major rites (Blessingway and Enemyway) use drypaintings with pigments made from plants, including corn, pollens, cornmeal, flower petals, and charcoal. The author explains that Enemyway is a form of exorcism against the ghosts of aliens, violence, and ugliness. The chanting ceremonies (Holyway, Evilway, or Lifeway) use sandpaintings of different colors of sand, ocher and charcoal. Other sacred objects, vegetation, and bowls of water are incorporated into both types of ceremonies. (pages 40-41) There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different sandpainting designs. A sandpainting is a place of entry where supernaturals enter and leave, attracted by their likenesses in the painting. The establishment of this pathway lets the evil or illness in the patient be replaced by the good, or healing power of the supernatural being. (page 43) The healing ceremonies last for several days. It takes four to six people three to five hours to complete a sandpainting six feed in diameter. The workers begin in the center and work outwards. (page 45. The Navajos’ basic concept is that the powers of the heavens and earth are drawn into the sandpainting for the purpose of healing. Time is compressed so that powerful mythic events of the past coexist with the present and restore harmony and well being to the person being healed. (page 58) The sandpainted image is intended to let the sick person project his or her mind through time and space, rising above present earthly limitations.   The Navajo layered worldview becomes meaningless during a ceremony as all layers of heavens and underground become one. The Navajos study the constellations and star arrangements primarily for determination of seasons, and they are not part of the ceremonial core of sandpaintings, even though depictions of mythical gods of creation in the form of constellations may be used. (page 103) One of the more interesting myths is how Younger Brother went to the sky country and met an inner circle of hostile beings whom he left to stay with the friendly Star People in the outer dwellings. These friendly Star People, whom the Navajo call â€Å"The People†, and the hostile beings are still incorporated into sandpaintings. The author concentrated on the â€Å"Mother Earth, Father Sky† sandpainting because it is the most familiar to outsiders and presents the most detailed depiction of the Navajo heavens of sandpaintings in use today. (page 175) She describes the intricate, careful, detailed process involved in making a sandpainting. Mother Earth and Father Sky must be identical in shape and size. The act of creating a sandpainting is healing because it focuses everyone’s thoughts on the principles of balance and order. (page 177) The painting becomes â€Å"alive† to serve its transcendent purpose when the chanter strews sacred pollen on it and blesses those attending. (page 183). The sacred and blessed sandpainting forces the patient to reconnect in time and space to past and present sacred forces and reminds the patient of her connectedness to humans present physically or spiritually. (page 194) This book accomplishes the author’s stated purposes and does discuss the themes in detail. However, the information is disorganized and scattered, making the book itself hard to read. The author’s purpose was to teach the reader how to understand and appreciate the making, content, and purpose of Navajo sandpainting, which she accomplishes. Some of the information presented about Navajo religious beliefs is curiously similar to Christianity, and the author does not sufficiently discuss whether or not these were original to the Navajo who migrated to the Americas or picked up and changed a bit from what Christian missionaries tried to teach them. The Navajo ties to the religious symbolism of their land is remarkably similar to early Hebrew thought, but no mention is made of that. The textual sources used by the author are all documented research papers or books that are fairly recent in date. One would wish earlier sources had been consulted on some issues, but their availability is not known. The author combines quite boring detailed information with her myths and more lively text, making the book itself a challenge to complete. BIBLIOGRAPHY Southwest Studies Program. Biography of Trudy Griffin-Pierce. University of Arizona. http://web. arizona. edu/~swst/faculty/tgpierce. htm. Griffin-Pierce, Trudy. Earth is my Mother; Sky is my Father. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1992.

Family diversity in today’s society Essay Example for Free

Family diversity in today’s society Essay Examine the extend,of and the reasons for family diversity in today’s society. Many sociologists argue that the nuclear family is a universal and dominate institution however there has been an increase in diverse family types for various reasons. Examples of these diverse families are lone parents, reconstitutions and cohabitation families. Although most people experience life in a nuclear family, it represents only a stage in their life cycle. Social and demographic changes have meant that an increasing part of many people’s lives are spent in households that are not based on conventional nuclear families. Firstly the increase of single parents (lone parents) has tripled since 1970s in the UK. About 25% of all families with dependent children are single-parent families. There are various reasons which contribute to the increase of single parenthood but one main one is the demographical changes in the UK, is divorce. Divorce was legalised in the early 1970s and as a consequences it is cheaper and easier to get a divorce and this one of the explanations for the growth in lone-parent families since the early 1970’s. Whereas in the past it would take years to get a divorce and even then the outcome was not always fair. Feminist argue that diversity is valued and liberal as it gives women a choice. They also argue that this not only benefits women but en as well as they can have more time with the child and care for their children, then in the past that was only seen as the women job. However these traditional values are stilled established by ethnic groups not so much. Another reason for the increase in single parent families is due to greater acceptance in society. There is no longer as stigma that you have conceives a child with in marriage. This is interlinked with secularisation, which means the decline in religious practice and thinking. Therefore religion has very little influence over people lives hence they have a wider option in regards to the type of family they chose. The media also contributes the greater acceptance of single-parents as it depicts them in a positive light today, whereas in the past were it was seen as ‘sinful’. The increase is in single parent families is also due to help of the welfare state. The welfare state provides the single pare nt finical support hence taking the position or the role of the father. As a result women no longer need to rely on men or marriage for support. The increase in never married single mother now accounts for about 40% of all lone parents. Although Britain has become more diverse single  parenthood is still not accepted by everyone. The new right thinker Charles Murray (1984) argues that the increase in lone-parents is due to the over generosity of the welfare state as they have provide for both the parent and their children. Murray argue that this creates ‘perverse incentive’, that is rewarding irresponsible behaviour hence creating a ‘dependency culture’ in which people assume that the state will support them. One of the consequences of the lone parent family is step families (often called reconstituted families) which accounts to about 10% of families with the dependent children in the UK. A reconstituted family is made up of an adult couple, living with at least one child from a previous relationship of one of the partners. However although there is an increase in diverse family types the stepfamily are more at risk of poverty because the stepfather would have to provide for his current step children and his children form a previous relationship. In addition a difference in sexuality has contributed to the increase in family diversity. Gay and lesbian households have become more common and more acceptable in society than in the past. As Jeffrey Weeks, Donovan and Heaphey did their study in 1999 they argue, ‘During the past generation the possibilities of living an openly lesbian and gay have been transformed’. According to Weeks et al (1999) the same sex families look upon their household and friendship network as a chosen family. Same sex families have more option than the conventional heterosexual family and others see these families and an alternative and continuous devolving. Weeks et al argues that this part of a wider social change which can be based on culture and ethnic difference. Another sociologist called Roseneil (2005) develops the idea of chosen your own family. She uses the term hetronorm to refer to the intimate relationship between a heterosexual couple is seen as normal. Cheal (2002) notes that many gays and lesbians are legally allowed to adopt nevertheless many want to retain status of difference because they may feel that by adopting a child they are being shaped or moulded to portray a heterosexual family. Another main reason in why same- sex families increase is the decline in secularisation because some religions condemn homosexuality and now less people are religious in the UK they are more acceptant of homosexuals. Another type of family is singletons; this means that when someone lives by themselves. About 3 in 10 household contains one person. The reasons for  these changes are the increase in separation and divorce has created more 1 person households especially with men under 65 because children are more likely to live with their mother. Also the decline in marriage and the trend in marrying later because people are living longer hence there are more people that are single. Stein (1976) argues the growing number of people choosing to be single is a deliberate choice. However, while many of these choose to remain single some are alone because e there are few partners available in their age group. Furthermore, another type of household is living apart together. It is often assumed that those living alone do not have a partner. However the researcher by Duncan and Phillips (2208) found that 1 in 10 adults are ‘living apart together’ and has become increasingly common. Living apart together is a significant relationship, but not married or cohabiting. Duncan and Phillips found that some couple cannot live together for finical reason and the minority actively chose to live apart may be because they want to keep their home as a security because if the relationship does not work then at least they have a home to go to. Nonetheless although there are various other families it does demolish the existence of the nuclear family as they are still common but it has changed hence becoming more modern. Perspectives like the functionalist and new right as described to be ‘modernist’ because they see modern society. The nuclear family has shaped and changed to fit society which helps maintain it by performing some essential functions. According to Chester (1985), there was little evidence that people were choosing to live on a long-term basis in alternatives to the nuclear family. However, he did accept that some changes were taking place in family life. In particular, many families were no longer ‘conventional’ in the sense that the husband was the sole breadwinner. He accepted more women are out working to finical support their family. He called this new family form, in which wives have got jobs, the neo-conventional family. Although many people are not part of the nuclear family at one time in the life is largely due to the life-cycle. Many people who are currently living alone i.e. widows, singleton or those who are yet to get married, were either part o f a nuclear family in the past or will be in the future. Chester argues that the statistics is misleading and does not portray that most people will spend a major part of their life in a nuclear family. The extended family is another type of family which is three  generations living together. The extended family was strongest in working-class families. It is less important today because of geographical mobility, but research by Finch and Mason (1993) shows that kinship ties are still important for most. They also receive finical help from extended family and they also found that the women are more actively involved with extended family. Wilmot (1988) did his study on the dispersed extended family and the beanpole family. Wilmot (1988) argues that there are four main types of extended family; extended family of residence where the members live in the same household, the local extended family – where 2 or 3 nuclear families live separately but in close proximity and see each other often, the dispersed extended family – nuclear families who see each other frequently but live further apart and do not see each other as regularly and the attenuated extended family – similar to the dispersed extended family but the contact is even less frequent. Brannen (2003) argues that there is a strong intergenerational links between generations mainly because people are living longer. However the links between the intragenerational links between siblings, cousins etc. were somewhat weaker. Therefore Brannen characteristic contemporary family structure as being long and thin and she compares it to the beanpole. A beanpole family is a nuclear family with one or two children who maintain regular contact with grandparents. Furthermore another concept which has contributed to the increase in diverse families is culture diversity. There’s is an increase of people with different ethnic background hence this means there alternative family forms and living arrangements. Ghazala Bhatti carries out her study in 1999 on Asian families living in the southern England. She found that the conflict between generations has created a new family type as the children may not marry someone with the same background. However Bhatti stresses that these families were not the norm. Within black families there is high rate of female-headed houses, lone-parent black families has someti mes been seen as evidence of disorganisation which link back to slavery. This is because under slavery when people were taken the children would stay with their mothers. Also due to high rate of unemployment among black men has meant that they cannot provide for their family which as a consequence lead to high rates of desertion or marital breakdown. Also among Asian families their household do contain three generation but most are in fact nuclear  rather than extended families. Larger Asian households also to some extent reflect the value placed on the extended family in Asian cultures. These differences are likely to have resulted from the fact that many Asian immigrants have come from a traditional agricultural economy where family patterns are more like pre-industrial Britain. Thus, minority ethnic families have not just contributed to family diversity through each group having its own distinctive family pattern. They have also contributed to it through developing diverse family patterns within each ethnic group.

Immortal Technique: The 4th Branch

Immortal Technique: The 4th Branch This discourse analysis will focus on Immortal Techniques song called the 4th Branch published on his 2003-released CD Revolutionary Vol. 2. This paper will start by portraying the artist, focusing on his inspirations, followed by a brief description of discourse analysis and the definition of content analysis which is used to study the lyrics. Finally, this work will regard the main concepts of the power of discourse, the media and Islamophobia together, by acknowledging the link in between these terms, building a critical approach towards American actions and values. Felipe Andres Coronel is a hip-hop artist known as Immortal Technique as well as a political activist, born in Peru. After immigrating to the United States at a young age due to a civil war in his native country, he was raised in Harlem, New York (viperrecords.com). The artist describes himself as a revolutionary and socialist guerrilla, influenced by historical events and political figures such as Malcolm X, Che Guevara or TÃ ºpac Amaru (immortaltechnique.info). Mainly his raps involve critical issues such as global and local poverty, racism and religion (immortaltechnique.info). Turning down a deal by a major record label, and signing with a smaller label (Viper Records), he expressed his desire to remain in control over his music, avoiding the influence of mass production (immortaltechnique.info). Method In the recent decades, discourse analysis affected social psychology research on not solely textual analysis, but also areas such as films, speeches or policy documents. Accordingly, it introduced new methods in order to explore objectively tendencies and pattern of meanings within documents and focus on the interaction between e.g. the speaker and addressee (Antaki, et al., 2003; Stemler, 2001; Fairclough, 1992, p.3). Researchers often use computer programs known as CAQDAS (Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software) to study qualitative analysis (MacMillan and Koenig, 2004, p.181-182). These computer-based methods for qualitative data analysis, help organizing and coding the data (Fielding and Lee, 1996, p.242). This paper will use content analysis to study the artefact and is characterized as a systematic, replicable technique for compressing many words of text into fewer content categories based on explicit rules of coding (Stemler, 2001). Weber determines category as a group of words with similar meaning or connotations (Stemler, 2001). This study is defined as any technique for making inferences by objectively and systematically identifying specified characteristics of messages by Holsti (Stemler, 2001). This evolves an inductive reasoning, in contrast to deductive approaches. Due to observations and measurements, regularities are explored, followed by the proposition of a hypothesis, out of which a theory or a general conclusion can be drawn (Trochim, 2006). The procedure of this analysis allows to describe the centre of individual or groups as well as institutional or social attention (Stemler, 2001). After having coded and categorizing the words or the families of terms into groups, u nderlining topics and issue become clearly visible. If applied properly, content analysis is an influential data reduction technique due to its systematic, replicable technique for compressing many words of text into fewer content categories based on explicit rules of coding (Stemler, 2001). Analysis of the artefact 1000 words This discourse analysis focuses on the artefact of a song-text. Quantitative and qualitative key words in text give hint to main terms of soft power, religion and American actions and values. In order to receive the most objective result, this analysis was coded independently three times and the average result is considered. Furthermore, it only regards the first and second verse as well as considering the chorus only one time. Discourse and American values, actions This analysis starts by referencing to the ideas of discourse. Twenty-three times the families of words linked to American actions and values are found. When talking about discourse, Michael Foucault plays an important role. He claims that knowledge is interconnected with power. Discourse as the production of knowledge is linked to variety degrees of power; how some voices get heard whilst others are silenced (Pinkus, 1996). It explains the change of language and its construction, linked to the social and cultural process (Fairclough, 1992, p.1, 6). It uses the principle of othering to establish self-identities, achieved by creating a language of dislike and fear in this case towards non-Americans and terrorists (Jackson, 2005, p.59-61). These binary categorizations are sufficient enough to capture the publics support against terrorists constructed as intolerable threats (Jackson, 2005, p.61, 72; Benjamin and Simon, 2003, p.385). Additionally, the U.S. are portrayed as fighters for j ustice, while the Middle East and its population is defined as uncivilized. Immortal Techniques asks: fighting for freedom and fighting terror, but whats reality?, hence, it is important to acknowledge the standpoint out of which terms are illustrated (Sakamoto, 2003, p.39). In addition, America often acted in disregard to their moral values which partly destroyed their positive image. Iraq was invaded in 2003 after the U.S. failure to receive UN approval; self-interested military actions and its ignorance towards international law portrayed Americas unilateralism (Taylor, 2010, p.313; Sakamoto, 2003, p.35). Human rights violations, we continue the saga is prove of this critique and is e.g. linked to Americas treatment of prisoner in Guantanamo Bay as well as in Abu Ghraib. Media and soft power The following section will develop this idea by looking at the notion of soft power and the use of media. The data refers twenty-two times to the families of words linked to factors such as manipulation, propaganda and representation. Due to the title and line the fourth branch of the government AKA the media, it is essential to explain the other three branches of the American government. The first branch is the executive one, responsible for implying the nations laws, while the second branch is concerned with judicial matters, followed by the third, legislative branch (USA, 2011). The artist refers to the media and its influential power as the forth branch, which eventually leads to soft power. Nye explains his as a method to reach diplomatic solutions and co-operations without coercion, emphasizing on shared political values, communication and understanding (Wagner, 2005; Ilgen, 2006, p.27). Moreover it is a sort of propaganda, capable of influencing and shaping behaviours and perc eptions of others, deriving from the attractiveness of a countrys culture, political ideals and policies (Nye, 2004, p.x; Ilgen, 2006, p.75). This form of power is contrasted to hard power, defined as the employment of threats and coercion, enforcing national interests on to other actors (Nye, 2004, p.2; Wagner 2005). Hence, the media is vital for American politics. Furthermore it plays a crucial role in constructing images and categories and helps to justify and explain American actions. It establishes an everyday and political language into the nations culture due to its role as channel between society and politics, while the average citizen, made to be, blind to the reason through media censorship and manipulation (Jackson, 2005, p.59, 66, 164). Religion and Islamophobia Nine lines are concerned with the topics of religion and difference between Western and Islamic traditions, such as a fake church called the prophet Muhammad a terrorist. This implies a critique of Christianity and refers to the notion of Islamophobia, which is defined as the mostly Western intolerance and fear of Muslims and Islamic otherness; it emphasis on its differences, defined as inferior to the West and unresponsive to change (Islamophobia Watch; Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.2). It is a form of religious discrimination based on prejudice other than race and ethnicity (Sheridan, 2006, p.317, 331). After the events of 11/9, Islam and its followers are seen as violent and threatening, supporting terrorism and military advances towards to West (Islamophobia Watch). Due to the fact that the mainstream media does not inform about the nonviolent Muslim perspectives, this hatred is hardened and alienates Muslims from other communities (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.2). Muslims appear as executioners of violence, in the name of Islam, hence Americans conclude that all Muslims act out of religious reassignment and define the religion as dangerous (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.10). Additionally anti-Muslim hostility is justified as normal. Christianity and Judaism are defined as Western religious traditions, alienating themselves from Eastern religious tradition (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.6). The way Muslim are portrayed in the West, creates tensions leading to anti-Americanism, conflicts, clashes, misunderstandings and injustices; seemingly they to do share any common interests or values (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.3, 10). After having categorized the lyrics into three main divisions, this analysis builds its theory; the artist seeks to demonstrate the power of propaganda through the media and soft power, and the ideas indoctrinate in American minds about their nations values and actions. Due to discourse, the representation of Islam in the mainstream media and through political actions, hatred against Muslims was triggered, which led to the construction of the War on Terror, as well as anti-Americanism throughout the world. American actions were justified trough lies such as Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction in order to implant fear among their citizens and gain their empathy (Gottschalk and Greenberg, 2008, p.7, 8). The song ends with the artists demand to his listeners, to turn off the news and read; hence to broaden ones horizons, avoiding being influenced by certain (manipulated) ideas or deprived from the whole truth. To conclude, this work uses content analysis to study the lyrics of the artist Immortal Technique. This research method focuses on use of the dominant families of words which in this artefact are discourse, false American values and actions, soft power, media, religion and Islamophobia. In addition, this approach endeavours to find the link between them, which is the power to alter representation and language in everyday life and hence, establishes a critical view towards American society, its politics and its media.

Design Thinking Essay -- creative problem resolution

Design thinking is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result. It is the essential ability to combine empathy, creativity and rationality to meet user needs and drive business success. Unlike analytical thinking, design thinking is a creative process based around the building up of ideas. There are no judgments early on the design thinking (Simon, 1969, p. 55). Design thinking includes imagination and reason, a combination of convergent and divergent thought, and creativity. Design thinking might be thought of as dialectic, or conversation. It involves design wisdom, judgment, and knowledge. Lastly, design thinking is skill (Hegeman, 2008). Design thinking process has eight generation stages: observation or analysis, framework, imperative or facts, solutions or alternatives, alternative evaluation and concept selection, implementation, construction, and post occupancy evaluation. Within these eight stages, problems can be framed, the right questions can be asked, more idea can be created, and the best answers can be chosen. The steps aren’t linear; they occur simultaneously and can be repeated. Although design is always subject to personal taste, design thinkers share a common set of value the drive innovation: these value are meanly creativity, ambidextrous thinking, teamwork, and user focus curiosity (Owen, 1993). Client(s) may be in the first stage of our design thinking sequences (Archer, 1984, p. 67), and then the designer job is to explore what is the problem, what do we want, what do they need: to produce a design to meet the requirements. The initial design problem presented to the designer may be poorly and incompletely described (McDonnell, 1997, p. 45... ...as a Learning Process: Embedding Design Thinking. California Management Review, 50(1), 24-56. Retrieved from: http://epic.hpi.uni-potsdam.de/pub/Home/TrendsAndConceptsII2008/2_InnovationAsLearningProcess.pdf. Cross, N. (2006). Designerly Ways of Knowing. London, Springer-Verlag. Hegeman, J. (2008). The Thinking Behind Design. Master Thesis submitted to the school of design, Carngie Mellon University. Retrieved from: http://jamin.org/portfolio/thesis-paper/thinking-behind-design.pdf. McDonnell, J. (1997). Descriptive models for interpreting design. Design Studies, 18, 457-473. Owen, C. (1993). Considering Design Fundamentally. Design Process Newsletter, 5(3), 2. Oxman, R. (1997). Design by re-representation: a model of visual reasoning in design. Design studies, 18, 329-347. Simon, H. (1969). The Science of the Artificial. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Essay on Picture of Dorian Gray: The Rotting of the Spirit :: Picture Dorian Gray Essays

The Rotting of the Spirit in The Picture of Dorian Gray      Ã‚  Ã‚   Oscar Wilde, author of The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes Basil's life change drastically by having him paint a portrait of Dorian Gray and express too much of himself in it, which, in Wilde's mind, is a troublesome obstacle to circumvent. â€Å"Wilde believes that the artist should not portray any of himself in his work, so when Basil does this, it is he who creates his own downfall, not Dorian† (Shewan 36).    Wilde introduces Basil to Dorian when Basil begins to notice Dorian staring at him at a party. Basil "suddenly became conscious that someone was looking at [him]. [He] turned halfway around and saw Dorian Gray for the first time" (Wilde 24). Basil immediately notices him, however Basil is afraid to talk to him. His reason for this is that he does "not want any external influence in [his] life" (Wilde 24). This is almost a paradox in that it is eventually his own internal influence that destroys him. Wilde does this many times throughout the book. He loved using paradoxes and that is why Lord Henry, the character most similar to Wilde, is quoted as being called "Price Paradox."    Although Dorian and Basil end up hating each other, they do enjoy meeting each other for the first time. Basil finds something different about Dorian. He sees him in a different way than he sees other men. Dorian is not only beautiful to Basil, but he is also gentle and kind. This is when Basil falls in love with him and begins to paint the picture. Basil begins painting the picture, but does not tell anyone about it, including Dorian, because he knows that there is too much of himself in it. Lord Henry discovers the painting and asks Basil why he will not display it. Lord Henry thinks that it is so beautiful it should be displayed in a museum. Basil argues that the reason he will not display the painting is because he is "afraid that [he] has shown in it the secret of his soul" (Wilde 23). This is another paradox because he has not only shown the secret of his soul, but the painting eventually comes to show the secret of Dorian's soul also.      In the preface to The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilde explains that "to reveal art and conceal the artist is art's aim" (Wilde 17).

Accounting Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Accounting Accounting is a career that offers many job opportunities and advancements, and a little hard work will inevitably lead to happiness and success. Accountants have different duties depending on the size and nature of the company where they are employed. Usually accountants prepare and analyze financial reports that polish up-to-date information for government agencies, businesses, and other organizations. The data accountants provide information that influences nearly every business and government decision. This is important because a company’s financial condition is the most important thing. Accountants also have many opportunities for part-time work especially with small businesses. There are four major Accounting fields: Management, public, government, and internal auditing. Most accountants are management accountants that are usually employed by a single company to handle their financial records. A few management accountants function as internal auditors, a fast growing field. About 1/3 of all accountants are public accountants. They usually specialize in taxes, and they work for themselves or for an acco unting firm. Government accountants maintain and examine the financial records of government agencies and check the record of businesses and individuals whose financial activities are connected with government agencies. Internal auditors review financial records and reports, to judge their reliability. They also review procedures ...

Learning Skill Essay

Q1. Write an essay on why you decided to continue your tertiary education. In your answer also include why WOU was your choice of university. Everyone hope to live in better or luxury life, so do I. But holding only diploma in accounting would not grant me any further opportunity in the fact that nowadays the employers are so arduous and looking forward for more competent and capable candidate. Therefore I make up my mind to pursue higher education for a better career advancement and keep the skills and knowledge up to date. Continuing tertiary education can enhance my marketable skills. Advance to degree means that I learning new skills. A set of skills imparted from this course will help me in the current society. These skills also help me to perform better in my current career, make me more competitive and have the opportunity for promotions (Girl 2014). Tertiary education also increases my earning potential (Girl 2014). In the current career market, the higher your education, the higher your position and the higher your pay (Harrison 2013). From Jobstreet salary report, a finance manager earnings average from RM5,800 to RM8,600 per month (JobStreet. com 2014). In current economy, higher earning is important for a better living life. Continuing my education will gives me advanced knowledge about my area of study. From researching assignments and advanced courses, I will gain additional knowledge relates to my career. Learning from established experts, I will also earn a reputation as an expert in my field too (Harrison 2013). Choosing WOU as my choice as it suits for my part-time study and more flexible. It provides me to study online and have distance learning (University 2014). WOU cuts down my travelling time and cost and only attend classes once a month. I am able to choose the course and plan to study that suits my time that provided by WOU. Other than education, WOU is a place where I can enhance my professional skills and gaining knowledge from the lecturers and students which will makes me become a more valuable and marketable in my career. It is never too late to go back to study. I appreciates that WOU is one of the online study provider that let me study with ease and continuing my education which can fit my studies, working and social life. I can have a degree without having to commit to campus life and receive the degree from my home (Girl 2014).

History of Auditing

| | |The History of Auditing | |A detailed overview | | | | | | | | Auditing has a rich history within the United States. There have always been various rudimentary forms of auditing when the first businesses were started; however the focus of this paper will be on auditing standards within the twentieth century. To look beyond that departs from what would typically be termed as â€Å"modern accountancy† and its relevant roots.Author Bruce Marshall helps describes why this historic perspective is so important of our field: â€Å"Accountancy is a recognized profession like those of law and medicine. †¦ In fact it might not be too much to say that it is regarded as the most important of all the professions. Indeed it is the cornerstone upon which the whole industry of our Empire is built. †[1] Establishing a Need for Auditing In one of the earliest forms of organized auditing, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued a series of pamphlets to the accounting profession in 1917.The pamphlets were designed to guide financial statement analysis and auditing in general, offering more transparency to the emerging corporations that were springing up around the country. Strong motivation for this release came from the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Reserve Board, stemming from a panic in the previous decade that had sent chills through the investment community. Both entities wanted to offer a stabilizing force to help guide the United States’ corporate growth.An early accounting journal discusses the pamphlets: â€Å"The memorandum is of such importance that it has been reprinted in full in this issue of The Journal of Accountancy and we are confident it will appeal to all readers. To the members of the institute it will serve as a guide in all their audits for credit purposes, and they will understand that the burden of proof will be upon them if they omit any of the procedure laid down in the memorandum. [ 2] The pamphlets were an adequate start, yet lacked the authority to be the final solution for stability. Federal Trade Commission Chairman W. E. Humphrey delivered a well timed statement on the progress the FTC had made, but also addressed some of the limitations: â€Å"I am constrained to believe that the business of this country, and particularly big business, is more and more forced to the conclusion that honesty is not only the best policy, but that it pays the highest dividends.I feel that there has been a tremendous improvement in the conduct of the business of the country over the last few years, but the time has not come, and I regret to say that it seems far off, when the strong arm of the government will not be needed to protect the public from greed, monopoly, fraud, and unfair practices. †[3] Humphrey however, could not foresee how right he actually was. After an especially lucrative decade for investors in the roaring twenties, one of the most devastating financ ial crises struck the United States in 1929 as the NY stock exchange came tumbling down.Corruption and greed were rampant among most major companies, whom often distorted how risky their operations actually were. Margin borrowing by investors allowed huge amounts of debt to be taken on without proper risk mitigation. Investors, knowing no better, had dumped small fortunes into the market. The fragile infrastructure of the system couldn’t handle the load and eventually caved in. Those companies that would survive the crash needed standardization and change in order for the investors’ faith to be restored.The Federal Trade Commission stepped in to fill this need. The first official document: â€Å"Verification of Financial Statements,† which was solely dedicated to provide guidance for audit, was released the same year as the crash. This document dove further than the previous decades’ pamphlets did, focusing in on small and medium sized companies, as well as the general need for the customized auditing tailored to each different companies, based on need. In response to the extreme amounts of personal wealth destroyed during the tock market crash in 1929 and the ensuing depression, Congress was forced to take even more action. The suggested guidelines outlined by the FTC were just not enough to ensure a stable economy. The regulation of business and the accounting firms is commonly recognized to have been born just after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was established in the mid 1930s. Despite public investment being in an advanced stage at the time, corporate regulation was practically unheard of. The SEC was a product of both the Securities Act and the Securities Exchange Act.William Raymond offers insight on the initial operations of the SEC and how the investor took advantage: â€Å"There are probably thousands of investors throughout the country who are at a loss to understand what value is all the data gathered by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is headquartered in Washington and no convenient way for the investor to visit and secure the valuable data themselves. To these investors, the commission offers a very adequate mailing service, through which various actions by the commission, decisions and other matters may be obtained simply by requesting the placing of their names on the mailing list. [4] Even from the beginning, serious debates raged in Washington about whether it was constitutional for the government to be involved in public corporations, much less private ones. Without regulation, there was fear another collapse was unavoidable. Establishing standards for preparing and auditing financial statements was decided to be the bare minimum that was essential to steer clear of any future turmoil. The authority to set the rules and oversight for what would become â€Å"auditors† was given to the SEC. Auditors themselves were allowed to set their own standards, but fi nal say was still in the hands of the SEC.It is important to distinguish between accounting standards and auditing standards. Although related, auditing is but a piece of accounting. Nevertheless, to truly understand the history of auditing, one must note the progression of accountancy as well. Regulating Auditing Procedures In recognition of the expertise and resources of the accounting profession, the SEC has traditionally looked to the standard setting bodies from the private sector to provide a foundation for improving accounting principles and reporting standards.The private sector offered a baseline set of guidelines, which the SEC built off of. From 1938 and 1959, the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) issued 51 Accounting Research Bulletins. The ARBs formed the basis of what is probably the single biggest resource to accountants today. GAAP, or the generally accepted accounting principles, is the foundation of all modern accounting. By 1959, CAP had been replaced by ano ther entity, the Accounting Principles Board (APB). The APB was responsible for 31 new general accounting standards from 1959-1973.This transition would mark the beginning of a plethora of different organizations over the years which would guide the practice. To improve the quality of audits in the 1960’s, the bigger companies added a new technique. Peer review, as it was called, required firms to confirm the accuracy of one another. It was so effective; the AICPA eventually added it as a requirement in 1977 for any member of the CPA division (within the AICPA). Firms were not required to join this division, but those who did agreed to a peer review as part of the guidelines.Eventually the peer review was deemed mandatory for all firms, membership or not, as part of the complete overhaul to the self control systems in 1989. The restructuring enacted change in the AICPA’s bylaws that required all members who practice must belong to a special group within the parent orga nization called the SEC Practice Section. The Practice Section had numerous guidelines for membership. The most notable included provisions that each member must engage in a peer review with another firm of comparable size.The point of the provision was to offer further reassurance to investors that operating accountants had adequate control mechanisms, regarding the integrity of GAAP and GAAS. While peer review is not a complete test, the idea is that a sampling of a firm’s work represents an adequate representation of the entire operation. Auditing every piece of work in a firm would be a completely unreasonable request, thus sampling method would have to suffice. Any findings from the peer reviews were available for viewing by the general public.Each firm is issued a report that contains the audit results and sometimes even comments on how the firm might improve its reporting procedures. Occasionally, a reader might even find the resulting changes made and any comments the audited firm has made regarding the issue. This open communication was a significant step forward towards complete transparency. William Kinney comments on what is important to the users: â€Å"Internal controls are also important to investors, the government, and ociety as a whole since they may affect long-term confidence in corporate accountability, and in the corporate form of organization. †[5] Despite this transparency, the increasingly complex business environment was proving to be too much to handle for one part time regulating committee, even with peer reviews. In order to solve this issue, an independent organization was necessary to help cater to the interests of investors, accountants and creditors. A full time committee eventually ended up relieving the AICPA of its duties.FASB, or Financial Accounting Standards Board, was officially created in 1972. FASB’s primary responsibility surrounds setting ground rules in all non governmental entities. These groun d rules covered anything from revenue recognition  and all other broad topics, to specific topics such as dividends. Marshall Armstrong writes in detail about its purpose: â€Å"The objective of the qualitative standards is to provide guidance in determining the substance of a transaction or event, regardless of its form, and a moral and ethical basis for its fair presentation in financial reports. [6] These standards are officially recognized by the SEC as the authoritative standard. Even with the establishment of FASB, the AICPA still existed to a limited extent. Through the means of the Accounting Standards Executive Committee, the AICPA works to collaborate with FASB on common objectives. Membership practices in FASB are intended to keep a level of independence but still effectively operate with the private sector in mind. It operates under the auspices of the Financial Accounting Foundation (FAF), which consists of sixteen trustees, twelve of whom are elected by representati ves of FAF’s sponsoring organizations — the AICPA, the American Accounting Association; the Financial Executive Institute; the Securities Industry Association; the National Association of State Auditors, Controllers and Treasurers; the Institute of Management Accountants; and the Government Finance Officers Association. The other four at-large members are appointed by the FAF itself.The FAF, in turn, appoints the members of the FASB and its advisory council. It is also responsible for funding the FASB. †[7] The first specific auditing standards were issued way back in 1939. The American Institute of Accountants authorized the appointment of a standing committee to advise on auditing procedure. By 1941, the AIA had released a several statements with the purpose to guide the individual auditor. Most notably was the â€Å"Statements on Auditing Procedure†, which offered a baseline for how auditors should responsibly approach individual audits, while using pro per judgment.These â€Å"SAP† s would be the first of 54 future statements issued up until 1970. The SEC required all auditors to swear upon their work, that it followed these generally accepted auditing standards. To help with compliance of this requirement, the SEC released the â€Å"Generally Accepted Auditing Standards—Their Significance and Scope. † Within ten years, the committee combined twenty-four of the pronouncements into one single body which would be referenced often during the process of internal control.Other notable consolidation efforts included the 1962 release of the â€Å"Statement of Auditing Procedure No. 33† which combined many of the standards trickled out between 1949 and 1963. This baseline document was turned into a single presentation, being coded in the process by 1972. The 1972 revision was held under the title: â€Å"Statement on Auditing Standards† or SAS. With the combination and official first uniform document, the committee officially changed its name to the Auditing Standard Executive Committee (AudSEC).In the next six years, AudSEC released 23 total SASes as a guideline for auditors. The AICPA continued to conduct numerous studies through committees on how to operate most effectively as a tool to the accounting profession. By 1978, the Auditing Standards Board (ASB) was the newest incarnation of an organized body charged with setting standards for the profession. An AudSEC’s successor, the ASB operated as 15 members with the responsibility to make relevant public statements, without having to obtain clearance first from the AICPA.Furthermore the ASB would set ground rules for how an auditor performs his assessment in regards to whether financial statement presentation conforms to the generally accepted accounting principles. Before setting new standards, the ASB will carefully gather all relevant opinions, including those of the Chief Accountant of the SEC as well as various other w ell known and respected individuals in the profession. The ASB replaced all previous senior technical committees in regards to the GAAS. The Public Oversight Board (POB) was created in 1977, which further helped to push transparency in the industry.The POB is a watch group entity responsible for oversight of the processes of the SECPS. The POB is an independent organization, which despite being funded by the SECPS, controls its own membership. If a firm has more than thirty SEC audit clients, then the POB will engage in reviews of the firm. The reviews can also take place in firms with less than thirty SEC audit clients, but the frequency of them is far fewer. Furthermore, the SEC will periodically inspect a sample of the peer reviews and even compile an annual public report that details its operations for the year. Auditing in Modern TimesOver seventy years after the stock market crash of 1929, again the Unites States would be struck by the uncertainty of the public corporation. Th e collapse of Enron revealed fraudulent accounting practices by the energy company itself and its accounting firm Arthur Anderson. By creating special purpose entities, Enron and Arthur Andersen effectively hid massive amounts of Enron debt, making the company appear much more profitable than it actually was. The house of cards built by Enron eventually collapsed leaving the SEC to sift through the rubble to discover what had actually happened. Also complicit were Arthur Andersen and lead Partner David Duncan. Duncan earned $700,000 annually to manage this account, plus part of Andersen's partnership profit pool. To appease Enron, he apparently did not require many large audit adjustments for several years, and often signed off on financial statements that were, by any reasonable standards, unclear and misleading. This shoddy work and attempts to eliminate key evidence led to Andersen's felony conviction and demise – apparently ignoring its founder's key slogan of thinking st raight and talking straight. [8] In response to the Enron collapse as well as the other companies which went down in its wake, the SEC was forced to up the ante, so to speak, with public transparency and accountability. In 2002, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was put into place, which drastically altered the structure of GAAP. Through the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) were given the final say over all auditing standards. Registration was required with the PCAOB for CPAs and CPA firms who worked with public companies.Once registered, members must adhere to all standards, principles, rules, and interpretations set forth by the PCAOB. Further restructuring surfaced in 2004 as the PCAOB was set as the authority on public companies (as it pertains to GAAS), while the ASP oversaw private companies. Chuck Landes, a VP with the AICPA, speaks to the changes in an interview with the Ohio Society of CPAs: â€Å"A uditing standards have changed and now call for more attention to the audit itself. Auditing is a serious business and it needs to be taken seriously. You can't be a part-time auditor.I see firms making intelligent decisions about being in the audit business and committing the necessary resources around the audit function. In our new risk assessment standards, having an understanding of the industry is essential. †[9] The unfortunate trend with auditing standards is that a tragic event usually occurs for the foundation to adjust. It is a great system to catch and fix problems, but as the time passes, the scale of the instigating event becomes larger and larger. As long as there are men and women with greed, there will be a need for auditing.Armstrong, Marshall. 1973. FASB will develop broad qualitative standards. The CPA Journal (pre-1986)  43,  no. 000010,  (October  1):  844 Bateman & Co. A History of Accounting & Auditing Standards. February 2002. http://www. bate manhouston. com/newsStds. htm Humphrey W E. 1928. A Friend of Honest Business. Nation's Business (pre-1986),  June  5,  31. Kinney, William R. , Jr. ,  Maher, Michael W. ,  and  Wright, David W. 1990. Assertions-Based Standards for Integrated Internal Control. Accounting Horizons  4,  no. 4,  (December  1) Lasch, Erin. 2002. Chuck Landes is Rewriting Audit History.Catalyst 48-50 Marshall, Bruce. 1958. The Bank Audit. Edinburgh: Houghton Mifflin. Alan Reinstein,  Stephen R. Moehrle,  and  Jennifer Reynolds-Moehrle. â€Å"Crime and punishment in the marketplace  :Accountants and business executives repeating history. †Ã‚  Managerial Auditing Journal  21,  no. 4  (May  1,  2006):  420-435. Raymond, William T. (1935,  July  29). SEC Keeps Investors Informed. Barron's (1921-1942), pg. 8 Richardson, AP. â€Å"The Federal Reserve Board and audits. †Ã‚  Journal of Accountancy (pre-1986) 23,  no. 000006  (June  1,  1917):  4 52. ———————– 1] Marshall, Bruce. 1958. The Bank Audit. Edinburgh: Houghton Mifflin. [2] Richardson, AP. â€Å"The Federal Reserve Board and audits. †Ã‚  Journal of Accountancy (pre-1986) 23,  no. 000006  (June  1,  1917):  452. [3] Humphrey W E. 1928. A Friend of Honest Business. Nation's Business (pre-1986),  June  5,  31. [4] Raymond, William T. (1935,  July  29). SEC Keeps Investors Informed. Barron's (1921-1942), pg. 8 [5] Kinney, William R. , Jr. ,  Maher, Michael W. ,  and  Wright, David W. 1990. Assertions-Based Standards for Integrated Internal Control. Accounting Horizons  4,  no. ,  (December  1) [6] Armstrong, Marshall. 1973. FASB will develop broad qualitative standards. The CPA Journal (pre-1986)  43,  no. 000010,  (October  1):  844 [7] Bateman & Co. A History of Accounting & Auditing Standards. February 2002. http://www. batemanhouston. com/newsStds. htm [8] Alan Reinstein,  Stephen R. Moehrle,  and  Jennifer Reynolds-Moehrle. â€Å"Crime and punishment in the marketplace  :Accountants and business executives repeating history. †Ã‚  Managerial Auditing Journal  21,  no. 4  (May  1,  2006):  420-435. [9] Lasch, Erin. 2002. Chuck Landes is Rewriting Audit History. Catalyst 48-50