Accountants are kings among graduates

Accountants are kings among graduates In this paper, I will focus on the business-world king. King? Let me expplain. While it is not quite the days of the dot-com boom, when companies lured graduates with promises of six-figure salaries and ping-pong tables in the workplace, corporate recruiters are once again combing campuses for the best of the Class of 2005."People ask me all the time 'So you graduated, are you looking for a job?' And I'm like: 'I already have one,'" said Pauline Livaditis, a 22-year-old accounting graduate who was hired by Ernst Young before she finished school in May."The friends I had classes with all have jobs they were recruited on campus," said Livaditis, who graduated with a combined Masters of Business Administration and accounting degree from St. John's University in New York.Oberst Glover og oberst Holtermann mà ¸ter kaptein ...Hot degrees in 2005 included business administration, management and electrical or mechanical engineering, according to a survey by the National Association of Col leges and Employers. But no degree is more in demand than accounting, where the starting salary averages $44,564."The market is very, very robust, and so we need many, many accountants," said Karen Glover, director of recruiting at Ernst Young. "A great person will have many offers."Demand for accountants and auditors soared after Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley reporting rules in 2002 in response to high-profile scandals that brought companies like Enron and WorldCom to their knees.Glover said Ernst Young is looking to hire 4,500 accounting graduates this year, up 30 percent from last year. To lure new hires, it has boosted benefits including a concierge service for employees too busy to run errands."(Graduates) are in a very competitive space right now where you have lots of opportunities and choices of where you go to start your career," Glover...

The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement The WritePass Journal

The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement Introduction The theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement Introduction This assignment will discuss some of the theories I have learned at university and tried to put into practice whilst on my 2nd year placement. Social theory helps us to understand the ways of the world and how we live in it. It also provides us with different outlooks on why things happen in the way they do, and how society is organised and structured in a certain way. For the purpose of this essay I will use names for people instead of letters as I feel this will make the essay flow better. Any names relating to the service users or placement setting will be fictional. The placement setting was an inner city hostel, providing twenty four hour support for people age between sixteen and thirty. The service user group consisted of ex offenders and people leaving care. According to Giddens (2001), Social theory includes concepts on conflict and class, as well as theories to help make clear the reasons for behaviour and how people develop. Durkheim, Weber and Marx are all founders of social theory and analysed how societies functioned in the attempt to make sense of social problems and behaviours. The most important learning curve for me this year is that Social Work is bursting with theories, laws and guidance with a purpose to make our work more professional for those using the service. However, I found that actually putting everything I have learned into practice proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. And at times, it seemed almost impossible and meaningless. From my observations whilst on placement at the hostel it became obvious that there are many reasons for not putting these theories into practice. The main reason was resources and constraints due to funding cuts. But I also witnessed sloppiness and lack of anti discriminatory practice from senior members of the hostel staff. I had to question one occasion involving Kevin, (a service user at this hostel) , when I was asked if I would deliver a pre written warning form the manager, to Kevin for using drugs in front of the other service users. I knew that Kevin is not very well thought of in the hostel, because of his attitude; there were times when he has really tried the patients of the staff, including my-self.   But after reading the warning letter, I felt that I had to voice my concerns. In my opinion the letter was discriminating because all the residents who use drugs, did so in front of each other, so why single him out. This resulted in the warning not being given and a feeling of irritation towards me from the cluster manager. I feel that, anti discrimination and anti oppressive practice are some of the main underpinning principles of anyone working in the field of social work. The British Association of Social Workers (BASW), state in their definition of social work, the encouragement of â€Å"social change and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being†.   People from all social groups can experience abuse or oppression of some form or another, and I feel that the above definition suggests that a role of social work is to help protect vulnerable people against abuse. The expressions â€Å"oppression† and â€Å"discrimination† are sometimes used interchangeably. However, Thompson (1997) describes discrimination as â€Å"prejudicial behaviour acting against the interests of those people who characteristically belong to relatively powerless groups, it is a matter of social formation as well as individual or group behaviour†. Thompson goes on to say that oppression and discrimination involves â€Å"hardship and injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power.† Empowerment and partnership have also appeared to me as problematic areas of work. This is because I have been attempting to link the theory learned at University, which includes, empowerment and partnership amongst others, and put them into practice whilst on my placement. As a result, I personally experienced the problems that have to be overcome in order to work productively with these concepts, such as one problem I encountered when working with Barry, (a service user at the hostel) was the support worker from his previous hostel, and part of the same agency, had contacted me to see how things where progressing, she then disclosed details of our private conversation back to Barry who then turned to me asking why people have been talking about him. In my opinion professional boundaries hade been broken and inter agency working or partnership was not beneficial in this case, especially when Barry told me that he had been out drinking with this previous support worker and that he ha s gone back to her house afterwards. I felt that this is a direct contradiction to the Code of Practice that we are supposed to abide by. Observing others and how they deal with similar difficulties and a fixed consciousness of how I was working on placement by the means of my reflective diary was a very useful way to assess whether I was effectively using the concepts of partnership and empowerment. Theory has taught me that the concept of partnership (a theory discussed in the module, planning care for adults) does not comprised of a one method or technique but a term that has a range of meanings, Partnership is a fundamental part of anti-discriminatory practice, and for a long time social workers have put great emphasis on enabling and empowering people and avoiding dependency. But the need for clarity, whilst on placement made the term, partnership, more meaningless with no real significance at all. The principles of Social Work can be seen in many different ways and what one sees as partnership working, another may not. As a result, there did not seem to be any tangible way of working towards partnership with the service users at the hostel. This made it complicated for me at the start of the placement as observing others using their own interpretation of partnership made me feel very confused as they all worked towards it in different ways, if at all. I consequently, had to find my own way of working to encourage partnership working. I evaluated the route I took with each client by means of the way I worked with them and their feedback, as well as by means of the supervision sessions with my Practice Teacher. Partnership is all about promoting the self esteem and self determination of a service user. This will increase their sense of power and control over their own lives. Working in partnership involves challenging oppression to allow service-users to be in charge of of their environment by understanding and addressing the causes of the problems in a collaboration between client and worker. This will eventually promote inclusion.   Partnership working will create â€Å"active participants rather than passive recipients† (Thompson, 2007). What I found in the hostel, was that service users didn’t really have any say in what activities they did. One of these activities was making Christmas cards and this was understandably of no interest to the young males aged sixteen to thirty, who where resident at this time. I heard one of the service users describe this activity as â€Å"just like being a kid at school†. The hostel staff saw this as attitude issues; however I thought it was fare comment. According to, Marsh (2003), â€Å"Partnership does not imply an equality of power, or an equality of work†. The hostel staff were predictably involved in the use of authority, this is not a barrier to empowerment or working in partnership, provided that this power is not misused, however, telling the service users that â€Å"if they worked for three days making Christmas cards, they would receive a one day gym pass† seemed like coercion.   I feel that, It was not for the staff to use their power to coerce service users into following a particular course of action, but to â€Å"use such power constructively in identifying and working towards agreed goals as part of a process of partnership† (Stepney and Ford 2000).Service users in this situation must feel that their input and choice of activity is not considered. In my opinion service users can make a significant contribution in terms of their experience and knowledge of their situation; we should recognize their problem solving abilities rather than seeing them in terms of the problems they bring. This involves being able to â€Å"use power to empower† and the â€Å"use of power should be the exception rather than the rule† (Thompson, 2007). Involving service-users as much as possible will facilitate social work in becoming a procedure whereby the worker does things with people rather than to them.(Thompson, 2007). Beckett (2006) in his book â€Å"Essential Theory for Social Work Practice† states that one of the ways in which we can make sure that the service-user remains the main focus is to involve them in shaping the service itself. According to Braye (2000), there are times when this can occur. One such time is when the service user is involved in their own service. The personal support plan is a written agreement that is carried out within the first week of residency at the hostel. This involves a member of staff and the service user identifying the individual needs of the particular person. for instance, their need for outside agencies such as counseling support, their needs regarding change of doctors or dentist and their needs for maximizing benefit claims This is very beneficial because every service user that comes into the hostel has specific needs relating to their own particular circumstances. The personal support plan allows the service user to fully contribute in tailoring the support to their specific needs. Braye, goes on to say that another element is a service user’s involvement in group work. Group work theory was one of the main theories I witnessed and used on placement. Pierson and Thomas (2002) state that, â€Å"Group work is a range of activities†¦that can enable individuals and groups to develop problem solving skills to address both their own concerns and those of the wider community.† There are several areas in which group work therapy is used, and which have varying levels of success.   According to Coulshed and Orme (1998) these can consist of, educational and recreational groups, group counselling and self help groups.   They can all have different themes but most will grow in very similar ways.   Interpersonal skills are an important tool when working with groups and some of the main skills that are used within this are effective verbal communication, active listening and willing participation within the group (Coulshed and Orme 1998). The group work sessions I was involved in were mostly informal/social group settings such as cooking, games and quiz nights. What I mean by informal, is that it didnt fit any formal therapeutic group work theory and had no formal structure. Informal group work is mainly for sharing views and knowledge in a social/fun setting of individuals located within the same organisation. The benefits of informal group work are that it is a more relaxed, social atmosphere with no hard fixed meeting time. This can make attendance higher as it is a non threatening social setting. Group work of this kind can help Developing service users knowledge and generic skills, such as communication skills, collaborative skills, critical skills and attitudes towards diversity. Group work can also develop person’s abilities through the â€Å"interplay† of different personalities and increase their desire to socialise (BASW). I found that being able to verbalise issues within the setting of the group helped in producing confidence and allowed self expression in the service users. Actively listening too the group can also encourage the growth of more ideas and promote further discussions from other members present. Active listening is a way of communicating that makes others feel understood and confident to express themselves more honestly. This involves (amongst other things) good eye contact, repeating back what they have said and sitting in an un-oppressive position.   (Cournoyer 2008). Another form of group work is the formal group activity.   When I was on placement at the hostel there were always, four males and two females resident. The same two females had remained, whilst the males have changed. There was a lot of sexual activity at the hostel with the residents constantly changing partners. Kevin, (who I referred to earlier in this essay) is HIV positive and has Hepatitis C. Dale (a resident at the hostel) told us that she had intercourse with Kevin and with all the other male residents and that all the male resident have had intercourse with Ellie, (the other female resident). This information, along with the binge drinking problem with all the residents prompted a sexual health and alcohol awareness day to promote the dangers of STIs and binge drinking to the residents. Konopka (1963) describes group work as a method of social work that is used in order to help people enhance their social awareness through focused group experiences and to cope more successfully with their personal or community problems. This definition shows a pattern within group work of helping people with problems. Brown (1994) provides a modernised and more comprehensive definition of group work He states that â€Å"Group work provides a context in which individuals help each other; it is a method of helping groups as well as helping individuals; and it can enable individuals and groups to influence and change personal, group, organisational and community problems†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  (Brown 1994) During feedback from the ,sexual health awareness presentation, I gave to the service users from two hostels,   it was stated by my practice teacher that my verbal communication skills were very good, and that I was able to generate good ideas, good service user involvement as well as being quite a motivational speaker. Task centred practice was another theory used by the agency that I was placed in; it was useful in range of settings such as counselling, education and self help. The theory of task centred practice was first discovered in the United States by Reid and Shyne (1969). Task centred intervention was brought about through the responses opposed to psychodynamic theories as this method was a long time consuming process that often lead to dependency. Task centred intervention is similar to crisis intervention, as in, it can be seen as planed or predictable. In the early 1990s task centred work was originally used in family and group casework.   (Marsh and Doel 1992) As a concept emerging in the 1960s, task centred practice is comparatively new in comparison to some other social work methods. Previous to the carrying out of task-centred practice, many service users received long term intervention and Social workers focused on feelings rather than action.   Buckle, (1981) in Coulshed Orme (1998) state that: â€Å" some clients received help for years and compulsive care-giving by helpers often resulted in the difficulties of becoming the responsibility and ‘property’ of the worker.†Ã‚  Ã‚   This form of intervention could possibly lead to â€Å"learned-helplessness†. This is another theory and describes what happens when the service user becomes dependant on the social worker and discards the concept of them fending for or helping themselves. M, Payne (1997) refers to research carried out by Seligman (1975). Seligman’s theory of ‘learned helplessness’ was discovered through his experimentation on animals and humans. He discovered that people with low expectations produced little results. Seligman states that, â€Å"their capacity to learn useful behaviour in other situations becomes impaired. People lose motivation, become anxious and depressed and poor at thinking.† One common assumption with the term â€Å"task centred† is that the social worker does the tasks, such as phoning other professionals for the service user, but this is not the case. The focus of task centred practice should be on empowering the service user to do these tasks themselves in a set time scale.   Couldshed and Orme (1998) state that, â€Å" task-centred practice, also known as brief therapy, short-term or contract work has had a significant impact on both social work practice and the organisation of services†. Service user participation is the key to task centred practice, but on the other hand, the service user may be unwilling to participate. This may possibly be due to court orders, where the service user has little choice but to follow the conditions set by the court or they will face prosecution. Under these circumstances, the client may agree to the situation but possibly reluctant to accept or partake in the process  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (M. Payne 1997). If this was the case, then a task-centred approach may be unsuccessful and another approach such as person centred could be more suitable (Dole Marsh 1992). A service user could also appear unwilling to take part because of their preconceptions of social workers. We would also have to consider the attitude of an individual social worker. If the social worker appears defensive or appears to be unaware of the power imbalance then the service user may also be reluctant to participate. Social workers also need an understanding of their own feelings and underlying prejudices and values before attempting to explore the interpersonal skills involved in building up client worker relationships. Reid (1992) suggests that: â€Å" only acknowledged problems offer necessary degree of partnership.† To conclude this assignment, I have discussed the different theories I learned about in University and practiced on placement. Social work involves changes to procedures, knowledge and legislation. So many failings with cases in the past have provoked changes and many of these are involved with making social workers more capable of justifying their work. This is done consecutively to minimise harm caused to service users, our organisation and ourselves. Social work is a profession categorised by risk, uncertainty and difficulty and as a result, we need theory, awareness and a sound knowledge of our values and ethics to enable us be accountable and proficient in our practice. Theories, values and ethics permit us to assess our practice and to reflect on it, in order to help us be more accountable and be able to justify our actions when helping others.   (Maclean, Harrison 2009) References Beckett, C. (2006) Essential Theory for Social Work Practice. England: Sage Publications Ltd. Brayne, S. and Preston Shoot, M. (1995) Empowering Practice in Social Care. Great Britain: Open University Press. Brown, A. (1994). Group work 3rd Edition. Ashgate Publishing: Great Yarmouth Code of Ethics for Social Work, www.basw.co.uk. Viewed on 22/04/2011 Cournoyer, B (2008) The Social Work Skills Work Book (5th Ed). Belmont: Thomson higher education. Coulshed, V. and Orme, J. (1998). Social Work Practice an Introduction, 3rd Edition, New York: Palgrave. Dignan, J. Marsh, P. (2003) Restorative Justice and Family Group conferences in England: Current State and Future Prospects’, in McLaughlin, E. Fergusson, R. Giddens, A. (2001) Sociology, 4th ed. Polity Press:  Cambridge. Doel, M. and Marsh, P. (1992).   Task-Centred Social Work. Aldershot: Ashgate. Hughes, G. Westmarland, L. (Eds) Restorative Justice: Critical Issues.London: Sage Publications Ltd. Payne, M (2005) Modern Social Work Theory. 3rd Edition Basingstoke: Palgrave Pierson, J. and Thomas, M. (2002). Collins Dictionary of Social Work, 2nd Edition Great Britain: HarperCollins Publishers Limited. Reid and Shyne (1969). The origins of case work, iriss.org.uk. viewed 04/05/2011 Maclean, S and Harrison, R. (2009), Theory Practice A Straightforward Guide For Social work Students. Rugeley: Kirwin Maclean Associates Limited. Thompson, N. (1997).   Anti-Discriminatory Practice, 2nd ed. Basingstoke: Macmillan. Stepney, P. and Ford, D. (2000) Social Work Models, Methods and Theories. England: Russell House Publishing

Sussmayrs and Maunders Editions of Mozarts Requiem Essay

Sussmayrs and Maunders Editions of Mozarts Requiem - Essay Example It is reported that Mozart’s Requiem mass was assigned by Count Walsegg to Mozart in the memory of his wife in early 1791. Mozart started his work on this classical work in the fall of 1791, during this work he suffered from fever and died without completing his requiem (Levin et al., 2008). According to Grout, Burkholder and Palisca (2005), the requiem Aeternam, figured bass, choral, and several essential instrumental components of first 8 measures of Lacrimosa; Domine Jesu Christ as well as Hostias were at the initial stages. It was Franz Xaver Sussmayr, who was working with Mozart at that time, who completed the incomplete Mozart’s Requiem. From definition, a requiem refers to the mass for the dead as the first line of the introit says, â€Å"Eternal rest grant them, O Lord† (Mozart, 1998). There are different editions of Mozart’s Requiem and all are dissimilar from each other. There is controversy on the script and structure of different editions. However, it is very evident that it was written in 1791 in ‘Requiem in D minor, K. 626’ by Mozart and was the last as well as best recognized and the most impressive composition of his life (Harrison, 1997). Its music was a classical addition to western music and its complicated compositional history. The recent studies reveal that the aeternam was also added with some orchestral bars by another composer. Kyrie and Dies Irae to Confutatis were in the form of vocal parts at the death of Mozart. Moreover, some of the most well-known orchestral parts were also indicated by him, example of the orchestral contribution from Mozart include violin element of Confutatis and melodious links in the Recordare (Leeson, 2004). During twentieth century, many musicologists pointed out several weaknesses in the traditional edition of Mozart’s Requiem which was accomplished by Sussmayr. Therefore, they offered alternative editions of the Requiem. After the traditional edition, five other editions of Mozart’s work have been represented by Beyer, Druce, Maunder, Landon and Levin. Every one of these musicologists completed the Requiem by following a different approach. Beyer presented an edition that offered revisions of Sussmayr’s orchestration and claimed to make them more familiar to Mozart’s style. On the other hand, Maunder’s edition agreed with the orchestral parts of Sussmayr’s edition but decided to retain the Agnus Dei when he discovered an exclusive phrase in Sparrow Mass, K. 220 (Davies, 2004). The next section gives detailed overview of the two editions of Mozart’s Requiem, the traditional edition of accomplished by Sussmayr and Maunder’s edition, assessment of the resources and their mutual relationship be discussed. An investigation in to the sources of Sussmayr’s and Maunder’s Editions of Mozart’s Requiem and their relationship to each other Wolff and Whittall (1998) described the tradition edition of Requiem completed by Sussmayr. They expressed a strong belief in the authenticity and originality of this score. It is the only score that must be protected as the most existing, chronological,

MGM600-0803B-02 Applied Managerial Decision-Making - Phase 3 Essay

MGM600-0803B-02 Applied Managerial Decision-Making - Phase 3 Discussion Board 2 - Essay Example ANOVA test is of two types, One-Factor ANOVA and Two-Factor ANOVA (with and without replication). In One-Factor ANOVA, Dependent Variable (numerical) may be affected by one independent variable (categorical). In Two-Factor ANOVA, Dependent Variable (numerical) may be affected by two independent variables (categorical). An ANOVA test is useful, when different data sets (more than two) need to be compared for similar distribution population (treatment. A t-test can also be used for comparison; however, it is limited to two samples. For more than two data sets, many t-test needs to be carried out sequentially that will increase statistical error due to accumulation. An ANOVA test lessons the statistical error due to analysis of entire data set at once and makes it more likely that a determination can be made in valid manner (Skrzypczak, 2006; Pieniazekon, A. 2007). Suppose 10 day’s daily defect rates for automotive computer chips manufactured production data for four different plant locations were available. Now for this data ANOVA can be useful for determining whether the observed differences in the plants’ sample mean defect rates merely due to random variation or the observed differences between the plants’ defect rates too great to be attributed to chance. Here ANOVA hypothesis will be ‘mean defects rates are same for at all four plants (H0)’ and ‘at least one mean differs from the others (H1)’. The One-Factor ANOVA dependent variable will be defect rate and independent variable will be plant locations (Doane, & Seward, 2007). Suppose a hospital management needs to test whether a patient’s length of a stay (LOS) depends on the diagnostic-related group (DRG) code and the patient’s age group, so that resources and fixed costs are correctly allocated. Considering case of bone fracture, LOS is a dependent variable measured in hours and type of fracture (facial, radius or ulna, hip or femur, other lower extremity, all other) and

The Lancre Festival Essay Example for Free

The Lancre Festival Essay I think my homepage is good because the colours go together. However, the colours I chose are not contrasting colours. I think it wouldve been better if I made the background or text a different colour so it would stand out more. I feel that the layout of this page is good because it is clear and everything isnt too close together. There is sufficient space between the text boxes and pictures. The hyperlinks are clear and stand out. I used one of the pictures given to me, and another from clip art. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlinks to the other pages 2) Large heading: The Lancre Festival 2007 3) Dates 4) Text about Lancre 5) Photographs I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 2: Where to Stay I think this page isnt good because it looks plain and there is only a small picture. There is only one, small one because I didnt have enough space. I also think there is too much information on the page. The hyperlink back to the homepage is clear. The office phone number is also clear. I think the heading is big and bold. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Hyperlink back to the homepage 2) List of the different types of accommodation with descriptions 3) Have subheadings that stand out 4) Have at least one picture 5) Must have the office phone number I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 3: Festival Events I think this page is good because there is some text and a map. I used the same background as the other pages. The office address is clear and bold. The hyperlink is clear and on the same place as the other pages. The free events are in bold writing to make it stand out more. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have the program of events 2) Make it clear which events are free (Put the word Free in a large font) 3) Have a map showing where the events are taking place 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 6) Have the office address 7) Instructions for ordering tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Page 4: See The Purple Spiders Live at Lancre Festival I think this page is good because it is clear. There are pictures of the band and the information is easy to understand. The link back to the homepage is in the same place like the other pages. However, I think there is not enough text on this page and the heading is too long. I didnt have a choice with the heading so I couldnt do anything about that. Features my page should have from my analysis: 1) Have a hyperlink back to the homepage 2) Have 2 pictures of the Purple Spiders 3) Cost of tickets 4) Have date and time of concert 5) Information about tickets I have achieved all these requirements on my page. Also, there is a consistent design with all the pages.

Characterization in Albert Camus The Plague and Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot :: comparison compare contrast essays

Characterization in Albert Camus' The Plague and Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot Characterization is an important aspect of Waiting for Godot and The Plague. In both works, the authors use characters to express their own views and enable the reader to understand themes and messages. In The Plague, Camus discloses a small part of himself in each of the primary characters. The main character, Dr. Bernard Rieux, represents Camus' own rejection of needless suffering and his overwhelming compassion and respect for people searching for meaning in life (Lebesque 80). He silently accepts all that happens in the course of the epidemic, waiting patiently for the pestilence to die away. His role in the book can be summed up when he tells Father Panaloux that "Salvation's much too big a word for me. I don't aim so high. I'm concerned with man's health; and for me his health comes first" (219). Rieux rejects any form of heroism, focusing all of his energy on his duties as a doctor. Dr. Tarrou, the other protagonist in the work, shares a smaller portion of the narrative duties. Unlike Rieux, Tarrou often gives a personal, more moral account of the events happening around town. He often gives his own opinions on something, rather than a simple impartial explication. Tarrou expresses a desire for simplicity and directness while also wishing to rid himself of all evil. He identifies the plague with the death penalty and launches into an elaborate story about how his father was a lawyer and regularly fought for the death penalty. His emotional reactions against capital punishment express Camus' own views of a world in which the murder of people is legal and human existence becomes worthless (Rhein 44). Characterization is key in establishing the theme of Waiting for Godot. Vladimir and Estragon seem to have two modes of existence: together and by themselves. One critic observes, "As members of a cross-talk act, Vladimir and Estragon have complementary personalities" (Esslin 29). Vladimir seems to be the more stable of the two, while Estragon is more of a dreamer. Vladimir pretty much makes all of the decisions, and he is the only one to remember significant events from the past. He is always the one to remind Estragon that they must wait for Godot, and he seems to be the only one who cares about the consequences of not waiting.

Three Dialogues Between Hylas And Philonous

The dialogues between Hylas and Philonous were written by George Berkeley, who was ordained as a Bishop in Cloyne. He was also a famous idealist and philosopher of the early modern period. His works reflects metaphysical ideas and concepts of idealism. Berkeley had written several books in his lifetime. All of his works reflected his views about life and spirituality as he makes arguments about the existence of things around us. He is very resilient in defending his claim by providing valid supporting evidences to support the argument.He is formulating arguments through proper use of words and concepts. He also made several critiques about the works of other philosophers who doubts in the existence of God. It was evident that Berkeley believes that there is a God, a Supreme Being who is responsible for the things we see. He is responsible for the sensorial qualities of the things around us. He explained the omnipotence of God from an idealist perspective. He made very strong argument s by questioning the nature of our sensory abilities and providing possible hypothesis for this.After making a series of hypotheses, he discarded each one by providing a counter-argument until he comes up with the last hypothesis that there is one capable being that is responsible for everything on Earth including the sensorial faculties of man. During Berkeley’s time, a lot of philosophers like the famous rationalist John Descartes, believed that material things existed even if it is not perceived by the human mind. They argued that the qualities of the object were inherent to the latter with or without human perception.They also believed that the objects around us help us to generate ideas about it as well as attributes. They also argued that human perception could be deceiving because not all concepts that were perceived by the senses were viable. Sometimes what we see in an object is not its real quality. A good example of this perhaps would be a pencil in a glass of wate r wherein a part of a pencil is submerged while the other is not. It can be observed that the submerged part appears to be bigger than the other half. Berkeley did not believe that material things existed. Rather, he believed in immaterialism and idealism.He argued with the apologists of materialism about this. He pointed out that materialism can be explained by the existence things around us through our own ideas but it cannot explain the nature of our ideas through the things around us. Maybe one advantage that Berkeley had at that time that made his argument firm was the fact that nobody could placidly explain to him what a material thing really is. Their description and exposition could not suffice the counter-arguments and inquisition of Berkeley. He believed that material things did not really exist. These were mere products of our senses.He expounded that material things are dependent on our mind and sensory abilities. Without our sensory-neural facilities, there will be no c oncept of things. Thus a material thing would not exist. In his work, â€Å"The Three Dialogues of Hylas and Philonous, in opposition to Skeptics and Atheists† Berkeley made a direct attack on the supporters of materialism by juxtaposing the claims of the materialist and his counter arguments. He used fictitious characters in this work in the likeness of Hylas and Philonous to explain his views about the perception of things and how these could be attributed to skepticism and atheism.He expressed his ideas on the words of Philonius, a character in his work, as he was conversing with Hylas, the character that represents the advocate of materialism. In the preface of his work, Berkeley explained that if the inferences he made would be validated, the concept of atheism and skepticism will no longer be applicable. He believes that if his ideas were applied, there will be a re-evaluation in the principles of science. The pointless part should be omitted keeping those that are plai n. The complex rationale for the things around us will be simplified.Also, he explained that instead of using paradox and ambiguous statement, man could simply apply plain common sense to explain the things around him. In the three dialogues of Philonous and Hylas, Berkeley used simple examples using the qualities that we perceive through our senses such as colors, sweetness of sugar, hot and cold and a lot more to support his inference that the qualities of material things does not exist per se. It is perceived through our senses and we associate the qualities. He even commented on the use of a microscope to see the qualities of things not visible in the unaided eye.I would like to share a particular scenario to illustrate my understanding of Berkeley’s views and how he inferred that materialism could lead to atheism and skepticism. As I was reading the lengthy debate of Hylas and Philonous, a particular instance came to my mind. What if three people were left in an isolated region with no initial knowledge of the common qualities of things? To intricate further, one of them could be considered color blind but can hear, the other can hear as well but could not see anything, and the third cannot hear sound but has normal vision. How do they describe a yellow chirping bird for example?Maybe in the perspective of the first person, it is a gray bird chirping. The second person perhaps might not have any ideas that there is a yellow bird but he could describe that he could hear a chirping sound, not exactly from a bird. The last one, however, could see a yellow bird with its beak moving, but there is no sound. Considering their three accounts, how would they know the real qualities attributed to the bird? Is the bird really yellow or is it gray? Does it really chirp or does it simply move its beak, or is there really a bird or is it just a chirping sound?In that example, who describes the most accurate qualities of the bird? How would the third person infer that he sees the correct color because he is normal if there are only three of them with different descriptions? Is it suffice hitherto to conclude that qualities of the materials are inherent to the subject with our without our perception if these qualities differ from one person to another? What if half of the world’s population had congenital color blindness and claims that the leaves of the trees are brown while the other half claims it is green.How can the latter defend that the leaves are green if the former does not have any concept of what the color green is? What then is the real color of the leaves? Is it brown or is it green? What then is the inherent color of the leaves with or without man’s perception and how can we prove it? How can we say that everything that we perceive is the inherent quality of that object? I believe that the scenario was as the same as what Berkeley wanted to point out. In this dialogue, Philonous enlightened Hylas about his percept ion on material things.Hylas believed that we cannot dissociate a characteristic of material to a material. We cannot say that a sugar will no longer be sweet just because we do not perceive it as sweet. However, if we are going to look for the history of sweetness as one of the characteristics of sugar, it will be easier to infer that this observation was based on the consensus of the people who tasted sugar. It was perceived by our taste buds. A lot of people sharing the same opinion established the authenticity in the statement that sugar is sweet. What if we could not taste sugar, does that mean that it is no longer sweet?If our taste buds failed to savor the sweetness in the chocolate bar that we are eating, does that mean that the chocolate bar is no longer sweet? However, one interesting argument that Berkeley laid through Philonous was that if it is true that qualities are innate to the object per se, why does food taste bitter to others while sweet to some? If our perceptua l rationale is arbitrary, how can we establish the fact that the characteristics of an object around us akin to the object? What will that characteristics be? How can we prove that objects would exist with or without us?I would admit that the challenging enigma that Berkeley posed in this dialogue is quite tedious to refute. I agree with Berkeley as he opposed the idea that the qualities of an object are inherent to the object with or without our perception of it because we have different perspectives. Our concepts of things are provisory on our capacity to view things. We cannot think of the unthinkable, of something that goes beyond our capacity to think. Also, on the Third Dialogue, Hylas asks Philonous about the story of creation wherein Moses described the creation of corporeal things, the sun, the moon, the plants and animals.These were not mere ideas existing only in the mind. These are tangible things. Hylas challenged Philonous on how he could make his claims consistent to the account stated in the story of Creation. Philonous defense was to define what he meant by ideas. Ideas are not fictitious. According to Philonous, ideas are based on the things perceived by the senses. Any object that could not be perceived by the senses could not be considered ideas or beyond human thought that it will be impossible to draw even a visual representation are not ideas. Thus, his claim is cohesive with the theories of creation because we can perceive these things.What Philonous disapproves is the fact that material things exist by itself with its characteristics distinct. In the last part of the third dialogue, Hylas was convinced with the explanation of Philonous. They made inferences and juxtaposed their claims and the notions of the materialist philosopher and their rationale for the claim. They inferred that matterare things that are perceived by the mind and its qualities are not akin to itself but on our perception of it. It is a common knowledge but through the philosophies introduced by other scholars seemed makes it more intricate.His main goal is to unite the â€Å"concept that the things we are the real things and these are ideas which exists only in the boundaries of our minds. † Berkeley believes that the principle of materialism could lead to skepticism and atheism because something beyond the capacity of our mind, we tend to conceptualize a material world without the sovereign of God. In my opinion, what the author wanted to say was that the moment we believe that a thing would exist by itself independent of our perception would imply that a material world could be expected to run without God.It would lead us to believe that material things exist the way they are and there are no spiritual being causing those things to happen. On the last part of the dialogue, Philonous connoted that some philosophers had the tendency to become skeptics and atheist with formulation of scientific and mathematical principles and of things with no empirical content. It should not be the case; the principles of science should not be a paradox to the existence of God. By believing that things exist beyond our perception is an outright denial that God does not exist.It is embracing the notion that things are just the way they and there is nobody that controls it. In the last part, he used the fountain as an example. Water was able to rise and fall because of gravity. This principle made others skeptics when in fact this could simply be explained in a lighter sense. Our perception makes us aware of the gifts God has endowed in our world, its existence is under the providence of God. Thus, thinking what our minds cannot conceive and our senses cannot perceive could led us to doubt that God is the cause of all these things. This skepticism in the long run could lead to denial of God

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In the wake of the financial scandals that struck major corporations such as Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was enacted â€Å"to protect investors by improving the accuracy and reliability of corporate disclosures , made pursuant to the securities laws. † (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 45) It aims to create new and enhance previously existing standards and practices for the boards of all publicly held companies as well as management and public accounting firms in the United States, delineating and clarifying rights and responsibilities with regards to auditing and accountability and emphasizing such points as auditor independence, corporate governance and responsibility and assessment of internal controls. Specifically, the Act stresses upon a more exhaustive disclosure of financial transactions as reporting requirements of companies based in the United States now need to be more thorough and more critical, and therefore more costly to implement. As such, this comes as a heavy burden to smaller companies who have to contend with the high costs imposed on them to complete their assessments, effectively forcing many of these small businessess to do away with public ownership, which in turn reduces valuable entrepreneurial activity. Ribstein & Butler, 2006, p. 101) The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, known in full as the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act, was enacted June 30, 2002 through the sponsorships of Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes and Ohio 4th District Representative Michael Oxley. The Act has 11 titles dealing with auditor independence, individual responsibility of senior executives for the accuracy and completeness of corporate financial reports, and enhanced reporting requirements for financial transactions. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 45, Titles II, III, IV) It also includes measures and practices designed to help restore investor confidence in securities analysts, as well as indicating violations and specific criminal penalties for fraud by manipulation of financial records or other interference with investigations. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Titles VIII, IX, XI) In its establishment, the Act created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to regulate and discipline accounting firms as auditors of public companies. It also mandates the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement rulings on requirements in compliance with the Act. P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Titles I, VI, VII) In his signing statement, President George W. Bush cl aims the Sarbanes-Oxley Act â€Å"the most far-reaching reforms of American business practices since the time of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. † He stressed that it ushers in a new era of integrity and responsibility in corporate America where dishonest leaders will be caught and penalized accordingly, a reference to the major corporate and accounting scandals that affected many large corporations during the '90s and well into the new millenium, shattering public confidence in the nation's securities markets. Office of the Press Secretary, 2002) Particularly enraging accounts that led to the creation of the Act are the scandals that involved Enron, WorldCom and Tyco International, where conflicts of interest, unusual and unreasonably justified banking practices, and problems in incentive compensation activities revealed massive fraud on the part of both the companies and their accounting firms, resulting in massive market downturns. (Patsuris, 2002) The Act combats such unscrupulous activities by emphasizing corporate controls and enhanced financial reporting to maintain credibility. Details of off-balance sheet transactions, pro-forma figures and stock transactions of corporate officers must be reported. To assure the accuracy of financial reports and disclosures, management assessment of internal controls must be thoroughly performed. Timely periodic reporting of material changes in financial condition is required, as well as specified enhanced reviews by the SEC of such corporate reports. (P. L. 107-204, 116 Stat. 745, Title IV) A specific part of the Act, Section 404, requires management and external auditor to report on the adequacy of the company's control over financial reports. This, however, is considered by many the aspect that costs most to implement as enormous effort is needed to document and test important financial controls. Since it requires both management and external auditor to perform assessment in the context of a top-down risk assessment, it must cover all aspects of compliance and thus needs much time, labor and cost. Ribstein & Butler, 2006, p. 100) Compliance with Section 404 of the Act has a much greater impact on smaller companies as there is a significant cost involved in completing their assessments. Ribstein and Butler (2006) contend that this necessitates many small businesses to spend much than what they actually earn, driving a huge percentage of their expenditure on compliance alone. This eventually forces them to forgo with public ownership. As an example, during 2004, U. S. companies with revenues exceeding $5 billion spent . 06% of revenue on compliance, while companies with less than $100 million in revenue spent 2. 55%. (U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2006) It is quite unfair that small companies should bear the brunt when they do not earn as much as their bigger counterparts, and the government must take steps and act on what can be seen as a drawback on such a well-intended regulation. In conclusion, while much of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 was created and implemented to help put public trust back into corporations through recognizing and rewarding honest corporate leaders while discplining and fining unaccountable ones, much must be done to help alleviate the apparent burden on small companies who have to spend much on compliance, so that they may flourish and be able to compete without being compelled to spend too much on something that is beyond their capacity. And we should look forward in continuing the good work that the Act itself represents in defending the public from fraudulent and malicious corporate activities.

Arab Crusades essays

Arab Crusades essays Popular perceptions paint the Crusades as an act of Christian aggression toward as alien Eastern culture. Although this was an important catalyst to the declarations of the Crusades, it is in fact not the Arab catalyst of the crusades. Maalouf through Arab chronicles conveys the idea that the major factors that allowed the establishment of the crusaders was political rivalry amongst the Seljuk amirs along with the powerless Abbasid caliph who could do nothing to control the fighting amongst these rulers. The key factors that ultimately expelled the crusaders were the many victories of Saladin that left the crusaders with little land and few men. The rule of the Mamluks around 1250 also let to this expulsion. To begin you must clearly understand the definition of political rivalry to understand how the Arabs believed this to be a key factor of the invasions. Political rivalry is explained as fighting amongst political organizations in order to gain or overtake something or someone (Britannica 2002) . The Seljuks were a group of Nomadic Turkish Warrior Leaders from Central Asia who established themselves in the Middle East during the 11th Century as guardians of the declining Abbasid caliphate. After 1055 they founded the great Seljuk Sultanate. This was an empire centered in Baghdad and including Iran, Iraq, and Syria. During their rule DSlejuk princes struggle for the throne ...

Ford Essays - Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford

Ford Essays - Dearborn, Michigan, Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford Ford Concept car today They can start out as simple as a dream, or a sketch on a napkin during lunch. But by the time you see them, vehicles from Ford Motor Company have been designed and tested to look and perform their best. Here are some stories that chronicle that process. Concept Cars From the Model T to the latest futuristic designs, the engineers at Ford have a long history of design innovation. Here you can get a glimpse of some of the latest visions of the cars of the future. Technology Keeping up to date with current technology is essential to ensuring reliability and safety. See how Ford puts cutting edge developments to work on important issues like Y2K compliance. Driven by Research All great innovations begin with a strong commitment to research. Meet the people behind some of our better ideas and visit places like the Ford Research Laboratory, where exciting new strides are being made in the technology that drives your car. On the Road Today Ford's commitment to the latest research and technology is evident in the cars you see on the road today. Find out more about the cars you want to drive. Best seller tomorrow Innovative solutions to keep you safe and secure. Of all the things we transport in our vehicles, the most important are our children. See what Ford is doing to help keep them safe. Learning to drive remains one of the biggest rites-of-passage for our youth. Read about some of the ways Ford is helping to train the next generation of drivers. When used correctly, they're one of the best safety devices on your vehicle. This section will answer a lot of your questions and explain how air bags work. Buckling up and making sure kids are properly restrained in the rear seat are two important ways you can help keep everyone safe. Here are some other ways Ford is helping to do the same. Dedicated to providing ingenious environmental solutions The new millennium is filled with exciting opportunities and challenges. For automotive manufacturers and their customers, there is no greater challenge than following a path that respects both the bottom line and the environment These are just a few of the ideas that ford motor company tries to keep in mind when producing their cars. Because of this they have seen overall increased sales and increases in production. They have recently purchased Volvo Ford started its production in Detroit Michigan in 1907, when Henry Ford produced the first Model T. It was a huge success and since that day Ford has been the largest car manufacture in the world Bibliography From Fords Website

An evaluation of human rights abuses and reconciliation of the past in Research Proposal

An evaluation of human rights abuses and reconciliation of the past in Nigeria 1966 -1999 - Research Proposal Example The formation of Truth Commissions to achieve transitional justice has been in vogue during the recent years, especially after the formation of the South African Truth Commission in 1996. The popularity that this South African TC achieved after the submission of its completed report in 1998 evoked much interest in the various academic circles and the human rights groups. It was hoped that this new process could be used in various transitional societies, for holding accountable those individuals that in the past took part in various deplorable acts of human rights abuse; while also assuring the victims of some sort of relief and justice. This chapter will mainly focus on the concept of Truth Commissions (TCs), its background history, and the contribution/ non-contribution of the Truth Commissions to the transitional societies, mainly in the African context. Background history There is no doubt that the formation of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) have become fashionable after the 1998 South African TC, and is now seen as an instrument to make a memorabilia of an authoritarian past, which is replete with political repression and violent human rights abuse. It has become the centre point for the transitional justice stratagem, and by 2003, we find that there were more than 25 TRCs formed worldwide.

Personal Work Experience Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal Work Experience - Assignment Example Since I was still new in the organization, I did not want to get into conflict with anyone, hence, the reason I would accept work from other people without objection. That notwithstanding, if I tried to report that matter to my boss I would create a misunderstanding with the concerned individuals, thus, resulting in workplace conflicts that are not ideal for my stay in the new job. Technically, I was in a dilemma but I pretended that things were moving on well by straining so much to accomplish tasks from my boss and the extra ones from my colleagues. Soon the vigor and excitement that I had about the job slowly but surely vanished since I would not long for the next morning given the kind of pressure that I was going to experience at the office. Ideally, as days went by I felt more overwhelmed by the job since my arrogant boss continued to introduce new tasks for me which she expected me to complete within the usual deadlines. At some point, I tried to explain to her how overwhelmin g the job was given the short and strict deadlines that she usually set but she rudely interjected yelling at me saying that if I cannot cope with the job I should find another one that suits me.