Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 18

Business law - Essay Example The courts might have used the written law to make their judgments. Andersen was found guilty of obstruction of justice for destroying of potential evidence by shredding their documents which could have been used by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the agency of the US Government With the primary responsibility for regulation of securities markets. Under US GAAP, the only acceptable method of financial reporting is consolidation of controlled entities .non consolidation can only occur under specific conditions Outside USA; consolidated financial reporting is called group accounting and is required when one entity owns more than half of the other entity and can dictate its operations. Consolidating financial reporting is complex and requires financial statements to be combined and reported as a single financial report. Enron failed to comply with this ethic Enron major crime was misrepresentation and misleading the general public about their financial position. Enron did not disclose its real financial figures. The major requirement in US financial reporting is disclosure of information. The disclosure requirement is based on the premise that markets are efficient. Enron traded on future contracts called derivatives because they derived their value from underlying assets. The market of the contracts reduces the volatility of prices by fixing a price at a future date. Example assume Enron have two option contracts matching the same amount of a commodity over the same period of time. One contract was to purchase the commodity while other contract was to sell the commodity. Enron looked on to the future on the assumption that contracts were exercised and there were net results. After evaluating all cost, the net income (loss) was estimated. The net income (loss) was discounted to its present value and recorded as loss. Earnings reported under the market to market were easy to manipulate because active markets for contracts dating

History of Western Civilization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Western Civilization - Essay Example The key enlightenment figures began with sets of philosophers that began to perceive reality in an alternative manner. Descartes and Lebiniz were two of the leading figures with the concept of self – evident reasons to create ideals. This was followed with concepts such as through Newton, with created a scientific basis that experience and experiment were the two formations of knowledge, as opposed to reason and belief. The philosophies continued with the artists of the time, such as Voltaire, who created the belief that science should be regarded as ahead of the metaphysical. Each of the philosophers during this time based the Enlightenment on reason as opposed to spirituality and belief that was practiced in the culture (Porter, 3). The concept of the enlightenment was followed by scientists, politicians and religious leaders who either accepted or rejected the notion of reason and science being before belief. The scientists were split into several groups that experimented i n different ways. For instance, the materialists, such as La Mettrie, created an understanding of how the mind and the soul coincided and how the physical was a reflection of the spiritual. David Hume, Darwin and Newton followed this with disagreements that led into the practical, such as basic physics and mechanics of how the world worked. This was followed by politicians, such as Adam Smith and William Burke, which believed that science should be combined with politics for more practical and reasonable associations with the functioning of society (Porter, 25). The goal of the enlightenment figures was to take out the superstition and beliefs that led society. The main association was to create an understanding of abstract reason. It was believed that the power of reason could create a status quo that could lead into a Utopian future. The beliefs were followed by the understanding that those who used reason and rationalization for all concepts could easily find a way to reform soci ety and culture. The reason was one which was required to come from scientific discoveries and beliefs which gave a physical and practical understanding to how the world worked and what was done in the world. Within these thoughts were several associations with how this related to production. The reason was followed by scientists who were focused on discovering and observing attributes in nature as well as politicians and philosophers that were finding reasonable ways to rule and guide society and culture into new forms of knowledge (Porter, 2). The concept of reason that the key thinkers in the Enlightenment held also led to specific ideologies about religion. Most believed that religion was led by superstition and ignorance, as opposed to having knowledge about how the world functioned. This was followed by the concept of having a sense of freedom for religion. The historical time frame had led society into forced religion, specifically with the Catholic Church. This was followed by outbreaks that divided the church into sectors. During this time, there was a movement forward with the belief that religion should be free choice. Most who were considered a leader in the Enlightenment didn’t believe in Church based concepts and instead insisted that they were evils of society. Instead, there was a belief in a natural religion that allowed free thought and natural

Should There Be Censorship On Arts And Film Media Essay

Should There Be Censorship On Arts And Film Media Essay Censorship of art and film has been a rather controversial and debated issue in these past years and is yet to be resolved. While there are certain laws in different countries that permit artists to express themselves freely, there are many who still oppose these laws and feel the need for restrictions to be imposed, as the content created may not be appropriate to society. Yet, the question remains who is to decide what is what is acceptable and appropriate to society? This then brings me on to the main topic, Should there be censorship on arts and film? Slide 2-How is the content related to the document? This presentation is based on the issue of freedom in the expression of art and film that has been discussed in Document 8 regarding Art History and Film. This research attempts to evaluate whether there should censorship in the expression of arts to avoid misdirection in society. In the modern world with strict censorship in film, directors cannot fully express their vision of an adaptation. At the same time there are false interpretations and portrayals of history in film leading to misconceptions in history, especially in the eyes of the youth. Many may not see in unison with censoring art and film, especially those who believe in freedom of expression. This presentation also focuses on evaluating the reasons for and against censorship on art and film and also to provide its global impact. Slide 3- Definitions of Key Terms Before moving ahead I would like to define some key words to ensure clarity throughout the presentation. Freedom of expression: Freedom to communicate ideas without restraint, whether orally or in print or by other means of communication. Censorship: Supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. Art:   The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. Slide 4- Types of Censorship. In this slide I will use the USA as an example to discuss the types of censorship. Regulative  Censorship: This form of censorship is where  regulatory  bodies  monitor obscene words  and pictures on the Internet and public domains. This  type  of censorship tries to draw levelness between free speech and the right to privacy. In the USA, regulatory bodies such as the Federal Communication Commission scan airwaves for  obscene  content.    Constitutive Censorship: This type of censorship is when a community agrees on rules regarding the  acceptability and decency of content. Censorship is applied when a group imposes  disapproval, isolation and banishment from the community. Speak Your Mind, but Pay the Price   This is a form of censorship in the USA This is when you pay the price when speaking your mind at the wrong place. For example,  expressing  thought  about a court judge when in court. Motion Picture Rating System: This type of censorship is for movies, and restricts the audiences for films in accordance with the content of the film such as violence, mature content and profanity. Slide 5- Statistics 1 (World Map) Censorship around  the World analysis: This slide shows levels of censorship  around the world. In this map, it is evident that China and the Middle East have pervasive censorship, in other words, extensive and extreme censorship. This is due to strict government regimes. North and South America have almost no censorship and this is due to the democratic ideology.   Slide 6- Why there should be censorship of art and film.   Art   It is often argued that censorship is necessary in todays world not only because of our influential youth but also, as various art forms become increasingly popular, people are subject to their meanings and this could be potentially harmful. Firstly, it can be stated that censorship allows the preservation of the moral values of a nation or society. Art forms, which go against the values held by society, can result in heated arguments and very controversial protests. For example, the caricature of Prophet Mohammad by a Danish cartoonist caused massive uproars amongst Islamic groups worldwide resulting in an approximate of 100 deaths. Censorship would have resulted in this piece of art not to be released thus not causing destruction. Sometimes, censoring of art is required for the betterment of the parties involves. In the case of Arundhathi Roy a Booker Prize-winning Indian novelist, her portrayals of the Indian Government as being anti-people and containing the potential to influence the youth has led the Indian government to take action. Thus literary works such as this can potentially destabilize a country causing havoc and controversy. The censoring of arts can also be approached from a psychological point of view. Plato, the writer of The Republic states that arts, specifically painting and poetry, should be censored the re ason being that these are imitations and pertains to the truth. Due to this being a representation of the truth it appeals to the irrational part of our brain. Therefore art can corrupt character by influencing undesirable emotions and should indeed be censored. Film As time progresses, films are becoming more realistic and this can allow for mis-interpretation of film; making them more influential to the public. Films have the ability to cause controversy and chaos, therefore censoring films can avoid this to a certain extent.   The Roman Catholic Church criticized the movie, The Da Vinci Code and several bishops asked members to boycott the film. When it comes down to religion, censorship can help to a great extent to avoid conflict such as in this case, where there were massive protests  against  the writer of the script and book, Dan Brown. Sometimes  some government intervention is also needed in the film industry. As stated in Document 8, the movie Mangal Pandey exhibited a false rewrite of history, and this could be potentially dangerous as could scholars  misconceive  this directors interpretation of the events in contrast to the actual  occurrences.  Government  intervention or and sort of credible censoring is needed to check the historical accuracy of films and to draw the fine line between truth and entertainment.   Slide 7 Why shouldnt there be censorship of arts and films. The first amendment protects the rights of freedom of expression from any government intervention. Hence it can be inferred that the First Amendment should  protect the creative process of an artist and the works produced as art is assumed to be a form of freedom of expression. Censorship would violate this human right and may prove unlawful. Also, artists describe censorship are a strangling to creativity. With a vice-like grip, censorship forbids artists from fully expressing their creativity and ideas and can be considered to be an injustice. According to basic human standards, everyone has the right to know. Yet, censorship can prevent this dis-allowing people from gaining access to knowledge that should not really be restricted or kept hidden. Censorship assumes that the audience of this material is immature or incapable of understanding the full extent of the censored material. This does not necessarily respect us and asserts that we are not capable of mature responses t o the censored material. Censorship allows good art and suppresses bad art. Who can really define what is good and bad art as art can mean different things to different people. As U.S. Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan II quotes One mans vulgarity is another mans lyric. Censorship can be viewed from an economic angle as well. When films are censored, this limits the audience to the film, therefore restricting the revenue made from the production of the film. If censoring were to be banned, more revenue would be returned to the government as tax, in turn helping the people of the country, considering the filming industry is huge and the revenue earned is immense. This would also allow people to choose what they want to view using their value judgments, resulting in more independence of choice. When films released in theatres are censored, it encourages piracy, as people would want to know what has been censored, resulting in an increase in piracy. Also underage viewers are encoura ged to illegally obtain these films through the Internet as what is banned is desired. Slide 8- Case Study: Censorship of arts and films in China In China, there is no film rating system as in the UK or the USA. For films to go into production, they must be deemed suitable for all audiences. According to award winning  Chinese director Xie Fei, he claims that censorship is killing  artist  expression in China. Also many Western films are cut in order to be appropriate for audiences compromising the quality of the film. There is also a quota on the number of foreign films that can be displayed in China. Yet after 30 years of reforms in China after Communism, censorship is the least changed facet of the States rule. As a result artists and writers are forced to navigate the allowances of the party and their freedom of expression.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Slide 9- Mapping Book Censorship Books too art considered to be a form of art. This map shows the number of book banned in curricula, school libraries and public libraries in the USA from the period of December 2006 to May 2009. A total of 250 books were censored or banned in this two and a half year period because they were deemed unsuitable for students. From this, it is evident that censorship is increasing at a rapid rate, in the USA, a country that is very liberal in terms of censorship.

Geroge Orwell Essay -- Essays Papers

Geroge Orwell â€Å"One of the things Orwell bequeathed us was the adjective ‘Orwellian’†¦. It is a frightening word, generally applied to a society organized to crush and dehumanize the individual, sometimes signifying the alienation of that individual if he dares to rebel† (Lewis 13). George Orwell, the pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair, depicted the importance of the individual in society and the danger of too much community in his literature. Through his personal experiences, however, he explored the ideas of socialism and was torn between the individual and community ideals. In his literature and his past, Orwell spoke against movements that remove the individual, but still emphasized the importance of community. Thus, he advocated a need for balance between the two concepts. In 1922, Orwell began working as the assistant superintendent of police in Myaungmya, Burma, and this is where his hatred toward imperialism and its tyrannical rule over the underdogs in society developed. He felt guilty torturing and flogging unwilling subjects. The community had taken too much power over the individual, and the imperialist society commanded Orwell to enforce this injustice: â€Å"I was stuck between my hatred of the empire I served and my rage against the evil-spirited little beasts who tried to make my job impossible. With one part of my mind I thought of the British Raj as an unbreakable tyranny†¦with another part I thought the greatest joy in the world would be to drive a bayonet into a Buddhist priest’s guts. Feelings like these are normal by-products of imperialism† (qtd. in Lewis 41). Obviously, imperialism had affected Orwell to the point where he developed animosity towards the Burmese. As a policeman doing â€Å"the dirty work of the Empire† (qtd. in Lewis 41), Orwell acquired a hatred for imperialism, a belief that is focused on dominion over other individuals. Orwell later moved on to Spain where he joined the Partido Obrero de Unificacià ³n Marxista (POUM), or the Workers’ Party for Marxist Unity, and began his belief in socialism. When he arrived in Barcelona, he noticed an almost complete elimination of the social class structure: â€Å"Waiters and shop-walkers looked you in the face and treated you as an equal. Everyone called everyone else Comrade and Thou†¦. In outward appearance, the wealthy had practically ceased to exist†¦. In some ways I did not... ...nstantly struggled between these two ideas, and throughout his life he fought for a socialist society in Britain to represent his belief in the need of both community and the individual. He wrote powerfully and blatantly to illustrate the concept of balance between the affects of community and the individual. Bibliography: Chen, Anna. George Orwell a Literary Trotskyist? 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 . Lewis, Peter. George Orwell: The Road to 1984. New York and London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981. Orwell, George. 1984. New York: Signet Classic, 1961. Orwell, George. â€Å"Shooting an Elephant.† Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. Ed. Sonia Orwell. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1950. 3-12. Orwell, George. â€Å"Reflections on Gandhi.† Shooting an Elephant and Other Essays. Ed. Sonia Orwell. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, Inc., 1950. 93-103. Teck, Yee. Nineteen Eighty-Four and Personal Freedom. 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 . Williams, Rhodri. Orwell’s Political Messages in Animal Farm, Homage to Catalonia and Nineteen Eighty-Four. 2 Oct. 2000. K1 Internet Publishing. 13 Dec. 2000 .

Meaning of Life and Br Essay

Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba illustrated a story through comics that represent different moods and feelings in a series titled Daytripper. Comic books are a form of art, and they provide the reader with a broad spectrum of topics. Artist express the world through colors, symbols, and themes to show feelings, thoughts, and ideas and this can be done through various forms of art, which includes comic books. The illustrations in comic books help to convey the meaning of the story. In Daytripper, Moon and Ba describe Bras de Oliva Domingo’s life and how choices produce outcomes both good and bad. At a young age Bras believes that anything is possible, and one never knows what is in store for him at the end. His philosophy in life are the same principles as in fishing as one casts a line the excitement builds because one never knows what is on the end of the line. Water is reoccurring in the story, and it symbolizes Bras de Oliva Domingo’s struggles to stay above water through his sea of memories of his life. In the beginning, Bras feels there are no boundaries and one can explore as many opportunities life has to offer. Life’s daily decisions shape the outcomes both good and bad. The purpose is to learn from one’s past decisions and make changes improve our relationships and to be content with our lives in the end. The main character has ample opportunity to make changes along his journey for he experiences death at each phase of his life. Bras discovers endless possibilities from the seas from Iemanja, the spirit of the waters, in a dream they are riding in a boat through rough seas being tossed around with baskets that represent wishes and desires. Moon and Ba illustrate how in Bras dreams his life’s goals are laid out as he wishes. Just as water flows in and out, Bras dreams come in and out each night in his sleep. Bras flows through life just like water flows in and out never knowing where it will end up. Rougher waves represent new opportunities that continuously arise, but if one waits to long to take advantage of the opportunity then the waves may carry away the opportunity. As waves are continuously moving new chances will be present time and time again. Bras misses many opportunities because he is not willing â€Å"to go after his dreams† (203). His dreams tell him time is running out, and he needs to make the most of his opportunities. Each dream ends with â€Å"wake up before it’s too late† (203). Bras dreams about his possibilities and wishes he could take a chance to change his life, but he never does. Bras is just an observer in his dreams watching as the water passes by carrying the baskets. The dark colors and spirit of the waters are a main part of the artwork in the comic. Bras has responsibilities to his job and his wife, and he is content with both just cruising through each day. His life is similar to the ocean how the waves move along to the shore and effortlessly move back out to sea. He learns lessons along the way which he has no control and finds his wife frustrated with him from living a content and everyday life. Illustrations show water running full blast when they are not doing dishes or running any water. She later clinches the sink that is overflowing with water because Bras does not understand their life has joy and love. She wants her life to be less stressful so that the sink will stop overflowing. Just by Bras listening to his wife the water pressure will lessen, and the sink will not fill as quickly. Bras turns a deaf ear and does not listen, and the water just flows over the kitchen sink onto the floor. The overflow of water represents her stress, and he comes to realize he can help decrease the stress by making a few simple changes. She keeps trying to explain to him she cannot do it all on her own while he just sits there and listens. The overflow of water represents the burdens she feels by their life and needs Bras help to alleviate some of the daily pressures from her. As she pours him tea, the water flows up to the dining room table, and he finally understands her frustration over his laziness. At this point, Bras realizes by helping his family they will not be so overwhelmed and the water will stop overflowing. Just as the seas calm at times, Bras too feels tranquility at the end of his life. One late night he steps in the ocean and stares at the sky as it changes from dark and ordinary to a burst of stars symbolizing the calmness of the night. The peacefulness of the water helps Bras feel satisfied with his life. He feels at peace with his relationships with his dad, wife, and son. He smiles as he looks out on the calm ocean accepting his final destiny to be swept away by the sea. He stands in the water thinking for a long time accepting his fate, and the calm water represents he is at harmony with his life. The reader is left to complete his fate, which may just be Bras swimming out as far as he can until he the water carries him out to sea. The story connects water and life as a cycle that is continuously flowing. Water represents constant change just as one’s life changes through the years. Psychiatrists have used water for years as a representation of one’s mind because the deeper you go the more problems one may see. The ocean represents power and strength and people have the same characteristics. Every day we make choices and some outcomes can be predicted and others cannot. The beauty of the ocean is the unknown and change and how the meaning relates to life. One can change their behavior and possibly the outcome may change. It all is part of the cycle of life. Works Cited Moon, Fabio and Gabriel Ba. Daytripper. New York: DC Comics, 2011.

Customer relationship management

Customer relationship is not a new concept; companies have been interacting and dealing with customers since the inception of trade. Earlier more focus and attention was on product and services instead of customer centric. With increase in competition because of globalization and usage of internet changed the picture of business. Customers have variety to choose from, more knowledge about the companies and products surely has titled power at customers’ side. With this scenario, companies realize the need of treating customers with utmost care. Therefore, searching for innovative ways to manage relationships effectively, not only to acquire new customers but also to retain the existing one. â€Å"CRM is the process of managing detailed information about individual customers and carefully managing all the customer ‘touch points’ with an aim of maximum customer loyalty† Acquiring new customers can cost five times more than costs involved in satisfying and retaining current customers. More companies are recognizing the importance of satisfying and retaining customers, which constitute the company’s relationship capital To retain the customers’ better approach is to deliver high customer satisfaction. Customer relationship management is about taking a long term approach to building relationships with customers. In olden days, business people and organizations would know their customer base from seeing them on a daily basis and learning their preference based on the relationship they shared with the customers. CRM is emerged as critical for organization in 1960’s where marketers found that 4p’s of marketing framework-product, price, place and promotion were less valuable without ongoing relationships with customers. Companies started putting customers in the middle of marketing program. In early days of CRM, there was no technology to support what companies were doing. CRM is not new, over the years companies has had to figure out how to build relationships with customers and lead to brand loyalty. The goal in CRM is to evolve from a mass marketing model, which was on product centric market structure to customer centric structure. Managing customer relationships successfully means learning about the habits and needs of your customers anticipating future buying patterns, finding new opportunities to add value to the relationship. Successful companies make the relationship something the customer values more than anything else they could receive from the competition. Company experience with customer not only with transactions but also with interaction like website visit, phone, call center and by direct mail. CRM helps in developing marketing programs that make sense to each customer segment, support cross-selling and customer retention programs, help to maximize the value of each customer’s interaction and deliver a consistent branding message by aligning products and services within each channel. CRM provides an integrated view of a company’s customer to every one in the organization so that customer can be serviced effectively. CRM helps companies to gather and access information about the customers’ buying histories, preferences, complaints. It allows tracing the needs of the customers and means to satisfy them effectively. The following are the aims of CRM: †¢ Increase efficiency of the organization †¢ Ability to provide quicker response to customer queries and complaints †¢ Getting insight of customer needs †¢ Providing more cross-selling opportunities †¢ Organized information to manage and lead †¢ Reduction in cost and increase in productivity †¢ Receiving customer feedback †¢ Providing common platform for customer communication and interaction. Today consumers are more educated, more and better informed, more technology savvy coupled with increase competition in the market. Organization needs to build a system which allows you to track, capture and analyze the millions of customer activities, both interactions and transactions, over a long period of time. This helps in creating promotions, developing new products and designing communication programs to attract and retain customers. By 1980s â€Å"relationship marketing â€Å"was used to describe this new focus of understanding customer segments, delivering ongoing quality service and high customer satisfaction. In 1990s computer systems were deployed to support sales and service process. Sales force automation system evolved while customer service and support systems became backbone of automated call centers. By late 1990s increase in internet usage supported e-business applications to manage online customer and partner relationships, called as e-CRM and partner relationship management. CRM emerged as discipline of set of discrete software and technologies that focus on automating and improving the business processes associated with and improving the business processes associated with managing customer relationships in the areas of sales, marketing, customer-service and support. Customer relationship management applications are most active software available to the organizations. Three converging trends have enabled the emergence of CRM applications as a major force in the market place. The fist trend is the availability of robust, scale decision support technology. This helps companies collect vast quantities of data from multiple, heterogeneous sources, such as accounting, manufacturing, human resources, sales force automation, and customer service applications. This provides the technological foundation for building a consolidated enterprise wide view of the customer. The second trend is the emergence of front-office applications. This focus on the sales and the marketing departments, and essentially transactional in nature. The third trend is the emergence of the one-to-one marketing phenomenon has helped companies to have their marketing activities focus on customer, rather than on their products, distributors, sales force or suppliers. Now â€Å"Multi channel CRM† systems available to support direct, internet and partner channels, while allowing users to use whatever mode of communication they are pleased. CRM started with marketing era focusing on customer needs and wants and satisfying it effectively which drive changes in the organization and work processes. It must start with a business strategy. CRM is really about using tools not only to achieve the personal relationships business but even to predict and serve the future needs. Major support and change came for CRM is technology break through since two decade which played a significant part in not only managing good relationship with customers but also with the partners of the organizations.