9/11 Security Easures Essay

1.What impact did the events of 9/11 have on your sense of security/vulnerability? The events of September 11th brought a harsh reality to light. I remember sitting home thinking this wasn’t real and when I finally did catch on and see this was really happening I was overcome with fear. I wasn’t sure if we as a nation were safe or what would happen next. I kept saying to myself â€Å"How they can say they are here to protect us and this happens?† 2. Do you agree or disagree with the U.S. response to the attacks? I partially agree partially with the United States’ response to the attacks in terms of security measures and then the other part of me just shakes my head and wonder what it is the people in charge are thinking. I feel that with such high powered branches of government and security that the events of 9/11 should have never taken place. I appreciate the higher security to an extent at the airport but then it shouldn’t have taken such a tragic event for them have such high security measures in place then on the other side of the scope it’s inconvenient for everyone else involved to have to adjust to new procedures when the government dropped the ball. Going to war wasn’t the answer at all to punish someone for taking lives we go takes lives of their nation by risking the lives of more people from ours†¦I’m extremely confused with this practice. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay †¢Which aspects of the U.S. response do you feel have been most successful and effective? None of them, even with more security efforts in place it has only made a bigger issue arise in the process some are harassed more than others because of nationality I have been with Arabian and Egyptian friends at the airport and have had to wait longer with them as they were drilled about what part of the U.S they were going to questions about the birthplaces of their parents and even their own birthplaces. Is this what we have reduced ourselves down to? †¢Which aspects of the U.S. response do you feel have been least effective or even counter-productive? War period †¢Do you feel safer now than they did after 9/11? Why or why not? I still feel the same no one is safe not here in the U.S and not those outside our country the response to the 9/11 attacks goes against everything being an American is about. †¢What areas of vulnerability do you think have not been addressed that should be? The vulnerability of our people to depend on each other and the government to support us, provide us with a sense of security/protection, and to give us a voice to be heard to say what actions are taken in such tragic events. †¢Do you agree or disagree with the term â€Å"War on Terrorism?† Do you think the â€Å"war† will ever be â€Å"won†, and all terrorist threats completely eliminated? If you disagree on the term, what would you suggest as an alternative? I strongly disagree with the term â€Å"war on Terrorism†! This war will never end there will always be someone somewhere who doesn’t agree with the practices of another individual, group, or country. This comes from â€Å"societies† teachings of making one group more superior than the other until that cycle alone is broken there will be a new breed of â€Å"terrorists/terrorism† everyday. †¢Do they feel civil liberties, including privacy rights, have been curtailed significantly in the wake of the U.S. response? If so, in what way? Is some curtailment of some civil liberties for some individuals a necessary step, even if not ideal? Doyou agree with the government’s justifications for wiretapping, etc? All in all I actually believe that some civil liberties have in fact been curtailed, however, no matter how you try to turn it you can’t have me say that its’ right. Everyone is entitled to his/her privacy no matter who they are and what they have done before in life. I don’t feel anything justifies the reasoning behind the government wanting to use wiretapping or video surveillance to pry into the personal lives of any individual I understand that this helps to stop these so called terrorists but then again it’s a way for the government to bully people by taking their private feelings and using them against them. †¢Do you agree with holding captured suspects indefinitely, without charge? Or do you think suspects should enjoy due process and be tried in civilian courts? I think everyone should be given the right to due process and how can you hold someone indefinitely without charging them of something in my mind that would be kidnapping/false imprisonment and that’s preposterous! †¢What are your thoughts on secret prisons, extraordinary rendition, and the Enemy Combatants at Guantanamo Bay? Secret prisons†¦somewhere I can take someone and do anything imaginable to them and they either not return or comeback badly beaten yet have no proof of where they were when this happened which means no evidence and possibly they don’t even see the person who does the harm to them. Where is the fairness/justice in this the government justifies their inhumane treatment of others with the word â€Å"terrorism†, yet isn’t the government guilty of doing the same thing that we imprison â€Å"serial killers, rapists, etc.† for? The government at first said that no torture went on at Guantanamo Bay that the detainees were only being held for questioning then one person came out and admitted that Mohammed was being tortured there and we expect protection from a government that constantly lies to us. †¢Do you agree with the rationale behind the invasion of either Afghanistan or Iraq or both? There really is no rationale behind it unless you are trying to say that since they came and used our planes to destroy our buildings and kill our people that we have every right to go over to their territory and shoot, bomb, and kill their people. Yea sure that’s very rational indeed let’s go do the same thing they did to us â€Å"that will make it better† †¢Are citizens of other countries at all justified in their negative view of America’s stand in the World? Yes they are America is at war with itself and that only makes the other countries wonder how we could be in power of anything. China has had several problems with dynasty leaders but they rose up as a people to overcome that. America has problems and they branch of into several groups screaming for the spotlight without any real answers to the problems here everyone wants to be right where in other places it’s about simply getting better than what they are currently dealing with a chance for growth. Something America has forgotten about.

Music vs. Book Essay

Books and music are not a direct comparison normally but when it comes to youngsters and their lives both have a very strong influence. When we are bored, it is the time we listen to music or read a book. These two are the common things we are doing in our leisure time. People should be influenced by music and book. Music can have both a positive as well as negative impact on an individual’s life. The nature and kind of music defines that what type of message they render on the youngster. While books of any type give you either eye opening or well meaning but misguided information on subjects ranging from the simplest subjects to the more sophisticated. Books can even be used by those who are looking for answers in life. Many people report finding the perfect book to answer the burning questions in their minds. Books are more limited: fiction like novels and short stories and non-fiction like memoir, history, biography, self help, and philosophy. Reading books require a larger share of our time. We cannot also do another thing while reading a book. We cannot read a book while washing clothes. Books are more intellectually stimulating and has bigger journey than music. On the contrary, music doesn’t answer questions by itself. Music answers feeling or disturbed emotions looking for an outlet. It exists in an extraordinarily wide array of genres and styles like vocal music (song, choral music, and opera), solo instrumental, chamber, orchestral, band and etc. We will listen to the music we love countless times over the course of our lives. We can multitask while listening to music. We can listen to music while running or washing clothes. Music are more passion and emotional than books. Whether you want to listen to music or read a book, they can both give positive and negative influences, affect all kinds of age groups, and cause different views of the world.

orld Trade Organization Essay

On November 30, 1999, major governments met at a World Trade Organization (WTO), ministerial meeting at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington. During this meeting an enormous public protest took place in the streets of Seattle. The protestors were representing human rights groups, students, environmental groups, religious leaders, labor rights activists and members of numerous other groups. The groups were not only from the United States, but had come from all over the world. All of these people were peacefully protesting the practices of the WTO in the name of free trade. The protestors stated that the WTO upheld trade practices that allowed child labor, low wages and environmental destruction. The WTO justified these practices in the name of free trade. Tens of thousands of people were in Seattle to protest peacefully, and the protests did start peacefully, but they did not end that way. A small number of anarchist groups were in Seattle to cause civil disobedience and acts of vandalism and property damage. These groups conducted deliberate acts of vandalism on corporate offices in Seattle. The Seattle Police Department did not have the number of officers, even with help from other departments, to handle the number of protestors. The officers used pepper spray, tear gas, stun grenades and eventually rubber bullets to try to unblock congested city streets. Some of the anarchists fought back by breaking windows and vandalizing storefronts. Dumpsters were pushed out into intersections and they were lit on fire and tires on police cars were deflated. The National Guard was finally called in, but did not get to Seattle until the next morning. Once the WTO packed up and went home, the protestors packed up and went on their way. When the meeting finished, businesses had suffered millions of dollars in damage and lost sales, over 500 people were arrested. No deaths were attributed to the protest and no one was seriously injured. There was controversy over city response and the Seattle police chief resigned. The anarchist protestors felt the protest was a success. Before the Seattle Protest, there was almost no mention of anti-globalization in the U. S. media but the protest had forced the media to report on why anyone would oppose the WTO. Good or bad, the message of the protestors was broadcast to the world.

Cloud computing chapter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cloud computing chapter - Essay Example To put it simply cloud computing service providers offers their extremely large capacity in terms of software and hardware resource to potential clients for a fee. The cloud computing service provider of course has to be within the same cloud as the client or is over the internet. The infrastructure flexibility that cloud computing offers is also its potential waterloo for companies that need to comply with privacy regulations mandated by the government and due diligence requirement mandated by all the company’s stakeholders. This Chapter shall discuss the vulnerabilities, threats and risk associated with cloud computing and where these security issues are often found. This chapter shall likewise offer the best way to resolve and remediate the exposed security concerns to eliminate it or lessen its impact. It is expected for business to be cautious in its spending. Organizations are always expected to look for ways to reduce its operating cost most especially if the returns are uncertain. For most companies it is essential to scale their investment to coincide with the actual realized revenue before committing a larger investment for the purpose. Good corporate governance requires more prudence in terms of spending. Most often conscious decisions have to be made for companies to take a certain level of risks to meet corporate goals. Cloud computing may have several vulnerabilities but these are not without a solution that can be remediated as shown in this chapter. Meeting regulatory and stakeholder requirement for privacy is normally all about accountability to ensure that all stakeholders that is expected to protect privacy are aware and is doing everything that is in their power to protect it. It is expected for organization to exercise due diligence in protecting privacy at all cost all the time. However, organizations are also limited by its resources to ensure total protection, in

Outline the development of global ecotourism over the last 30 years, Essay

Outline the development of global ecotourism over the last 30 years, What has fuelled its rise What challenges has it faced - Essay Example While the usual forms of travel are concerned only about the wants of the traveller, the focus of ecotourism is on the positive ways the traveller can impact the host country and its inhabitants. The impetus to the economic growth of the world provided by ecotourism prompted the United Nations to declare 2002 as the International Year of Ecotourism to signify its importance. The underdeveloped countries can make significant economic gains through effectively utilizing ecotourism to generate employment and alleviate poverty. The seed of ecotourism was sown in the developed countries. The creation of National Parks in America was the precursor that evolved into the methods and structures of ecotourism over the years. When the Redwood National Park of California was created in 1968 to protect the redwoods from total depletion through continuous logging, local people economically dependent on such exploitation suddenly found themselves without a livelihood. However, the flow of tourists to the region increased and the loggers gradually became hotel owners, tour guides and contractors with some retraining by the federal government and their expertise about the redwood forests. In fact, this expertise was utilized for reseeding the redwoods and controlling fire and flood. Thus ecotourism developed to address the need for preserving the earth’s natural resources by creating a travel infrastructure that besides boosting tourism would take care of the economic needs of the local people in a sustainable environment. The idea of ecotourism as we know it in the modern age started gaining ground from the 1980s. The idea possibly originated as a venture by a few entrepreneurs who saw business opportunity in the growing desire among the tourists to visit remote places not hitherto trodden where they could experience nature in all her unspoiled glory. These entrepreneurs set up eco lodges which

SPORTS COACHING DEVELOPMENTS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

SPORTS COACHING DEVELOPMENTS - Essay Example This paper will analyse the role that variables such as personal experience, tradition and science play in relation to effective coaching: in the context of coach practice structure and coach behaviour. Finally, it will conclude by outlining the essentials of coach behaviour and a coach practice structure. It takes much more than sports mastery to be a coach; individual perception, which depends on personal elements such as values, attitudes, interests, plays a vital role in coaching. A good coach must be a good communicator. The sports instruction relies on the ability to communicate to each player in a team, taking into consideration the player’s personal attributes, and in a simple and concise way to employ sport techniques and tact in preparation for competition (Wrisberg, 2007). Additionally, for coaching to be effective, there has to be mutual trust and respect between the athletes and the coach. It is important for the coach to formulate and maintain an effective working relationship with the players. Further, a coach’s philosophy, which depends a lot on their personal values and culture, has a lot of bearing in the sense that coaches influence the quality of an athlete’s experience with a sport and in this way can motivate or demoralize an athlete in pursuing their dreams. The right philosophy for a coach should not be to always win but should focus instead on being a teacher and mentor to athletes with the aim of developing highly motivated, proud and inspired individual, regardless of whether they win gold medals or not (Kidman and Hanrahan, 2001). Science is the knowledge resulting from theory investigation and application. The world today has remarkable features as a result of science, computers, the Internet and so much more. The role that science has played in making life today simpler, fun and comfortable is undisputedly immeasurable. We owe a lot to our ancestral and current scientists; it would be foolhardy for coaches to refuse

Abstracts On Major Religions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abstracts On Major Religions - Assignment Example It is important to be able to practice a religion, but if the religion rituals harm the world where others live as well, this can be sufficient reason for questioning. Some of the rituals being offered include clothing, ashes, and coconuts which is considered liter. The Hindus people believe that Ganges, a name given to the bay, takes away their sickness, pain, and suffering. It is hard to dispute their belief system but both parties need to come to an understanding since they are on territory that is different from the one they are used to; Gayana. They are in Queens New York. As of right now, the officials are at a dead end. Ganges is located on the banks of the bay in Queens New York, where the Hindu population is growing. It is hard to interfere when it comes to determining how the environment and the people should and should not be treated in the â€Å"name of the gods† but something has to be done in order to protect the wellbeing of all. Foreign and historical practices need to be conscientious of modern day reality. Pollution does not only harm the earth, but also the people, plants and animals in existence. The best way to bring this problem to light and to eventually fix it will be educate the people by giving them facts and statistics they can use that prove direct harm to themselves and those around them. Without this information, ritualistic offerings will continue to be a problem.

Answer the questions for Cases Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Answer the questions for Cases - Essay Example The analysis of these above mentioned three concepts by Build-A-Bear executives enables them to devise effective innovative strategies and plans that fulfill all the basic demands of their clients while simultaneously resulting in increased brand awareness, customer satisfaction and loyalty. The Build-A-Bear workshop actually believes in selling an experience or personalized entertainment to its clients than just selling an ordinary product or a service for some money. Build-A-Bear is actually a workshop that allows preteens to create their teddy bears through a step-by-step production process. The first step is called â€Å"Choose me† in which a child pick an unstuffed animal followed by a second stage known as â€Å"Stuff me† in which a child a child operates a foot pedal that blows in the amount of fluff. Third stage â€Å"Hear me† is about including a voice box followed by a â€Å"Stitch me† stage in which the animal is stitched. The last two stages are known as â€Å"Dress me† and â€Å"Name me† stages in which a child has to cloth his or her animal and finally give it a nick name of their choice respectively. This workshop actually shares adorable memories of creating and preparing an animal in exchange of money. The entir e process is not only enjoyable but it is being remembered by young that later compels to try this workshop again and again. The marketing management concept of Product Development best describes the Build-a-Bear workshop. This concept is actually a business growth strategy that aims to generate excessive revenues by offering new products to existing group of customers. The additions and offerings of new products such as mini-scooters, mascot bears, in-store galleries of bear-sized furniture, spider costumes and sequined purses based on innovative ideas of customers greatly contributed in company’s success and goal accomplishment. Furthermore, the workshop is coming up with further innovations,

Cyber crime and security affair in e-business Article

Cyber crime and security affair in e-business - Article Example This essay discusses that technology is essential part of business today. The internet has become a backbone and nervous system of business nowadays. Internet is already affecting our lives at home and offices to a great extent. While this dimension improves our lives it also creates enormous risks. Many individuals and businesses are still not aware of the risks posed by internet and the cyber space. The efficiency, complexity and speed of businesses today are attributed to technology and particularly E commerce. This enormous growth in E commerce provides a chance for internal and external fraud and exploitation. E commerce has become a driving force for world economy however it also poses a dangerous scenario once it is attacked or hacked. E commerce is vulnerable to cybercrime within seconds. Cyber criminals take advantage of loopholes in software and hardware architecture and make big organizations collapse in days. In a Globally networked environment, cybercrime can be initiate d from any location across the globe. With the growth in size and speed of organizations, a need arose to make the systems automated and less dependent on humans. According to McQuade Robert T Morris carried out first major cybercrime attack on November 2 1988 which resulted in slow down of thousands of computers. He noted that on June 20 2007, Department of defense was attacked by coordinated hackers, as a result it had to shut down 1500 computers. Assessment of human behavior in an automated world is becoming difficult. Organizations are dependent on outsourcing and do not completely control people who work for them. Organizations are very cautious about cyber attacks however appear helpless in front of expertise displayed by hackers. There is a greater risk to organizations from their own employees and business rivals in addition to hackers. Businesses are continuously improving their systems however there is still a lesser consideration towards privacy, access control and sharin g of data. According to Wada and Odulaga (2011) phishing has been a cause of direct loss amounting $1.2 billion in USA for banks and card industry in 2003 (Wada & Odulaga 2011, P 71). There is a need to create awareness amongst businesses, the lack of which is evident from growing number cyber attacks in year 2011. Today cyber risks are increasingly surrounding E commerce. It is evident that organizations are

Law of Contract Assessment III Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Law of Contract Assessment III - Essay Example . The fifth element entails capacity. This involves the soundness of mind as well as legal age for a person entering into a contract. The law does not recognize a contract formed with a minor. The sixth and the final element entail legality of the contract. For example, some /contracts may be considered valid in a particular but may be invalid in other countries (Poole, 2010)3. The study will provide an insight of whether John is obliged to pay the extra  £3000 to B&B Ltd, and whether he is obliged to pay the full rent /arrears to Maritime Developments Ltd. In addition, the study will provide a clear summary of common law and equity as well as law and /facts relating to case. Finally, the study will take into consideration any issues arising for each party. In common law, the judges utilize the past precedent to decide on the current cases. This means that the principle of Stare decisis tend to be applied especially where there is no other law that can be applied to decide a case. Therefore, the judge decides a case based on the previous cases decided by previous the judges (Ferrari, 2012)4. However, if the case emerged to be very distinct from the previous cases that were being decided by the past judges, the court may formulate a law that may be used to decide on other future cases. The other principle in common law is that similar fact should be treated unanimously and should be isolated in any whatsoever. Therefore, similar cases should be held similarly (Shiblee, 2012)5. On the other hand, equity entails a system of principles that address or issues that fall outside the reams of a common law. This means that unlike common law which provides a manner in which the case may be decided by the court of law using the past precedent; equity provides a solution to the case. Equity further mitigates strict decisions arrived through application of the common law. Some of the

Natural environment Essay Example for Free

Natural environment Essay When walking down the meat isle in the grocery store, do people stop to think where the meat came from? A lot of the labels on food will say that it is farm fresh, but does it really come from all natural environments or not? It is a good question to consider, because people have a right to know where their food is coming from and how it is processed. Throughout the Food Inc movie, it shows the animals growing environments and also explains how the animals are given steroids that increase the speed of their growth. This is dangerous for people because if we are eating this meat, it can be harmful and also unhealthy for us to consume. The companies responsible for the processing of the food, refuse to talk about how the process works, and buyers are starting to feel like the companies are hiding something and it is important that people find out; they have a right to know. â€Å"Some people feel like since they are getting a good deal on their food that they don’t care about where it comes from because it is cheap and always available. † (Food Inc. ) Money is a big issue for many people, and even the people with a lot of money don’t mind getting a good deal at the grocery store. The other side of this would be that some people feel that they want to spend their money on something that is not only cheap, but safe and healthy. People deserve to know where the food they consume is coming from. Until companies are willing to talk to the people and explain what is going on and how they do their job, it is going to be an argument. Many effects are added to the film to make it seem more dramatic and real. It uses animated effect, zooming, and also rotating effect where it goes all the way around the area to show the setting. Animated effects were used to show different animals that the processing is done to, and also the list of stores that sells products from certain companies such as TYSON. Zooming effect is used to get an up-close look of what is going on to the animals, what is in their food, and also to show down inside of the machines that the chickens go through. The rotating effects show the setting in one part of the film where one of the chicken owners let the camera people come in and see the environment that the chickens are growing and living in. It shows proof of how harsh the living environment and growing process of the chickens are. Emotion is also a part of this film. It will either cause a person to feel a negative, positive, or mixed feeling on the subject. This refers to the Ethos of the film. Some people may feel happy because the way the chickens are given growth hormones means people have more food sources and it comes in faster and cheaper. Other people may be upset because it harms the animals and throws off the natural growth process. Some other people may think it doesn’t really matter as long as people have food. Each person has their own opinion, but that is why it is important that the actual facts and processes are detailed to the people, so that people can understand and decide for themselves how they feel about it. In conclusion, the film is a trustworthy source because it has actual video of proof to back its statements up. The film talks about the chickens living in harsh and dirty environments, the way they are given growth hormones to speed up the growth process and increase the size of the breasts, and also how the cows are fed a corn- based food. All of the statements that are made about the processes of food sources, have video footage to show and explain what is being said to the viewer(s). It is also a published movie that is considered a documentary and is shown is schools, so it must be a reliable source to be used in our educational system and to have video of people who participate in the food processing. Citations: Food Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, and Gary Hirshberg. Magnolia Pictures. DVD.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Essay Example for Free

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Essay The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (abbreviated USSR), otherwise called the Soviet Union, was a constitutionally-based socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. It emerged from the Russian Empire after 1917 Russian Revolution and the Russian Civil War that occurred from 1918–1921; the USSR emerged as a union of several Soviet republics. The geographical boundaries of the USSR varied with time; however, the last territorial conglomerations of the Baltic states, eastern Poland, Bessarabia, and other territories within the region during World War II, from 1945 until dissolution the boundaries approximately included those of late Imperial Russia, with the notable exclusions of Poland, most of Finland, and Alaska. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and the United States of America were the two contending world superpowers that dominated the global agenda of various economic policy, cultural exchange, foreign affairs, military operations, advancements in science and technology, space technology and sports. Soviet propaganda was not known for its intricacy. Citizens of the USSR saw the agenda as stern and authoritarian in conformity to the foundational policies it stood for. Even the buildings were designed to nuisance and imposing. It was difficult to reminisce of happy childhood memories. Despite the tough policies of the Party, a new wave of nostalgia for Communist times surfaced in Russia. Apparently, time has glossed over memories of Soviet hardships, giving way to warm and fuzzy feelings for times of old. This is confirmed by the study by the Yuri Levada Analytical Center, Russias most widely-respected polling agency; 67 percent of Russians say they regret the fall of the USSR. The ultimate experience in over-the-top state promotion: the Soviet theme park is known by its Russian initials, VDNKh, it is a case study in architecture as propaganda on the outskirts of Moscow. VDNKh is a monstrous 578-acre park in northwest Moscow, (accessible via the Kaluzhsko-Rizhskaya metro line). It houses more than 80 pavilions and monuments originally designed to showcase the achievements of the USSR. Each one is devoted to a specific aspect of the Soviet Union: agriculture, economics, science, industry and hunting, to name a few. And of course, theres the cosmonaut pavilion. The place is a theme park of ideology, a carnival of communism. VDNKh was designed solely to boost the glory of the State. Welcome to Soviet Disneyland. The years following the Empires collapse saw a knee-jerk purge of all things Soviet from public spaces: streets were renamed, commemorative plaques were defaced, and hundreds of statues were torn down. Indeed, VNDKh is one of the few bastions of the Soviet State left those generations too young to remember the Empire can visit. For them, VDNKh must function as a kind of surreal testament to the entirely different world they would have lived in, had they only been born some years earlier. For tourists, its an intriguing chance to encounter the onetime showpiece of the Soviet Union. For older Russians, its either a source of nostalgia or simply an eyesore. A walk through VDNKh provokes a deep sense of irony. The city of Moscow, lacking the funds to either tear down or reconfigure the site, has rented out the space inside the buildings to dealers of cheap electronics, furniture, toys, clothing and even handguns. The site now functions as a gigantic marketplace for goods of every description. None of the exterior facades or monuments has been removed. Buildings topped with nine-foot-tall bronze hammers and sickles are now makeshift bazaars where shady dealers peddle cheap Chinese electronics. Here, at the former epicenter of all things Communist, capitalism mushrooms. But thats old news. New thinking is taking root. According to a number of writers, Russians have been slowly redressing their attitudes towards their country, its economy and the plight of the ordinary Russian. The frenzied fetish for all things Western that swept the nation during the decade following the fall of the USSR seems to have dropped off, replaced by a new reverence for the old system. For many, nostalgia for the Soviet era goes deeper than memorabilia and public monuments. A growing number of Russians pine for a return to red ideology. According to French journalist Jean-Marie Chauvier, Russians are jaded by the fact that most are worse off now then they were under communism, as the country is now run by a core of private oligarchs. Neo-Communist political parties have repeatedly tried to pounce on this. Glossing over the gulags, censorship and bread lines of the old system, they call for a return to the guaranteed security of Communist days. More and more people are listening. A trip to VDNKh illuminates this new wave of thinking. Its been 70 years since the place was built, and more than a decade since it was used as intended. As a free-wheeling market, kitsch and nostalgia replace reverence and fear as the dominant feelings in the place. Now that its little more than a bazaar where anything goes, its easy to forget old atrocities and wish to return to a rosier past. The same goes; it seems, for Russia herself. Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (born on December 11, 1918) is a Russian novelist, dramatist and historian. Through his writings, he made the world aware of the Gulag, the Soviet labor camp system, and, for these efforts, Solzhenitsyn was awarded both the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970 and exiled from the Soviet Union in 1974. He returned to Russia in 1994. In 1994, he was elected as a member of Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts in the Department of Language and Literature. He is the father of Ignat Solzhenitsyn, a well-known conductor and pianist. In his work Solzhenitsyn continues the realistic tradition of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and complements it with his views concerning the flaws of both East and West. Throughout the 1960s and 70s he produced a number of major novels based upon his own experiences of Soviet prisons and hospital life under the communist dictator Joseph Stalin. Later in his life Solzhenitsyn saw that his primary mission was to rewrite the Russian history of the revolutionary period in the multivolume work The Red Wheel (1983-1991). At the age of 42, Solzhenitsy had written a great deal secretly, but published nothing. After Nikita Khrushchev had publicly condemned the cult of personality an attack on Stalins heritage the political censorship loosened its tight grip. Solzhenitsyns first book, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, appeared the following year in the leading Soviet literary journal Novyi Mir. It marks the beginning of Soviet prison-camp literature. Solzhenitsyn uses third-person direct speech to examine Soviet life through the eyes of a simple Everyman. Written in a direct style, it describes the horrors of just one day in a labor camp. The book found success both in the USSR and the West, and was compared with Fedor Dostoyevskys novel House of the Dead. When they announced on the radio that some new machine had been invented, I heard Matryona grumbling out in the kitchen, New ones all the time, nothing but new ones. People dont want to work with the old ones any more, where are we going to store them all? (From Matryonas Home, 1963) Historical views During his years in the west, Solzhenitsyn was very active in the historical debate, discussing the history of Russia, the Soviet Union and communism. He tried to correct what he considered to be western misconceptions. Communism, Russia and nationalism It is a popular view that the October revolution of 1917 resulting in a violent totalitarian regime was closely connected to Russias earlier history of tsarism and culture, especially that of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. Solzhenitsyn claims that this is fundamentally wrong and has famously denounced the work of Richard Pipes as the Polish version of Russian history. Solzhenitsyn argues that Tsarist Russia did not have the same violent tendencies as the Soviet Union. For instance, in Solzhenitsyns view, Imperial Russia did not practice censorship; political prisoners were not forced into labor camps and in Tsarist Russia numbered only one ten-thousandth of those in the Soviet Union; the Tsars secret service was only present in the three largest cities, and not at all in the army. The violence of the Communist regime was in no way comparable to the lesser violence of the tsars. Instead of blaming Russian conditions, he blamed the teachings of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, arguing that Marxism itself is violent. His conclusion is that Communism will always be totalitarian and violent, wherever it is practiced. There was nothing special in the Russian conditions that affected the outcome. He also criticized the view that the Soviet Union was Russian in any way. He argued that Communism was international and only cared for nationalism as a tool to use when getting into power, or for fooling the people. Once in power, Communism tried to wipe clean every nation, destroying its culture and oppressing its people. According to Solzhenitsyn, the Russian culture and people were not the ruling national culture in the Soviet Union. In fact, there was no ruling national culture. All national cultures were oppressed in favor of an atheistic Soviet culture. In Solzhenitsyns opinion, Russian culture was even more oppressed than the smaller minority cultures, since the regime was less afraid of ethnic uprisings among these. Therefore, Russian nationalism and the Orthodox Church should not be regarded as a threat by the west, but rather as allies that should be encouraged Minor Works Solzhenitsyn published two anti-Stalinist short stories in the January 1963 issue of Novy Mir: Incident at Krechetovka Station and â€Å"Matryona’s House. The first told of a military commandant of a railroad station in World War II who denounced a seemingly innocent man to the secret police and later regretted it. The second told of the struggle for survival of a poor and unassuming peasant woman. In summer 1963 Solzhenitsyn published another story in Novy Mir, For the Good of the Cause, which tells in ironic terms a tale of Khrushchevan bureaucrats acting in the manner of junior Stalins. REFERENCE: Old USSR Posters about Stalin and Soviet people (from 30th) http://www.pbs.org/redfiles/prop/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn http://www.flakmag.com/features/vdnkh.html http://www.litweb.net/biography/358/Aleksandr_Solzhenitsyn.html

Voluntary disclosure and corporate governance

Voluntary disclosure and corporate governance Introduction: Theforces that give rise in demand of information disclosure in modern capital market stems from the information asymmetry and agency conflicts existing between the management and the stockholders. Therefore, the solution to agency conflicts lies in the ownership structure and the function of board of directors. (Jensen and Meckling 1976) found that the Ownership structure is assessed by the proportion of shares held by managers and blockholders.So managerial ownership which is (the proportion of shares held by the CEO and executive directors) and blockholder ownership which is (the proportion of ordinary shares held by substantial shareholders) are two major governance mechanisms that help control agency problem. In addition, [Fama 1980] argues that the board of directors is the central internal control mechanism for monitoring managers. Financial reporting and disclosure are important resources for management to communicate firms performance and success of efficient capital market (ECM).Fama (1991) defined ECM as a market in which new information is accurately and quickly reflected in share prices. The incentive to voluntarily reveal information still under interest to both analytical and the empirical researchers.Analytical research concerned and verified issues as how competition affects disclosure, (Darrough and Stoughton 1990). Empirical researchers documented the influence of firm characteristics like size, leverage, listing and managerial ownership on disclosure. Firms provide disclosure by financial statements, management discussion and analysis, footnotes, furthermore some firms involved in voluntary supply such as internet sites, press releases, conference calls, management forecasts. Corporate disclosure is proxied by an aggregate discloser score of annual report, including background information, summary of historical results, non financial statistics, projected information and management decision and analyses. (Botosan 1997])and (Endg and Mak 2003). Voluntary disclosure is measured by the amount and detail of non mandatory information that is contained in the management decision and analyses in the annual report. Research problem: Corporate governance mechanism that is well practiced could benefit shareholder financially by exercising more control in the companies management. Moreover, the corporate governance characteristic can be seen as proxies for independents and the alignment of interest between management and the shareholder in minimizing the agency conflict. Many researches have been done among different countries to find out which factors could contribute to more disclosure by companies in their financial annual reports.Accordingly this research examines the impact of ownership structure, the profitability and board composition on corporate disclosure, in other words examining the relationship between corporate governance and voluntary disclosure, because the disclosure of information helps to reduce the cost of agency problems when there is an information asymmetry between management and shareholders . The efficiency gab has been narrowed in the worlds major economies but there remain important gabs in what we know. In particular, we lack a sufficient understanding of the complicated ways in which the various corporate governance mechanisms interact with each other and with other characteristics of firms and economies. Research Questions: Is there any relationship betweenlevel of profitability and the extent of voluntary disclosure? Is there any relationship between managerial ownership and the extent of voluntary disclosure? Is there any relationship betweenthe family member sitting on the board and the extent of voluntary disclosure? Research Objectives: The main objective of this study is to examine whichamong the variables contribute to voluntary disclosure and which attributes drive management toward increase disclosure levels. Specifically, the objectives of this study are listed below: To examine whether level of profitability affect the extent of voluntary disclosure of companies in Jordan. To examine whether managerial ownership structure affects the extent of voluntary disclosure of companies in Jordan. To examine whether the family member sitting on the board affect the extent of voluntary disclosure of companies in Jordan. Significance of Study: There are many parties will get benefits from this study, corporations, regulators, policy makers, the analytical, andempirical researches.This research will improve their understanding on which corporate governance factors affect the extant of voluntary disclosure and will increase their information about this area via providing additional evidence on corporate governance and disclosure. CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW Since separation of ownership and control is the predominant form of corporate governance, previous studies have investigated the relationship between the corporate governance mechanisms and firms disclosure behaviors. Many different theoretical perspectives and research methods have been employed by a wide range of research questions covering different countries and time periods. For example studies have been done by Chow and Wong-Boren (1987); Penmann (1988), Cooke (1991), Hossain et al. (1994) and Balachandran (2004). 2.1 Corporate governance The prior study mentions that the corporate governance refers to the way companies are directed and controlled. A primary concern is the likelihood of a deviation in the objectives of corporate managers from those of shareholders due to the agency costs involved in monitoring managerial behavior (Berle and Means 1932). Another study also mentions that the quality of corporate disclosures is associated with corporate governance characteristics. According to Bujaki and McConomy (2002), corporate governance has been described as the process and structure used to direct and manage business and affairs of the corporation with the objective of enhancing shareholder value†. Corporate governance has also been defined by the Finance Committee Report (1999) as â€Å"the manner in which firms top officers are being monitored and discipline accordingly with the objective ofenhancing shareholders value†. It is also claimed that â€Å"Corporate governance is the process and structure used to direct and manage the business and affairs of the company towards enhancing business prosperity and corporate accountability with the ultimate objective of realizing long term shareholder value†. Dey (1994) stated that proper corporate governance system can help ensure an effective division of authority among shareholders, the board of directors, and the management. According to recent reports by Newby (2001), investors are increasingly basing their investment decisions on companies corporate governance records and are willing to pay more for shares of well-governed companies compared to those of poorly governed companies. This premium for well-governed companies is explained by the role of corporate governance in a companys overall risk management strategy. 2.2 The agency theory Jensen Meckling (1976) in the agency theory provides a framework linking disclosure behavior to corporate governance. Corporate governance mechanisms are introduced to control the agency problem and ensure that managers act in the interests of shareholders. Theoretically, the impact of internal governance mechanisms on corporate disclosures may be complementary or substitutive. If it is complementary, agency theory predicts that a greater extent of disclosures is expected since the adoption of more governance mechanisms will strengthen the internal control of companies. Further, agency theory provides a framework for analyzing financial reporting incentive between managers and owners. Signaling theory explains why firms have an incentive to report voluntarily to the capital market even if there were no mandatory reporting requirements,and voluntary disclosure is necessary in order to come successfully in the market for risk capital,the ability of the firm to raise capital will be improved if the firm has a good reputation with respect to financial reporting. 2.3 Voluntary disclosure Penmann (1988) stated that financial disclosure could be divided into mandatory and voluntary disclosures. Mandatory disclosure is defined as any financial item disclosed in companies annual reports that are prescribed by accounting standards and or the stock exchange regulations. However, voluntary disclosure is defined as any financial item or data disclosed in annual reports of companies that are not prescribed by the companies act and or accounting standards, and, in addition, for public-listed companies, the stock exchange regulations. Further, Meek, Roberts Gray (1995) defined voluntary disclosures as disclosures in excess of requirements, representing free choices on the part of company managements to provide accounting and other information that deemed relevant to the decision needs of users of annual reports. Many studies have been carried out to explain voluntary information disclosure such as Chow and Wong-Boren (1987); Cooke (1991) Hossain et al. (1994) and so forth in their attempt to determine different levels of disclosures and the association between firms characteristics such as firms size and industry type and the levels of disclosure. In addition, good reporting is expected to lower firms cost of capital because there is less uncertainty in firms that reporting extensively and reliably. Therefore, there is less investments risk and lower required rate of return. According to Welker (1995), managers are not likely to withhold information for their own benefits under an intensive-monitoring environment, because this could lead to improvement in disclosure comprehensiveness and quality of financial statements. On the other hand, if the relationship is substitutive, companies will not provide more disclosures for more governance mechanisms since one corporate governance mechanism may substitute one another. If information asymmetry in a firm can be reduced because of the existing internal monitoring packages, the need for having additional governance devices is considered smaller. These apparently conflicting viewpoints on the impact of corporate governance have not been totally resolved, in spite of this theoretical ambiguity. Companies that perform well have a strong incentive to report their operating results. Competitive pressures would also force companies to report even though they did not have good results. Silence of a failure to report would be reinterpreted it as bad news. Companies with bad news would be motivated to report their results in order to avoid being suspected of having poor result. Such a situation would also force bad news firms to disclose results in order to maintain credibility in the capital market. 2.4 The reasons for voluntary disclosure Management of companies provides voluntary items in their annual reports because they perceived those items as important to be disclosed. Management wants to give information to users through annual reports in such a way that they are capable of meeting various needs of users for decision-making. There are various user groups of annual reports and each group has different perception regarding the voluntary items. One group may perceive item A as more important than item B. These differing perceptions among groups might be caused by different information needs to fulfill their specific purposes. Through annual reports, users can obtain more firms information relating to their decision-making. Although there are many sources of information regarding business entity, an annual report is considered the most important and valued source of information Vergoosen (1993). With regard to reasons why companies disclose voluntary items, theory suggests that many of the reasons why managements disclose items voluntarily to users are centered on the need to raise capital at the lowest possible cost (Cooke 1989). The following explanations may support reasons why companies disclose information voluntarily: Additional disclosures may help to attract new shareholders thereby helping to maintain a healthy demand for shares. Additional disclosure by providing more information relating to the present and future condition of firms wealth in order to build an image that may generate goodwill for future benefits (Iqbal et al 1997) Increased information may assist in reducing informational risk, which could lower the cost of capital. For the purpose of raising capital on the market, companies may increase their voluntary disclosure in annual reports. Consequently, listed companies are more likely to have a higher level of disclosure than unlisted companies Multiple listed companies often have an interest in foreign capital markets since foreign operations are often financed by capital (Choi Mueller 1992). Disclosure level might be increased to adapt to local customs to meet the requirements of banks and other suppliers of capital. Listed and multiple listed companies might increase their social responsibility disclosure to demonstrate that they act responsibly (Watts Zimerman 1979). Companies may have attained their status on the securities markets and are able to attract new shareholders for raising fund because they act responsibly (Cooke 1989) Under the capital markets transactions hypothesis, managers who plan on making capital market transactions (i.e., issuing public debt or equity) have incentives to provide voluntary disclosures to reduce information asymmetry between the managers and investors (Healy and Palepu 1995). According to the litigation cost hypothesis, the threat of litigation can encourage firms to increase voluntary disclosure (Skinner 1994). Table 1: Summary of previous studies examining Firm characteristics and the level of voluntary disclosure Year of study Author Country Variables used Result 1987 Chow and Wong Boren Mexico Firm size, financial leverage, and assets in place. The extent of voluntary disclosure is significantly related to firm size but not to firm leverage and assets in place. 1991 Cooke Japan Company size, Stock market listing, and industry types. Size was the single most important variable in explaining variation in voluntary disclosure. Stock market listing was also found to be a significant predictor, and manufacturing firms were found to disclose more information that other types. 1994 Hossain et al. Malaysia Firm size, ownership structure, foreign listing status, leverage, assets in place, and size of audit firm. Firm size, ownership structure, foreign listing status is statistically related to the level of information voluntarily disclosed by publicly traded companies. In contrast, leverage, assets in place and size of audit firm do not appear to be important factors in explaining voluntary disclosure by firms. 2001 Ho, Wong Hong Kong independent directors, voluntary audit committee, dominant personalities, family members on the board, voluntary disclosure The results indicate that the existence of an audit committee is significantly and positively related to the extent of voluntary disclosure, while the percentage of family members on the board is negatively related to the extent of voluntary disclosure. 2004 Balachandran Malaysia Voluntary disclosure, CEO duality and the proportion of independent directors on the board and on audit committees He found that CEO duality is associated with lower levels of voluntary corporate disclosures. It was also found a positive relationship between the proportion of independent non-executive directors on both the board and the audit committee to the extent of voluntary corporate disclosure. CHAPTER 3 HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT 3.0 Introduction Upon existing academic literature several determinants explain why a firm may provide more information voluntarily than mandatory. Different theories such as agency theory, signaling theory, political cost theory, capital needs theory and so forth have also been used to explain those voluntary disclosures This chapter covers the theoretical framework, the hypotheses, the model specification and measurements of variables, disclosure index development and finally this chapter presents the model of the study. 3.1 Variables and framework 3.1.1 Profitability (Foster 1986) suggests that profitable, will managed firms have incentives do distinguish themselves from less profitable firms in order to raise capital on the best available terms by providing voluntary disclosures. Managers are motivated to disclose more detailed information to support the continuities of their positions and remuneration. Therefore, more profitable firms can be expected to disclose more voluntary information. (Haniffa and cooke 2002) find a positive and significant association between the firms profitability and the extent of voluntary discloser. This means that when there is increase in the profitability the voluntary discloser of this firm will increase. Therefore, it is hypothesized that: H1: there is a relationship between companys profitability and the extant of the voluntary disclosure 3.1.2 Managerial ownership ( Jensen and Meckling 1976) mention that agency theory argues that in a diffused ownership environment, firms will disclose more information to reduce agency costs and information asymmetry. In a more concentrated ownership situation, the impact on voluntary disclosure is more complicated. The argument can be made in either direction indicate that since managers pursue their own interest, higher management shareholding would imply a larger sharing of the loss, and ultimately, a lower possibility that management would lower corporate value. Managerial ownership is the percentage of ordinary shares held by the CEO and executive directors, and includes their deemed interests. When managerial ownership falls, outside shareholders will increase monitoring of managers behavior (Jensen and Meckling 1976). To reduce monitoring costs by outside shareholders, the manager will provide voluntary disclosure. Thus, voluntary disclosure is a substitute for monitoring. In addition, a study by (McKinnon and Dalimunthe 1993) found a significant association between ownership structure in diversified Australian companies and voluntary segment disclosure. (Hossain et al 1994) found that the level of disclosure of Malaysian companies is inversely related to the percentage of shares held by the ten most important shareholders. Further, empirical evidence shows that managerial ownership is negatively related to disclosure (Ruland, Tung and George 1990). Hence it is expected that voluntary disclosure increases with decreases in managerial ownership. Therefore it is hypothesized that: H2: There is a relationship between managerial ownership and the extent of voluntary disclosures. 3.1.3 Family member on the board When members of the board own a large number of shares and at the same time they are relatives from one family or a number of families, this may affect the financial disclosure practice of the firm. (Haniffa and Cooke 2002) in their study reported that the percentage of family ownership in any firm may influence the disclosure practice of the firm. It has been suggested that in countries where certain families have equity holdings there should be a little physical separation between those who own and those who manage the capital. (Ho and Wong 2001) mention that, the family control phenomenon is still in existence nowadays. However, it is still not clear to what extent the unique corporate ownership structure would impact the effectiveness of other monitoring devices such as audit committee, independent non-executive directors and CEO duality in determining a firms financial disclosure. Further, they stress that in a family-controlled firm, members of the controlling family would directly participate in the daily management of the firm by appointing themselves as executives and board directors. It is also assumed that every family member owns and votes its shares collectively. In theory, there are potential conflicts between the controlling and non controlling shareholders of a firm due to the formers propensity to extract private benefits through their involvement in the firm and other insider dealings. (Nicholls and Ahmed 1994) argued that capital owners do not have to rely completely on voluntary disclosure to the public to monitor their investments because they have greater access to internal information rather than the general public and stakeholders. This conclusion and findings are based on the idea that since members on the board have more information than external users this will negatively affect the extent of voluntary disclosure. This means that when the family ownership is large the voluntary disclosure of this firm will be less. It is assumed that companies with a family member sitting on the board are more likely to have lower level of voluntary disclosure than otherwise. Therefore, it is hypothesized that: H3: There is relationship between the family member sitting on the board and the extent of voluntary disclosure. 3.1.4 Control Variables From a review of the prior literature on voluntary disclosure, it was decided to include three control variables in the regression model for testing the main hypotheses. The control variables are firm size, leverage, and assets in place. Firstly, Firm size (SIZE): as a view of the association with higher levels of disclosure and firms size, (Firth 1978) who examined the impact of firm size, stock market listing, and auditors presence on voluntary corporate disclosure found that firms size and stock market listing were positively associated with voluntary disclosure. (McNally et al 1982) found that the companys size has significant relationship with the level of voluntary disclosure items. (Hossain et al 1994) found that firm size and Ownership structure of foreign-listing status are statistically related to the level of information voluntarily disclosed by publicly traded companies. Secondly, Assets in place (AIP): In relation to assets in place, (Hossain and Mitraa 2004) in their study examine the assets-in-place in determining the level of voluntary disclosure of data on foreign operations made by US multinational companies. The results indicate that assets-in-place influence the level of voluntary disclosure of data of US multinational companies. In contrast, (Chow and Wong-Boren 1987) examined the effect of proportion of assets in place on the voluntary disclosure. The results have not demonstrated any convincing evidence of any relationships. Thirdly, Leverage (LEVERAGE): the definition of leverage is the degree to which an investor or business is utilizing borrowed money. For companies, leverage is measured by the debt-to-equity ratio, which is calculated by dividing total debt by shareholders equity. The more total debt there is, the greater the financial leverage and the greater the risk of the company falling on its face. For investors, leverage means buying on margin or using derivatives such as options, to enhance return on value without increasing investment. Leveraged investing can be extremely risky because you can lose not only your money but the money you borrowed as well. Voluntary disclosure of information concerning debt fund may allow shareholders and bondholders to make better predictions about the growth, risk and return prospects of companies. Therefore, firms with higher leverage tend to disclose more information than the lower ones. (Cadbury 1995) in his study found that there was a positive associatio n between leverage and the extent of voluntary segment disclosure among New Zealand firms. 3.1.5 Framework Considering all factors of the independents and dependent variables, the model of the study is depicted the following figure. 3.2 Measurement Dependant variable Definition Measurement DSCORE Discloser score Total number of points awarded for voluntary discloser, strategic, non-financial and financial information (coding one â€Å"1† if the company disclose and Zero â€Å"0† otherwise) Independent variables Definition Measurement ROA Profitability Return on Assets MOWN Managerial ownership The proportion of ordinary shares held by the CEO and executive directors ( dividing the directors shares on total shared issued and fully paid) FMB Family member in the board Coding one (1) if there is family ownership and zero (0) otherwise Control variables Size Firm size This variable is measured by the log (base ten) of total assets LEV leverage The ratio of total debt of total equity value of the firm AIP Asset in place The ratio of net book value of fixed assets to total assets 3.3 Disclosure Index There is no agreed theory on the number and selection of items that should be included in a disclosure index. (Cooke and Wallace 1989) argued that the measurement of accounting disclosure is a procedure that has some inherent limitations and subjectivity. To reduce the subjectivity, the literature suggests that the following steps should be taken into consideration when constructing the index (see for example in Hossain et al. 1994). * Review the previous literature to draw a list of voluntary disclosure items. * Check that these items are not required by regulations and eliminate or omit any mandatory items. * Refine the list and get the views of academics and professionals on the items. Disclosure level can be measured in a number of different ways. The commonly used approach has been adopted using a discretionary item scores â€Å"1† if it is disclosed, and â€Å"0† if it is not disclosed. This method of scoring is known as the un-weighted approach based on the assumption that each item of disclosure is equally important. An un-weighted approach has been used in several prior studies like (Wallace 1988) and (Cooke 1989) in their study employ un-weighted disclosure index. (Gul and Leung 2004) reported that the final disclosure list contained 44 discretionary items such as background information, financial performance information and non-financial performance information. The background information includes matters that cover corporate goals, competition, products and markets. On the other hand, performance information includes items such as changes in sales, gross profits and RD expenditures. Furthermore, Non-financial information includes number of employees, and staff training and products segment analysis. For each item in the disclosure index, the company receives a score of ‘‘1 if it voluntarily discloses information on the item and ‘‘0 if otherwise. Furthermore, In (Balachandran 2004) study, he measures the disclosure score index that comprises the consideration of 66 discretionary items. He mentions that the study used approximately 60% of the discretionary items as used in the previously detailed studies. Further, (HO and WONG 2001), in their study measured also the reported disclosure by using a relative disclosure index. It was derived by first compiling a comprehensive list of voluntary disclosure items that companies may provide in their annual reports in Hong Kong. The index consists of total 20 items of most important that disclosed in annual report. However, in the present study, the extent of voluntary disclosure was measured by using a disclosure index which contains of items that disclosed in the annual report.For each item in the disclosure index, a company receives a score of ‘‘1 if it is voluntarily disclosed information on the items and ‘‘0 for otherwise. 3.4 Data Collection This research will use secondary data obtained from the annual reports of all the Jordanian companies. 3.5 Sample Selection The sample for this thesis is all Jordanian companies which are listed on Amman Stock Exchange; therefore the sample includes ninety three companies and covers the period 2002-2007. 3.6 Data Analysis: 3.6.1 The Descriptive Statistics This descriptive study produced the mean, minimum, maximum and standard deviation for each variable for Jordanian companies during 2002-2007. 3.6.2 The Correlation of variables This study shows how one variable is related to another. The results of this analysis represent the nature, direction and significant of the correlation of the variables used in this study and the correlation between variables is analyzed by using

Henr Fayol & Management Essay -- essays research papers

The work of Taylor and Fayol is essentially complementary. They both realized that the problem of HR and their management at all levels is the key to business success. Both applied scientific method to this problem. Taylor worked primarily on the operative level, from the bottom of the organizational hierarchy upward. Fayol concentrated on the Managing Director (his term) and worked downward. Unlike Taylor, Fayol's work reflects a tension between his recognition that managers are not supermen and yet employees should not be allowed enough autonomy and responsibility to solve second-order problems (problems for which there are no precedents, or previous exemplary solutions). Additionally, Fayol's work provides much more insights into the intellectual underpinnings of the approach. On the division of labor (9, 13): The most important ability of the worker is "technical" (physical) ability. As one goes up the organization ladder, the relative importance of managerial ability increases, while that of technical ability decreases. To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command, coordinate and to control (p. 6). General Principles of Management 1. Division of work. Specialization belongs to the natural order (a religious belief!?). Management should pursue standardization of work. The object of work is to produce more and better with the same effort. The worker always on the same part, the manager concerned always with the same matters, acquire an ability, sureness, and accuracy which increase their output. 2. Authority and responsibility. The good manager should have official authority deriving from office and personal authority, compounded of intelligence, experience, moral worth, ability to lead, past services, etc. Responsibility is a corollary of authority, it is its natural consequence and essential counterpart, and where authority is exercised responsibility arises. 3. Discipline. Discipline is obedience, application, energy, behavior, and respect. Discipline is absolutely essential for the smooth running of business and without discipline no enterprise could prosper. When a defect in discipline is apparent or when relations between superiors and subordinates leave much to be desired, responsibility for this must not be cast heedlessly, and without going further afield, on the poor state of the team, because the ill mostly results... ...the combination of kindliness and justice (as defined by!?). 12. Stability of tenure of personnel. It seems that the whole idea of job security is really geared toward stabilizing management. Generally, the managerial personnel of prosperous firms is stable, that of unsuccessful ones is unstable. However, he does mention employment stability re "employees." Time is required for an employee to get used to new work and succeed in doing it well. If when he has got used to it, or before then, he is removed, he will not have time to render worthwhile service. (Interestingly, there is no mention of such "soft" elements as commitment, moral, and satisfaction.) 13. Initiative. Thinking out a plan and ensuring its success is one of the keenest satisfaction for an intelligent man to experience. It is also one of the most powerful stimulants of human endeavor. Hence, it is essential to encourage and develop this capacity to the full. 14. Esprit de corps. Harmony, union among the personnel of a concern, is great strength in that concern. Effort, then, should be made to establish it (this seems to mean, making sure that front-line employees buy into his managerial system).

Dark Side of the Court - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

Dark Side of the Court - Original Writing As the searing sun slowly set in the attractive ginger hued sky, a rusted and ramshackle vehicle laboured along Oakland Hill Road in such a manner that it seemed as if it weren’t meant to reach its destination. What now seemed a worthless hunk of scrap to onlookers used to be a vibrant red special edition Ford, though so much time had passed that it had little resemblance to what it once was, besides the shape. It had been serviced a few times in its fifteen year history, the last one being almost six protracted years ago; the year ‘she’ had left the two who were seated inside, amongst the filthy interior. The owner of the dilapidated Ford was surveying the road for the correct house, number 62, as the two had only recently moved from Boston to Philadelphia. Out of the open window on the front passenger’s side popped a small, pale white hand, which motioned as if it were pointing at something. ‘Look dad, there it is,’ muttered the son, who was quite obviously not overjoyed at the event. ‘Ah ha, finally we made it, eh Timmy?’ exclaimed the father, attempting to ignore his son’s attitude. Timmy, or Tim for short, didn’t give an answer but was amusing himself by avidly watching a faded green leaf fall gracefully from the tree in front of their new home; a modestly sized semi-detached wooden house, which had belonged to a friend who had recently moved abroad. With the car finally at rest, the two stepped in front of their new home. There was an uneasy silence between the two whilst they unloaded the car in an almost machine-like fashion. 'I sure hope I have the key!' Tim's fathe... ... of his head. David’s hand became strangely spasmodic. Nevertheless, he gripped the torch with both hands and forced it toward the darkness. The powerful beam penetrated it like a knife through butter. David took a huge gulp as he slowly but surely searched around. Roy was shaken by a massive gust of wind that almost knocked the mighty guy clean off his feet; he recaptured his balance uneasily before hearing the torch drop hard onto the court floor. He turned in disgust at the illuminated sight. ‘I’m so sorry David. I’m sorry that I was right about those kids.’ Roy spoke sympathetically, but wasn’t heard. The wind wailed as though it were a banshee. David simply stood without any palpitation, rock solid and pale. His head was burning with guilt as he gazed at his son, who lay dead on the dark side of the court.

The Awakening Essay -- essays research papers

Books, unlike movies, have been around since the beginning of time. For the most part, they are more meaningful than the movies that are made from these books. This is due to the fact that an author is able to convey his/her message clearer and include things in the book that cannot be exhibited in a movie. For this reason, the reader of the book is much more effected than the viewer of the film. In the novella, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, there is much more evidence of symbolism as well as deeper meaning than in the movie version of the book, Grand Isle. Chopin conveys her symbolic messages through the main character’s newly acquired ability to swim, through the birds, through sleep, and through images of the moon. 	Edna Pontellier, the main character of the novel, struggles all summer at Grand Isle to learn to swim. She has been assisted by many people but was always too afraid to swim on her own. One Saturday night, after attending an evening in the hall, Edna swims out for the first time by herself into the inviting ocean. Realizing how easy it is and due to her "excited fancy," (Chopin, 30) she accidentally swims out very far. At that moment, "a quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses." (Chopin, 30) For the first time she comes face to face with death. Those are the events described by the book. The movie, on the other hand, only shows Edna swimming out, struggling a little, and returning to shore. In addition, the movie doesn’t mention the strength and joy Edna feels after this experience. She states that she "never was so exhausted in [her] life. But it isn’t unpleasant†¦it is like a night in a dream." (Chopin, 31) 	At the end of this story, Edna kills herself by swimming out into the ocean. The movie shows just that, omitting two very significant symbols which are present in the novella. The first of these two symbols is the injured bird that’s "beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water." (Chopin, 124) This bird symbolizes Edna’s struggle to become the master her own life as well as her failure to achieve this goal. The other symbol is "the old terror [that] flamed up for an instant, then sank again." (Chopin 124) This is the same terror she feels when she swims out for the first t... .... Chopin relates Edna to the Sleeping Beauty who has awoken to a new world with a new perception of her surroundings. 	Symbols of the moon are another aspect that’s ignored in the movie. During Edna’s first solo swim, the author describes how the moon gave her the power and bravery to keep going; it "conveyed to her excited fancy." (Chopin, 30) After the swim when Edna is talking to Robert, "strips of moonlight," (Chopin, 32) are visible all around them. They symbolize the untamed feelings Edna has for Robert, her first true love in life. The moonlight makes her feel "the first throbbings of desire." (Chopin, 32) 	Books, more often than not, are better than the movies that are made from them. This is due to the immense power of our imaginations. Readers use their imaginations to fill the space that exists between him/herself and the book with such things as dreams, past experiences, and hopes. For this reason, there is much more depth and symbolic depictions in the novella, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, compared with the movie version, Grand Isle. Due to this, the effect on the reader is much more potent than the effect on the viewer.

Paris Is Burning Case Study Essay

1.I would argue that the group of poor gay minorities, like the people in the ball, is a subculture in itself. This group is a subculture of the gay culture. The distinguishing aspects of the group are that they are poor, gay, and minorities. Another distinguishing aspect is that members of this subculture are typically outcasts. They have been rejected by family members, friends, and American society as a whole. â€Å"It’s hard to imagine a more outcast group in American society than black and Hispanic homosexuals,† (Levy). I identified this group of poor, gay, minority men who participate in balls as a microculture. This microculture’s distinguishing aspects are that these men all seem to live for balls, with dreams of fame and fortune, â€Å"The balls are our fantasies of being superstars,† (Pepper Labeija). This group also has an extreme love for, and competitive drive to be successful at vogeuing. Another trait this group shares is a love for fashion. They use fashion and style in order to appear â€Å"real.† This subculture wants to appear to be authentically white, straight, and female (Levy). This is depicted throughout the film Paris is Burning. Another microculture that I identified in the film is the transvestite microculture. This microculture defines itself by dressing up like the opposite sex, in this case men dressing as women, but who do not wish to become women. They could be considered androgynous, (Solomon, 186). While they do not identify with females, they wish to look female. The third microculture I identified in the film is the transvestite microculture. This group’s ideal self (Solomon, 177) is female. They identify with females and wish to eventually become female. 2.The goal of this subculture is to become a â€Å"real† female, if not to transform completely, to at least look like a real female. They are motivated by the celebrities they see in magazines and on TV. Straight, white, females are this group’s comparative influence, (Solomon, 409). There are a few gay masculine men in this film; their goal would be to look authentically masculine and straight. The whole point of the balls is for members of this group to act out their fantasies. Nearly everyone in the film was pretending to be someone that they were not. Competing in the balls was â€Å"achieving in fantasy what the world had denied in [their] reality,† (Green). Acting out this fantasy allows the people in this film to compensate for dissatisfaction with their actual selves, (Solomon, 172). They desire to look like the beautiful celebrities in the magazines, (Venus Xtravaganza), so this group is doing whatever it can to make themselves more like these women. Sadly, usually the most they can do is pretend, by dressing and acting like these women. This subculture does not â€Å"wish to replace dominant culture, they long to be members of the society they imitate,† (Levy). Part of achieving their goal is purchasing clothing, make-up, shoes, even hormones and female body parts to look the part of a â€Å"real woman†. Without the possibility of consumption, it would not be possible for this group of people to achieve their goals and dreams. They wake up in the mornings as men, and leave their house in the afternoons as women because of the products they consume. They look at their reference group, (Solomon, 404) of straight females, and strive to look like them by purchasing the same products that these women use. To achieve their desired social identity they are acting out the symbolic self-completion theory, (Solomon, 176) by acquiring the clothes, hair, softer features, etc. that they see on women who are their ideals of beauty (Solomon, 196). In my opinion this is very similar to the actions of mainstream culture. â€Å"The movie is a successful attempt by outsiders to dramatize how success and status in the world often depend on props you can buy, or steal, almost anywhere – assuming you have the style to know how to use them,† (Ebert). I have observed that the common belief in mainstream culture seems to be that a person has to look a certain way to be successful. The more fashionable and beautiful a person looks, the more successful and therefore desirable they are perceived to be. Mainstream culture consumers spend millions every year attempting to make themselves look more successful and beautiful than everyone else around them. This is similar to the drag queen subculture portrayed in the movie in many ways. Both groups are trying to appear one way by purchasing clothing, plastic surgery, make-up, nice homes, etc. Both groups are desperate to be accepted by mainstream culture and both groups use style and purchasing power to try to achieve this dream they have of popularity and acceptance. There is a huge difference though. Main stream culture is constantly consuming goods and services in an attempt to fit in with each other. Drag queen subcultures are consuming these same goods to try to fit in with main stream culture. They dream of the fame and fortune that comes with being a beautiful, straight, stylish woman. â€Å"Livingston blames the advertisements they see in the media for fostering their unrealistic yearnings,† (Levy). They are competing with a completely different group of people. Not only is their competition different, it is nearly impossible to compete with. â€Å"The models compete to see who could pass in worlds that are almost completely closed to gays and blacks – especially, gay blacks,† (Ebert). The balls are this group’s opportunity to flaunt their consumptions, and practice for the â€Å"real world.† The winners are those who exhibit the most style, and often those who can afford to spend the most on their costumes, (Dorian Corey). Sadly, this group is competing with â€Å"members of a society that will never accept them,† (Levy). 3.Not surprisingly, this subculture faces many conflicts in their daily lives. These conflicts include dealing primarily with prejudices, money shortages, and abandonment. Conflicts are handled in many different ways. Prejudice is a problem all over the world and will probably never cease to be a problem. It is not depicted much in the film how this group of people handles this problem except to ignore it for the most part since there is really nothing that can be done about it. â€Å"I am white so I have the ability to write those grants and push my little body through whatever door I need to get it through. If [drag queens] wanted to make a film about themselves they would not be able, I wish that weren’t so, but that’s the way society is structured,† (Green). This subculture has very little, if any, power with anyone but themselves because of prejudices. This problem causes the other main conflicts they are faced with, money shortages and abandonment. Many of the people in this subculture have no other way to make money but to become â€Å"hussies†. They will use their physical tools to get what they want and need. â€Å"He’s taking me out for dinner later this evening, or for cocktails after midnight. I know he’ll give me some money just for me to maybe buy some shoes and a nice dress, so that the next time he sees me, he’ll see me looking more and more beautiful, the way he wants to see me. But I don’t have to go to bed with him, or anything like that. At times they do expect sexual favors, but that is between myself and them, so I don’t want to talk about that any further,† (Venus Xtravaganza). It is later discovered that Venus was found dead in a motel. She always did what she wanted to get what she wanted, such as getting into cars with men. Sadly, that is the life of a transsexual living in New York City, (Angie Xtravaganza). Money shortages give this group a risky shift, (Solomon, 267), distinguishing aspect of resorting to dangerous alternatives to make money, such as becoming prostitutes. This group also steals to get food as well as acquire props and clothing for their ball competitions. â€Å"Faggots,† or gay young men, are the best at â€Å"playing pranks† or stealing, (Freddie Pendavis). Many of the drag queens featured in this film have been abandoned by their families because they are homosexuals. To resolve this, this subgroup has formed its own families, or â€Å"houses,† as they are referenced to in the movie. Each house has a mother and a father. While these are not literal houses, it is a small community that offers support to its members. Family members assist each other with ball competitions, stealing, and encouraging each other when times are tough. 4.This subculture is very similar to mainstream culture. Both groups of people have a longing to be accepted. Both groups put a huge emphasis on how stylish a person is. The big difference is that the drag queen subculture is daring to be different to be who they want to be and fit in with whom they want to fit in. They could easily live in New York as straight men. They could live everyday pretending to be someone they were not and living a life they were not happy with to avoid the hardships that come along with being drag queens. â€Å"Beatings, violence and rejection are daily realities for men who want to pass as women, and so there is a certain courage exhibited by their choice,† (Ebert). Mainstream culture, however, is not so brave. Many people who are considered â€Å"mainstream† most likely have interests and tastes that are not considered the norms, (Solomon, 429). Some examples are a boy who enjoys dancing rather than football, or a female teacher who enjoys listening to metal rather than mainstream music. Both examples go against the stereotypes. While I personally believe many Americans, if they let their true selves show, would have personality traits that go against the stereotype that is associated with them, they will not let these traits show. They are not brave enough to go against mainstream culture and be the people they truly want to be. This drag queen subculture has dared to step out of the norm and try to become the people they really want to be. In most cases, this dream they have will be impossible to achieve. Mainstream culture influences this drag queen group completely. The drag queen subculture is striving to actually become part of the mainstream culture. Members of this group want to be like mainstream culture in every way. This is why they are pretending to be this mainstream group of people who will never accept them, (Ebert). Mainstream culture affects how this subculture looks, dresses and lives; nearly every aspect of their lives is determined by what mainstream culture does. However, the drag queen subculture has very little impact on mainstream culture. The only part mainstream culture has plucked from the drag queen subculture is â€Å"voguing.† Popular celebrities like Madonna got voguing into mainstream culture. Ironically, while mainstream culture was learning how to â€Å"vogue† it â€Å"began to copy a subculture that was copying it,† (Green). This is a very small influence that the drag queen subculture had on the mainstream culture, however, compared to the impact mainstream culture has on their lives. 5.Mainstream culture is the trends, attitudes, living styles, etc. that are made popular by the media. I do not think it is a collection of subcultures. I think that the media can pick certain aspects from subcultures and make them become mainstream culture, but I truly believe it is the media that affects what we call mainstream culture. The media controls trends by having celebrities endorse certain products. I think that we look at celebrities, see their beauty and/or success and assume they must know what the best product is. We want to be lovely and successful like them, so we try to imitate them. This catches on because everyone in mainstream culture wants to be accepted, and since what is considered acceptable and desirable is what the celebrities are endorsing, which is what we all do and buy. We also have the need to be accepted by our mainstream peers. If our peers believe what the celebrities are endorsing is what is most desirable, we will come to think it is desirable, in order to be accepted and desired.

Various Forms of Love in the First Three Acts of ‘as You Like It’

Explore Shakespeare’s presentation of the various forms of love in the first three acts of ‘As You Like It’ Various forms of love are depicted in Shakespeare’s play ‘As You Like It’ which clearly show the relationships between the key characters in the play as well as illustrating the different aspects of their characteristics. The first three acts introduce the ideas of love and how they differ in the context of different subjects in the play; whether it is a romantic love or a friendship Shakespeare’s use of language expresses the emotions of each character in a way that makes the idea of love central to the play.Chronologically, the family love expressed by Celia and Rosalind is the first form of love that Shakespeare introduces to the play; the character of Charles explains how â€Å"never two ladies loved as they do† when illustrating their relationship and the use of the word â€Å"never† exaggerates the depth and int ensity of their love for one another. The girls are cousins in relation to each other and in Act 1 Scene 2; Celia’s sympathy for Rosalind concerning the banishment of her father portrays the care and concern that comes from the love shared between them.The scene opens with pleading for Rosalind to cheer up: â€Å"I pray thee, Rosalind, sweet my coz, be merry† the familiar and affectionate language used to address Rosalind such as â€Å"sweet my coz† demonstrates how Celia desires for happiness to come to her cousin suggesting that Celia is a compassionate character. It seems that the value of the cousins’ relationship is of great importance to Celia, she is bound to Rosalind and tremendously loyal for she abandons her father’s Court to flee with Rosalind to the Forest of Arden.This would be an unforgivable act during the Elizabethan era and so the audience would notice this as a dangerous and dramatic situation thus adding excitement to the play. I n contrast to this presentation of love which is open and expressive, the relationship between Duke Frederick and his daughter is rather different; due to his high level of authority one can assume that his persona must be strong and intimidating with the intention to maintain order in the Court even with his own daughter.The formality between them as they converse shows the normal conventions during the Elizabethan era of how one should act with a man of great power; this is depicted in Act 1 Scene 3 when Celia addresses her father as â€Å"Dear sovereign† as oppose to something less proper. Even though it is human instinct to love family, due to the reputation of the Duke and the fact that he is a man of high status, the love between them is not portrayed visibly.The central romantic relationship between Orlando and Rosalind illustrates the conventional courtly love that was appreciated in the Elizabethan era; love at first sight bewitched the two characters creating drama for the audience as they reveal their true outlooks on love. It is made apparent that from the moment they met they fell deeply in love, with Orlando unable to speak and Rosalind falsely hearing him call her name. â€Å"What passion hangs these weights upon my tongue? I cannot speak to her, yet she urg’d conference. Orlando is speechless when gazing into the eyes of his subject of adoration and this portrays him as innocent and somewhat naive when it comes to love. He is completely infatuated and love struck, and Shakespeare portrays him as a man with the ‘idealist’ view of love, depicted through his poetry; â€Å"He that sweetest rose shall find, /must find loves prick – and Rosalind. † The imagery of the rose used to describe Rosalind is tender yet cliche; it again contributes to the innocence of Orlando’s character and the idealist fantasy he is living in, insinuating that women are delicate just as flowers are.It is obvious that Rosalind (as Ganymede) enjoys the romantic ideas about herself that Orlando expresses, however she feels that courtly love should be seen as realistic and thus she teaches Orlando about the reality of women; â€Å"would now like him, now loathe him†, it would seem quite comical to the audience that Rosalind is portraying women in such a bad light and Orlando still has his heart set on her. Through this, the character of Rosalind is seen as witty and intelligent, for she is influencing Orlando to the way she hopes he would act.The bond between Adam and Orlando expresses the loyalty between them and the love that has been present since Adam has served the family since the boy was young. Adam is somewhat distraught and offended that Oliver whom he has served referred to him as an â€Å"old dog† and this shows where his true loyalties lie; with Orlando. â€Å"I will follow thee/ To the last gasp with truth and loyalty† the fact and situation that Adam is willing to desert t he home and family he has served for so long illustrates his faithfulness to Orlando and the love shared by them both.Adam thus, is depicted as a devoted and courageous character, for the consequences of fleeing from the family could have been severe for it would have disgraced Oliver. Again, this would have been a thrilling point in the play for the Elizabethan audience. Unrequited love is not an uncommon presentation of love that Shakespeare puts across through an assortment of couples in the play; the most obvious example being Phoebe and Silvius.Silvius is lovelorn and completely obsessed with his object of affection yet this is not reciprocated by Phoebe; she even confesses to Rosalind (as Ganymede) in Act 3 Scene 6 that â€Å"I had rather hear you chide than this man woo. † Given that Phoebe would prefer to be scolded by Rosalind than to listen to Silvius speak so fondly of her highlights the indifference she feels for Silvius. Moreover this portrays her as a spiteful a nd vicious character for she openly expresses her dislike for Silvius in his presence.Shakespeare uses the image of cupid to emphasise the adoration that Silvius feels for Phoebe; â€Å"Then shall you know the wounds invisible/that love’s keen arrow make. † Shakespeare uses the word â€Å"wounds† to highlight the intensity of pain Silvius feels in love. In the Elizabethan era, cupid was not highly regarded for most women married for fortune or other economic reasons; therefore, the idealist view of love is illustrated again in this scene. Nonetheless, the audience would naturally feel sympathy for the hopeless and fruitless character of Silvius.Another take on unrequited love is that of Touchstone and Audrey; Touchstone wants to marry Audrey hastily to fulfil his sexual desires, he does not long for a lifelong marriage with her; â€Å"it will be a good excuse for me hereafter to leave my wife† before entering matrimony with Audrey, Touchstone already plan s to divorce her, this contrasts with the romantic love between Rosalind and Orlando and shows Touchstones immoral characteristics for he favours lust over love.Audrey’s lack of intelligence and the appeal of Touchstone’s courtly manners make her unaware of his intentions. The religious conventions of the Elizabethan era are however expressed through their relationship. â€Å"We must be married or we must live in bawdry†; Touchstone fears being condemned by God if he were to sin through having sexual relations out of wedlock and uses the word â€Å"must† to show his loyalty to faith yet not his loyalty to Audrey.

Learning English Essay

As an international student, learning English was a big challenge. For one thing, I grew up speaking my native language most of the time, and I only speak English when just necessary, such as talking to American or English strangers. This is why I found it hard to learn English, and there is still room for many improvements. At first I thought that once I studied English, I would learn quickly. But I found out it was hard because my tongue got used to speaking my native language. The hardest part was mastering the subject-verb agreement. Every time I speak, I struggle with evaluating whether the subject and the verb match. Sometimes I use verb with s when I refer to plural subjects. I also had difficulty understanding sentences that have very long subjects. For instance, A mountain range that sits between two larger mountains overlooking the valley is/are very beautiful. When my friend or anyone I talk to use this kind of sentence, I easily get lost from what he means to say. Thus, sometimes I misinterpret what he says. I guess the learning process took longer for me. But I am thankful that my experiences were training ground for the changes that took place. Also, the formalized learning from the classroom helped me a lot to learn another language (Smith). Little by little, I learned the right pronunciations of words. My teacher and my classmates and friends correct me when I wrongly pronounce a word or my sentence is grammatically incorrect. Reading has also helped greatly. I tried to understand what I read, and apply what I learned. I have also read short stories and I studied the way sentences are constructed. Learning from reading is advantageous. Aside from learning grammar, spelling, and understanding meaning from the books I read, reading has also opened my eyes to the many things that remained undiscovered to me. I can say that until the present time, I’m still learning. It has helped me greatly in dealing with day to day issues in the United States. Work Cited Smith, Mark K. 2003. â€Å"Learning Theory. † 26 February 2009 .