Growing and Maintaining Your Fig (Ficus Carica)

The common fig (Ficus carica) is a small tree native to southwest Asia but widely planted in North America.  This edible fig is widely grown for its fruit and is commercially grown in the U.S. in California, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. The fig has been around since the dawn of civilization and was one of the first plants ever to be cultivated by humans. Fossilized figs dating to B.C. 9400-9200 were found in an early Neolithic village in the Jordan Valley. Archaeology expert Kris Hirst says figs were domesticated five thousand years earlier than millet or wheat. Taxonomy of the Common Fig Scientific name: Ficus caricaPronunciation: FIE-cussCommon name(s): Common fig. The name is very similar in French (figue), German (feige), Italian, and Portuguese (figo)Family: Moraceae or MulberryUSDA hardiness zones: 7b through 11Origin: Native to Western Asia but distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean regionUses: Garden specimen, fruit tree, seed oil, latex North American Timeline and Spread There are no native temperate figs in the U.S. Members of the fig family are located in tropical forests of the extreme southern portion of North America. The first documented fig tree brought to the New World was planted in Mexico in 1560. Figs were then introduced into California in 1769. Many varieties have since been imported from Europe and into the U.S. The common fig reached Virginia and the eastern United States in 1669 and adapted well. From Virginia, fig planting and cultivation spread to the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Botanical Description The fig trees deciduous leaves are palmate, deeply divided into three to seven main lobes, and irregularly toothed on the margins. The blade is up to 10 inches in length and width, fairly thick, rough on the upper surface, and softly hairy on the underside. The flowers are small and inconspicuous. The branches of the fig tree droop as the tree grows, and will require pruning for clearance and weight reduction. Fig trees are susceptible to breakage, either at the crotch due to poor collar formation, or the wood itself is  weak and tends to break. Propagation Fig trees have been raised from seed, even seeds extracted from commercially dried fruits. Ground or air-layering can be done satisfactorily, but the tree is most commonly propagated by cuttings of mature wood two to three years of age, one-half to three-quarters inches thick and eight to 12 inches long. Planting must be done within 24 hours. The upper, slant cut end of the cutting should be treated with a sealant to protect it from disease, and the lower, flat end with a root-promoting hormone. Common Varieties Celeste: A pear-shaped fruit with a short neck and slender stalk. The fruit is small to medium and the skin is purplish-brown.Brown Turkey: Broad-pyriform, usually without a neck. The fruit is medium to large and copper-colored. The main crop, beginning in mid-July, is large.Brunswick: Fruits of the main crop are oblique-turbinate, mostly without a neck. The fruit is of medium size and appears bronze or purple-brown.Marseilles: Fruits of the main crop are round to oblate without a neck and grow on slender stalks. Figs in the Landscape Southern Living magazine says that, in addition to being a delicious fruit, figs make beautiful trees in the Middle, Lower, Coastal, and Tropical South. Figs are versatile and easy to grow. They grow the perfect fruit, they love the heat, and the insects just seem to ignore them. You will have to share your tree with birds that flock in for a meal and partake of the fruits of your labor. This tree is a birders dream but a fruit pickers nightmare. Netting may be used to discourage fruit damage. Protection From Cold Figs cant stand temperatures that consistently fall below 0 degrees F. Still, you can actually get away with growing figs in colder climates if planted against a south-facing wall to benefit from the radiant heat. Figs also grow well and look great when espaliered against a wall. When temperatures dip below 15 degrees, mulch or cover trees with fabric. Protect the roots of container-growing figs by moving them indoors or transplant them to a frost-free area when temperatures fall below 20 degrees F. Avid fig growers in cold climates actually dig up the root ball, lay the tree in a mulching ditch, and cover with their preferred compost or mulch. The Extraordinary Fruit What is commonly accepted as a figs fruit is technically a syconium with a fleshy, hollow receptacle with a small opening at the apex partly closed by small scales. This syconium may be obovoid, turbinate, or pear-shaped, one to four inches long, and varies in color from yellowish-green to copper, bronze, or dark purple. Tiny flowers are massed on the inside wall. In the case of the common fig, the flowers are all female and need no pollination. Fig Growing Tips Figs require full sun all day to produce edible fruit. Fig trees will shade out anything growing beneath the canopy so nothing needs to be planted under the tree. Fig roots are abundant, traveling far beyond the tree canopy and will invade garden beds. Fig trees are productive with or without heavy pruning. It is essential only during the initial years. Trees should be trained with a low crown for fig collection and to avoid trunk-breaking limb weight. Since the crop is borne on terminals of previous years wood, once the tree form is established, avoid heavy winter pruning, which causes loss of the following years crop. It is better to prune immediately after the main crop is harvested. With late-ripening cultivars, summer prune half the branches and prune the remainder the following summer. Regular fertilizing of figs is usually necessary only for potted trees or when they are grown on sandy soils. Excess nitrogen encourages foliage growth at the expense of fruit production. Any fruit that is produced often ripens improperly. Fertilize a fig tree if the branches grew less than a foot the previous year. Apply a total of a half-inch to a one-inch pound of actual nitrogen, divided into three or four applications beginning in late winter or early spring and ending in July. Fig trees are prone to attack by nematodes, but weve not found them a problem. Still, a heavy mulch will discourage many insects with the  proper application of nematicides. A common and widespread problem is leaf rust caused by Cerotelium fici. The disease brings about premature leaf fall and reduces fruit yields. It is most prevalent during rainy seasons. Leaf spot results from infection by Cylindrocladium scoparium or Cercospora fici. Fig mosaic is caused by a virus and is incurable. Affected trees must be destroyed. Source Marty, Edwin. Growing Figs. Southern Living, August 2004.

Confucianism Research Paper - 1491 Words

Confucianism Research Project Confucianism has easily been influential in the development of the Chinese state through history. In fact, the core ideals of Confucianism have evolved. Despite the harsh repression of Confucianism by Marxist revolutionaries during the second half of the twentieth century, Confucian values continues to be influential in Chinese society and recently, Confucian political philosophy has resurfaced again. In addition, the political ideas and social ethics of Confucianism can provide the basis for a new, functional form of government in China. Confucianism can be a viable political philosophy for China in the twenty first century because many intellectuals have turned to Confucianism to make sense of such social†¦show more content†¦(Adler 5)† In fact, politicized Confucianism was used to support conservative agendas, such as absolute obedience of elders and strict subjugation of women to men, during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Furthermore, th e Marxist revolutionary government of Communist China dealt with Confucianism negatively. â€Å"In the early 20th century, both before and after the fall of the Qing dynasty, Confucianism was harshly criticized by the New Culture Movement. (Adler 6)† The assumption of this movement was that â€Å"virtually everything about China’s traditional culture was holding it back from becoming a modern nation-state.† In fact, Confucianism was high on the list of culprits in this â€Å"blanket rejection† of traditional China. â€Å"The New Culture Movement criticized Confucianism for its age and gender-based hierarchies, which had become quite rigid during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Communist thinkers also joined this anti-Confucian trend, so by the time of the Communist victory in 1949 Confucianism in mainland China seemed virtually dead. (Adler 7)† â€Å"After the Communists took power their anti-Confucian rhetoric only increased. In addition to their pr ofessed opposition to social hierarchies, they viewed Confucianism as a feudal ideology. (Adler 8)† â€Å"Daniel Bell’s proposal is in response to Jiang Qings recentShow MoreRelatedRelationship between Daoism Confucianism864 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿Ethan Martinez Rel1300 Dr. Benjamin Murphy October 21, 2013 Relationship Between Daoism Confucianism History has shown us, that Daoism and Confucianism have many things in common as well as many differences, let me start with what is Daoism and Confucianism. Daoism is also known as Taoism, is a religious tradition originated from China in the 550 B.C.E, it was founded by Lao Tzu, a great philosopher and the author of the â€Å"Dao De Jing† .The â€Å"Dao De Jing† or â€Å"Tao Te Ching† is a Chinese textRead MoreExposing The Weakness Of Confucianism1604 Words   |  7 Pages Exposing the Weakness in Confucianism Confucianism, often mistaken as a religion, is a philosophical system that helped shaped society during Ancient China from 551-479 B.C. A Chinese philosopher named Confucius developed the idea in hopes of eliminating China’s problem of disorder in society. The ideology of Confucianism helped Ancient China build a foundation to establish institution and social order. Confucius intent was to create social harmony in society, and in order achieve social harmony;Read MoreBuddhism in Ancient Korea: The Impact1586 Words   |  6 Pagesmany centuries. As religions grow within a society, inventions and social communication changes but these religions can take over the political power holding the society. The main religions introduced during Korea’s past are Shamanism, Daoism, and Confucianism, and Buddhism. Buddhism is the religion that changed the society of Korea the most in the ancient times. As Buddhism spread in Korea, great inventions were made, the power hold of Korea started leaning the religion, and the social beliefs changedRead MoreThe Joseon Dynasty in Korea Essay1151 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Great, Korea entered an era of almost 200 years of peace. During this time, Korea experienced a period in which culture and technology began to rapidly evolve and inspired new ideas. One of the most important new changes was the idea of Neo-Confucianism beginning to be integrated with art, and one example is their paintings. For instance, many countries, especially China, would paint idealistic paintings with artistic ideas and designs rooted in their paintings. Korea was like that too, butRead MoreThe Mencius-Xunzi Debate in Early Confucian Ethnics Essay1082 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION Confucianism is regarded as one of the primary religions that have profoundly influenced Chinese beliefs and ideologies. While Kongzi, or Confucius, is the founder of Confucianism, he is not the only philosopher who has contributed to such a significant impact on China. Similarly, the Analects of Confucius is not the single text that represents Confucianism. In fact, during different time periods throughout the history, there are a number of eminent representatives of Confucian thoughtsRead MoreEffects Of Chinese Culture On Pain Perception, Responses And Management1671 Words   |  7 Pagesisn t only a physical experience; it also has an emotional component that may trigger behaviors that play an important role in how a patient s pain is perceived by others (Yvonne, 2009)†. Pain can create a great impact on person’s life. In this paper, I will focus on the effects of Chinese culture on pain perception, responses, and management as well as how their ethnic differences an d ethnic background helps them to tolerate pain. Nature of pain in Chinese Culture According to Mcburney (2012)Read MoreConfucianism in Chinese and Japanese Accounting Systems2639 Words   |  11 PagesTable of Contents Introduction 2 The definition of Confucianism 2 Implications of Confucianism for East Asian accounting 4 The reform of Chinese accounting 5 The influence of Confucianism in Chinese accounting 7 1.) The Government 7 2.) Accounting Ethics 7 3.) Conservatism 8 Japanese Accounting and Confucianism 8 Conclusion 11 References 13 â€Æ' Introduction In order to understand the present day accounting methods and principles of China and Japan it is essential to understand the history of bothRead MoreEssay on Sexism and the Contribution of Confucianism to China2191 Words   |  9 Pagesmanifested through belief of Confucianism and aids the identification of the controversial need to identify gender roles and the Chinese perspective of womens rights in modern China. II. Identification of Gender Roles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     A. Taboo      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1.Assignment of a Functional Role   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2.Allocation of Roles   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B. Why a Woman Cant Be More Like a Man?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1. Vive la Diffà ©rence   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     III. The Contribution of Confucianism to the Idea of Sexism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Read MoreMrs. Cannon s 2nd Grade Class Narrative1157 Words   |  5 Pagesembarrassed. Mrs. Cannon then gives the students another assignment to pick one form of communication, decide if it’s from past or present, write a description about it and draw a picture. John seems confused and I noticed him copying another student’s paper. When the students are at recess Mrs. Cannon says, â€Å"I just don’t understand. I modeled the handwriting and gave them an explanation of each word. Why are they not getting it? I mean, I have high expectations for them and want them to do well, IRead MoreHuman Resource Management : Chinese And Japanese Enterprises1662 Words   |  7 Pages This research paper explores the human resource management in Chinese and Japanese enterprises with the purpose of analysing the differences and the similarities between the two. The research has been conducted for a business professional working in the human resource department in a Chinese enterprise looking to work in Japan. Both the countries have been identified strong economies but very little attention has been paid to investigate the HRM differences in these countries. This study uses previous

Stefan’s Diaries Origins Chapter 25 Free Essays

Excitement coursed through my veins as I stole out of the house, across the dew-dropped lawn, and toward the carriage house. I slid past Emily, who held the door open for me, and bounded up the stairs. I no longer needed the candle to find my way to Katherine. We will write a custom essay sample on Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 25 or any similar topic only for you Order Now There, in the bedroom, she was wearing her simple cotton nightdress and absentmindedly swinging a crystal necklace that sparkled in the moonlight. â€Å"I think Father may be persuaded to call off the siege. At least he’s willing to talk. I know I’ll be able to change his mind,† I exclaimed, twirling her around the room. I expected her to clap with glee, for her smile to mirror my own. But instead Katherine disengaged herself from my grip and placed the crystal on her nightstand. â€Å"I knew you were the man for the job,† she said, not looking at me. â€Å"Better than Damon?† I asked, unable to resist. Finally Katherine smiled. â€Å"Y need to stop ou comparing yourself to Damon.† She stepped closer to me and grazed my cheek with her lips. I shivered with pleasure as Katherine pulled my body toward hers. I held her tightly, feeling her back through the thin cotton of her nightdress. She kissed my lips, then my jaw, running her lips, feather light, down the curve of my neck. I moaned and pulled her even closer, needing to feel all of her against all of me. Then she plunged her teeth into my neck. I let out a strangled gasp of pain and ecstasy as I felt her teeth inside my skin, felt her draw blood from me. It felt as though a thousand knives were piercing my neck. Still I held her more tightly, wanting to feel her mouth on my skin, wanting to fully submit myself to the pain that fed her. Just as suddenly as she bit me, Katherine broke away, her dark eyes on fire, agony etched on her face. A small stream of blood trickled from the corner of her lip, and her mouth twisted in excruciating pain. â€Å"Vervain,† she gasped, stepping backward until she collapsed on the bed in pain. â€Å"What have you done?† â€Å"Katherine!† I put my hands to her chest, my lips to her mouth, trying desperately to heal her the way she had healed me back in the forest. But she pushed me away, writhing on the bed, clutching her hands to her mouth. It was as if she were being tortured by an unseen hand. Tears of agony spilled from her eyes. â€Å"Why did you do this?† Katherine clutched her throat and closed her eyes, her breath slowing into guttural gasps. Every anguished cry from Katherine felt like a small stake in my own heart. â€Å"I didn’t! Father!† I shouted as the dizzying events of that evening occurred to me. My brandy. Father. He knew . There was a clatter from downstairs, and then Father burst in. â€Å"Vampire!† he roared, holding up a crudely made stake. Katherine writhed on the floor in pain, shrieking in a high-pitched tone I’d never heard before. â€Å"Father!† I shouted, holding my hands up as he used his boot to prod Katherine. She moaned, her arms and legs kicking in opposite directions. â€Å"Katherine!† I fell to my knees and held Katherine’s body close in my arms. She shrieked, her eyes rolling back so all I could see was white. Foam appeared at the corner of her blood-caked lips, as though she were a rabid animal. I gaped in horror and let go, her body falling to the floor with a sickening thud. I inched back, sitting on my heels and gazing at the ceiling as if in prayer. I couldn’t face Katherine, and I couldn’t face Father. Katherine let out another high-pitched wail as Father prodded her with his stake. She reared up –foaming at the mouth, her fangs bared, her eyes wild and unseeing–before falling back in a writhing pile. Bile rose in my throat. Who was this monster? â€Å"Get up.† Father dragged me to my feet. â€Å"Don’t you see, Stefan? Don’t you see her true nature?† I gazed down at Katherine. Her dark curls were matted to her forehead by sweat, her dark eyes were wide and bloodshot, her teeth were covered with foam, and her entire body was shaking. I didn’t recognize any part of her. â€Å"Go get Sheriff Forbes. Tell him we have a vampire.† I stood transfixed in horror, unable to take a step in any direction. My head pounded, my thoughts whirled in a confused tangle. I loved Katherine. Loved her. Right? So why now did this †¦ creature disgust me? â€Å"I did not raise my sons to be weak,† Father roared, shoving a bundle of vervain in my shirt pocket. â€Å"Now go!† My breath came in deep rasps. The heat was suddenly stifling, unbearable. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything. All I knew was that I couldn’t stand being in that room for one second longer. Without a backward glance at my father or at the vampire writhing on the floor, I rushed out of the house, taking the steps three at a time, and raced for the road. How to cite Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 25, Essay examples

Analysis of Contemporary Mental Health Issues-myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about theAnalysis of Contemporary Mental Health Issues. Answer: Mental health is one of the most challenging issues in contemporary days. The disease has the biggest impact on the life and lifestyle of the individual suffering from the illness. Mental health disorders range from mild to serious disturbances in the thought process and behavior pattern of the affected individuals. Mental illness has various forms, the common ones being disorder, dementia, schizophrenia and such others. It can be physical, emotional or psychological connoting to the cause of the illness. Impact of any incident, series of incidents, genetic disorders, environmental stress and others lead to mental disorders. Proper treatment and care helps the affected person to recover, but in many cases, the problem exists for life-long (Andrade et al., 2014). The essay studies the lived experiences of mentally affected patients and analyses the guidelines and implementations needed to deal with them. It explores the various ideas given by the National Recovery framework, rendering a detailed study of how the patients can be recovered from the illness through clinical as well as personal recovery measures. Experiences from the lived experience of Sandy Jeffs will be addressed throughout the essay to make it more detailed. Mental health illness has been a widespread issue affecting millions of people worldwide (Nolen Rector, 2015). The grievous condition of the problem is more understandable when one who is living with the illness is acknowledged. Analyzing the case of mental disorder, it is found that most of the patients suffer from psychotic illness or bipolar disorder. The rest are found to be living with severe anxiety or depression. Acknowledging the case of mental illness of Sandy Jeffs, a community educator who talks to people about how it feels to live with mental disorders herself has lived with Schizophrenia. The people living with the illness go through tragic conditions pertaining to physical illness, isolation from society, stigmatized and left to live a lonely life. Jeffs voices the need to socially include the affected people in order to make them feel one with the others, to have a community-based care along the treatment for the disorder (Caplan, 2013). She pens down the real emotion s and experiences one goes through being mentally affected. She presents her own traumatic journey as a patient of psychotic illness with a very positive note in her poems and claims them to be the write-ups that celebrate the survival of the mentally affected ones. Most of the people, mainly from the rural areas are devoid of proper treatment and left to stroll around on the streets. Therefore, as Jeffs mentions in her poems, there is an essential need of implementing measures and services by agencies to promote health care measures for the mentally affected patients in every part of the world. Mental health recovery does not parallel to the recovery a patient undergoes in case of any other physical illnesses (Berne, 2016). Recovery in mental illness cases require the focused concern for building resilience of people suffering from the illness. There are recovery models that initiate the different processes of recovery; however, hope is the ultimate guiding principle (Kukla, Salyers Lysaker, 2013). The belief that despite mental illness, one can have the possibility to restore back to a meaningful life serves to be the basic concept of recovery from the illness. It acts as a journey that tries to bring a meaning to the life of the person living with the illness. It commits to acknowledge the person as an entity and does not focus entirely on the mental illness. The entire process becomes futile without the role, support and positive attitude of the family and the people who are related to the patient. The process also tries to embrace and work with newer and more innovativ e means to cure the patients that they deal with. The main aim of the process is to make the patient look beyond his/her trouble in order to set and achieve their interests and dreams. The journey acts as a path of discovering ones own self with elevated values that ultimately foster personal growth of the individual. Psychiatry is the medical recovery process that developed focusing on the symptoms and the functioning of the patients. The treatment does not provide prescribed medicines to get results immediately. Rather the process requires assessments, interviews and measuring rating scales that monitor the patients and develop the psychopathological studies (Whiteford et al., 2014) There are various recovery tools that aim to increase a persons control over their life and activities. These tools emphasize to empower the patients so that they can improve their way of living and strive to fulfill what they wish for. They indulge in accommodating the main aspects of a persons life so that they feel the oneness that plays a very effective role to cure the problem. This involves relationships, living skills, interests, talents and skills, work, self-esteem and self-identity (Baum Neuberger, 2014). The Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), working in USA, Recovery Star, and Developing Recovery Enhancing Environments Measure (DREEM) are such tools working for the welfare os the mentally disturbed people in the different parts of the world. Mental asylums working is the various areas also try to adopt measures to provide care and cure to the people affected with mental health difficulties. Mental illness is one of the leading problems that have been common in most of the countries in todays world (Whiteford et al., 2013). According to surveys, one in every 5 Australians experience mental illness in a year, aged 16-85, which is mostly caused due to depressions, anxiety and drug use disorder (Jorm, 2014). With greater concern to the scenario, the release of the National recovery framework in Australia in March 2011 marks a historic moment in mental health services. It developed under the guidance of Mental Health , Drug, and Alcohol Principal Committee. The small movement got national recognition for the way it advocated the causes of the illness and implemented measures to deal with them. The guidelines given in the framework act as the basic principles for the practitioners and providers of mental health services. People who lived with the experience of mental illness and their families participated enormously in the processing of the framework. The framework proved be neficial and gathered huge collaborations, even from psychiatrists and volunteers of mental health illness across Australia. The key concept of the framework is to examine the lived experiences of the mentally challenged people, it has a holistic approach that considers the entire being and not just the illness. The framework emphasizes on supporting personal recovery of the people with proper care, concern and support of the family and relations (Pescosolido, 2013). It also fosters on developing the organizational structures and workforce who would be providing the services to the patients in a very friendly and committed way. The chief motive that the framework addresses to is including the affected person to be a part of the society, so that one does not feel lonely and alienated (Chronister, Chou Liao, 2013). The core culture of the measure is to be hopeful and optimistic in order to primarily believe that recovery from mental illness is possible. It lays down the definitions of the key concepts of recovery and its processes and services that give the basic idea of the entire study. The idea of opport unities, talents and leadership are also collaborated in the framework that needs to be imbibed in the patients enabling them to find out a meaning in their existence. The life circumstances of the person are taken into account; his/her socioeconomic status and culture are also analyzed to determine the root cause of the problem (Perry Pescosolido, 2015). It emphasizes on the preliminary need to make the individual feel to be a part of his/her community that serves as the basic of any mental illness treatment. The framework is developed so intrinsically that all the governments are trying to adopt the National framework in recent times to be followed by the providers of mental health services. Considering all the recovery programs and practices studied in the essay, there are certain implementations and requirements that serve as the basis of any recovery program to attain success (Slade et al., 2014). Connoting to Jeffs who has addressed her illness to be synonym of death, one can understand the enormous pain a person undergoes when he/she is suffering from the mental sickness. In the poem Medicated Jeffs gives an account of the huge medication that she was under treatment for years. The various medical processes that she addresses in the poem reflects her disgust for them. She asks the other mentally affected people to join her in the medication trolley and with a soul tired of the medication processes, she pens down her pain looking at the pill bottles in vain. She thus glorifies hope to be the sole motivator in overcoming the mental health problem and find the real meaning of life that is not limited to a sickness. In the poem ABC OPEN: Bearing witness from Speak Your Mind she has portrayed the extent to which a society eliminates the mentally suffering person. She stresses on the fact that though hope seemed to have abandoned her, she held on to it in a fumble manner looking beyond the hospitalizations that would paralyze her more. She claims that it was only the underlying hope in her that made her face the world and commemorated that it is ones own strategy to hold on to hope. Thus, the key factor of recovery process is in the faith that it is possible to cure a serious mentally ill person. Therefore, it can be analyzed that strong motivations from unending hope and self-management strategies imbibed in the patients would serve to be an effective recovery process (Yanos et al., 2015). All the processes must incorporate such faith in both their functioning as well as their patients to help them fight the disorders. From the above study, it can be analyzed that various strategies and programs in order to deal with the mental health problem. The illness is not a common one that can be healed with drugs and medicines. Rather, it is something that needs to be scrutinized and healed accordingly. Jeffs addresses various medicated processes in her poem Medicated. However, she also claims them to be futile unless there is hope as the key motivator for both the person suffering from the illness and the processes that are engaged for treating them. It is also essential to acknowledge that mental illness recovery is something that does not expect a total heal, rather it changes the way of life of the victim, making them a part of the society and enabling them to find out a meaning in their lives as well. Thus, to conclude a reiteration of the National framework can be made that suggests that it is the illness that must be treated and eliminated and not the person as a whole. References: Andrade, L. H., Alonso, J., Mneimneh, Z., Wells, J. E., Al-Hamzawi, A., Borges, G., ... Florescu, S. (2014). Barriers to mental health treatment: results from the WHO World Mental Health surveys.Psychological medicine,44(6), 1303-1317. Baum, N., Neuberger, T. (2014). The contributions of persons in the work environment to the self?identity of persons with mental health problems: a study in Israel.Health social care in the community,22(3), 308-316. Berne, E. (2016).Transactional analysis in psychotherapy: A systematic individual and social psychiatry. Pickle Partners Publishing. Caplan, G. (Ed.). (2013).An approach to community mental health(Vol. 3). Routledge. Chronister, J., Chou, C. C., Liao, H. Y. (2013). The role of stigma coping and social support in mediating the effect of societal stigma on internalized stigma, mental health recovery, and quality of life among people with serious mental illness.Journal of Community Psychology,41(5), 582-600. Jorm, A. F. (2014). Why hasnt the mental health of Australians improved? The need for a national prevention strategy. Kukla, M., Salyers, M. P., Lysaker, P. H. (2013). Levels of patient activation among adults with schizophrenia: associations with hope, symptoms, medication adherence, and recovery attitudes.The Journal of nervous and mental disease,201(4), 339-344. Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Rector, N. A. (2015).Abnormal psychology. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Perry, B. L., Pescosolido, B. A. (2015). Social network activation: the role of health discussion partners in recovery from mental illness.Social Science Medicine,125, 116-128. Pescosolido, B. A. (2013). The public stigma of mental illness: What do we think; what do we know; what can we prove?.Journal of Health and Social behavior,54(1), 1-21. Slade, M., Amering, M., Farkas, M., Hamilton, B., O'Hagan, M., Panther, G., ... Whitley, R. (2014). Uses and abuses of recovery: implementing recovery?oriented practices in mental health systems.World Psychiatry,13(1), 12-20. Whiteford, H. A., Buckingham, W. J., Harris, M. G., Burgess, P. M., Pirkis, J. E., Barendregt, J. J., Hall, W. D. (2014). Estimating treatment rates for mental disorders in Australia.Australian Health Review,38(1), 80-85. Whiteford, H. A., Degenhardt, L., Rehm, J., Baxter, A. J., Ferrari, A. J., Erskine, H. E., ... Burstein, R. (2013). Global burden of disease attributable to mental and substance use disorders: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010.The Lancet,382(9904), 1575-1586. Yanos, P. T., Lucksted, A., Drapalski, A. L., Roe, D., Lysaker, P. (2015). Interventions targeting mental health self-stigma: A review and comparison.Psychiatric rehabilitation journal,38(2), 171.

The Burial of a Navy White Hat

There are so many naval traditions, which amaze ordinary people with its simplicity and unbelievable significance at the same period of time. One of the most captivating traditions is the burial of a White Hat at sea. This tradition makes an E-7 Chief Petty Officer, who is in transition from an E-6 First Class Petty Officer, burn his/her white hat at sea. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Burial of a Navy White Hat specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to demonstrate how a person is grateful to wear the uniform that serves for a certain period of time, and how he/she appreciate the chance to say the words of honor to this uniform. It is not just one more White Hat in this life; it is something more important, like an amulet that has accompanied a person during the years of service as a seaman or a Petty Officer of different classes. This is why a eulogy for the E-6 White Hat is the smallest thing that has to be made. My personal eulogy for E-6 First Class Petty Officer White Hat demonstrates how significant the years of my service with that White Hat were to me. Making an E-7 Chief Petty Officer is one of the biggest milestones in my life and my career, a significant step into better future, a goal that is almost achieved. It is not that easy to say â€Å"Good Bye† for my White Hat in a short period of time. There are so many things have been uniting us: first meeting with new friends, attempts to follow the time in order to perform the necessary duties, first exams, and first disappointments. One day, a person realizes how cruel and unfair this world is, and it is necessary to have some kind of support to rely on any time. People are not honest all the time; this is why it is better to choose another object to be sure about possible help. My uniform served as such kind of support each time. When I wore it, I felt a bit more courageous, a bit more confident, and even a bit h appier. This uniform always reminds me why I am here and why I should be strong and ready for any challenge. If people still believe that they certainly have their own guardian angels, I can say that my White Hat was my guarding angel all the time. When I saw the White Hat for the first time in my life, I had already known that it is a symbol of a Navy that I had to wear with honor. I could not lose it, I had to care about it, and I had no right to change my hat with someone else. Wearing and caring about my White Hat was my first duty, and I had to be as responsible as possible. I agree it was a bit hard, but I also comprehend that my life in a Navy without the White Hat could be much more difficult. This is why I was happy each time I wore this White Hat.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More However, the time when I have to say â€Å"Good bye† to my White Hat has come. I cannot p ostpone or omit it. The only thing I have to do right now is to look at it once again, remember all those challenges, we have passed together, and demonstrate my proud and enough powers to change my E-6 White Hat for something more important, more serious, and more prospective, and be ready to become an E-7 Chief Petty Officer. This essay on The Burial of a Navy White Hat was written and submitted by user Byron Bennett to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Silent Spring

In a 1962 letter to a friend, Rachel Carson wrote: The beauty of the living world I was trying to save has always been uppermost in my mind- that, and anger at the senseless, brutish things that were being done. I have felt bound by a solemn obligation to do what I could- if I didn’t at least try I could never be happy again in nature. But now I can believe that I have at least helped a little. It would be unrealistic to believe one book could bring a complete change (Matthiessen 188). Carson did indeed help â€Å"a little.† Her â€Å"one book† helped to reform the pesticide industry by removing DDT from products. While it did not â€Å"bring a complete change† in the use of pesticides, it did bring about an abundance of criticisms, both positive and negative. In this paper, I will analyze some of the different criticisms of Carson’s work. I will look at the mostly negative criticisms and show who disagreed with Carson and why. As Rachel Carson opened consumers’ eyes to the dangers of pesticides, she posed a serious threat to chemical companies everywhere. The industries began to threaten her even before Silent Spring was published. As Peter Matthiessen wrote in Time magazine, she was â€Å"violently assailed by threats of lawsuits and derision† (188). In â€Å"Green PR: Silencing Spring,† Stauber and Rampton claim that Carson’s work resulted in a public relations crisis for the agrichemical industry (16). They state that the Velsicol chemical company attempted to â€Å"intimidate its publisher into changing it or canceling the publication.† Also, the National Agricultural Chemical Association â€Å"doubled its PR budget† and wrote and released thousands of reviews negatively portraying the book. In addition, â€Å"Monsanto chemical company published The Desolate Year, a parody in which failure to use pesticides [caused] a plague of insects that [devastated ] America† (16). On top of the chemical companies’ negat... Free Essays on Silent Spring Free Essays on Silent Spring In a 1962 letter to a friend, Rachel Carson wrote: The beauty of the living world I was trying to save has always been uppermost in my mind- that, and anger at the senseless, brutish things that were being done. I have felt bound by a solemn obligation to do what I could- if I didn’t at least try I could never be happy again in nature. But now I can believe that I have at least helped a little. It would be unrealistic to believe one book could bring a complete change (Matthiessen 188). Carson did indeed help â€Å"a little.† Her â€Å"one book† helped to reform the pesticide industry by removing DDT from products. While it did not â€Å"bring a complete change† in the use of pesticides, it did bring about an abundance of criticisms, both positive and negative. In this paper, I will analyze some of the different criticisms of Carson’s work. I will look at the mostly negative criticisms and show who disagreed with Carson and why. As Rachel Carson opened consumers’ eyes to the dangers of pesticides, she posed a serious threat to chemical companies everywhere. The industries began to threaten her even before Silent Spring was published. As Peter Matthiessen wrote in Time magazine, she was â€Å"violently assailed by threats of lawsuits and derision† (188). In â€Å"Green PR: Silencing Spring,† Stauber and Rampton claim that Carson’s work resulted in a public relations crisis for the agrichemical industry (16). They state that the Velsicol chemical company attempted to â€Å"intimidate its publisher into changing it or canceling the publication.† Also, the National Agricultural Chemical Association â€Å"doubled its PR budget† and wrote and released thousands of reviews negatively portraying the book. In addition, â€Å"Monsanto chemical company published The Desolate Year, a parody in which failure to use pesticides [caused] a plague of insects that [devastated ] America† (16). On top of the chemical companies’ negat...

Museum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum - Essay Example Among others who borrowed from Ancient Egypt tradition were also Ancient Greeks, the beginners of Western civilization, and Arabs, whose culture is commonly considered as the Middle East culture (O’Connor, 1971). Thus, despite African and Ancient Egypt cultures share the same continent, the two cultures differ. African culture generally, seems more connected to a nature. For example, African ceremonial clothing (Figure 1) is primary made from natural floral materials and looks like a bush. On black mannequin there is some kind of yelm, made from a dry rush plant, which supposed to cover the whole body of oracle or sacrifice. His human identity isn’t visible in such clothing, because his ceremonial mission is more important. Two other issues of the clothing have also a ceremonial destination: a headwear made from natural floral materials and seashells, and a stick, decorated the same way with a headwear. Even more natural and joyful African culture seems, when looking at African dolls (Figure 2). They differ strongly, even from each other, despite they often belong to the same African region. Some are made from wood, and focused on sex and religious characteristics of a woman, other ones are made from soft materials and different bright pieces of texture. It should be mentioned, that all dolls have individual face characteristics, despite that faces may look unnatural (big mouth, schematic eyes, etc.). It’s mostly noticeable when comparing African dolls to Egyptian Shabti statues, which also look like dolls (Figure 5). Despite Shabti statues too have individual faces, and those faces look more proportional than ones of African dolls, generally Shabti look less individual. They have the same ceremonial posture (standing front-wise with crossed arms), similar schematic haircuts and clothing. Being a part of a well-known Egyptian funeral cult, Shabti statues symbolize servants o f a dead master. However, the most attention is

Inquiry into Samsung Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Inquiry into Samsung - Essay Example Samsung group has grown through acquisitions and mergers like the move to buy DongHwa department store in 1963 and two years later the acquisition of Saena paper industry followed. Samsung electronics were established by Samsung group in the year 1969. However, it was in the 1970s when Samsung made a decision to enter into industries petrochemical, heavy and chemical industries. This was followed by the establishment of a new Samsung shipping company. The Samsung heavy industry was established in 1973. The Samsung group procured Daesung heavy industry to develop the Samsung shipbuilding company. Samsung precision, which was later renamed to Techwin, was established in the same year. Samsung was rising at an extremely high speed and expanding its influence to expanding its industrial influence and empire. This positioned the company to the present day growth culture. Samsung group is known to be one of the companies that are leading in innovation. The company has been introducing the latest Smartphone and has increased its market share by introducing superior products like Smartphone and tablets. The growth of this multinational has been gradual but steadfast. Samsung was founded in the year 1938 by Byung-Chull. The company used to export fruits, vegetables and dried fish produced in Korea. The exports were destined for Beijing and Manchuria in China. The company then started small-scale manufacturing by establishing confectionary machines and flour mills. The company was incorporated in the year 1951. Samsung Corporation started to substitute imported goods with locally manufactured products through the establishment of the industry called Ceil Sugar in the year 1953. This was later followed closely by the establishment of Cheil industries. Samsung group then went ahead to acquire Feb Ankuk Marine and fire insurance in the year 1958. The company was later renamed as Samsung fire and marine insurance. This was followed closely by the acquisition of Jul Dong Bang Life insurance in the year 1963. The company was later renamed to Samsung life insurance in the year 1989 (Michell 2011). However, in 1983, Samsung group has begun to develop the interest in the field of semiconductors. Up to 1983, the company was known to develop semiconductors for the local market. The development of the 64k DRAM (dynamic random access memory) by Samsung Company marked a fresh beginning with regard to international influence (Michell 2011). This marked the beginning of production of many semiconductor chips for the international market from Samsung Company (Chang 2011). In 1985, Samsung data systems were established. The company was rebranded to Samsung SDS in 1986. The aim was to pave the way for Samsung economic research institute. In the following year, Samsung advanced institute of technology was developed as the company’s main research center. Samsung group acquired KOCA. This was a credit company which was renamed to Samsung credit card in the year 1 995 (Books 2011). Through this, Samsung Company was increasing asserting itself in the world of technology and financial security systems. Samsung began acquiring many international companies with an aim of asserting itself in the international market and increasing its market share. Samsung group faces incredible competition from other South Korean industries.

Three methods of measuring the health of the Australian population and Essay

Three methods of measuring the health of the Australian population and use these to compare the health status of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults - Essay Example the indigenous people are defined â€Å"as an individual of Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal origin that identifies as a Torres Strait Islander or Aboriginal and is accepted as such by the society in which he or she lives.† They were the first inhabitants of Australia. They have a less population compared to that of non- indigenous persons. Australias aboriginal population was estimated to be 669,900 people in 2011, which was 3% of the total population (ABS, 2013). There is an extensive gap between the health of the indigenous and the non- indigenous persons that’s contributed by various factors leading to the inequalities between them. The indigenous group is more disadvantaged as compared to the non-indigenous as stipulated by the AIHW (Australian Health 2014). The importance of this essay is to identify and describe three methods that can be used to measure the health status of both the indigenous and the non-indigenous populations in Australia. It will also help make a comparison between the two Australian groups. The methods will bring out the inequalities that exist between the two groups their differences. The three methods for the measurement of the health status in Australia that will be described in this essay are mortality and life expectancy, circulatory disease, and health risk factors. Life expectancy is an arithmetical measure of how long an organism or person may live. The statistics are obtained from mortality patterns and give information on the well-being of the community. It is given in terms of the number of years one is expected to live too but not the years of the remaining life (AIHW, 2012). In Australia, the indigenous group has a lower life expectancy as compared to the non-indigenous group across all the age groups (AIHW 2011). The death rates for the adults are higher in an indigenous group than in the non-indigenous Australians. They are vulnerable to illnesses that eventually lead to their death. Most of the indigenous deaths

External Auditors and their role in the Corporate Governance Framework

External Auditors and their role in the Corporate Governance Framework External Auditors check companys accounts and report to the company based on the accounts. Basically, the concern is how external auditors conduct these duties effectively. Legislations, such as The Companies Act 1965, have made great efforts to ensure external auditors conduct their duties and obligations effectively. The Code of Corporate Governance in 2001 and the amendment in 2007 have further enhanced the effectiveness of audit in the interests of stockholders and shareholders. In light of the recent scandals involving external auditors in the world, there is a growing concern for corporate governance globally as there is increased reliance by the stockholders and shareholders on external auditors. This study examines the role of external auditors in the corporate governance framework. The study then reviews the financial scandals involving auditors occurred in the world and investigate the role of external auditor in the collapse of the companies. Introduction Corporate governance is a central and dynamic aspect of business. It is very important for corporate success and social welfare. In the wake of Enron, HIH Insurance and other similar cases, countries around the world have reacted quickly by pre-examining similar events domestically. As a speedy response to these corporate failures, the USA issued the Sarbanes-Oxly Act in July 2002, and in UK, the Higgs Report and the Smith Report were published in January 2003 (Solomon, 2007). Nowadays corporate governance is a globally debated topic with many characteristics (Nobel, 1998). However, the concern is whether auditors play an important role in the framework of corporate governance. Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the relationship among various participants in determining the direction and performance of corporations. The main participants are the shareholders, the management and the board of directors. Corporate governance is the process whereby directors of a company are monitored and controlled. There are two areas considered to be fundamental to corporate governance, one is supervision and monitoring of management performance and the other is ensuring accountability of management to shareholders and other stakeholders (Marianne, 2009). Till now, probably the two most important basic elements of good corporate governance have been full disclosure and the presence of independent directors and auditors, who each has their own ways to confirm that the data provided by the corporation are true and fairly stated. The contents of full disclosure are listed out in regulatory demands and professional pronouncements, and companies are expected to fully comply. The independence of the outside director and external auditor means the directors and auditors will have to distance themselves considerably to assure shareholders that they have conducted their tasks (Bavly, 2004). Role of External Auditors in Corporate Governance External auditors play a key role in the corporate governance framework. They conduct one of the most important corporate governance checks that help to monitor managements activities. The audit of financial statement makes disclosures more reliable, thus increasing confidence in the companys transparency. The role of external auditors is to make sure that Board of Directors and the management are acting responsibly towards the shareholders investment interests. By keeping objectivity, the external auditors can add value to shareholders by ensuring that the companys internal controls are strong and effective. And by working with the audit committee and liaising with internal auditors, external auditors can help to facilitate a more effective oversight of the financial reporting process by the Board of Directors (Hassan, 2004). However, the audit expectations gap needs to be acknowledged, as the audit function can only do so much on the fraud. The external auditor can not be expected to find every fraud and error during an audit. In accordance with the Cadbury Report, it is important to know that the external auditors role is not to prepare the financial statements, nor to provide assurance that the data in the financial statements are correct, nor to guarantee that the company will continue as a going concern, but the external auditors have to state in the annual report that the financial statements show a true and fair view. The Cadbury Report highlighted that there was no doubt on whether there should be an audit but rather how the audit could be ensured to conduct effectively and objectively by the external auditors (Solomon, 2007). Auditor Independence External auditors are expected to be independent of the company and report on the company objectively. Actually, auditors can only play their role effectively if they are independent (Peel ODonnell, 1995). They have to conduct their tasks in the most independent and reliable manner to provide investing public with the level of assurance to make their decisions based on the financial statements. According to the Cadbury Report, auditor independence could be affected due to the close relationship between auditors and company managers and due to the auditors intention to develop a constructive relationship with their clients. There are a number of threats to auditor independence, one of which is to provide non-audit services since non-audit services are lucrative. Auditors can obtain the contracts for non-audit services only if they maintain a good relationship with the management. The Cadbury Report stressed that a balance is needed to be achieved in such way that external auditors will work with, not against, company management, but in doing so they need to serve shareholders. This is a difficult path. The easiest way to ensure this balance being attained is suggested to establish audit committees and develop effective accounting standards. The Cadbury Report recommended all companies to establish audit committees. Audit committees serve as representative of shareholder interests. They are not only responsible for monitoring financial reporting process to support good corporate governance, they are also considered to be able to ensure an appropriate relationship exists between the external auditor and the management whose financial statements are being audited (Hassan, 2004). The Smith Report issued in 2003 highlighted that the audit committee needs to be proactive and raise the concern with directors rather than brush them under the carpet. The Report also stressed that all members of audit committee should be independent non-executive directors. Companys annual reports should disclose detailed information on the role and responsibilities of their audit committee. Lessons from Financial Scandals 4.1 Collapse of Enron Enron, the energy trading company based on Texas is the first scandal shaking up the auditing profession. It has led to a crisis to the confidence on auditors and the reliability of financial reporting (Holm Laursen, 2007). The audit quality and the independence of external auditors were questioned. In this case, Enrons audit and accounting function were fraudulent. Arthur Andersen, the auditor of Enron, has been involved in Enrons fraudulent accounting and auditing. Failure of the audit function is one of the key factors contributing to the companys collapse. Enron created The Raptors, four special purpose entities (SPEs). SPEs are established in order that a company can form a joint venture with other interested parties to conduct a specific transaction. This transaction will not subject the other parties to the risks more generally associated with the companys operations. U.S Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAPP) allows companies to record the gains and losses of SPEs without reporting their assets and liabilities in certain instances. In this way, Enron avoided adding more than $1 billion debt to its balance sheet without consolidating certain SPEs (Jenkins, 2003). But the problems are, when the losses of these entities quickly rose into billions of dollars, these entities were brought into the core financial statements. It then became clear that Enron itself had great losses. The corporations stock price dropped sharply, and the company went into bankruptcy in December 2001 (Brown, 2005). Examples of Enrons devious accounting exist widely in the corporation. The company recorded profits, for example, from a joint venture with Blockbuster Video that was never materialized (The Economist, 7 February 2002). In 2002, Enron restated its accounts, which is actually a process that reduced reported profits by $600 million (The Economist, 6 December 2001). In fact, the process resulted in a cumulative profit decrease of $591 million and a rise in debt of $628 million for the financial statements from 1997 to 2000. The difference between the profit figures was mainly attributed to the earlier omission of three off-balance sheet entities. Such profit inflation enabled the company to raise its earnings per share (EPS). The company not only manipulated the accounting figures to inflate the earnings, but it also was found to remove substantial amounts of debt from its accounts by setting up a number of off-balance sheet entities. Such special purpose entities can be used to hide a companys liabilities from the balance sheet, in order to make the financial statements look much better than they really are (The Economist, 2 May 2002). It means substantial number of liabilities did not have to be disclosed on Enrons financial statements, because they were mainly attributed to another legal entity. All these issues raise the question, why did Enrons auditor allow this type of activity? This is because the conflicts of interest exist between the external auditor and the management. Conflicts of Interest Conflicts of interest are a frequent problem in the audit profession. Although independent appointment of external auditors by companys shareholders is regularly replaced by subjective appointment by the company management, the auditor is all too often appreciated to the companys senior management. Further, conflicts of interest arise from interactive functions of audit and consultancy. Arthur Andersen has been blamed to apply loose standards in their audits because of conflict of interest over the subatantial consulting fees collected from Enron. In 2000, Andersen collected $25 million for auditing Enrons books in addition to $27 million for consulting services. In 2001, Arthur Anderson earned US$55 million for provision of non-audit services (Brown, 2005). Although Arthur Andersen reported on the companys accounts, they did not report fraud to the shareholders. This is because the fraud was committed by the management. Kenneth Lay, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from Feb 1986 until Feb 2001, took home US$ 152 million although the company was facing a loss. If Andersen were to report, they probably will not be appointed in the following years or be engaged in non-audit services (Krishnan, L, 2009). Especially, close relationships are established over time between companies and their external auditors. It can again affect independent judgment and impact on the auditing function. In this case, there are regular exchanges of employees within Enron from Arthur Anderson. Such conflicts of interest affect the corporate governance function. Serious conflicts of interest have also arisen among members of Enrons internal audit committee, which causes the internal audit committee did not perform its functions of internal control and of checking the external auditing function. For example, Lord Wakeham, a member of the audit committee, was at the same time having a consulting contract with Enron (The Economist, 7February2002). This shows that people in responsible positions should have detected fraudulent activities if they were independent. Enrons board of directors was composed of a number of members who have been shown to be willing to conduct fraudulent activity. It is also because the non-executive directors were compromised by conflicts of interest. 4.2 Collapse of HIH Insurance In Australia, the collapse of HIH Insurance Ltd was observed as the beginning of the reflection into external auditors role. HIH is one of Australias biggest insurers, comprising several separate government-licensed insurance companies, including HIH Casualty General Insurance Ltd, FAI General Insurance Ltd, CIC Insurance Ltd and World Marine General Insurances Ltd. On 15 March 2001, HIH went into provisional liquidation with losses of A$ 800 million (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). HIH is one of the largest corporate collapses in Australian history. Similar issues arise as in the Enron case. HIH is claimed to mislead investors by providing incorrect financial reports to the market and HIHs auditor, Arthur Andersen, may have played a part in its collapse. Andersen conducted the external audits for HIH from 1971 until its collapse in 2001. Their contribution to the failure of HIH is considered in the following sections: Audit Practices As part of audit process, auditors will conduct a risk assessment to determine the structure and plan of the audit. Andersen assessed the risk of HIH and deemed it a maximum risk client, however, the engagement team of Andersen had not prepared the risk management plan and therefore the senior management team at Anderson did not review and approve the plan (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). At the end, the auditor simply drew the wrong conclusions. Andersen signed off HIHs annual report for the 30th June 2000 and stated that it was a going concern with net assets of $939 million. Nine months later, HIH collapsed with debts of $5.3 billion (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). Andersen used HIH management reports and forecasts and did not obtain sufficient evidence to get the conclusions they did. The liquidator could not find the documentation on the reasons for considering HIH as a going concern. This implies that Anderson failed to produce sufficient working papers to prove that the audit actually is conducted. Auditor Independence Andersen had a close relationship with HIH. By the time of liquidation, three former Anderson partners who had conducted HIH financial audit work held positions on the HIH board of directors. This obvious lack of independence between the board of directors and the auditors indicated that the best interests of HIH may have not always be a priority. Andersons failure in producing adequate working papers or in obtaining adequate evidence to support their findings have serious concerns on the quality of the audit they did. A significant independence issue is also reflected in the form of Andersons payment to HIH Chairman, Geoffrey Cohen for consultancy fees. These fees totaled $190,887 in nine years and included the use of Andersons office and secretary. These fees were not disclosed to the remaining board members in the annual general meetings (Peursem, Zhou, Flood Buttimore, 2007). The close and complicated financial relationship between the auditors and HIH chairman raise further questions in this case. Finally, the threat to auditor independence is that Andersen provided both audit and non-audit services to HIH. It raises a question on how can an auditor provide an independent opinion on the financial statements when he may play a role in guiding the preparation of the statements? The Royal Commission in Australia, which investigates the collapse of HIH, has found that the largest corporate collapse in Australia was not due to fraud but the result of attempting to cover the cracks on the overpriced acquisition. Andersons role in it appeared to be substantial. Modern Approach to External Auditors Role in Corporate Governance External auditors now have to take a much stricter approach to their clients (Bourne, 1995). There is an increasing view to support that external auditors should take on a more proactive role (Baxt, 1970). The Companies Act has set the stipulation on appointment, eligibility, qualification, disqualification and removal of external auditors (Davies Prentice, 2003). The intention is to ensure that auditors are able to carry out audit in an impersonal, objective and professional way. It is also to ensure that auditors are independent of the company. The reason for such emphasis is to ensure the external auditors are not in a position of conflict of interests. When there is conflict of interest, disclosure must be made to shareholders and stakeholders. Alternatively, there should be prohibition to the provision of non-audit services to the company where they act as auditors. To ensure auditors are truly independent and not in a conflict of interest, auditors should be rotated every year. Thereafter there should be a gap of five years before the same auditors are appointed by the company. Conclusion External auditors have an essential role in corporate governance through their involvement and their examination of financial statements. The external auditors role in corporate governance is a fundamental complement to achieve the desired objective of corporate governance. Therefore, the duties and obligations of external auditors must be expanded for the rights and interests of shareholders and stakeholders. There must be a modern approach to the auditors role in the corporate governance framework.

Legend Of Love :: essays research papers

Approximately 500 versions of the Cinderella story are in circulation, making it one of the most famous tales in the world. The plot in this timeless classic has been used as a model for writers for countless generations. Whether in print or on film, Cinderella is an inspirational story. It allows young girls to fantasize being swept off their feet by a sweet, handsome prince, marry and "live happily ever after." For over hundreds of years the story has been refined and reworked, whether as the French "Cendrillon" or as the Brothers Grimm's "Cinderella." Though each tale is revised in different ways, the plot remains a common ground between them. The most recent version is, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, a film by Andy Tennant. This version has a realistic element, which is told to "set the record straight." Like many great love stories before, Ever After: A Cinderella Story, has plenty of conflict between good and evil, right and wrong, and the charming versus the wicked. These conflicts are portrayed through the correlation between each character, and the relationship between the protagonists and the antagonists. The Protagonists Grand Dame Grand Dame is the narrator who is setting the record straight. She is also the Great-Great-Granddaughter of Danielle/Cinderella. While the Brothers Grimm has their version of the Cinderella story, the Grand Dame knows the truth. She summons the Brothers Grimm and explains her family's history as she knows it. As the narrator, her character is a mediator, stepping in when the conflict is elevated. Danielle When she was eight, Danielle's father unexpectedly died. Left with her new stepmother, Rodmilla, Danielle is forced to be a servant to the household. Her strongest link to her father is the book, Utopia that he gave her the night before he died. An intriguing mix of tomboyish athleticism and physical beauty, she has enough charm to capture the heart of a prince. This spirited "Cinderella" is certainly no victim; against all odds, she stands up against a forceful and scheming stepmother. While Danielle does own a gorgeous pair of glass slippers, the words "magic pumpkin" are not in her vocabulary. Prince Henry Prince Henry has a secret. He doesn't want to be King of France. The prince finds peace in running away from the castle to escape from his obligations, including an arranged marriage to the princess of Spain. Prince Henry doesn't recognize his potential until Danielle enters the picture and shows

INTB

A consumer's utility function is = XSL/eye/4, where x is the quantity of good x consumed and y is the quantity of good y consumed. The prices of the two goods are pix and pay, and the marginal utilities of the goods are Mix = (1 /4)x-3/eye/4 and MI-Jay = (3/4)xx/ay-1 ‘4. A) Derive the consumers demand for good x. B) Discuss the concept of elasticity, with reference to the demand you derived in (a), and contrasting linear and constant elasticity demands. 4. You have been asked to analyze the market for steel.From public sources, you are able to find that last years price for steel was $20 per ton. At this price, 100 million tons were sold on the world market. From trade association data, you are able to obtain estimates for the own price elasticity of demand and supply on the world market as 0. 5 for supply and -0. 25 for demand, respectively. Suppose you know that demand and supply equations in the market are linear. Solve for the equations of demand and supply in this market. INTO 334 By arrival luxuries (L).The consumer's tastes are represented by the utility function IS=FL. Food 2. Let income be I = 80, Pix=4, Pay= 1, and utility U = xx (with marginal utility MIX = y and MI-Jay = x). B) Now, let the price of x fall to 1 and the income fall to 50. Otherwise, there is no utility function is IS(x,y) = XSL /eye/4, where x is the quantity of good x consumed and y the marginal utilities of the goods are MIX = (1 /4)x-3/eye/4 and MI-Jay = (3/4)xx/ay-114. A) Derive the consumer's demand for good x. Able to find that last year's price for steel was $20 per ton. At this price, 100 million

5 Pillars of Archaeological Method

5 Pillars of Archaeological Method I was horrified at hearing of the rough shoveling out of the contents and protested that the earth ought to be pared away inch by inch to see all that was in it, and how it lay. WM Flinders Petrie, describing how he felt at eight years of age, on seeing the excavation of a Roman villa. Between 1860 and the turn of the century, five basic pillars of scientific archaeology were enunciated: the ever growing importance of stratigraphic excavation; the significance of the small find and plain artifact; the diligent use of field notes, photography and plan maps to record excavation processes; the publication of results; and the rudiments of cooperative excavation and indigenous rights. The Big Dig Undoubtedly the first move in all of these directions included the invention of the big dig. Up until that point, most excavations were haphazard, driven by the recovery of single artifacts, generally for private or state museums. But when Italian archaeologist Guiseppe Fiorelli [1823-1896] took over the excavations at Pompeii in 1860, he began excavating entire room blocks, keeping track of stratigraphic layers, and preserving many features in place. Fiorelli believed that the art and artifacts were of secondary importance to the real purpose for excavating Pompeiito learn about the city itself and all its inhabitants, rich and poor. And, most critical for the growth of the discipline, Fiorelli began a school for archaeological methods, passing along his strategies to Italians and foreigners alike. It cant be said that Fiorelli invented the concept of the big dig. German archaeologist Ernst Curtius [1814-1896] had been attempting to amass funds for an extensive excavation since 1852, and by 1875 began excavating at Olympia. Like many sites in the classical world, the Greek site of Olympia had been the subject of much interest, especially its statuary, which found its way into museums all over Europe. When Curtius came to work at Olympia, it was under the terms of a negotiated deal between the German and Greek governments. None of the artifacts would leave Greece (except for duplicates). A small museum would be built on the grounds. And the German government could recoup the costs of the big dig by selling reproductions. The costs were indeed horrific, and German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck was forced to terminate the excavations in 1880, but the seeds of cooperative scientific investigations had been planted. So had the seeds of political influence in archaeology, which were to profoundly affect the young science during the early years of the 20th century. Scientific Methods The real increases in techniques and methodology of what we think of as modern archaeology were primarily the work of three Europeans: Schliemann, Pitt-Rivers, and Petrie. Although Heinrich Schliemanns [1822-1890] early techniques are today often disparaged as not much better than a treasure-hunter, by the latter years of his work at the site of Troy, he took on a German assistant, Wilhelm DÃ ¶rpfeld [1853-1940], who had worked at Olympia with Curtius. DÃ ¶rpfelds influence on Schliemann led to refinements in his technique and, by the end of his career, Schliemann carefully recorded his excavations, preserved the ordinary along with the extraordinary, and was prompt about publishing his reports. A military man who spent a great deal of his early career studying the improvement of British fire-arms, Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers [1827-1900] brought military precision and rigor to his archaeological excavations. He spent a not-inconsiderable inheritance building the first extensive comparative artifact collection, including contemporary ethnographic materials. His collection was decidedly not for beautys sake; as he quoted T.H. Huxley: The word importance ought to be struck out of scientific dictionaries; that which is important is that which is persistent. Chronological Methods William Matthew Flinders Petrie [1853-1942], known most for the dating technique he invented known as seriation or sequence dating, also held high standards of excavation technique. Petrie recognized the inherent problems with large excavations, and assiduously planned them out ahead of time. A generation younger than Schliemann and Pitt-Rivers, Petrie was able to apply the basics of stratigraphic excavation and comparative artifact analysis to his own work. He synchronized the occupation levels at Tell el-Hesi with Egyptian dynastic data, and was able to successfully develop an absolute chronology for sixty feet of occupational debris. Petrie, like Schliemann and Pitt-Rivers, published his excavation findings in detail. While the revolutionary concepts of archaeological technique advocated by these scholars gained acceptance slowly around the world, there is no doubt that without them, it would have been a much longer wait. Sources A bibliography of the history of archaeology has been assembled for this project. History of Archaeology Part 1: The First ArchaeologistsPart 2: The Effects of the EnlightenmentPart 3: Is the Bible Fact or Fiction?Part 4: The Astounding Effects of Orderly MenPart 5: The Five Pillars of Archaeological Method Bibliography

How to Conjugate the French Verb Passer (to Pass)

How to Conjugate the French Verb Passer (to Pass) Meaning to pass, the French verb  passer  is an easy one to remember and the conjugations are not too difficult, either. French students who have studied other regular -er  verbs will find this lesson relatively simple to follow. By the end, youll be familiar with the basic present, past, and future tenses of this very common verb. How to Conjugate  Passer Conjugations are used in French in the same way they are in English. We add certain endings to the verb stem to form the various tenses. This helps us use the verb properly and form complete sentences. Since  passer  is used in many common expressions, its important to memorize the conjugations. To begin, well look at the indicative verb mood, including the present, future, and imperfect past tenses. These verb conjugations are formed by adding  the regular -er  endings  to the verbs stem of  pass-. Using the chart, match the subject pronoun of your sentence with the appropriate tense. For example, I am passing is  je passe  while we will pass is  nous passerons. Try practicing these in context to aid in memorization. If you need some ideas,  passer  is used in many idiomatic expressions that youll find useful as well. Present Future Imperfect je passe passerai passais tu passes passeras passais il passe passera passait nous passons passerons passions vous passez passerez passiez ils passent passeront passaient Passer  and the Present Participle The  present participle  of  passer  is  passant. This was formed by adding -ant  to the verb stem. Not only can  passant  be used as a verb, in some contexts it may also be an adjective, gerund, or even a noun. Passer in the Past Tense The imperfect is the past tense, though its also common to use the passà © composà © in French. This requires the construction of a short phrase that uses the auxiliary verb à ªtre and the past participle passà ©. Putting it together is quite simple: use the subject pronoun, conjugate  Ãƒ ªtre  to the present tense, and attach the past participle. For example, I passed is  je suis passà ©Ã‚  and we passed is  nous sommes passà ©. More Conjugations of Passer As you build your French vocabulary, you will find other basic forms of  passer  useful. For example, if you wish to express that the action of passing is uncertain, the subjunctive verb mood is used. Similarly, if it is dependent on something else also occurring, you will use the conditional verb mood. In rare cases, you might encounter the passà © simple or the imperfect subjunctive. While the other forms of  passer  should be your priority, these are good to know as well. Subjunctive Conditional Pass Simple Imperfect Subjunctive je passe passerais passai passasse tu passes passerais passas passasses il passe passerait passa passt nous passions passerions passmes passassions vous passiez passeriez passtes passassiez ils passent passeraient passrent passassent You will use the imperative verb mood when using  passer  in short  commands and requests.  When using it, skip the subject pronoun, so  tu passe  is simplified to  passe. For the phrase Pass it! you will say Passe-le ! Imperative (tu) passe (nous) passons (vous) passez

Articles annotations Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Articles annotations - Article Example After expounding on the broadening of TESOL’s story, in conclusion, the author disclosed that the future embraces an international family that respects mutual questioning, active negotiation, and radical integration (Canagarajah, 2006, p. 29). Annotation 2 Chang, L. (2010). Group Processes and EFL Learners’ Motivation: A Study of Group Dynamics in EFL Classrooms. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 44, No. 1, 129-155. The author clearly indicated that the aim of the study was to examine the impact of group processes, including norms and cohesiveness of the groups, as influencing EFL learners’ motivation. A review of related literature was initially presented to expound on issues concerning group processes, group cohesiveness, group norms, L2 motivation (self-efficacy and learner autonomy. The actual research indicated that participants were 152 students of a Taiwan university where questionnaires and subsequent interviews had been administered. The results indicate that class grouping significantly affects second language learning motivation. The authors emphasized that future research needs to consider undetected factors that influence the relationship between group processes and language learning. Annotation 3 Chen, J., Warden, C., & Chang, H. (2005). Motivators That Do Not Motivate: The Case of Chinese EFL Learners and the Influence of Culture on Motivation. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 39, No. 4, 609-633. The authors determined the effect of culture on motivation by conducting a study participated by 567 language learners in Taiwan. A survey was implemented focusing on topics such as motivation orientation, expectancy, and self-evaluated skill (Chen, Warden, & Chang, 2005, p. 609). By initially exploring various reviews of literature on motivation within the EFL setting, their study was developed to tailor to the Chinese EFL learners where the results found that integration was not a significant factor in the motivational learning effort (Chen, Warden, & Ch ang, 2005, p. 631). Limitations of the research were noted in terms of using two comparative cultural orientations: the West as contrasted with Chinese culture and thereby provides opportunities for future research within a more wider and diverse global cultural perspective. Annotation 4 Gatbonton, E., Trofimovich, P., & Magid, M. (2005). Learners' Ethnic Group Affiliation and L2 Pronunciation Accuracy: A Sociolinguistic Investigation. TESOL Quarterly, Vol. 39, No. 3; 489-511. The authors aimed to determine the relationship between ethnic group affiliation and second- language (L2) pronunciation accuracy defined here as native-like, nonaccented L2 speech or L2 speech that contains no first language (Li) influences (Gatbonton, Trofimovich, & Magid, 2005, p. 489). Two study questions were identified, to wit: (a) Is there a relationship between learners' L2 accent and ethnic group affiliation as perceived by fellow learners? (b) If such a relationship exists, what are its behavioural c onsequences? The participants of the study included 24 Francophone learners of English from Montrea where research methods used stimulus tapes and questionnaires. The results of the study revealed that L2 learners treated their peers' L2 accent as an

Critically evaluate the strategic role of global information systems Essay - 1

Critically evaluate the strategic role of global information systems for organisations and discuss the management issues associa - Essay Example For firms, adoption of information systems requires investment resources such as time and personnel (King, 2009). Organizations in different industries always strive to be market leaders in their respective market segments. Where the business environment consists of inflation, recession and tough operating conditions, businesses opt for strategies aimed at gaining a competitive edge over their competitors (Drucker, &Maciariello, 2008).Among these strategies can be the one that enables adoption of an information system by a firm. The system enables the organization make optimum use of its data, cut down on costs and increases efficiency.Information systems store and analyze data faster and in a more secure manner unlike the outdated manual way of data handling. Hardcopy management of data and records is no longer in use. Today, most companies opt for sophisticated databases that store data in any format, be it text, image or video files, update the data as well analyze the data at the click of a mouse (Drucker, &Maciariello, 2008). Through faster analysis of data, quicker solutions to present and future problems are easily determined. Another role of information systems is that of assisting in the decision making process (King, 2009). Success for an enterprise depends upon the strategic plans a firm adopts. The management of a firm uses management information systems to come up with strategic plans for the continued success of the firm (King, 2009). Information systems also play a role in the development of business processes that aim at adding value to a firm’s operations. Continuous business process remodeling is necessary for enhancing the quality of a firm’s products as well as cost minimization. Global information systems are basically information systems designed for the global market. Global information systems are more developed to cater for specific world markets and attempt to deliver functionality to a firm within the context of the whol e world (Laudon, &Laudon, 2002). With global information systems, focus is on the global setting, in a wider scope largely translating to distributed systems. Software’s for these systems are developed with the concept of global (Laudon, &Laudon, 2002). Design for these systems concern process flow in the systems, architecture as mechanisms for supporting the functions of the system. Information systems are composed are composed of information technology, business applications, development processes of the systems, foundation concepts as well as management challenges (Taylor, 2004). Information technology comprises of hardware software, data, networks and other technologies. System development processes concerns how the systems are developed and implemented. Foundation concepts are about technical and business concepts concerning components and functioning of the system (Sarngadharan&Minimol, 2010). Managerial challenges on information systems on the other hand concern how th e management of functions of information system componentsachieve optimum performance. Management issues in planning for information systems In planning for a global information system, the management team carries out a comprehensive analysis of how the firm’s business operations are conducted. This analysis will determine whether or not adoption of an information system will be of benefit to the firm (Sarngadharan & Minimol, 2010). When a firm operates globally, the scenario in the different markets is almost similar

The Human Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Human Experience - Essay Example ed my life around upon the realization that in life, anyone can be made vulnerable to a disease and be confined to the misery of excruciating thoughts and feelings of insecurity besides physical pain. Having surpassed cancer and being occasionally ill to this point has been such a humbling experience that it teaches me the way to joyful living despite the fact that humans possess only fleeting moments of existence on earth. With this physiological conflict, I learn to view things in a different light and gain a more positive insight behind the principle of ‘carpe diem’ or seizing each passing day as if it were the last, for the essence of living occurs to be living in full measure and this is the reason I feel alive with enthusiasm as I venture to proceed with my studies in a manner of learning via creative rather than conventional approach. Equivalently, my tough encounters with sickness and slow recovery at some point has all the more inspired me to spend ample time with my family, close friends, church service, and the civil air patrol whenever I can. Looking into the painting with analytical intent, one would observe that Alexander the Great quite reflects a figure of radiance instead of gloom, signifying that his monumental courage does not merely apply to fierce situations of combat among men fighting over territories and conquests to be won. The sight of Alexander in the marvelous craft of Siemiradzki is one that enables me to imagine bravery from within or that which depends not on the type of battle and what I have become out of illness I suppose resembles much of the heroic scenario in which Alexander appears far from ceasing to be great that he even manages to extend his confidence to the attending doctor at the time notwithstanding the dreadful case of his infectious disease. His aura in the masterpiece, to me, is symbolic of determination or fervent willfulness to live and conquer with which I could figure a relevant connection of personally

Transformation of Rome from Republic to Empire Essay Example for Free

Transformation of Rome from Republic to Empire Essay Like so many agricultural cultures, Rome began as a city-state about 600 B.C. It was founded by descendants of Indo-European invaders from central Europe who merged with earlier Italian peoples. The Roman language and many basic social patterns were inherited from the local farmers who had populated the region long before the city was founded. But the city itself borrowed from an earlier Italian civilization, the Etruscan, slightly to the north, and to a lesser extent from Greek colonies in the south. This gave form to early Roman religion and also to political structure. Rome began as a kingdom under Etruscan rule. But about 509 B.C. the Roman aristocracy overthrew the king, and Rome became an aristocratic republic not unlike the Greek city-states. Intense local civic pride was part of this pattern, as in Greece, including a willingness to sacrifice self in the interest of the state. Heroic military action by a few individuals, such as the fabled Horatio holding the bridge over the Tiber river against an Etruscan army, gained Rome increasing independence. Roman family structure was the basis of this kind of culture. It emphasized obedience to the father, although the mother was honored as well. Even though the aristocrats competed for power, they could unite when loyalty to the state was at stake, because they had been trained to subordinate themselves to the common good, just as children were taught to yield to family interest. Religion was another binding force, as was the consideration with which aristocrats treated the common people of the city. In the early days of the republic there was much social tension, but uprisings gave the citizens of the lower class, whatever their wealth,   their own representatives, called tribunes, to oversee their interests in the government. The first law code, the famous Twelve Tables, was introduced about 450 B.C.; this restrained the upper class from arbitrary action. By the third century B.C., citizens of the lower class, called plebeians, could be elected to public office and pass laws. The Roman city-state was not like the Greek. The Roman people met in assemblies, but the assemblies were called and run by officers. There was no choosing of leaders by lot; two consuls were elected by the people each year to serve as executive and military leaders, and almost always these were aristocrats or wealthy plebeians. The consuls scrutinized each others activities so that neither could seize power; behind the scenes the aristocracy could usually run the show. Aristocratic power was formalized in the Roman senate which was composed of anyone who had held public office and who then served as senator for life. This group had only advisory powers, but, composed of experienced and prestigious men, its influence was considerable and it lent stability to the   state. The picture of the Roman state around 250 B.C. proved so attractive to many western political theorists long after the republic was gone that it was copied, at least partially, by a host of western political governments. What was particularly appealing about the Roman arrangement was its balance. Underwritten by definite laws which protected the rights of the citizens, the Roman government checked unlimited democracy without yielding to total upper-class rule; and it prevented executive dictatorship. The division between a popular assembly and an upper-class senate was to be imitated many times. Although legislative authority was predominant, there were separate judges and a separate executive; here was a hint of division of powers and it seemed to work well. Based on political stability, Rome prospered and began a pattern of conquest which none of the Greek city-states had been capable of. Internally, the population increased, which is always a creative factor if properly channeled. Conquest offered the means of distributing the surplus population and of providing wealth for the masses, which helped keep them quiet. Also, Rome was well situated, being in the center of Italy, for once the Etruscans had been beaten and their culture collapsed, there were few powerful rivals surrounding Rome. Finally, the Romans were lenient rulers. Nevertheless, over time the republic itself became unviable. The aristocratic Senate no longer provided consistent wisdom and the populace vied for favors from the rich, particularly the victorious generals. Rome had implicitly chosen between a balanced republic and an empire, in favor of the latter, and this made a military regime inevitable. By 31 B.C. Augustus had defeated his rivals. The Republic was dead, and the Roman Empire, a political structure governing Rome and all the colonies, was now to be created. The empire turned out to be Romes major contribution to the western arsenal of political precedents. Not surprisingly, given the major Roman interests, formal culture remained limited until the last century of the republic, when Greek models were copied and Greek artists and writers, some of them slaves, worked directly for Roman patrons. The Romans did not blindly copy; their painting, for example, differed from what we know of the Greek, showing more realistic portrayals of nature and the human form. Hence, Roman statuary, often busts of the great men of the day, reflects attention to individual facial traits more than the stylized approach of the Greeks. However, the central cultural contribution was to spread a Greco-Roman art and literature to the vast empire and particularly to Western Europe, where such products had never before been known.Textbook writing, increasingly important as Roman creativity waned in the later empire, helped preserve the rudiments of learning not only for the Romans themselves but for later ages. Bibliography Heitland, W. E. A Short History of the Roman Republic. Cambridge University Press, 1911.

International business and cultural diversity

International business and cultural diversity Cultural Diversity in its varying forms, undoubtedly plays a distinct role in the success or failure of interaction in the work place, these often come from impassive behavioural judgements, programmed values or peer understanding (Briley and Aaker, 2006). Diversity can be viewed from a variety of perspectives and effective communication in this respect can be actively moulded to formulate an outcome if an understanding is learned or developed before or during this interaction. This essay then aims to discuss the impacts of cultural diversity in the work environment, with focus on how communication is affected both positively and negatively and the degree to which cultural diversity as an explanation of this is a precursor to successful deliberation. So what is culture? Culture is an inherently difficult idea, arguably without distinct definition. Hall (1959: 52) argues that culture â€Å"is a mold in which we all are cast, and it controls our lives in many unsuspected ways.† Hofstede (1980: 45) maintains that culture is â€Å"the collective programming of the mind, which distinguishes the members of one human group from another.† Trompenaars (1994) views culture as the way that a group of people solved the problems that afflicted their society. The successful solutions were then adopted as being normal behaviour or accepted standards and were gradually incorporated to become a part of acceptable culture. This suggests that culture is capable of change and that change is constant (Olivas-Lujan, Harzing, and McCoy, 2004). The concept of culture incorporates a system of shared meanings or values that can exert a strong influence on the objects, events, and ideas to which people attend and toward which they act and att ribute value (Liu, Furrer, and Sudharshan 2001; Trompenaars 1994; Watkins and Liu 1996). People from different cultures are often expected to choose different groups, messages, and methods to affect communication (Chow, Deng, and Ho 2000; Kale 1991) in business this is often reflected at the initial point of exposure but developed over time. Types of cultural diversity are well documented. In business, the work of Varner (2000) suggests a theory of transactional culture, the idea that diversity is learned or altered depending upon the situation. This theory is justified by Hofstede (1980) who states often the interaction between cultures establishes the idea of professional culture, the idea of a single mutual culture fed by both identities. Gagliardi (1986: 124) claims that a â€Å"common culture strengthens cohesion and improves the ability to communicate,† indeed, in the workplace this ideology is apparent when discussing the ways in which diversity plays a role in business interaction. Positively, evidence suggests the addition of multicultural entities to an organisation provides a varied number of successful responses (Source) indeed with the rise in globalisation; the increase in a multicultural workforce is inevitable both internally and externally. This reason justifies the need to understand, facilitate if not promote cultural recognition throughout the business not just at a managerial but personal level. Depending upon the level of interaction, the methods of communication as highlighted by Beamer, (1995) are based on a learned environment, a training culture that aids in the understanding of both the foreign and native diversity. Cultures are often categorised as a means of predicting behaviour, clarification, and standardization as a means of finding unity. To do this, variations among cultural groups are often discussed in terms of geography, gender, age, and class, as well as other variables. Hofstede (1980) formulates these variations into three distinct classes, organizational, occupational and national, but also promotes the idea of cultural dimensions to illustrate similarities between nations. Each of these higher level classifications contain sub-references to the type of culture such as linear active, multi active or reactive and incorporates layers of culture including national, regional, generation and societal groups. Incorrect understanding of these can lead to difficu lties as the acceptable or expected behaviours. In this respect it is necessary to observe that the nature of communication in the workplace is based on the ability to recognise cultural variation and adapt to the changing situation. Nevertheless diversity in the workplace provides differentiated service range, increased market potential and the possibility of higher efficiency (Poniatowski n.d). It is this benefit to businesses that pushes the need to generate active participation and increased awareness of cultural differences (Structural Integration). Poniatowski, (n.d) discusses approaches to cultural diversity in an organisation and suggests that it can be thought of as, cultural relativism, absolutism or pluralism. These illustrate examples of closed, hierarchical, (Monolithic) or individualistic (pluralistic) based culture differences which and is useful as a base to assess the level of understanding in an organisation. In industry, often the first issue to understanding and a stunt to effective communication is undoubtedly one of several factors. These include, language, environment/technology, social organization, contexting, authority, non- verbal behaviour, and conceptions of time (Victor 1992). At first glance, the initial interaction between cultures formulate an underlying set of psychological challenges (Mak, West- wood, Ishiyama, Barker, 1999; Sanchez, Spector, Cooper, 2000). Not only in a business context, this can often create (performance) anxiety (Stajkovic Luthans, 1998; Wood Bandura, 1989) and perhaps embarrassment (Keltner Buswell, 1997), in front of a critical, evaluative audience from the native culture (Edmondson, 1999). The required/expected behaviour in the foreign setting may also conflict with an individuals deeply ingrained values and beliefs, resulting in psychological distress, expressed in perspiration, nervousness and feelings of helplessness (Leong Ward, 2000; Sanc hez et al., 2000; Ward Searle,1991). Cox (1993) discusses the physical association between appearance, language and perception of identity to others and this dance with personal pressure, individual identification and understanding of others perceptions. This could and sometimes does illustrate communication problems through misunderstanding or something that may not be directly recognised as being culturally linked. It is often in this stage, or the first encounter, that prejudices start and can be illustrated through unpredicted behaviour such as an English person for instance speaking Hebrew in France, to the observer this wouldnt be normal or the perceived norm for a French person, highlighting not only the individual expectations based on explicit variables of appearance etc. but stereotypical views of national culture (Larkey 1996). Language is often seen as a variable to cultural identity and can be viewed as an example of explicit culture or observable reality (Hampden-Turner et al 2002). Beamer (1995) approaches this with the concept of schemata. This describes the idea of pre-existing mental structure that allow someone to make sense of information. With regards to cross cultural schemata this calls for a so-called alignment of thought processes referred to as mutual expectation (Hampden- Turner et al 2002) and is often difficult to achieve. The next step in this is the relation between the language and the tones of the dialect in its portrayal of ideas or concepts. As suggested by Tannen (1998) conversation is a mixture of engagement and a consistent pattern of constants and constraints, this can illustrated by the French or Italians for example, who use language dialogue as tools of elegance. Not only this but the subtle use of body language as an indication of expression. Meanings through language can be interpreted in a variety of ways. In many countries the use of silence can show understanding and appreciation even respect but this can also create misunderstanding not only of expression but intent. Language can also be regarded upon reflection of Maltz and Borkers (1982) work as an example of the gender-as-culture hypothesis, explaining differences in male and female language use and societal roles. They observed that children learn much complex social and communicative behaviour through interactions with same-sex peer groups this is then carried on throughout life. These social contexts not only promote gender-specific language styles and norms, but also reinforce gender-specific cultures, thus justifying personality trait theories such as those proposed by Smith, Dugan Trompenaars (1997) and underpinning the social prejudice work of Aldrich, (1999). More recently, Mulac, Bradac, and Gibbons (2001) observed that although men and women may speak the same language; they speak it differently.(Tannen) Similarly, Jameson (2007) suggests the cultural impact on emotion. â€Å"People have positive, negative, neutral, or ambivalent feelings not only about race but also about other components of cultural identity. For instance, a particular individual may feel positive about her gender, negative about her economic class, neutral about her nationality, and ambivalent about her ethnicity,† (Jameson 2007:25). This justifies the linguistic hurdles that belay intercultural communication even before conversion starts. The understanding then of language as expression and a projection of national character comes hand in hand with listening. As communication is a two way process, the listener or audience must respect the listening patterns and differences in the nature of conversation. It is important to recognise that communication is not simply restricted to verbal interaction. In modern society, the use of technology as management of teams and communication has pr ovided varied challenges in dealing with understanding globally. The increased use of virtual teams on widespread projects means there is a need to both get to grips with the advantages of the technology such as â€Å" frequent, easy, low-cost, around the clock communication and collaboration† (Duarte Snyder 1999: 24) but also to be sensitive to the audience, the levels of formality in an organisation, language and to have awareness of values and beliefs, communication styles, and approaches to decision making, problem solving, and conflict resolution when relying on non- face to face contact. Language and listening are related directly to methods of communication. As well as these, patterns of cross cultural business behaviour tend to stem from deal vs. relationship focus, informal vs. formal, rigid vs. fluid time and emotionally expressive vs. emotionally reserved cultures (Gesteland 2003). Again these interpretations like those of Hofstede (1980) etc. are relatively rigid in their attempts to justify differences, however they are useful in understanding a perspective pattern when dealing with communication. Deal focus cultures refers to task orientation whereby relationship focused are more people orientated. Similarly, those from egalitarian cultures differ with more formal counterparts from hierarchical societies, the perception of time is also fundamental in some cultures separating the lazy from the â€Å"arrogant martinets enslaved by clocks and arbitrary deadlines.† (Gesteland 2003:17). Those who exhibit an emotionally expressive nature communicate differen tly from those who are reserved, this resulting confusion can often be mistook for lack of understanding or effort thus creating a gap in negotiation of interaction management. Interpretation of body language also plays a significant aspect in the portrayal of the type of cultural pattern being displayed by those during interaction. The subtle differences in movements such as the head and eyes of the speaker, in cultures such as those of Spain or Greece is considered a reinforcement of position and a sign of respect, maintaining consistent eye contact for example, whereas in Japanese culture this same movement it is considered improper and rude. This type of behaviour is not uncommon to hierarchical cultures. Expressive features of the body also include the hands, used to emphasise a point. The notion of body language is a critical aspect in understanding the meaning of conversation sometimes not portrayed by the language, especially if the language is not native. Non- Verbal expres sions then like language can effect communication unintentionally. Similarly, cognitive patterns formulate reasoning and approaches to interaction. In this, understanding variations in thought between cultures promotes correct verbal response and action. For instance, in Japanese- United States (U.S) business deals, those thought to be completed by US negotiators can often be re-opened by the Japanese, this can be frustrating for the U.S but a necessary aspect of understanding for the Japanese (McDaniel, 2000). In addition to the levels and methods of interaction, both in the workplace and society, cultural identities are also thought to be associated with the idea of power positions, that some cultural groups have greater power, prestige, and status than others (Ridgeway and Berger, 1986; Nkomo, 1992; Ragins, 1997). In Western society there exists a predetermined cultural norm amongst a variety of groups. Many of these are becoming blurred but have been empirically proven by Alderfer (1987) as a residual cultural standard. This view of status is jointly underpinned by achievement vs. ascription cultures where a position is earned through education; such as a degree from a good school or attributes such as titles at birth. Not only this but also the idea of connections, status can be achieved through who you know ideology. There is much support for the notion that paying attention to differences in power and status is critical for understanding diversity in organisations. In Alderfers (1987) theory of intergroup relations, for example, the distribution of power among cultural identity groups, both inside the organization and in the larger society, is key to how people think, feel, and behave at work. The power distance index given by Hofstede illustrates this gap and underpins Harbermas (1970) study of communicative distortion whereby the hierarchical relationships or norms for interaction in an organisation will limit the extent to which communication is freely given in a global context. There is then a standard norm for communication that transcends the gap of cultural similarity, an underlying base of dos and donts or methods of conducting ones own behaviour during communication. Proponents of status characteristics theory (Ridgeway, 1988; 1991) argue that much of what we think of as the effects of membership in particular identity groups, such as race or sex, are in fact produced by the status value our society ascribes to those groups, so does this effect both our own personal rules for interaction, the rules dictated by the organisation or the expected rules of our culture? It is important to understand that there is a difference between intercultural communication and intercultural business communication. In intercultural business communication, communication can often depend for example on the interaction style. This may change depending upon the context. In this the identity of the person changes depending on the environment. For example, professional, social and cultural identities would alter the style of verbal contact. A social business interaction would be different for some cultures than others. This reflects the work by Spencer- Oatley (2000), which discusses the idea of identity face, where a person can use multiple layers of identities at a given moment (Collier and Thomas 1988; Hecht et al., 1993). Fundamentally, in business communication both strategies, goals, objectives, and practices become an integral part of the communication process and help create a new environment out of the synergy of culture, communication and business. The work of Holtgraves (1997) examines how culture influences whether a person uses direct or indirect communication. He finds that Koreans are more likely to be indirect than are U.S. citizens in intercultural communication. Gudykunst, Matsumoto, and Ting-Toomey (1996) found that individual factors are better predictors of high and low-context communication styles than cultural values of individualism and collectivism. Hosftedes (2001) work on inter cultural interaction highlights the differential value systems of countries, this justifies the notion of communication methods highlighted by Holtgraves. In this, the likelihood of successful interaction is either enhanced or reduced by the value set of a given culture. Based on the ideas of individualism, collectivism, power distance, masculinity, femininity, long term orientation and uncertainty avoidance (Hofstede 2001) it is necessary to alter ones cultural and business environment and create a new context (Bolten, 1999). More than this how ever, there is a need to understand the impact of key organizational concepts such as HR and promotion policies, decision-making, competitive environment, financial/business laws and governmental regulations on the intercultural business communication processes. Participants in interaction must understand the relationship of business and culture in a particular environment to create a common ground to base discussion. In the work place certain predicated knowledge then can be detrimental to business relationships. The prejudices gained through peer interaction, value sets and indeed media interpretation learned or perceived through the process of â€Å"growing up,† all add to this vision of an outcome before any intercultural communication has taken place. It can often seem like a finite game of West vs. East ideology so often if these practices are used in organisations that use a monolithic approach this can have negative effects both economically for the business but make it even harder for employees to respond to change. In modern society there is a need to engage in cultural experimentation. The work by Lovett (1999) and Yan (1997) challenge the conservatism approach by presenting an argument based around the individual rather than culture, highlighting how interaction is formulated from an individual perspective. Simply, cultures dont interact with each other individuals do. This sent iment puts forth the cognitive approach to interaction based both on the value set of the culture, the transactional culture created by the interaction and the contextual understanding of both parties, developing a value hierarchy for interaction. This however isnt simplistic, unlike the linear, sender/receiver models such as those proposed by Limaye and Victor (1991), this could represent in itself a dominant personified role for either representative. Simple stated, communication and interaction between individuals is a product of the moment, the message is given but filtered before understood through these layers of culture as discussed in Lewis (2005 : p 44-45). Leininger (1997) suggests a more appropriate model for solving the issue of cultural understanding in methods of communication. She discusses presenting a relationship between business context and global strategies, the aims of each business; if these are clearly defined by both parties this systemic approach removes the necessity for traditional processional communication. Yet this model fails to reduce the gap between cultures, as highlighted by Fine (1996) perspective models often only gloss over practices but rarely alter the perception or differentials in neither organisation or individual, Walck (1995) agrees that such approaches would eliminate rather than manage diversity. So looking at the differences in cultural standards between two cultures, Fink et al (2007) would suggest that they are, â€Å"not necessarily the consequence of differences in a single cultural dimension (i.e., values). It can be safely assumed that contexts, choices, and decisions made within a society by groups or organizations and interactions among sets of values (combinations of values) can influence the emergence of specific cultural standards. Although these choices are based on values, different modes of behaviour may be relevant within different contexts.† (Fink et al. 2007:47) From a personal perspective, the transition between cultural environments whether through businesses exchanges or geographical movement can be enough to generate an atmosphere of uncertainty, referred to by Lewis (2000) as Culture Shock. Culture shock is a multifaceted experience often felt by people whose opinion of normality is blurred in a foreign country. Whereby societal norms or traditional approaches alter and everything is different to what is expected. From this, one can experience a sudden loss of identity, different in regards to cultural identity, this is based on the individual and perception of ones self irrespective of the base culture. This can be a daunting period, developing in stage transitions, moving first from an initial apprehensive model through crisis and resolution. Despite this movement though, the process if often cyclic and the transition between each and even the return to the host culture can re-ignite this out of body experience (Winkelman 1994). For c ommunication, culture shock can have negative effects with lack of enthusiasm, misunderstanding, and perhaps depression. But the individual needs to understand that despite culture requiring us to think and giving us metaphors, facts and norms it doesnt tell us what to think. Based on this idea, Cohen (1989) argues that identity can be created through community, the idea of symbolic or imagined community in the host culture. This paints a pretty picture, but doesnt solve the underlying problems of ethnomethodology, and people can sometimes fail pray to others definitions of their identity when maintaining extended periods in foreign environments, the idea of cultural Diaspora (Gilroy 1993, Jenkins 1996). Critically for the success of business interaction, it is the ability to recognise ones own programming or the awareness of ones own metaphors for being that lays the foundation for communication. Yet at present even with a degree of understanding, there still remains an interactive gap between cultures. The idea that cultures stick together is prominent from the boardroom to the classroom. As discussed by Echenique et al (2007) the use of social networks can be used to both explain and or reduce this gap, currently a Spectral Segregation Index (SSI) has been used to measure the connectedness of individuals from a variety of backgrounds and makes it possible to compare the segregation between cultures. By using this information and the principle behind social networking, coupled with the studies of Hofstede, Trompenaars and others, it is possible to disperse knowledge about different cultures direct to applications in the office etc. before interaction as better or additional prepara tion before intercultural communication. So, by both recognising the initial difference in culture, understanding yourself and the importance of differences in dialect, movement and the type of culture set (Values etc.), you can then understand the perceptions of those you are in relations with. From this you can research and alter your approach to better suit the type of culture to limit the impact of intercultural interaction both during and after communication. References. Aldrich, H. E. (1999) â€Å"Organizations evolving.† London: Sage. Beamer, L (1995) A schemata model for intercultural encounters and case study The emperor and the envoy. Journal of Business Communication, 32, pp.141-162. Bell, A. H. (1992) â€Å"Business communication: Toward 2000.† Cincinnati: South western. Bolten, J. (1999) â€Å"Intercultural business communication: An interactive approach.† In C. R. Lovitt and D. Goswami (Eds.) â€Å"Exploring the rhetoric of international professional communication† (pp. 139-156). New York: Baswood. Briley, D. A., Aaker, J. L. (2006) â€Å" When Does Culture Matter? Effects of Personal Knowledge on the Correction of Culture-Based Judgements.† Journal of Marketing Research. 43 (3), pp.395-408. Chow, C W., Deng, J.F and. Ho J. L. (2000), â€Å"The Openness of Knowledge Sharing Within Organizations: A Comparative Study of the United States and the Peoples Republic of China,† Journal of Management Accounting Research, 12 (January), pp.65-95. Cohen, A.P. (1989) â€Å" The Symbolic Construction of Community.† London: Routledge. Collier, M. J., Thomas, M. (1988) â€Å"Cultural identity: An interpretive perspective†. In Y. Y. Kim W. B. Gudykunst (Eds.), â€Å"Theories in intercultural communication (International and Intercultural Communication Annual, Vol. 12, pp. 99-120)†. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Cox,T. H., Jr. (1993) â€Å"Cultural Diversity in Organizations: Theory, Research, and Practice†. San Francisco:Berrett-Koehler, Duarte, D. L., Snyder, N. T. (1999) â€Å"Mastering virtual teams.† San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. In Uber Crosse, C. (2002) â€Å" Managing Communication Within Virtual Intercultural Teams.† Business Communication Quarterly, Volume 65, Number 4. pp. 22-38 Edmondson, A. E. (1999) â€Å"Psychological safety and learning behaviour in work teams.† Administrative Science Quarterly, 44. pp.350 -383. Echenique, F and Fryer. Jr, R.G. (2007) â€Å" A measure of segregation based on social interaction.† The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 122 (2). Fine, M.G. (1996) â€Å" Cultural Diversity in the workplace: The state of the field.† The Journal of Business Communication. 33 (4). pp. 485-502 Gagliardi, P. (1986) â€Å" The creation and change of organizational cultures: A conceptual framework.† Organizational Studies.7. pp.117 134. Gesteland, R.R. (2003) â€Å" Cross- Cultural business behaviour. Marketing, Negotiating, Sourcing and Managing across cultures.† Denmark: Copenhagen Business School Press. Gilroy, P. (1993) â€Å" The Black Atlantic: Modernity and double consciousness.† London:Verso. Graham, J. L. (1985) â€Å"The influence of culture on the process of business negotiations: An exploratory study.† Journal of International Business Studies, 16(1), pp. 81-96. Gudykunst, W. B., Matsumoto, Y., and Ting-Toomey, S. (1996) â€Å"The influence of cultural individualism-collectivism, self construals, and individual values on communication styles across cultures.† Human Communication Research, 22, pp.510-543. Harbermas, J. (1970) On systematically distorted communication. Inquiry, 13, pp. 205 -218 (1972) Knowledge and Human Interests. London: Heinemann Hofstede, G. H. (1980) â€Å"Cultures Consequences: Inter- national Differences in Work-Related Values.† Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. Holtgraves, T. (1997) â€Å"Styles of language use: Individual and cultural variety in conversational indirectness†. Journal of Personality Social Psychology, 73, pp. 624-637. Jenkins, R. (1996) â€Å"Social Identity.† London: Routledge. Kale, S. H. (1991) â€Å"Culture-specific Marketing Communications: An Analytical Approach† International Marketing Review, Vol. 8 Issue 2, pp 18. Keltner, D., and Buswell, B. N. (1997) â€Å"Embarrassment: Its distinct form and appeasement functions.† Psychological Bulletin, 122. pp.250 -270. Larkey, L. K. (1996) â€Å"Toward a theory of communicative interactions in culturally diverse workgroups.† Academy of Management Review. 21. pp.463-491 Leininger, C. (1997) â€Å"The alignment of global management strategies, international com- munication approaches, and individual rhetorical choices.† Journal of Business and Technical Communication, 11(3), pp. 261-280. Lewis, R. D. (2005) â€Å" When cultures collide, leading across cultures.† Finland: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Leong, C. H., and Ward, C. (2000) â€Å"Identity conflict in sojourners.† International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24. pp. 763- 776. Liu, B. S. C., Furrer, O and Sudharshan, D. (2001), â€Å"The Relationships Between Culture and Behavioural Intentions Toward Services,† Journal of Service Research, 4 (2), 118-30. Mak, A. S., Westwood, M. J., Ishiyama, F. I., Barker, M. C. (1999) â€Å"Optimizing conditions for learning sociocultural competencies for success.† International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 23. pp.77-90. Olivas-Lujan, M R., Harzing, A W., McCoy, S. (2004) â€Å"September 11, 2001: Two Quasi-Experiments on the Influence of Threats on Cultural Values and Cosmopolitanism,† International Journal of Cross Cultural Manage- ment, 4 (2), pp. 211-28. Poniatowski, B. (n.d) â€Å" The Future of Cultures: Challenges and Opportunities for Cultural Diversity† [Online], Available: www.unu.edu/hq/japanese/gs-j/gs2001j/okinawa3/poniatowski-full-e.pdf [14 Dec 2009] McDaniel, E. R. (2000) â€Å" Japanese negotiation practices, Low context communication in a high context culture.† Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Arizona State University. In Neuliep, J. W. (2000) â€Å"Intercultural communication: A contextual approach† (pp.14). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Sanchez, J. I., Spector, P. E., Cooper, C. L. (2000) â€Å"Adapting to a boundary less world: A developmental expatriate model.† Academy of Management Review, 14. pp. 96 -106. Smith, P. B., Dugan, S., Trompenaars, F. (1997) â€Å"Locus of control and affectivity by gender and occupational status: A 14 nation study.† Sex Roles, 36(1/2),pp. 51-77. Spencer-Oatey, H. (2000) â€Å" Rapport management: A framework for analysis†. In H. Spencer-Oatey (Ed.), â€Å"Culturally speaking: Managing rapport through talk across cultures† (pp. 11-46). London: Continuum, Stajkovic, A. D., Luthans, F. (1998) â€Å"Social cognitive theory and self-efficacy: Going beyond traditional motivational and behavioural approaches.† Organizational Dynamics, 26(4) pp.62-74. Tannen, D. (1998) â€Å" Oh Talking Voice that is so sweet: The poetic nature of conversation.† Social Research Vol. 65, No. 3. pp. 631-651. Trompenaars, F (1994) â€Å"Riding the Waves of Culture Understanding Diversity in Global Business†. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin Professional Publications. Tylor, E. B (1891) â€Å"Primitive Culture† London: Murray. Varner, I and Valentine, D. (2001) â€Å" Teaching Intercultural Management Communication: Where Are We? Where Do We Go?† Business Communication Quarterly;, Vol. 64 Issue 1, pp. 99-111. Victor, D. A. (1992) â€Å"International business communication†. New York: HarperCollins. Walck, C. L. (1995) â€Å"Editors introduction: Diverse approaches to managing diversity†. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 31. pp.119-123. Ward, C., and Searle, W. (1991) â€Å"The impact of value discrepancies and cultural identity on psychological and socio-cultural adjustment of sojourners.† International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 15. pp. 209 -225. Winkelmen, M. (1994) â€Å"Cultural Shock and Adaptation.† Journal of Counselling Development.73. pp. 121-126.