The eNotes Blog If These Cave Walls CouldTalk

If These Cave Walls CouldTalk Linguists have unlocked the key to what our ancient ancestors may have sounded like, and it sounds pretty amazing.   Did you know that 6,500 years ago English and Farsi were the same language? Hows that for world unity. From there, the language morphed into the single descendant of all modern Indo-European languages: PIE (which stands for Proto-Indo-European). Since recording equipment was sparse 4,500 years ago and PIE left no written texts, nobody has ever known what the language might have sounded like. Until now, that is. Below is a recording of a fable, The Sheep and Horses, read in what linguists believe to be an accurate reconstruction of PIE. The journey to this recording began with German linguist August Schleicher in 1868. Schleicher used reconstructed Proto-Indo-European vocabulary to create a fable in order to hear some approximation of PIE. Called â€Å"The Sheep and the Horses,† and also known today as Schleicher’s Fable, the short parable tells the story of a shorn sheep who encounters a group of unpleasant horses (Archaeology magazine). The above recording is the most recently updated version of this fable, which has been slightly altered over the years to reflect linguists most informed ideas of how humans might have sounded more than six milennia before our time. The reading comes courtesy of Andrew Byrd, a linguist at the University of Kentucky. For your amusement, here are the English and PIE transcriptions of the now infamous Schleichers Fable: The Sheep and the Horses A sheep that had no wool saw horses, one of them pulling a heavy wagon, one carrying a big load, and one carrying a man quickly. The sheep said to the horses: My heart pains me, seeing a man driving horses. The horses said: Listen, sheep, our hearts pain us when we see this: a man, the master, makes the wool of the sheep into a warm garment for himself. And the sheep has no wool. Having heard this, the sheep fled into the plain. H2à ³uÃŒ ¯is h1à ©Ã¡ ¸ ±uÃŒ ¯Ã… s-kwe h2uÃŒ ¯eiÃŒ ¯ h1iÃŒ ¯osmà ©iÃŒ ¯ h2uÃŒ ¯lÃŒ ¥h1nh2  nà © h1à ©st, sà ³ h1à ©Ã¡ ¸ ±uÃŒ ¯oms derá ¸ ±t. sà ³ gwrÃŒ ¥hxà ºm uÃŒ ¯Ãƒ ³Ã‡ µhom uÃŒ ¯eÇ µhed; sà ³ mà ©Ã‡ µh2mÃŒ ¥ bhà ³rom; sà ³ dhÇ µhà ©monmÃŒ ¥ h2á ¹â€œÃ¡ ¸ ±u bhered. h2à ³uÃŒ ¯is h1à ©kwoiÃŒ ¯bhiÃŒ ¯os uÃŒ ¯euÃŒ ¯ked: â€Å"dhÇ µhà ©monmÃŒ ¥ spà ©Ã¡ ¸ ±iÃŒ ¯oh2  h1à ©Ã¡ ¸ ±uÃŒ ¯oms-kwe h2Ç µeti, á ¸ ±Ã¡ ¸â€"r moiÃŒ ¯ aghnutor†. h1à ©Ã¡ ¸ ±uÃŒ ¯Ã… s tu uÃŒ ¯euÃŒ ¯kond: â€Å"á ¸ ±ludhà ­, h2ouÃŒ ¯eiÃŒ ¯! tà ³d spà ©Ã¡ ¸ ±iÃŒ ¯omes, nÃŒ ¥smà ©iÃŒ ¯ aghnutà ³r á ¸ ±Ã¡ ¸â€"r: dhÇ µhà ©mÃ… , pà ³tis, sÄ“ h2uÃŒ ¯iÃŒ ¯es h2uÃŒ ¯lÃŒ ¥h1nh2  gwhà ©rmom uÃŒ ¯Ãƒ ©strom uÃŒ ¯ept, h2uÃŒ ¯ibhiÃŒ ¯os tu h2uÃŒ ¯lÃŒ ¥h1nh2  nà © h1esti. tà ³d á ¸ ±eá ¸ ±luuÃŒ ¯Ã¡ ¹â€œs h2à ³uÃŒ ¯is h2aÇ µrà ³m bhuged. And you thought Spanish was hard For another cool recording of PIE check out this article from Archaeology magazine.

How To Turn Spanish Adjectives Into Adverbs

How To Turn Spanish Adjectives Into Adverbs In English, it is common to create an adverb by adding the suffix -ly to the end of an adjective. In Spanish, we can do something almost as easy- create an adverb by adding the suffix -mente to a certain form of the adjective. How to Use -Mente The -mente is added to the singular feminine form of the adjective. For example, the singular feminine form of ruidoso (noisy) is ruidosa, so the adverb form is ruidosamente (noisily). The adjectives with separate masculine and feminine forms are those whose dictionary listings end in -o, such as quieto (quiet). To create the corresponding adverb, change the ending to -a, in this case quieta, and then add -mente. Thus the corresponding adverb for quieto is quietamente (quietly). Since many adjectives have no separate masculine or feminine forms, the suffix is often simply added to the singular. So the adjective triste (sad) can be turned into the adverb tristemente, and feliz (happy) can easily be turned into felizmente (happily). Examples of Adjectives With Corresponding Adverbs Here are some of the most common Spanish adjectives that have corresponding -mente adverbs along with possible translations. Note that in a few cases the meanings of the Spanish adverbs are different than what you might expect simply from adding -ly to the English equivalent adjective. abierto (open), abiertamente (openly, obviously)aburrido (boring), aburridamente (in a boring manner)alto (tall, high), altamente (highly)cansado (tired), cansadamente (wearily, tediously)comà ºn (common), comà ºnmente (commonly, normally)dà ©bil (weak), dà ©bilmente (weakly)dulce (sweet, kind), dulcemente (sweetly, gently)equivocado (mistaken), equivocadamente (mistakenly)feo (ugly, dreary), feamente (horribly, badly)grande (large, great), grandemente (extremely, greatly; largely can often be translated using en gran parte or principalmente)inteligente (intelligent), inteligentemente (intelligently)justo (fair, just, exact), justamente (fairly, justly, exactly)lento (slowly), lentamente (slowly)limpio (clean), limpiamente (cleanly, with integrity or honesty)lindo (pretty, beautiful), lindamente (beautifully, elegantly)llana (flat, level, unpretentious, modest), llanamente (plainly, frankly, straightforwardly)loco (crazy), locamente (with lack of prudence or moderation)nuevo (new ), nuevamente (anew, again; a common way of saying newly is recientemente) pobre (poor), pobremente (poorly)rpido (quick, fast), rpidamente (quickly, rapidly)repugnante (repugnant), repugnantemente (repugnantly)raro (rare), raramente (rarely)rico (rich), ricamente (richly, very well, abundantly)sano (healthy), sanamente (healthily, healthfully)seco (dry), secamente  (coldly when referring to behavior; curtly)simple (simple, easy), simplemente (simply, straightforwardly)sucio (dirty), suciamente (in a dirty or filthy way, meanly)tonto (stupid, foolish), tontamente (stupidly, foolishly)tranquilo (quiet, calm), tranquilamente (quietly, calmly) Avoiding Overuse of -Mente Adverbs Even though a -mente adverb may exist doesnt always mean its the only or even the preferred way of expressing something. First, in Spanish, more so than English, it is common to use an adverbial phrase even though a single-word adverb may exist. For example, while baratamente can be used to indicate that something was bought or made cheaply, it is more common to say a precio bajo (at a low cost) or even de forma barata (in a cheap way). Second, there are a few adjectives that are often used as adverbs even though separate adverbial forms exist. Among the more common are rpido and lento, which can mean not just fast and slow, respectively, but also rapidly and slowly. Spelling and Pronunciation of -Mente Adverbs As in the above examples of dà ©bil and rpido, if an adjective has an accent mark, the corresponding -mente adverb retains the accent mark, even though the spoken emphasis likely will be on the next-to-last syllable. Adverbs in a Series When two or more s: Habla lenta y claramente. (She speaks slowly and clearly.)Anda cuidada, dolorosa y pacientemente. (He walks carefully, painfully and patiently.)Creo que ests equivocado: triste, absoluta y totalmente equivocado. (I think youre mistaken - sadly, absolutely and totally mistaken.)

Promise and peril Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Promise and peril - Essay Example Though many studies have been conducted on pay-for-performance, not much has been investigated on managers’ pay-for-performance implementation strategies. Managers usually face potential problems in their attempt to implement pay-for-performance programmes. Under pay-for-performance plans, significant effort of the management is focused on motivating employees at the expenses of other tasks relevant for organisational growth. However, the proponents of pay-for-performance argue that intelligent design of the plans remains crucial for evading implementation challenges for pay-for-performance programmes. There is need for training on how to effectively implement pay-for-performance programs. According to the authors, it is essential to gain adequate knowledge of the scenario under which pay-for-performance implementation is taking place in order to develop an unbiased understanding of the topic. Using HP case studies, Beer and Cannon discovered that the management used pay-for-performance as extra inducement to achieve higher employee performance. While creating a line between individual employees or teams in terms of performance so as to maintain fairness, the challenge of attaining desirable results becomes evident, especially when it is essential for teams or individuals to work together. In their article, the authors argue that managers abandoned their pay-for-performance plans because they perceived the programmes to bear more costs than benefits to the

Research and Litereture review Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

And Litereture review - Research Paper Example In this context, the study has been undertaken among 700 Thai undergraduate students among the six different faculties and four different institutions as the sample to view the perception of varied students. Moreover, in order to compare the rate of plagiarism across the different facility, one-way ANOVA test has been performed. Also, as the study has been undertaken from the prospective of six different faculties thus, the one-way AVONA test has been conducted to measure the similarity and dissimilarity in the mean values of the statistics. Furthermore, the result of mean values derived from AVONA test helps to address the question that the rate of plagiarism differs among the faculties, which signifies that the attitudes of students towards different faculty are not similar (University of Vermont, 2014; Songsriwittaya et. al. 2009). Schrimsher et.al. (2011) conducted their study with the goal of determining the attitude of students towards plagiarism as well as misconducts in the academic activities in the context of Samford University. Additionally, this research has been conducted using the primary data collection method from 681 Samford University students with the help of close ended question in yes/no form and rating based on Likert scales. In order to derive the aforesaid aim of the research, different research questions have been framed and the responses of the survey respondents have been analyzed using the Chi square test. Chi square method for the analysis of data significantly assists in determining the differences in the attitudes of the students, which is included in the survey. Moreover, the result derived from Chi square signifies in the research that majority of the students have the perception that if one submits others written work it will be termed as an act of plagiarism. Nevertheless, it al so signifies with the test that students have extremely disregarded the high amount of cheating at Samford University. Ryan et. al.

Ancient India Essay Example for Free

Ancient India Essay The era that brought India into the map of cultural prominence was during the rule of the Gupta Dynasty. The 4th and 5th century C. E. is considered as the Golden Age of India. The attainment of this Golden Age was made possible by the rule and influence of the Gupta Dynasty, which fostered the development of both the cultural and the political might of India during its time. The Gupta Rulers Chandragupta I, son of Ghatotkacha, was the fist imperial ruler of the empire situated in the north of the then India in the Vindhya Range. By marrying the princess of Licchavis, he formed alliance with the clan and begun power expansion. One of the important administrative systems that he established during his reign was the assembly of councilors that nominated his successor. The largest territorial expansion of the empire was undertaken during the reign of Samudragupta, son of Chandragupta I. His campaign established the largest political unit in South Asia at that time (Heitzman, 2007). He is considered as one of the greatest military geniuses in the history of India. One of his notable contributions was the establishment of coins made of pure gold. More than an exemplary military leader, he was also a patron of the arts as he was a celebrated poet and musician. He made coinage as the expertise of his time. Chandragupta II further expanded the empire through war conquests. His power was extended from coast-to-coast; and his reign became the economical high point of the empire through the establishment of trading capitals. During the reign of Kumaragupta I, the Pushyamitras tribe became powerful and had post threat to the empire. His successor, Skandagupta, considered the last of the great Gupta rulers, defeated the tribe but the territory was later on invaded by the White Huns. This defeat signaled the start of the decline of the empire. The Impact of the Empire The Gupta Dynasty is highly regarded for their contributions to the arts and culture of South Asia. Though the rulers cultural role was limited, their coinage expresses their being patrons of the arts (Heitzman, 2007). According to Hooker (1996), the eras cultural creativity is exemplified in magnificent architecture, sculpture and paintings. The paintings found in the Ajanta Cave are considered to be the most powerful works of the Indian art. Literature also flourished during that time of Indian history. The Gupta Empire had produced one of the greatest writers of poetry, Kalidasa. He is known for his lyric poetry and dramas, not only in India but also in Asian and even Western circles. It is also observed that the trading ports of the empire made the Indian culture dominant in the region. The period of the Gupta Dynasty was the period of â€Å"Greater India† (Hooker, 1996). Their cultural influences were extended through Burma, Cambodia and Sri Lanka. Another cultural legacy of the dynasty is the coinage system and effective administrative system. Their government was governed with only one taxation system centralized to the empire capital in Pataliputra. The kings remained to be the vassal kings where the entire kingdom was consolidated into single administrative unit (Hooker, 1996). The era of the Gupta Dynasty has not only uplifted the country politically but culturally as well. It has spilled over its influence in the South Asian region through wide range of trading products and services. Though it was later on buried in the pages of Indian history, its legacy to the Indian nation continue to this age. Its cultural heritage truly makes India one of the richest cultures in the world. References: Hooker, Richard (1996). The Age of the Guptas and After. Ancient India. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/ANCINDIA/GUPTA. HTM Heitzman, James (2007). Gupta Dynasty. Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2007. Retrieved September 17, 2007 from http://encarta. msn. com.

Sociological Imagination Essay examples -- Sociology

To understand the term `Sociological Imagination', it is important to identify what Sociology is and what do sociologists study. It is also vital to look at the three basic concerns of the sociological imagination or perspective, which include Social Structure, Social Institutions and Social Processes. Moreover, it is necessary to understand what C. Wright Mills means when he mentions "the personal troubles of milieu" and "the public issues of social structure", and how it helps us to understand the society in which we live in. What is `Sociological Imagination'? To answer this question a person must first know what Sociology is. Sargent (1994) states that "There is no short answer... however, we can come to understand the nature of Sociology." It may be explained as the study of society. R.Van Kraken et all (2000) explains it in a more complex sense as "the description and analysis of the social forces that shape human behavior in contemporary social life." Sociological imagination is central to the study of society because it allows many of the perso...

Greed Essay †Enron and Northern Rock Corporate Collapse

Abstract The spectacular collapse of both Enron and Northern Rock illustrate two very distinct methods of errant policy that deserve continual study.This essay examines and compares the roles of both companies during their respective period of failure in order to determine the fundamental causes that led each of these companies to ruin. The evidence presented outlines a pattern of greed, ambition and poor policy that combined to drive the entities to failure. This research will be of value to any person looking into corporate collapse. 1 Introduction Failure in business comes in many forms making continual evaluation beneficial. The cases of the spectacular collapse of both Enron and Northern Rock illustrate two very distinct methods of errant policy. This essay examines and compares the roles of both companies during this period of failure in order to determine the fundamental causes that led each of these companies to ruin. With a focus on the role of fraud, market value accounting, fraud and creative accounting this study will identify and evaluate the underlying causes that have been credited with defining business risk in the modern age. In the end, this essay examines and evaluates the fundamental factors associated with the collapse of Enron and Northern Rock with the stated goal of determining the best methods of avoiding such a scenario in the future. 2 Corporate Collapse2.1 OverviewEnron was once considered a blue chip investment with the inherent capacity to bolster any portfolio during the 1990’s until the collapse of 2001 (Khan, 2011). Once regarded as a premier investment, Enron became associated with a wide range of questionable accounting practice, fraud and insider trading during their term of operations. Over the course of 1990’s, Enron was cited and held up as a pillar of innovation and performance with many institutions attempting to emulate their professed success (Arnold and Lange, 2004). This early idolization of the rising company seems to have increased overall investor interest and expectation. With a platform based on gas and electricity and a long list of associated enterprises including online and investment services utilized by nearly every other energy entity of the period, Enron was the acknowledged leader in the international energy industry (Solomon and Solomon, 2004). With a broad based syst em of investors, there was substantial fallout when the final collapse of the company was announced in 2001, with many in the industry decrying the lack of oversight amid the opportunity for fraud (Khan, 2011). The rise and fall of Enron, even on basic level is a reflection of a company’s ability to build and play upon investors’ expectations, which indicates a willingness on the part of the investors to risk their money in a questionable investment. Northern Rock was once considered a leading voice in the UK banking industry (Marshall et al, 2012). Created as a result of a merger between the North East Building Society and the Northern counties Permanent Building Society and the Rock Building Society, the Northern Rock Building Society was in an ideal position to create and further their own business interests. A key area of concern for investors was the fact that Northern Rock derived its capital from depositors until the deregulation efforts of the 1980’s (Ma rshall et al, 2012). With the relaxation of oversight, it became possible for entities such as Northern Rock to consider and implement alternate solutions for revenue increase that included heavy investment in the stock market and mortgage industry. Complementing the perception of leadership and dedication to the market were statistics that cited Northern Rock as one of the leading mortgage lenders during the period of the early 2000’s (Mclean and Elkind, 2003). With a wish to capitalize as much as possible on the conditions of the growing market, which included the American mortgage market prior to 2008, Northern Rock leadership opted to invest heavily in the subprime market that generated so much profit during this period (Dawley et al, 2012). This argument suggests that the old industry region that was home to the company’s operations had a direct impact on the initial success and eventual failure of the Ban. This initial overview demonstrates that there was a real drive to produce revenue on the part of both of these companies, which in turn fuelled their need to succeed at any cost. In both cases, Enron and Northern Rock began with a legitimate business foundation, yet desired a continual increase in power and revenue which led to poor decisions and policy implementation. In a very real way, this brief illustration suggests that the success factor prompted these companies to act in the selfish and rash manner that brought about their downfall.2.2 Companies2.2.1 EnronThe manner in which leadership creates, endorses and implements a company policy is a critical component to any entities day to day operations (O’Connell, 2004). In this case Enron leadership including Ken Lay, Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow were primarily credited with first leading the company to incredible heights, and then engineering the massive failure due to their own incredible greed. Perhaps a leading indic ator of the manner of leadership Ken Lay found appealing lay in his continual support of the oil trading company headed by Borget that was deemed acceptable as long as there was a profit, regardless of method (Swartz and Watkins, 2003). Organizational culture built on greed and corruption will continue to breed these same elements throughout any organization (Solomon et al, 2004). In this case Enron leadership’s goal of creating a nature gas stock exchange was driven by the desire to increase market share and revenue. In the beginning this form of innovation and aggressive marketing were deemed acceptable, but with subsequent discoveries of accounts including M. Yass, or My ass, created by Borget there was an acknowledgement of corruption (Fox, 2003). Despite Enron initially endorsing Borget and his practices as the scope of the losses mounted, Ken Lay actively denied any wrong doing, taking advantage of the lack of information that he cultivated. The lack of any serious form of financial oversight allowed Enron to create questionable forms of accounting and bookkeeping that extended their perception of propriety (Solomon, 2004). During deregulation effort of the late twentieth century, there was serious contention on the part of the business community that there was a need to reduce regulation in order to benefit the consumer. Leadership at Enron eagerly campaigned on the notion that deregulation would actively increase the capacity for the worker (Swartz et al, 2003). Blaming regulation for higher electricity the lobbyists were largely successful in their drive to remove any meaningful oversight in the industry. This push included a state by state approach that allowed Enron to utilize their regional positions to great advantage, thereby ensuring a smoother experience (Boje et al, 2004). Skilling created concept of an asset lite strategy, or not actually owning the assets, simply bundling and selling the energy, which in tur n provided Enron with a potential method to drastically increase revenue with little to no paper trail (Solomon et al, 2014). The summer of 1998 witnessed a bonanza for Enron as there was a perception of volatility that enabled them to drastically capitalize on the market, leading to the perception that Skilling was a genius (Swartz et al, 2003). During this period following deregulation many of the Enron’s greatest profits were made by employees finding loopholes and exploiting these accounting or business practices to the utmost in order to increase revenue (Arnold and Lange, 2005). Again, this policy of attempting to end run regulation only promotes the false ideal that the company or its employees was smarter than the system. Enron has been credited with employing many questionable accounting techniques during their period of operation in order to bolster expectations (Gordon, 2002). This drive to provide a continuous profit for the company led the leadership to adopt acc ounting practices that did more to obstruct the revelation of negative data in order to maintain profits. A combination of being at the right place in the form of evolving deregulation and belonging to a culture of greed and corruption created the atmosphere that prompted these increasingly poor accounting practices (Macey, 2003). At the heart of Enron’s trouble rests a lack of strong corporate governance and an increasing disregard for public regulation and investor welfare (Vinten, 2002). Beginning with methods that merely bent the rules, the accounting practices at Enron had to become larger in order to account for the burgeoning debt that was being created (Parker, 2005). This form of creative bookkeeping suggests that there was a strong knowledge that operations at the company were not only limited in scope, but there was a need to make as much money as possible at any cost. This form of accounting was illustrated in the Mark to Market accounting expansion that served to misinform investors on accurate valuations, thereby increasing Enron’s value (Shelly, 2011). While essentially legal, the stretching and reinterpretation of the rules allowed Enron to create a wide margin of profit on paper. Further, the use of limited partnership and outside parties increased the level of secrecy and uncertainty that surrounded every Enron valuation process including the Credit Default Swaps and Collateralised Debt Obligations (Swartz et al, 2010). These measures became necessary in order to provide the company with the means to maintain expectations, bonuses and pensions. From the outset, Enron was out to make money (Jennings, 2002). Each innovation was aimed at delivering the most revenue to the leadership, not the investors. Each decision and example of culture illustrates the greed and ambition of those behind the Enron debacle. In the accounting profession a fair presentation is regarded as an accurate representation of a working operation, creative ac counting is identified as flexible practice that best serves the interests of the clients, with fraudulent accounting made up of those that blatantly step outside the law (Buckley, 2011). Enron has displayed an initial fair value accounting method that degenerated into a fraudulent accounting method with evidence that paints a portrait of unrestrained greed, propped up by poor regulation and aided by tacit indulgence of success. There is a clear need to conduct ethical business in order to sustain opportunities (Gill, 2009). This was does not seem to have happened in the case of Enron. This evidence suggests that no matter how Enron had attempted to compensate for poor practice, there could have been no other plausible outcome than failure.2.2.2 Northern RockInitially specialising in residential and commercial mortgages Northern Rock quickly became an industry frontrunner under the leadership of Adam Applegarth in 2001(Marshall et al, 2012). This form of leadership actively profited from the prior methods of operation, utilizing the past profit to invest in the present stock market, primarily the growing sector mortgage securities. Linsley and Slack (2013) argue that prior to 2001 Northern Rock projected a ethic of care, which in turn was cited for the intense feelings of betrayal following the collapse of the Bank. There was a sense that leadership of the Bank was overly ambitious in their efforts to capitalize on their existing assets by putting all of the previous savings at risk (Marshall et al, 2012). This suggests that the clientele of Northern Rock expected their leadership to take greater care and substantially less risk. Three primary points including Northern Rocks previous existence as a building society, the local or regional nature of the bank and the appearance of the Northern Rock Foundation bolstered the perception of a caring institution that was out to serve the populace (Linsley, 2013). With the change in policy brought about by a new leader , there was a palpable sense of anger and disillusionment with both Northern Rock and the direction of their investments. It very much seems as if was this effort from the previous eras, the caring and attentive attitude that served to amplify the negativity as the bank began to crumble under the weight of poor leadership and management. With the onset of the subprime collapse in the United States and the massive international recession that followed, it became impossible for Northern Rock to meet its financial obligations, which in turn prompted the failure of the bank (Linsley et al, 2013). The innovative nature of the investment pattern such as the ‘Together’ investment scenario set out by Northern Rock was a stark departure from the mutualisation process of previous eras (Nesvetailova and Palan, 2013). With the ambitious investment goals set out by Applegarth, it became necessary for the bank to move from the 75% per cent income from depositors to a much more modest 25% with the remaining balance being accounted for by investment and loans (Nesvetailova, 2013). As reflected by consumer discontent with the policy decision, the entire process became disliked and heavily blamed for the eventual run on the bank. The new pattern of investment required Northern Rock to pursue securitization in a fashion that created special purpose vehicles in order to allow these securities to become liquid and thereby tradable (Deegan and Unerman, 2011). This process allowed Northern Rock to obscure their accurate worth by essentially hiding these accounts offshore (Scott, 20 08). With an accounting practice that was creative and innovative at the time, Northern Rock utilized this method in order to expand their projected revenues, thereby further enhancing their operations. In order to continue lending at the bank level, mortgages could be sold, or further funds borrowed on the mortgage securities, which in turn kept Northern Rock liquid initially (Gaffikin, 2008). This culture of greed no matter the cost fuelled the leadership drive to not only continue this practice, but expand it to incorporate up to 50 per cent of the Northern Rock operational platform (Deegan et al, 2011). Depending too heavily on any volatile market has the potential to put any operation at risk at any time (Domhoff, 2013). This evidence suggests that Northern Rock was substantially impacted by the subprime mortgage collapse and the inability to borrow money from the lenders. With a business model that was directly dependant on the interbank lending process, this sudden halt of funding was a severe and crippling blow, only enhanced by the need for the bank to have these funds on hand in order to shore up fading public support. The perception of dismay and lack of trust only increased as Northern Rock found itself undercut by rivals with better loan rates (Deegan et al, 2011). With no ready pool of funding available and no one to purchase the securities, some of which were frozen due to questionable value, the internal situation deteriorated to the point of collapse nearly overnight. Regulation and lack of effective constraints in the financial process has been cited as an element of the Northern Rock collapse (Nesvetailova, 2013). There was a sustained feeling that the explosive pattern of growth quickly overwhelmed any regulation effort, which in turn led to unsatisfactory testing and performance assessments. The caring culture that once benefited operations at Northern Rock was transformed to increased discontent with the announcement of the government bailout, which in turn fuelled the run on the bank (Deegan, et al, 2011). This evidence suggests that it was the very elements of safe investment that had given Northern Rock the opportunity for investment initially and that the prudent course of action would have been to maintain a pattern of considerate investment rather than an all-out bid for industry leadership. With the nationalization of the Northern Rock entity, the government became the only remaining investor, shouldering the substantial loss that had once been a thriving multi-generational company (Deegan et al, 2011). 3 Conclusion Both Enron and Northern Rock exhibited similar and distinctly different traits as this study as illustrated. Each of the companies possessed leadership that was very focused on success and revenue. This culture of greed and ambition served to initially propel both companies into positions of leadership which was demonstrated by their drastic increase in value and recognition during the early phases. While both companies began with fair trade accounting methods, there were driving forces behind each entities operation after that period. Enron began to employ outright fraud in their accounting practices, in some cases going so far as to completely create fictional assets in order to maintain viability. In contrast Northern Rock employed creative accounting methods to legally utilize their existing assets to invest in the subprime mortgage market. While Northern Rocks leadership made poor choices, there was no element of blatant fraud as perpetrated by Enron. There was a distinct organi sational culture gap between Enron and Northern Rock. The ethic of care environment enacted a perception of interest in the consumers of Northern Rock aided the long term business efforts and sustained operations over generations. Enron was focused on profit and the means to increase profit from the point of inception, creating management techniques that encouraged a liberal interpretation of any regulation, placing revenue generation above the need to present a high level of honesty during operation. A similarity that binds both companies together was the leadership intention to use the open market to increase their net assets. Further, there was a directed action by both management institutions to hide the debt from the consumer and investors in order to prop up their image and brand. Once considered pioneering, creative and innovative the combination of deregulation, massive growth and complex rules provided a wide range of opportunities that these companies chose to exploit for their own gain. Each of these entities found itself in the position that required them to borrow money in order to meet expectations. Lacking the means to borrow money was the death knell for both of these enterprises. Northern Rock found itself caught in the subprime mortgage collapse and Enron found itself the focus of scrutiny concerning their assets and true valuation. In the end both Enron and Northern Rock exhibited poor policy decision as well as experiencing bad luck. While there is no guarantee in the business world, large scale deception and fraud will eventually come back to roost. It was the utilization of questionable practice, greed and ambition that served to derail these companies, teaching us all that honesty is indeed the best policy. 4 References Arnold, B. and De Lange, P. 2004. Enron: an examination of agency problems. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 15 (6), pp. 751–765. Boje, D. M., Rosile, G. A., Durant, R. A. and Luhman, J. T. 2004. Enron spectacles: A critical dramaturgical analysis. Organization Studies, 25 (5), pp. 751–774. Buckley, A. 2011. Financial crisis. Harlow, England: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Dawley, S., Marshall, N., Pike, A., Pollard, J. and Tomaney, J. 2012. Continuity and evolution in an old industrial region: the labour market dynamics of the rise and fall of Northern Rock. Regional Studies, (ahead-of-print), pp. 1–19. Deegan, C. and Unerman, J. 2011. Financial Accounting Theory: European Edition, 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill. New York, NY. Domhoff, G. W. 2013. The myth of liberal ascendancy. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers. Fox, L. 2003. Enron. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. Gaffikin, M. 2008. Accounting Theory: Research, Regulation and Accounting Practice, Pearson Education. New York, NY . Gill, M. 2009, Accountant’s Truth: Knowledge and Ethics in the Financial World, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 1(1). Gordon, J. N. 2002. What Enron means for the management and control of the modern business corporation: some initial reflections. The University of Chicago Law Review, 1(1) pp. 1233–1250. Gordon, R. W. 2002. New Role for Lawyers: The Corporate Counselor after Enron, A. Conn. L. Rev., 35 p. 1185. Jennings, M. M. 2002. Primer on Enron: Lessons from a Perfect Storm of Financial Reporting, Corporate Governance and Ethical Culture Failures, A. Cal. WL Rev., 39 p. 163. Khan, M. A. 2011. The Reasons Behind a Corporate Collapse: A Case Study of Enron.Available at SSRN 1923277. Linsley, P. M. and Slack, R. E. 2013. Crisis management and an ethic of care: the case of Northern Rock Bank. Journal of business ethics, 113 (2), pp. 285–295. Macey, J. R. 2003. Efficient capital markets, corporate disclosure, and Enron. Cornell L. Rev., 89 p. 394. Marshall, J. , Pike, A., Pollard, J. S., Tomaney, J., Dawley, S. and Gray, J. 2012. Placing the run on Northern Rock. Journal of Economic Geography, 12 (1), pp. 157–181. Mclean, B. and Elkind, P. 2003. The smartest guys in the room. New York: Portfolio. Nesvetailova, A. and Palan, R. 2013. Minsky in the Shadows Securitization, Ponzi Finance, and the Crisis of Northern Rock. Review of Radical Political Economics, 45 (3), pp. 349–368. O’Connell, B. T. 2004. Enron. Con:â€Å"He that filches from me my good name†¦ makes me poor indeed†. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 15 (6), pp. 733–749. Parker, L. D. 2005. Corporate governance crisis down under: post-Enron accounting education and research inertia. European Accounting Review, 14 (2), pp. 383–394. Richardson, S. 2011. From the Invisible Hand to CEO Speak: Enron and a Rhetoric of Corporate Collapse. Russell, D. 2013. Critical Studies on Corporate Responsibility, Governance and Sustainability, Vol. 3Business and Sustainability: Concepts Strategies and Changes. International Journal of Law and Management, 55 (1), pp. 74–76. Scott, W. R. 2008 Financial Accounting Theory, 5th Edition, FT Prentice Hall. Solomon, J. and Solomon, A. 2004. Corporate governance and accountability. New York: John Wiley. Swartz, M. and Watkins, S. 2003. Power failure. New York: Doubleday. Vinten, G. 2002. The corporate governance lessons of Enron. Corporate Governance, 2 (4), pp. 4–9.

Advocacy Role paper

Advanced practice nurse's are reimbursed at a lower rate for the same services than physicians by Medicare, Medicaid and other private insurance companies. American medical association sets our scope of practice and regulations and legislation is often influenced by these recommendations. Advanced practice nurses should be consider as equal members of the healthcare provider community and receive equal reimbursement. To make these changes one must develop a plan and advocate for the profession.Advanced practice nurses are reimbursed at a lower rate, for the same services, than physicians. Medicare reimburses nurse practitioners at 85%, certified nurse midwives at 65 %, and physician assistants at 85% or less of the physician fee. The exception to the reimbursement rate is called the â€Å"incident to†. Medicare will reimburse at 100% if billed under a physician provider number. Medicaid pays 75-100% of the physician fee with the exception of some rural areas. Private insurance companies reimbursement to advanced practice nurses policies vary state to state.In an attempt to find ways to decrease cost, private insurance companies are beginning to follow Medicare's reimbursement policies. For advanced practice nurses the reimbursement policies vary according to state, company, and licensure, and are not equitable to physician reimbursement. This issue is being buried by the American Medical Association. The Affordable care Act addressed the reimbursement of physicians but APN were not mentioned. 1997 budget act is the last legislation passed that addressed reimbursement for advanced practice nurses.This act decided that advanced practice nurses are entitled to reimbursement. The legislators in Tennessee at that time voted for or against the act. This issue has not been addressed since then which could say that this is not a priority for the state. It could be the increae cost related to increased reombursement that keeps them from pushing the issue. The aff ordable Care Act addressed Medicare reimbursement but did not adress APN's specifically. The govener of Tennessee opted out of taking the money for the state. The federal govt. as to except the cost and reimburse at 100% this could have impacted advanced practice nurses in a positive way. As it stands This issue needs to be addressed with more impact especially after the affordable care and patient protection act. Nurse practitioners will be a solution of the problem and will want to be reimbursed according to care not license. Reimbursement of care provided by advanced practice nurses should equal physicians because they are providing the same service with equal or better outcomes.In a study done by Laurent, Herman, Reeves, Braspenning, ; Spinbald, â€Å"The findings suggest that appropriately trained nurses can produce as high quality care as primary care doctors and achieve as good health outcomes for patients. † Naylor and Kurtzman found that Nurse Practitioners â€Å"ou t performed physicians in easures of consultation time, patient follow-up and patient satisfaction. â€Å"(Naylor ; Kurtzman, 2010). A 2002 report to Congress by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, however, was unable to tind reliable data to discern clear ditterences in the two groups' outcomes and expenses.

Hamilton and the Economy essays

Hamilton and the Economy essays The young America needed a smart and eager Secretary of the Treasury, and thats what it found in Alexander Hamilton under the George Washington administration. Hamilton knew that the countrys economy was in danger of going belly-up if there was not a drastic change and clear establishment of federal control of the direction of the budding economy. Alexander Hamiltons economic plan obligated America to pay off its national debt, establish a national bank, and establish tariff rates to make the most of American manufacturing. At the time that Hamilton became the Secretary of the Treasury, the nation was over fifty million dollars in debt, largely due to the costs of war and the foreign debts to accompany them. Hamiltons anticipation of global commerce in the decades and centuries to come fostered the creation of the Report on Public Credit. It was Hamiltons idea that the nation should pay off all war debts plus interest in full. This was a rather demanding goal for the economy, but one that would, if successful, solidify the nations credit. Hamilton also wanted all state debts to be paid assumed by the Federal government, which he believed was the proper source of responsibility for financing national defense. The Secretary wanted more responsibility for the countrys money. Namely, Hamilton wanted to control inflation, which Andrew Jackson had made a seriously problem by misuse of the previous national bank. Many were against the idea of a national bank, expressed by the argument from Thomas Jefferson and James Madison that America did not have the power to do such a thing nor was the establishment of a bank prioritized or even mentioned in the Constitution. Uneager to agree with Mr. Hamilton at first, Congress did not invest in his idea until he argued with the necessary and proper clause, making use of the Constitutions loose construction to argue that the bank...

8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques

8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques 8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques 8 Proofreading Tips And Techniques By Sharon Whether you are writing a magazine article, a college essay or an email to a client, getting your text free of mistakes is essential. The spell checker helps, but it is far from foolproof. That is where proofreading comes in. Below you will find 8 tips and techniques to make your proofreading sessions more effective. 1. Concentration is Key If youre going to spot mistakes, then you need to concentrate. That means getting rid of distractions and potential interruptions. Switch off the cell phone, turn off the television or radio and stay away from the email. 2. Put It On Paper People read differently on screen and on paper, so print out a copy of your writing. If you read aloud, your ear might catch errors that your eye may have missed. 3. Watch Out for Homonyms Homonyms are words that share the same spelling or pronunciation, but have different meanings. Switching accept with except or complement with compliment could be disastrous, so pay attention to them. 4. Watch Out for Contractions and Apostrophes People often mix their and theyre, its and its, your and youre and so on. If there is something that can hurt the credibility of your text, it is a similar mistake. Also, remember that the apostrophe is never used to form plurals. 5. Check the Punctuation Focusing on the words is good, but do not neglect the punctuation. Pay attention to capitalized words, missing or extra commas, periods used incorrectly and so on. 6. Read it Backwards When writing we usually become blind to our own mistakes since the brain automatically â€Å"corrects† wrong words inside sentences. In order to break this pattern you can read the text backwards, word by word. 7. Check the Numbers Stating that the value of an acquisition was $10,000 instead of $100,000 is definitely not the same thing. What about the population of China, is it 1,2 million or 1,2 billion? Make sure your numbers are correct. 8. Get Someone Else to Proofread It After checking all the previous points, do not forget to get a friend to proofread it for you. You will be amazed at the mistakes youve missed. A second person will also be in a better position to evaluate whether the sentences make sense or not. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Masters Degree or Master's Degree?One Fell SwoopSentence Adverbs

Small business management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Small business management - Assignment Example The most important customer in this case includes school going children as well as other young people. This helps the business owner to focus on the right group and resources are not wasted by focusing on a large market that does not consist of the targeted customers. The other step that should be taken into account is about identifying the key resources needed to operate this business. The key resources in this case should include the ingredients for making the ice cream. The other resources required include a delivery van equipped with the vending kiosk of the ice cream to the customers. The packaging of the ice cream also constitutes a very important resource that should be procured before the commencement of business. Distribution channel is the mobile vending machine. It can be moved from place to place and these places include schools as well as other busy streets. The product will also be distributed in residential areas since the vending kiosk is mobile and can move from one place to the other. In terms of distribution, effort should be made to ensure that the product is positioned in such a way that it will appeal to the interests of the customers as the best compared to other alternatives available. The other consideration in this model is identification of the cost structure. A budget should be drawn and it should also outline the costs likely to be incurred in setting up this new business venture. This helps to determine the feasibility of the business venture. Lastly, consideration should be taken about the nature of the revenue stream. Effort should be made to establish if the revenue stream can sustain the business venture in the long run. This also helps to determine the course of action that can be taken to turn around the fortunes of the

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Project management report of urban regeneration project south america - Essay Example It also sets out a timetable for the preparation and review of these documents and covers a rolling 3-year period. The LDF is made up of the following Local Development Documents (LDDs) Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) which delineates the standards the project management team intends to adapt in an attempt to involve the community in the preparation of the LDDs and the planning application process in Guayaquil In producing the LDS the project management team has taken into consideration the fact that the Imagen Objetivo has been completed and a draft scheme has been received from the key stakeholders (Planning Portal 2005). The Pertinent Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) which will be prepared over the course of four years. These plan documents coincide with the phases of development Some of the planning policy documents that the will be produced will be development plan documents and others, such as supplementary planning documents, will not. The project management team recognizes the fact that any recommendations in the Planning Inspectors report are binding. As a general rule, supplementary planning documents are not subject to a public examination but will still be the subject of public consultation before they are adopted by the Council. For the purposes of operating within a clear time constraint, the project live cycle was designed to be coincidental with the LDS. As such, the project phasing begins with a strong focus on the development of the Commercial Centre first and foremost and subsequently the development of the New Plaza Civica, the food court, the public walkway, the refurbishment of the old fish market, the cultural centre and finally the development of the New National Art Gallery and Museum. The rationale behind beginning with the development of the Commercial Center relates to the