Saturday, August 31, 2019

Acg 4401

Review Questions ACG 4401 U01B Summer 2010NameMULTIPLE CHOICEChoose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the question.1) Which of the factors listed below is not a common factor for fraud? 1) _______A) rationalization for the crimeB) desire to get even with the employerC) opportunity to commit fraudD) pressure to commit fraud2) Misappropriation of assets can also be called 2) _______A) Fraudulent financial reportingB) Management fraudC) Employee fraudD) Computer fraud3)Which type of antivirus program is most effective in spotting an infection soon after it starts? 3) _______A) a virus detection programB) a virus protection programC) a virus identification programD) none of the above4) How can an organization reduce fraud losses? 4) _______A) require vacations and rotate dutiesB) maintain adequate insuranceC) encrypt data and programsD) use forensic accountants5) A ________ is similar to a ________, except that it is a program rather than a code segment hid den in a host program. 5) _______A) worm; virusB) worm; Trojan horseC) Trojan horse; wormD) virus; worm6) Which method of fraud is physical in its nature rather than electronic? 6) _______A) eavesdroppingB) crackingC) scavengingD) hacking7) The deceptive method by which a perpetrator gains access to the system by pretending to be an authorized user is called 7) _______A) masquerading.B) superzapping.C) hacking.D) cracking.8) Intentional or reckless conduct that results in materially misleading financial statements is called 8) _______A) financial fraud.B) misstatement fraud.C) audit failure fraud.D) fraudulent financial reporting.9) The potential dollar loss that could result if an unwanted event occurs is called a(n) 9) _______A) exposure.B) extraordinary loss.C) threat.D) risk.10) The likelihood that an adverse or unwanted event could occur is referred to as a(n) 10) ______A) threat.B) loss.C) risk.D) exposure.11) Which of the following federal laws incorporated the language of th e AICPA about controls into a law applying to all registered companies? 11) ______A) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977B) The Securities Act of 1933C) Federal Corruption Prevention Act of 1987D) The Securities Exchange Act of 193412) Personnel policies such as background checks, mandatory vacations, and rotation of duties tend to deter 12) ______A) fraud by outsidersB) unintentional errorsC) employee fraud or embezzlementD) payroll irregularities13) Chuck Hewitt was relaxing after work with a colleague at a local watering hole. Well into his second martini, he began expressing his opinion about government regulation. It seems that, as a result of â€Å"government interference† the company's longstanding policy of making low-interest loans to top management was being terminated. The regulation that Chuck is referring to is the 13) ______A) Truth in Lending ActB) McCain-Feingold ActC) Sarbanes-Oxley ActD) Foreign Corrupt Practices Act14) River Rafting Adventures of Iowa prov ides rafts and tour guides to tourists eager to ride the wild rivers of Iowa. Management has determined that there is one chance in a thousand of a client being injured or killed. Settlement of resulting lawsuits has an average cost of $650,000. Insurance with a $50,000 deductible is available. It covers the costs of lawsuits unless there is evidence of criminal negligence. What is the expected loss without insurance? 14) ______A) $650B) $650,000C) $50,000D) $5015) The risk that remains after management implements internal controls is 15) ______A) Risk appetiteB) Residual riskC) Risk assessmentD) Inherent risk16) River Rafting Adventures of Iowa provides rafts and tour guides to tourists eager to ride the wild rivers of Iowa. Management has determined that there is one chance in a thousand of a client being injured or killed. Settlement of resulting lawsuits has an average cost of $650,000. Insurance with a $50,000 deductible is available. It covers the costs of lawsuits unless ther e is evidence of criminal negligence. What is the expected loss with insurance? 16) ______A) $650B) $50,000C) $650,000D) $5017) There are different types of internal controls available to an organization. The type of controls that deters problems before they arise are called 17) ______A) preventive controls.B) corrective controls.C) exposure controls.D) detective controls.18) According to SysTrust, the reliability principle of integrity is achieved when 18) ______A) the system is available for operation and use at times set forth by agreement.B) system processing is complete, accurate, timely, and authorized.C) the system can be maintained as required without affecting system availability, security, and integrity.D) the system is protected against unauthorized physical and logical access.19) An electronic document that certifies the identity of the owner of a particular public key. 19) ______A) Public keyB) Asymmetric encryptionC) Digital signatureD) Digital certificate20) In develo ping policies related to personal information about customers, Folding Squid Technologies adhered to the Trust Services framework. The standard applicable to these policies is 20) ______A) privacy.B) security.C) confidentiality.D) availability.21) In a private key system the sender and the receiver have ________, and in the public key system they have ________. 21) ______A) the same key; two separate keysB) an encrypting algorithm; a decrypting algorithmC) different keys; the same keyD) a decrypting algorithm; an encrypting algorithm22) Which of the following is an example of a corrective control? 22) ______A) Physical access controlsB) Intrusion detectionC) Emergency response teamsD) Encryption23) A more rigorous test of the effectiveness of an organization's computer security. 23) ______A) Vulnerability scanB) Penetration testC) Log analysisD) Intrusion detection system24) Which of the following is not a requirement of effective passwords? 24) ______A) Passwords should be no more than 8 characters in length.B) Passwords should contain a mixture of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and characters.C) Passwords should be changed at regular intervals.D) Passwords should not be words found in dictionaries.25) An auditor examining a firm's accounting information system creates a fictitious customer in the system and then creates several fictitious sales to the customer. The records are then tracked as they are processed by the system. This is an example collecting audit evidence using 25) ______A) a system control audit review file.B) an integrated test facility.C) audit hooks.D) the snapshot technique.E) continuous and intermittent simulation.26) The ________ part of the auditing process involves (among other things) the auditors observing the operating activities and having discussion with employees. 6) ______A) communication of audit resultsB) evaluation of audit evidenceC) audit planningD) collection of audit evidence27) The evidence collection method that considers the relationship and trends among information to detect items that should be investigated further is called 27) ______A) physical examination.B) vouching.C) analytical review.D) review of the documentation.28) One way an auditor gauges how much audit work and testing needs to be performed is through evaluating materiality and seeking reasonable assurance about the nature of the information or process. What is key to determining materiality during an audit? 28) ______A) the testing of records, account balances, and procedures on a sample basisB) determining if material errors exist in the information or processes undergoing auditC) determining what is and is not important given a set of circumstances is primarily a matter of judgmentD) none of the above29) The ________ to auditing provides auditors with a clear understanding of possible errors and irregularities and the related risks and exposures. 29) ______A) financial audit approachB) risk-adjusted approachC) risk-based approachD) information systems approach30) The ________ audit is concerned with the economical and efficient use of resources and the accomplishment of established goals and objectives. 30) ______A) financialB) informationalC) operationalD) information systemsAnswersBCDBACADACACCABDABDAACBABDCCCC

Friday, August 30, 2019

Inventions Between 1900 and 1930

the time period between 1900 and 1930 saw many technological innovations, from the air conditioner to the disposable razor blade. From the tank to the cruise missile. Many of these inventions made our lives easier while others made them more deadly. the first of these inventions is the air conditioner. While many inventers beforehand had made crude means of cooling the air, but all proved to be ineffective. the earliest method of cooling the air was putting bowls of ice in front of a fan and the resulting cool air cooled the room.On July 17th 1902 a young college graduate, Willis Havilland Carrier drew the plans for his first â€Å"Apparatus for treating air† which was granted its first patent in 1906. this great leap forward in human comfort was actually first made for a printing press where when it got humid it would cause the ink to smear. Carrier's method of cooling the air involved using coiled copper tubing filled with liquid ammonia, which when air was blown over the co ils would cause the moister to condensate giving him cool dry air.Cooling for human comfort, rather than industrial use, began in 1924, displayed by the three Carrier air conditioners installed in the J. L. Hudson Department Store in Michigan. in order to escape the heat the shoppers of Detroit all went to the â€Å"air conditioned† store. The rise in human cooling spread from the department stores to the movie theaters. It was a cool oasis in an other wise hot world. One of the more deadly inventions of the early 1900's is the tank.The tank got its name because early in WW1 while it was under development the British didn't want the Germans to find out what they were making so they shipped them as water tanks. While no one person can be credited with the invention of the tank it was the British who first used the tank in WW1. To come up with ideas for the tank, the Landship Committee was formed and their recommendations were that a vehicle firing a explosive shell should be m ade that could cross a standard German trench of 8 feet wide, and a 4 foot hill.Various designs were tried ranging from vehicles that â€Å"walked† to gigantic powered tires, but none were really successful, or strategically sound. then came the little Willie. the little Willie was the first modern version of a â€Å"tank† it was based on the tracks of farm equipment and earth moving machines. even though the little Willie was the first modern version of a tank it never saw combat as it was surpassed by an improved tank named â€Å"big Willie†. Big Willie was the first practical example of a tank as it was the first to be used on the battle field.With a top speed of 3 mph and armor up to 3 inches thick it was not the fastest nor best looking war machine out there but it did its job of providing cover for soldiers storming enemy trenches. Although Little Willie never saw combat and was redundant almost as soon as it was made, it represented a major step forward i n early 1900's technology. In contrast to the tank you have the Band Aid. Earle Dickson was employed as a bulk buyer of cotton for Johnson & Johnson when he invented the band-aid in 1921.The reason that Earle invented the band aid was that his wife kept cutting her fingers in the kitchen while preparing food. The precursor to the band aid consisted of gauze and adhesive that the user applied themselves. Earle took a piece of gauze and stuck it to the middle of a piece of tape, and then covered the adhesive and gauze with a strip of crinoline, to keep it sterile. His boss, James Johnson, saw Earle Dickson's invention and decided to manufacture band aids to the public and make Earle Dickson vice-president of Johnson & Johnson.However ingenious his invention was it was slow to start. Until Jonson and Johnson started to give them to the boy scouts for free as a P. R. stunt and by 1924 band aids were machine made and sold in individually wrapped bandages, it wasn't until 1934 that they s witched to the vinyl tape we know today. The thirty years that followed the turn of the century saw some of the most technological advancements ever seen. From the air conditioner to the band aid, without the inventers of the early 1900s the world would still be stuck in a hot bloody band aid free world.

Fischer Esterification Conclusion

Barry Allahyar Dr. Dodd CHEM 2122 2010-09-16 Experiment 19: Fischer Esterification, Conclusion The objective in this experiment was to efficiently perform an Fischer esterification of 1-butanol and acetic acid to form water and n-butyl acetate, and to confirm the esterification using IR spectroscopy analysis. It was found that 0. 734 grams of n-butyl acetate was formed with a percent yield of 61%. The product was confirmed using IR spectroscopy and boiling point confirmation.The reaction mechanism for this specific reaction was as follows: First the protonation of a carbonyl oxygen activates the carboxylic acid towards nucleophillic attack by the alcohol yielding a tetrahedral intermediate, in which there are two equivalent hydroxyl groups. One of these hydroxyl groups is eliminated after a proton shift (tautomerism) to give water and the ester. The reaction is a nucleophillic acylsubstitution carried out under acidic conditions of acetic acid and Dowex was also used for supplying pr otons.The alcohol used was 1-butanol which limits the ester to a side butyl chain. After completing the esterification, it was found that 0. 734 grams of n-butyl acetate was formed with a percent yield of 61%. The product was confirmed using IR spectroscopy and boiling point confirmation. The IR spectroscopy graph showed the characteristic Ester–1735 cm-1 (C=O) strong absorption, and lacked any broad O-H peak at 3300-2500 cm-1 confirming the product as an ester.The boiling point of the final product at 121. Â °C closely matched to the theoretical boiling point of n-Butyl acetate, 126 Â °C. Although our experiment produced a satisfactory yield of n-butyl acetate, a number of errors could have occurred in this experiment which could have limited the amount of desired product yielded. First, if not enough acid catalyst was used, protonation of the carbonyl group on the carboxylic acid would have been difficult to obtain. Second, if the temperature was too high in heating the m ixture, reflux would not occur, not allowing the solvent to boil and then recondense back into the Dean-Stark trap.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Activity-based-costing (ABC) in practice - the factors affecting the Essay

Activity-based-costing (ABC) in practice - the factors affecting the successful implementation of an ABC system - Essay Example ABC also provides useful information about the cost of the product which is helpful in decision making (Weetman, 2012, pp. 85-88). According to Drury, ABC method can be used for various cost management applications like customer profitability analysis, business process management and value chain analysis. According to some other management accounting literature ABC can be divided in four genres like contingency research, basic research, critical research and consulting. It can be seen that type of the contingency research is one of the most important development on the topic of ABC. However, some countries have given more attention to the contingency based research. Johnson (1990) has described that ABC, ROI and Variance Analysis are the most important concept of management accounting in 20th century. According to Mitchell (1994), ABC system got high profile popularity by the work of Kaplan and Cooper. Bhimani and Piggott (1992) have stated that Activity Based Costing has many important benefits over other costing systems like it increases the cost accuracy of product and provides more comprehensive information about cost incurred to ensure better performance. It also provides more accurate data which helps the managers to take better decisions and increase efficiency for sensitivity analysis. It is also considered as a valuable model which adds value to the organizational activities and transactions. According to some research studies, respondents told that they are satisfied and they think that ABC provides more accurate costing result than the traditional method of costing. These studies have also stated other benefits like accurate profitab ility analysis for customers, positive behavioral effect on employees, accurate insight into cost behavior and causation and better measurement of performances. According to Mitchell and Innes (1991) have stated that Activity Based Costing gives more relevant costs

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Experimental Film and Video Since the 1960s Essay

Experimental Film and Video Since the 1960s - Essay Example Chantal Akerman’ work practices independence, creativity, and arts. Her film â€Å"From the Other Side† is about poor Mexican people who want to raise their living status and for this purpose they move to Uthe S. The film indicates to the social thinking of people who migrate to other sides for their living standards. The other artist is Trinh T. Minh-ha. She is currently the associate professor of cinema, San Francisco State University. Her theme of work is always surrounded to others, as an aspect of one’s personality that he/she considers himself in relation with other people, culture, and society (Foster, 1999). She puts a challenge towards those who are the theorists of culture or make the concept of traditions or in fact are presenting a twofold of their subjects. Her specialty is the viewpoint that she observes different perspectives of social life that are not too obvious, nor quite unfamiliar. She adopts a traditional method of making films, based on the study of people, with a wide range of relationships, and other factors that divide a nation into many social, political and economic classes, based on their status, education (Bruno, 2002). Many of her films propose an unending restlessness. The style of making video ana d Trinhs constant eager desire give her films the atmosphere of the philosophy  of illustrated lecture over travel. In the journey through the cinema of Trinh, travel is twice as much. But they also make people think in different angles for their souls, as a commitment to the reality that how different people feel and think about the life. The most important elements found in Trinh’s films are appealing harshness and political commitment observed with the eye of humanity and sensitivity. Her films represent a feminist thought as a living representation of women’s lives, not as a theory only (O’Pray, 2003).

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Research Skills and Principles Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Research Skills and Principles - Assignment Example modelled to solve the shortcomings associated with Traditional IP-based networks, ATM networks and Frame Relay in the management of enormously large networks like scalability flexibility, security, and cost?. Such a question is sufficient and in line with the aim of the study. It is effective to help the researchers study the impacts of the interior gateway routing protocols in the MPLS VPN. The approach employed in the study is sufficient and closely linked to the study question and objectives. Such an approach helped the researchers to investigate and validate their new proposed design. The authors proposed a new design that merged both features of layer three such as intelligence and scalability with those of layer two such as simplicity and efficiency culminating into MPLS/BGPVPNS design. The authors first conducted a thorough literature review on the related topic. This was of great benefit as it provided the bedrock for the study. The review of the literature helped the authors to get valuable insights into the current problem the system has and thus need for alternative. The reviewed literature in the MPLS, VPN, and MPLS VPN technology presented the best opportunity for gathering the information for a satisfactory fathoming of linked concepts to the current study. Subsequently, the authors did awesome work by indulging into an in-depth deliberation on various routine concepts. Such a discussion availed the avenue critically to investigate the effects of interior gateways routing protocol. Moreover, the authors should be lauded because they gave specifications of the twin routing protocol for the present study. The two simulation approach employed were appropriate and in line with the study questions and objectives. The simulation help to probe the two design separately to make a rational decision. This was necessary to gauge the merits and demerits of each design which would later inform the investigators of the most appealing design to implement. The use

Monday, August 26, 2019

PEPFAR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PEPFAR - Essay Example PEPFAR, the largest and most ambitions healthcare initiative in history came into being on January 1st, 2003. In response to ever-increasing concerns over the social, political and economic consequences of AID, the United States passed PEPFAR into public policy/legislature and declared a 15 billion dollar commitment to the policy. While PEPFAR is dedicated to the fight against AID as a global epidemic, its primary focus is upon the 15 countries which have the highest incident rates, those being Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia. Public bill 108-25 outlines PEPFAR's aims and objectives, further establishing its mechanisms and strategies for service delivery. As clearly outlined in PB 108-25, PEPFAR's AID-combat philosophy is governed by the ABC principle, or the "Abstain, Be faithful, use Condoms" model, whose effectiveness has, since 1986, been established upon implementation in all of Uganda, Jamaica, Ethiopia and Senegal. PEPFAR's immediate objectives are the provision of Antiretroviral treatment to approximately 822,000 people living with HIV in the previously mentioned focus countries, expected to increase to 2 million, the extension of care to a total of 10 million and the prevention of approximately 7 million new infections

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Child Pornography, an International Perspective Essay

Child Pornography, an International Perspective - Essay Example This paper further denotes that the development of technology, especially in video and computer technology has accelerated the growth of child pornography. In defining the term child pornography, this paper denotes that different countries have their own criteria of defining it. A contributing factor to the disparities in the definition of Child pornography is the standards set for defining a child. For instance, UNCRC defines a child as an individual aged 18 years and below. The paper has managed to give the definition of child pornography as the reproduction of a sexually explicit image of a child. It also distinguishes child erotica, from child pornography. It defines child erotica as materials that aid in child pornography, such as toys, sexually implicit manuals, and children clothing’s. This paper identifies boys and girls, irrespective of their ages as the victims of child pornography. According to this paper, a large percentage of children exploited through child porno graphy are male. Most of these children are poor and disabled, making them vulnerable to the exploitations. People who exploit children in a sexual manner come from the larger community, and influential members of the society are included. Most of these people are pedophiles, and they are always heterosexual. They are always attracted to any aspects of child pornography, from their production, to consumption. This problem is accelerated by the emergence of technology, especially in video technology, computers, and the internet. Computer system has made it possible for pedophiles to hunt their victims through social sites such as inter relay chat. This paper identifies countries where child pornography flourished, and it identifies countries such as Japan, United States of America, Holland, and Sweden as the main centers of the production of child pornographic materials. It denotes that tourism also played a major role in enhancing child pornography, and this is with the emergence of sex tourism. Most victims of sex tourism were found in third world countries such as Thailand. According to this paper, there are various uses of child pornography, and they are; I. To sexually arouse and gratify the offender. II. To justify and validate the pornographic behavior. III. To sexually seduce the child. IV. To preserve the child age of sexual preference. V. To blackmail the child in order to keep him or her quiet on the sexual experiences he or she has passed through. VI. For business purposes. VII. As a method of building trust with other sexual offenders. VIII. In order to gain access to other pornographic markets. On this basis therefore, child pornography contributes to a large extent to the exploitation and molestation of children. However, the paper denotes that this statement can be debated further. Child pornography can affect a child in two ways, namely through exposure to the pornography itself, and through filming of the child. Child pornography, affects the behavior of children in regard to their sexual believes, violence and force. They portray emotional withdrawal, anxiety and fear, and mood swings. These children are also at risk of becoming pedophiles, and sexual perpetrators at their adult hood. Because of these negative impacts of child porno

Saturday, August 24, 2019

The Power of Habit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Power of Habit - Essay Example Anything less than perfect is horrible and I can not bear the feeling of being so incompetent for not being able to meet my standards. Committing a mistake is not an option for me. Aiming for perfection is not a bad thing but making a mistake is not the worse either. Perfectionism and Me Setting higher standards is one of the most common things for perfectionists like me. Those who value perfectionism think that having high standards is a good thing. Excellence means strength and failure is something unacceptable. Most of the common thinkings of perfectionism include the "black & white" or sometimes called as "all or nothing" thinking in which "almost" perfect is considered a failure (Scott, "Perfectionist Traits"). There is no space for mistakes ad whenever standards are not met, more often, people like me end up with self pity and will stress ourselves for being weak and stupid. Another kind of thinking perfectionists exhibit is catastrophe thinking which means mistakes create humi liation and disappointment from other people ("How to Overcome Perfectionism, 2). Also known to be common to perfectionism is the "should" statements. For them, everything is a responsibility and must be done respectively. I cannot remember well when exactly did I become a perfectionist. I can only remember that I always strive to be on top and the best among the rest. Striving hard does not necessarily mean only in academic standing. Instead, being perfectionist includes my daily routine and my long term goals. Being a perfectionist, I cannot help but plan my day and my meal. I cannot bear to waste time wondering what to do or what to eat. Thus everyday, I prepare a "to do" list for me to ensure things I should do will be done the way I want it to be. I am not ashamed of being a perfectionist. What makes me hate this part of being me is the fact that I always end up too disappointed whenever I fail to do something in my list and this seem to amuse my family and friends. My family a nd friends always tell me that I overanalyze everything that I forgot to enjoy my life anymore. I hate it when my friends can just make fun and laugh about the some things they messed up while I can't. Making a mistake me feel so stupid and I can't help but blame myself even when replying to emails and text messages. It's harder to stop at this point because I've already got used to it. But my family and friends always encourage me to be light, take things slow and enjoy every moment. As they say, life will never be perfect and being imperfect is what makes us human. Mistakes make a person stronger and better. The Power of Habit and The Habit Loop According to Duhigg (2012), individuals and habits are all different. If we are looking for the correct formula to change habits, then we will never get it because it does not exist. In Duhigg's book entitled The Power of Habit (2012), he identified the habit loop and the framework to identify our habit as well as the formula that out brai n follows why we have habits. The habit loop is constituted by a routine, reward and cue. People can only understand their habit once they know the components of this habit. Routine is the behavior a person want to change. Being a perfectionist by going through planning everything, reviewing and analyzing again and again to avoid mistakes is the routine I want to try to get rid of. Rewards as identified by Duhigg (2012) is the satisfying cravings driving a

Friday, August 23, 2019

Plato and Aristotle on the Just Man and the Good Citizen Essay - 1

Plato and Aristotle on the Just Man and the Good Citizen - Essay Example In fact, these very virtues make a city or an individual just - â€Å"Then a just man won’t differ at all from a just city in respect to the form b of justice;† (Plato, 110) This discussion starts from the state level and eventually moves down to the level of an individual but Plato makes it absolutely clear that the presence of the above mentioned virtues in an individual citizen leads to a state, which has these same virtues. In The Republic’s Book XIII, there exist many examples showing how an unjust society shapes the souls of its citizen. The vice versa then should also be true. Therefore, it can be derived from this discussion that there exists a kind of â€Å"virtuous circle† between the state and a citizen. They are both cause and effect of each other. To sum this up, it can be said that a state shapes the souls of its inhabitants; meanwhile the nation itself is a product of all the individual souls comprising it. If this structure is disrupted, harmony will suffer, inner conflict will increase and this might lead to the whole set-up coming down. Plato believes that the most important goal of education is knowledge of Good. In the fictional city of Kallipolis, there are three different classes: the producers, guardians and the rulers. All these three classes have some specific qualities that they need to display in order to make Kallipolis the â€Å"just city†. The guardian class needs to be the educated group who will be able to absorb all the laws in the best possible manner - â€Å"†¦Hence the guardians must above all protect their system of elementary education, for this provides the training in civic virtue without which no system of laws, no constitution, can hope to achieve†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Plato, 94) The rulers of the city need to possess wisdom, using which they ensure that the city will have good judgment and will be really wise. Since an ideal city needs to be governed by

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Case Study Boeing Aircraft Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study Boeing Aircraft Company - Essay Example change in the market, its management had difficulty co-ordinating activities towards its goals as a result of hierarchical management style; problems that had to be resolved by a willing leadership that is open to new ideas. It was imperative that the management of Boeing takes these into account and comes up with a more effective organisational structure and adapting to a newer organisational culture in order to achieve the company’s objectives. Such change, however, is a worthy risk venture. It is expected that it could be highly resisted by both employees and operational managers. The resistance could emanate from the fear to change (Donnelly et al., 1995). Resistance could also be as a result of fear of losing something valuable or just lack of trust in the management. The large number of employees at Boeing compounds the difficulty of the situation making the change opted by Condit an uphill task. But Condit presents to fore a leadership that can mitigate the upheavals of Boeing by adopting the democratic approach of leadership where he consults his staff. In turn, they feel part and parcel of decision making. This is in contrast with the traditional autocratic style that had been adopted by Shrontz that â€Å"kept every employee at their place.† Thus, with Condit, one foresees a Boeing with a new organizational structure and culture that is embraced by its employees. The present organisational structure and systems adopted by Shrontz were facing a number of issues emerging from the traditional management approach adopted. Condit had the tough task of changing the culture of an organisation in order to enhance its performance and meet stakeholders’ needs. This paper will examine the problems that Boeing was facing and will unveil how an appropriate leadership style can facilitate change. A major issue for Boeing comprised the aggressive environment that the firm was operating in. Boeing was facing tough competition from other well established

Cold War and for its continuance to1956 Essay Example for Free

Cold War and for its continuance to1956 Essay How far do you agree that ideological rivalry between the superpowers was primarily responsible for both the origin of the Cold War and for its continuance to 1956? Certainly, the ideological rivalry that existed between the East and the West, concerning Communism and Capitalism was the largest factor to fuel the lengthy cold war, but there were other smaller factors that inflamed the conflict and ensured its continuance. Almost all of these factors can be drawn back to the fundamental contradictory ideologies and most of which were reactions against the others respective policies, such as Comecome was the Soviet response to the Truman doctrine/ Marshall Aid, and the Warsaw Pact a reaction to the creation of NATO. As the Second World War came to an end in 1945 it became clear that pre-war revulsion for the respective ideologies was ready to once again rear its ugly head. The war time association between the US and the Soviet Union had existed simply to unite against an enemy that if faced alone, neither could have overthrown. By 1945 it was obvious that Hitler and Nazi Germany were reaching the end of their powerful and destructive lifetime. With the downfall of their enemy, the two superpowers had no common ground and were therefore left to return to their nations and their respective pre-war international policies. Both Russian and American ideologies can only be fully understood or explained by looking at their individual roots. America, as it stands today was founded less than two hundred years ago, with such a short national history and no legs to stand on, it is no wonder they are so scared of other ideologies, and insist on enforcing their bogus democracy, liberty and freedom on other countries with no allowance or acceptance of other ways of living. The basis of US foreign policy since 1945 has been the idea of containment, sketched out by George Kennan in the Long Telegram of 1946. Kennan argued that the methods and goals of the US and the SU were irreconcilable and therefore the US should prepare for a long struggle. At some point the illegitimate government of the SU would collapse from within and the struggle would be over, as almost perfect prophecy of what was to happen years later. During the late Middle Ages, Russia had been isolated from Europe by Mongol occupation, once Russia gained its freedom from the Mongol yoke and attempted to become a European power, it found that it lacked the technology and culture of the West. Furthermore, it was an underdeveloped peasant society, embracing enormous geographical expanse. The challenge was to change and modernize the country. Russian leaders from Ivan the Terrible onwards were all faced with the problem of transforming this backward society. In 1917, the Bolsheviks inherited these traditional Russian preoccupations; however they also inherited a desire to define themselves and pursue her own unique national calling rather than simply follow in a Western pattern of development. The Soviet Union, Stalin declared, did not need the West, but could succeed on its own. Additionally, while the Bolsheviks embraced the Marxist vision of a universal pattern of development, they also inherited Marxs ambivalent attitude to capitalism and his desire to see its destruction. Suspicion of the West thus came to be deeply embedded in the Bolshevik mentality; the West was the enemy against which Bolshevism defined its identity. It was therefore, essentially, a reactive identity; Soviet socialism, constructed as a protest against Western capitalism, was an anti-world to Capitalism (Kotkin 1995). Personality clashes between the two superpower leaders, Stalin and any of the US Presidents once again comes back to their completely opposing ideological beliefs and their individual fears of the others possible world domination. So when Stalin died in 1953 it was unclear how, or even if, Soviet politics could maintain its hard-line policies both internationally against America and internally. However, in 1956 Khrushchev, the new Soviet leader made his famous secret speech, clearly criticizing Stalin this, almost even more clearly than even Stalins death, signified the end of Stalinism. Khrushchevs appointment marked the end of the relationship between Stalin and the West. Brimming with positive ideas for peaceful coexistence, and a much larger power base than Stalins dictatorship ever allowed, the relationship between Khrushchev and the west began, and thats a whole other story. The Cold War was an ideological and geographical struggle between two opposing systems. Equally important, it was a struggle that took place during the first fifty years of the nuclear age, and the existence of nuclear weapons greatly affected the nature of the struggle. The black cloud of nuclear Armageddon hung over the entire cold war period. Yet, thankfully, the bomb was never used to attack after 1945 by either the United States or the Soviet Union. Although this war was nothing like either the first or second world war, the rest of the world was dragged in too. The Korean War was labeled the cold war in the east by one historian. (sorry know this bit should be much much longer) At no point in history, from before the 16th century have two superpowers been able to coexist, there has always been a single hegemonic power. Yet Hollands influence in the 16th century and Portugals colonization of Spain and South America, and even the British Empire would never have been labeled superpowers. Perhaps this is because although these countries had influence, they did not have the power to destroy the world at the press of a button. Nonetheless in this nuclear era there is even less room for two major powers, and even though the ideologies are complete opposites, the cold war can be explained as a power struggle between two big kids, fighting for their right to be the biggest bully in the playground. Although this certainly wasnt the first, or indeed the last, war that America has won I feel that this is almost the most important win in US, indeed even world, history. The battle of two superpowers, both with the ability to destroy the world, and that only, by the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 20th century, allowed the US to appear as the winner and assume the position of the worlds only superpower and subtly declare itself world leader. I believe the cold war is one of the largest factors for causing the American superiority which had the cold war had a different outcome perhaps would have been suppressed or even seen the Soviet Union develop the ignorance and superiority that is so fiercely disliked by much of the world. I fully agree that fundamentally the cold war was a confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union, fuelled on both sides by the belief that the ideology of the other side had to be destroyed. It is because of this that co-existence was not possible- one side could only win at the expense of the other, no matter how long either side had to wait for their victory, the ideological hatred ran so deep that both sides that neither side was prepared to jeopardize their own way of life for the benefit of the other. The Soviet Union held to Lenins belief that conflict between communism and capitalism was inevitable. The United States believed that peace and stability in the world would only emerge when the evil of communism had been exorcised. At the ideological level Moscows communist world-view, which saw capitalism as absolute evil, fed off Washingtons world-view, which saw communism as an absolute evil, and in this way helped to sustain the others prophecy. Every action that either power took was followed by an almost immediate reaction from the other, the continuation of the Cold War not only until 1956 but until the Soviet Unions downfall in 1970/80s, was continually fueled by actions and reactions which were sometimes insignificant but which also brought the world closer than ever to a full scale nuclear war. Bibliography Stalinism, An Overview P. Boobbyer 2000 The Cold War John W. Mason Sarah Holtam Page 1 2/5/8/2007

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Effectiveness of Video Assisted Teaching for Medical Student

Effectiveness of Video Assisted Teaching for Medical Student CHAPTER IV DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION This chapter deals with analysis and interpretation of data collected to evaluate the effectiveness of video assisted teaching programme regarding successful ventilation with the I-gel and Laryngeal mask Airway among the paramedical students. The purpose of the analysis is to reduce the data as manageable and interpretable form, so that the research problem can be suited and tested. The collected data are tabulated, organized and analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. Section–A: Distribution of paramedical students according to their selected demographic variables. Section-B: Distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Section-C: Distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Comparison between the pretest and posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Comparison between the pretest and posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Area wise comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Area wise comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Section-D: Effectiveness of video assisted teaching programme on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Relationship between pretest and posttest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Association between the pretest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students and their selected demographic variables. Section A Distribution of paramedical students according to their demographic variables. Table 4.1: The frequency and percentage distribution of paramedical students according to their selected demographic variables. n=50 S.No Demographic variables f % 1 Age in years 17-19 20-22 23-25 22 23 5 44 46 10 2 Gender Male Female 34 16 68 32 3 Religion Hindu Muslim Christian Any other 31 12 7 0 62 20 18 0 4 Category of course of study B.Sc Critical care B.Sc physician assistant 31 19 62 38 5 Previous knowledge Yes No 40 10 80 20 6 If yes how did you obtain information By attending classes By attending airway management courses Through television Through internet 22 7 9 2 48 16 22 14 Table-4.1 Table 4.1 describes that distribution of paramedical students according to their demographic variables. According to their age most of the paramedical students, 22(44%) are in the age group of 17-19 years, 23(46%) are aged between 20-22 years and 5(10%) are aged between 23-25 years. Among 50 paramedical students according to their gender, majority of the paramedical students 34(68%) are male and 16(32%) of them are female. Among 50 paramedical students according to their religion, majority of the paramedical students 31(62%) are Hindus and 12(20%) of them are Muslim. 7(18%) paramedical student is Christian and none of the paramedical students belong to other religion category. Paramedical students according to their category of course of study, 31(62%) of them studying in Bachelor of Science in Critical Care, 19(38%) of them studying in Bachelor of Science in Physician Assistant. Paramedical students according to their previous knowledge regarding airway management, more than half of the paramedical students 40(80%) has previous knowledge regarding airway management and 10(20%) of paramedical students do not have previous knowledge regarding airway management. Paramedical students according to their previous knowledge regarding airway management, among 40 paramedical students, who have previous knowledge regarding airway management, more than half of them 22(48%) have gained knowledge by attending classes, 7(16%) have gained knowledge by attending airway management classes, 9(22%) have gained knowledge through television, 2(14%) of them have gained knowledge through internet. Section-B a) Distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Figure-4.1: Percentage distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. The above bar diagram shows that 34(68%) paramedical students have inadequate knowledge, 16(32%) paramedical students have moderately adequate knowledge and none of them have adequate knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their pretest. b) Distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Figure-4.2: Percentage distribution of paramedical students according to pretest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. The above bar diagram shows, among 50 paramedical students none of the paramedical students have good skill, 15(30%) paramedical students have average skill and 35(70%) of them have poor skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their pretest. Section: C a) Distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Figure-4.3: Percentage distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. The above bar diagram shows that 42(84%) paramedical students have adequate knowledge and 8(16%) of them have moderately adequate knowledge regarding I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. None of them have inadequate knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their posttest. b) Distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. Figure-4.4: Percentage distribution of paramedical students according to posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway. The above bar diagram shows, among 50 paramedical students none of them have poor skill, 7(14%) of them have average skill 43(86%) of them have good skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their posttest. c) Comparison between the pretest and posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Figure: 4.5 Percentage distributions according to their pretest and posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students The above bar diagram shows that 34(68%) paramedical students have inadequate knowledge, 16(32%) paramedical students have moderately adequate knowledge and none of them have adequate knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their pretest, Where as in post test, 42(84%) paramedical students have adequate knowledge and 8(16%) of them have moderately adequate knowledge, none of them have inadequate knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway when compared with pretest. Hence it highlights that there is a significant improvement in the knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway is improved compared to pre test. d) Comparison between the pretest and posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Figure: 4.6 Percentage distributions according to their pretest and posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. The above bar diagram shows, among 50 paramedical students none of the paramedical students have good skill, 15(30%) paramedical students have average skill and 35(70%) of them have poor skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their pretest. Where as in the posttest, none of them have poor skill, 7(14%) of them has average skill 43(86%) of them have good skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway in their posttest and compared with posttest. Hence it highlights that there is a significant improvement in the skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway was improved in the posttest, when compared to pre test. e) Area wise comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Table – 4.2: Mean, standard deviation, mean percentage and difference in mean percentage of pretest and posttest scores on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students in pretest and posttest. n=50 Area wise Maximum score Pretest Posttest Difference in mean % Mean S.D Mean% Mean S.D Mean % General information 9 5.9 1.55 65.5 8.08 0.71 89.7 24.2 I-gel 9 3.78 1.65 42 6.54 1.51 72.6 30.6 Laryngeal Mask Airway 12 5.26 1.77 43.8 8.96 1.29 74.6 30.8 Overall 30 14.94 4.97 151.3 23.58 3.51 236.9 85.6 The above table shows that, in area of general information the pre test mean score is 5.9 ±1.55 and mean percentage is 65.5, where as in the post test mean score is 8.08 ±0.71 and mean percentage is 89.7. This reveals that the difference in mean percentage is 24.2. In the area of I-gel the pre test mean score is 3.78 ±1.65 and mean percentage is 42, where as in the post test mean score is 6.54 ±1.51 and mean percentage is 72.6. This reveals that the difference in mean percentage is 30.6. In the area of Laryngeal mask airway the pre test mean score is 5.26 ±1.77 and mean percentage is 43.8, where as in the post test mean score is 8.96 ±1.29 and mean percentage is 74.6. This reveals that the difference in mean percentage is 30.8. In the pretest, the overall mean score is 14.94 ±4.97. In the pretest, the highest mean score is achieved in the general information with the score of 5.9 ±1.55. It reveals that difference in mean percentage is 24.2. In the post test, overall mean score is 23.58 ±3.51. The highest score is achieved in the Laryngeal Mask Airway with the score of 8.96 ±1.29. The overall difference in mean percentage is 85.6. The mean difference reveals that there is significant improvement in the knowledge in post test. f) Area wise comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Table – 4.3: Mean, standard deviation, mean percentage and difference in mean percentage of pretest and posttest scores on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students in pretest and posttest n=50 Area wise Maximum score Pretest Posttest Difference in mean % Mean S.D Mean % Mean S.D Mean % I-gel 14 7.08 1.03 50.5 12.08 1.33 86.2 35.7 Laryngeal Mask Airway 16 7.82 1.19 48.8 13.54 1.43 84.6 35.8 Overall 30 14.9 2.22 99.3 25.62 2.76 170.8 71.5 The above table shows that In the area of I-gel the pre test mean score is 7.08 ±1.03 and mean percentage is 50.5, where as in the post test mean score is 612.08 ±1.33 and mean percentage is 86.2. This reveals that the difference in mean percentage is 35.7. In the area of Laryngeal mask airway the pre test mean score is 7.82 ±1.19 and mean percentage is 48.8, where as in the post test mean score is 13.54 ±1.43 and mean percentage is 84.6. This reveals that the difference in mean percentage is 35.8. In the pretest, over all mean score is 14.9 ±2.22. The higher percentage of the pretest is achieved in the Laryngeal Mask Airway, where the mean score is 7.82 ±1.19 with the difference in mean percentage of 35.8. In the post test, the overall mean score was 25.62 ±2.76. The highest mean score is achieved in the area of laryngeal mask airway with the score of 13.54 ±1.43. The overall difference in mean percentage is 71.5. This reveals that there is significant improvement in the post test on skill than the pretest. g) Comparison between the pretest and the posttest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Table – 4.4: Comparison between the mean, SD, mean difference of pretest and the post test scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway Among the paramedical students. n=50 S.No Variables Maximum score Pretest Posttest Difference in mean % Mean S.D Mean% Mean S.D Mean % 1 Knowledge 30 14.94 2.99 49.8 23.58 2.50 78.6 28.8 2 Skill 30 14.9 1.72 49.7 25.62 2.31 85.4 35.7 The above table shows that in pretest, the knowledge mean score is 14.94 ±2.99 and the mean percentage is 49.8%. Where is posttest, the knowledge mean score is 23.58 ±2.50 and the mean percentage is 78.06%. The difference in mean percentage between the pretest and the posttest was 28.8%. In pretest, the skill mean score is 14.9 ±1.72 and the mean percentage is 49.7%. Where is posttest, the skill mean score is 25.62 ±2.31 and the mean percentage is 85.4%. The difference in mean percentage between the pretest and the posttest is 35.7%. It shows that in posttest there is significant improvement in knowledge and skill when compared to the knowledge and skill in pretest. Section D a) Effectiveness of video assisted teaching programme on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Table – 4.5: The mean, SD and ‘t’ value on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students in pretest and posttest. n=50 S.No Variables Maximum score Pretest Posttest Paired ‘t’ value Df Mean SD Mean SD 1 Knowledge 30 14.94 2.99 23.58 2.50 15.74 49 2 Skill 30 14.9 1.72 25.62 2.31 30.63 *significant at p≠¤0.05 level Table value: 2.02 The above table shows the pre test knowledge Mean score is 14.94 ±2.99 and the posttest knowledge mean score is 23.58 ±2.50. The Skill mean score in the pretest is 14.9 ±1.72 and the posttest skill mean score is 25.62 ±2.31. The Obtained‘t’ value for knowledge and skill is 15.74 and 30.63 respectively, which is significant at p≠¤0.05 level. Hence the hypothesis H1 was retained. Thus it becomes evident that Video Assisted Teaching Programme is effective in improving the knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among the paramedical students b) Relationship between pretest and posttest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students Table – 4.6: Correlation between the pretest and the post test scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among the paramedical students. n=50 S.No Group Knowledge Skill ‘r’ Mean SD Mean SD 1 Pretest 14.94 2.99 14.9 1.72 0.41 2 Posttest 23.58 2.50 25.62 2.31 0.65 The above table shows that, in the pretest mean score of knowledge and skill is 14.94 ±2.99 and 14.9 ±1.72 respectively, ‘r’ value was 0.41. The posttests mean score of knowledge and skill is 23.58 ±2.50 and 25.62 ±2.31 respectively, ‘r’ value is 0.65. This reveals that there is positive correlation between the pretest and the posttest knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students. Hence the formulated hypothesis H2 was retained at p≠¤0.05 level. c) Association between the pretest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students and their selected demographic variables. Table – 4.7: Chi Square test on the knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among the Paramedical Students with their selected Demographic Variables. n=50 S.No Demographic variables à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ £2 Df Table value 1 Age 2.76 2 5.99 2 Gender 0.06 1 3.84 3 Religion 2.21 3 7.82 4 Category of course 0.001 1 3.84 5 Previous knowledge 0.023 1 3.84 6 If yes how did you obtain information 1.60 3 7.82 *significant at p≠¤0.05 level The above table shows that there is no association between pretest score on knowledge regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students and their selected demographic variables such as Age, gender, religion, category of course of study, and previous knowledge. Hence the research hypothesis H3 was rejected at p≠¤0.05 level. Table – 4.8: Chi square test on the skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among Paramedical Students with their selected demographic variables. n=50 S.No Demographic variables à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ £2 Df Table value 1 Age 0.27 2 5.99 2 Gender 0.63 1 3.84 3 Religion 1.04 3 7.82 4 Category of course 0.03 1 3.84 5 Previous knowledge 0.59 1 3.84 6 If yes how did you obtain information 1.18 3 7.82 *significant at p≠¤0.05 level The above table shows that there is no association between pretest score on skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students and their selected demographic variables such as Age, gender, religion, category of course of study, and previous knowledge. Hence the research hypothesis H3 was rejected at p≠¤0.05 level. Summary: This chapter deals with the data analysis and interpretation in the form of statistical values based on the objectives, frequency and percentage on the knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among paramedical students and their selected demographic variables analyzed. The‘t’ test is done to evaluate the effectiveness of video assisted teaching programme on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among Paramedical Students. The chi-square analysis is used to find out the association between the pretest scores on knowledge and skill regarding successful ventilation with I-gel and Laryngeal Mask Airway among the Paramedical students and the selected demographic variables.

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Corporate Budgeting Systems: Overview and Analysis

Corporate Budgeting Systems: Overview and Analysis Joo Hee Kim Accounting and Financial Management Budgeting is the Process of expressing quantified resource requirements (amount of capital, amount of material, number of people) into time-phased goals and milestones (BusinessDictionary.com, 2017). Budgets help decision makers to identify problems and to increase their understanding of the task environment (Ahrens 1997). For this reason, budgeting is still regarded as an organizational imperative if costs are to be controlled and financial performance to be achieved (Frow, Marginson and Ogden, 2010). The budget has historically entered the central stage of the management control system in most organizations (Otley, 1994). One of the main reasons that big companies get their budgets in the first place is to coordinate different parts of the business. By sharing accurate information publicly and based on a common set of decisions, ensuring harmonious interactions between units can lead to efficient processes, high-quality products, low inventories and satisfied customers (Jensen, 200 1). As such, traditionally, budgeting system has been considered to provide effectively four major benefits to the most organizations. (1) First of all, budgeting system provides the capability for managers to quantify the necessary resources and distribute these to the involved organizations prior to the beginning of the project. (2) Throughout the budget planning activities, the involved organizations will have a better interaction and communication to identify the problems, understand issues, pertaining to the tasks and then, finally allocate the necessary budgets to each organization. (3) Consequently it encourages each organization to conduct their task diligently and efficiently without wasting their resources. (4) Finally, It provides the persistent evaluation how the project performed under the budgeting planned and the great future index for the next budgeting plan. However, under the current increased competitive global environment, requiring more dynamic and imminent resource allocation have raised the concern that the traditional budgeting systems are inefficient and incapable to satisfy dynamically changing environments and suggested the myopic decision making and budget games in which they proposed (Hansen et al., 2003; Ostergren and Stensaker, 2011). Also, Welch has described the unnecessary wage increase due to the misguided performance evaluation, inherited by the incorrect budgeting planned (Welch, 2005). In addition to the inherited slow adaptive functionality and misguided performance evaluation. Jensen has described that the traditional budgeting process wastes time, twists decision making, consuming a huge amount of wasting executives time, due to the intentional false forecasts or manipulating critical information, consequently, twisting the resource allocation (Jensen, 2001; Jensen, 2003). In addition to these human and organizational barriers, genuinely, it takes lots of unnecessary time and resources to create a proper budget, prior to the beginning of the tasks. Statistically, organizations spend 20-30% of their time in the budgeting process. Also, budgeting generally limits the likelihood of achieving high growth or significant cost savings by setting an upper limit of the allowable budgets. At the same time, budgets can hinder high growth because overspending over budget would cut costs in the short term in order to achieve margin goals, consequently, hindering long-term goals (de Waal, Hermkens-Janssen and van de Ven, 2011). Recently, in order to overcome of the issues in the traditional budgeting system described above, a number of alternative methodologies have been proposed for the budgeting process, including activity-based budgeting, profit planning, rolling budgets and forecasts, zero-based budgeting, and beyond budgeting (Hansen, Otley and Stede, 2003). In particular, Jensen proposed a A Linear Compensation Plan to remedy the current budgeting process in which actual performance, regardless of budgetary goals, will be utilized to provide senior executives unbiased estimates for the planned achievable goal. However, later, Jensen described that it can be problematical for organizations to simply adopt or implement the proposed linear compensation system. It is because Target-based bonuses are deeply ingrained in the minds of managers and in the managerial codes of most organizations. More than that, if the measures and evaluation were not correctly performed, executives will have the more risk of distorting managerial decisions, even under a linear bonus system. In addition, the positioning and slope of the bonus line are based on the prior years performance. Of course, it would reduce the risk of overcompensating for the performance, but it can cause the reduction of incentives for the increasing performance, which results in dropping the motivational effects of the performance targets. Also, the increased performance compensation would require companies to increase bonus caps way beyond traditional compensational levels, which can make organizations discomfort (Jensen, 2001). In addition, more difficulties have described that the cost of changing the current budgeting process can be high due to the initial cost to implement the new system which requires the staffing time change, strategic planning, resource allocation, cost management (Neely, Sutcliff and Heyns, 2002), and eventually results in impacting on other unrecognized management processes, due to the lack of understanding of the current and future adopted systems (Waal, Jap Tjoen San and Zwanenburg, 2006). To overcome the raised issues on the linear compensation schemes, the curvilinear schedule methodology has been proposed which actually, reintroduces a strong incentive in terms of the budget. Jensen has also later agreed that the budget process itself is not the root cause of unproductive behavior. Rather, determining the compensation should combine the budget goals to have proper performance measurements. He has also point out that performance indicators should reflect the functionality of other business units, to align with the departmental performance measures. Management flexibility, decentralization and delegation can also minimize the risk of measuring performance (Jensen, 2001). Jensen criticizes managers for damaging their business because they lie to get more incentives. But currently, companies do not set incentives based only on manager reporting. Annual bonuses can be organized into three basic components: performance measurement, performance standards, and the sensitivity of the pay-for-performance relationship. Most companies rely on two or more measures of performance when evaluating manager performance, such as sales or revenue, earnings per share, operating profit or profit (Towers Perrin, 2005). Historically, accounting-based performance indicators are backward-looking and easy to lie, so firms can avoid cheating by using other measures such as operational or strategic performance goals, quality improvement, and scorecard-based systems. If managers were still cheating as Jansen criticized, the incentive system would not have spread like it does today. In recent, the percentage of SP 500 firms using multiyear accounting-based performance (MAP) incentives for CEOs increased from 16.5% in 1996 to 43.3% in 2008 (Li and Wang, 2016). There are many good reasons to explain why long-term incentives are an effective wage component. First, it provides the most direct correlation between company performance and wages. In other words, incentives can motivate directors to work hard and help them make shareholderoriented decisions. Second, long-term incentives can provide valuable human capital to the board and increase the loyalty of incumbent directors (Irani and Gerayeli, 2017). Furthermore, there is a way to hire a compensation consultant company to get rid of the possibility of any remaining lie. Compensation consultants such as Towers Watson, the Hay Group, and Hewitt Associates can assist the board in setting up wages with knowledge of industry and other peer groups compensation package design. In particular, they can give advice and assistance to the compensation committee (Bender, 2007). In the UK, virtually all companies show that they hire compensation consultants (Conyon, Fernandes, Ferreira, Matos and Murphy, 2011). The existence of an independent board is also important in the process of receiving incentives. Directors must have sufficient pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) for managers (Bruce, Buck and Main, 2005). Jensen insisted Corporate budgeting is a joke. and Corporate budgeting consumes a huge amount of executives time. But I disagree with him. Therefore, I strongly believe that instead of simply tossing off the budgeting process, the efficient budgeting system, combined with a proper performance measurements to determine the correct compensation, is necessary and essential for the company to achieve their goals in a rapidly changing 21st century international economic environment. In particular, from the Abogun and Fagbemis research, budgeting is still selected as a most effective and necessary tool for planning, controlling, communicating, making decisions and creating value (Abogun and Fagbemi, 2011). For instance, on the survey conducted by Libby and Lindsay, most managers have rated the budgeting as good value to achieve their organizational goals, regardless of budget games occurred to some extent in the organization (Libby and Lindsay, 2013). They have also agreed that the right u se of budgeting is of significant value to management. As an additional valuable evidence of the budgeting system, more than 150 organizations in North America uses frequently cost management tool to budget resources that can include everything from raw materials to human resources and facilities (Horngren, Sundem, Stratton, Burgstahler Schatzberg, 2008). In the same opinion, at a meeting on the traditional role of the budget in the organization organized by CIMA and ICAEW in 2004, the budgeting and accompanying process were indispensable and also noted that the traditional budgeting processing was widespread. Significant number of European companies has a budget and continues to use this process (CIMA-ICAEW, 2004). Most of current companies in Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States prepare budgets (Anand, Sahay and Saha, 2004). Is corporate budgeting really just a waste of time, as Jansen argues? If his argument was correct, now that more than 15 years ago, many companies would have to abandon the budgeting system. However, since the economic crisis that started in 2008, the survey and historical data have showed that the budget became more important in planning and resource allocation and companies emphasize specific budgeting features over other companies in response to economic crises (Becker, Mahlendorf, Schà ¤ffer and Thaten, 2016). In Case Study Evidence (Frow et al., 2010), the paper introduces the concept of continuous budgeting to emphasize how an organization can coordinate these potentially conflicting goals. By integrating the use of other budgetary controls with other management controls, the process of continuous budgeting encouraged management to exercise operational discretion when unexpected events occur in which it has placed a strict burden on managers to ensure that they continue to str ive to achieve their financial goals. Again, it has proved that Budgeting effectively contributes to the flexibility and financial principles to implement effective strategies. Therefore, its the right path to adopt alternative budgeting process rather than giving up entirely the budget. For example, continuous budgeting or traditional budgets can be supplemented by other management controls such as Balanced Scorecard (Frow et al., 2010) or Rolling Forecast (sandalgaard, 2012). For other management controls, according to a study by Choe, Dey and Mishra (2014), analyzing diversified companies in Australia by 2004-2008, companies that rely on long-term incentives for executives have achieved even greater progress. Long-term compensation consists of options, equity and other long-term incentive payments. Most of these compensation factors are based on company-wide performance. On the other hand, short-term rewards mainly consist of salaries and bonuses. In some cases, bonuses are targeted at company-wide performance, especially CEOs. For department managers, bonuses are often based on departmental accounting performance. Therefore, we need to develop some compromise schemes to set an upper bound of compensation, for instance, using the all department compensation difference and same time setup the ratio of long-term compensation and the short-term compensation ratio depending on the nature, scale, and profit of the company. Of course, as mentioned before, this compensation system depends on the previous years data to setup the compensation plan for the future potential growth. It may also be a necessary to evaluate company financial system regularly auditing from an independent accounting company that is not related to the companys incentive system. Corporate budgeting is like a knife. Knife would be a weapon when it is caught in the hands of robber, but it can serve as a tool for making delicious food in the hands of a cook, and it can save people when it is in the hands of a doctor. As Jensen argues, when corporate budgeting lefts in the hands of immoral managers, it is easy to become a weapon that damages the company for the benefit of the individual. But if a conscientious manager catches it, it becomes a tool for creating a happy company. If a wise CEO control it, it can also play a role in saving the company. Hence, I strongly believe that we should move toward improving the budget system by incorporating various suggestions described above. Question 2. Typical Executive Compensation Plan in a traditional pay-for-performance compensation plan, managers receive a hurdle bonus when they reach a certain level. The bonus will be improved until the maximum challenge is reached. When managers have a good year and performance is nearing the budget limit, there can be a desire to push the remaining profits into the future. Because they do not receive additional compensation even if they performance exceeds the cap, they will increase their chances of raising their expenses in current year or postpone their sale and gain to next year, in order to increase bonus next year. Suppose there is the organization named ABC, which has fiscal year end December 31 and Fiscal year 2016 budget goal for research expense is $100,000 and service contract revenue is $500,000. Fiscal year 2017 budget will be the same. Currently, ABC financial reports for fiscal year 2016 shows that research expense is $20,000 and service contract revenue is $500,000. ABC research department received a request from a research engineer to purchase $50,000 equipment for beginning of January 2017 and ABC sales department expects to sign on a two months service contract with a client amount of $200,000 in December 2016, but start date could be either December 2016 or January 2017. Because of timing issue of recording expenses and revenues, the managers are able to meet budgetary targets for 2016 and 2017, if they plan to expense more in current year and record revenues in the next fiscal year. The research department manager could record $50,000 equipment expenses for Fiscal year 2016 askin g a vendor to deliver the equipment and send out the bills to accounting departments few days earlier before January 1, 2017, unnecessarily, because research expense for the year 2016 already met budget goal, which means research manager still can get bonus for the year 2016 even though the research department recognizes $50,000 more expense in 2016. By doing so, the research department probably will exceed budgetary expense targets in 2017, because the department lower actual 2017 expense by $50,000. Also, sales manager could push revenue to the next fiscal year, by choosing the two months service contract start date as 1/1/17, instead of 12/1/16, because FY16 sales budget goal is already achieved. Even if the company ABC financial statement for FY16 can show more revenues if the service contract starts on 12/1/16, sales manager could take 1/1/17 start date, considering his FY16 bonus is guaranteed already, and it would be easier for him to achieve FY17 sales goal since he already achieved $200,000 out of $500,000. It is highly unlikely that any refinements to the budgeting process will ever enable budgets to be perfect because budget is plan for future. However, I think few refinements to the budget plan can prevent Jensons business scenario from real business world. First, senior management can set up their budget comparison method by adopting advanced IT budget system. In Jensons scenario, senior management set the budgets with limited input from line personnel. Because of limited input from same personnel, the budget could be manipulated for the purpose of getting more bonuses. If senior management set up IT budget system, such as uBase and add the procedure to their budget report review procedures, comparing generated report out of uBase to the prepared budget report by limited personnel, and researching the variances between two reports and fluctuation between months, senior management might identify what are the most common unfaithful ways used for management to consistently exceed finan cial targets. Second, the organization uses an incremental budgeting system for a full year. If an organization changes budget period from a full year to half year, and change distributing bonus from annual basis to semi-annual basis, the organization can reduce a lot of cut off issues management used to exceed financial targets. To avoid connecting budgets and sales goals to bonus, Jensen proposed Linear Compensation Plan is an incentive system that compensates for actual performance regardless of your budget goals. Administrators will receive the same bonus for some level of performance even if the budget target is set below or above that level. By eliminating kinks, the unit manager no longer collects cash beyond the target and would not need to make lower the target by putting false information into the budgeting process. As a result, senior management receives unbiased estimates of what they can achieve in the future, and the quality of planning and coordination is significantly improved. In order for Jensens proposed linear compensation scheme to be successful, we need to obtain the following refinements: First, when using multiple performance indicators for individual managers, companies must carefully set up a single, well-defined measure of overall business success, such as economic value added. Ratios such as sales margins or asset returns inevitably result in games. Second, management tends to concentrate in the short term. If you earn a high bonus within a year, it will be harder to get a higher bonus next year, so you will lose incentives to improve performance. A better way is to look at the future in more detail by setting a line of bonuses over the years based on long-term forecasts of growth and profitability. Finally, define the upper limit of compensation as a salary. Also, we need to set absolute objective criteria such as activity-based costing to determine performance by how many tasks have been done in certain time, rather than how many hours an employee worked. Question 1. (1) Answer is d. (2) If Sanjay Ltd sells all 1000 units, it needs not pay for scraping costs, so the minimum price is $ 2. But if it cannot sell all of them, it has to add $ 500 to its sales because it shoud pay for scraping costs. For example, if it sells 100 units, $ 5 is added per unit, so the minimum price is $ 7. However, if it sell 500 units, it will add $ 1 per unit, so the minimum price is $ 3. In the worst case, if Sanjay Ltd cannot sell any units, its better to give them away for free. (3) Total cost = DM(Direct materials) + DL(Direct labour) + OH(Overhead) $25,000 = $20,000 + DL + 1.5 DL $5,000 = DL + 1.5 DL = 2.5 DL DL = $2,000, $25,000 = $20,000 + $2,000 + Overhead As the result, Overhead is $3,000. (4) Total costs = Direct material + Direct labour + Overhead = $1,475 + $1,500 + {50(labour hour=$1,500/$30) $35} = $1,475 + $1,500 + $1,750 = $4,700 As the result, Total costs is $4,700. (5) Profits = Total sales Fixed costs Variable costs Profits ($100,00) = Total sales(Selling price 500,000) Fixed costs($400,000) Variable costs(0.75 Selling price 500,000) $100,000 = Selling price 500,000 400,000 0.75 Selling price 500,000 $500,000 = 0.25 Selling price 500,000 $500,000 = 125,000 Selling price As the result, Selling price should be $4. (6) Total Manufacturing Costs ($ 900) = Direct Materials ($ 455) + Direct Labor ($ 300) + Variable Manufacturing Overhead ($ 45) + Fixed Manufacturing Overhead ($100) Target Sales Price ($ 1440) = Total Manufacturing Costs ($ 900) + {Total Manufacturing Costs ($ 900) Mark Up 60% ($ 540)} It does not need to pay Fixed Manufacturing Overhead if Diamond Interiors accepts Mr. John Lees one-time only special order, because of Diamond Interiors has an excess capacity. In this case, Fixed Manufacturing Overhead should be excluded when calculating Total Manufacturing Costs. But Mr. Lee wants the cabinet in a metallic finish rather than laminate, so direct materials will increase by $30 per unit. Total Manufacturing Costs ($ 900) Fixed Manufacturing Overhead ($100) + additional direct materials ($30) = 830 Therefore, the minimum selling price is $830. (However, this minimum selling price did not include the mark up fee. Therefore, the actual selling price may vary depending on the sellers decision.) (7) The net present value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of the cash inflow and the present value of the cash outflow. NPV is used in capital budgeting to analyze the expected investment or profitability of the project.The following is the formula for calculating NPV: where Ct = net cash inflow during the period t Co = total initial investment costs r = discount rate, and t = number of time periods {20,000/1.1 + 25,000/(1.1)2 + 30,000/(1.1)3 +15,000/(1.1)4 + 12,000/(1.1)5 } 75000 = {18181.8 + 20661.2 + 22539.4 + 10245.2 + 7451.1} 75000 = 79078.7 75000 Net Present Value of the computer system is $ 4078.7 A positive net present value indicates that the projected income generated by the project or investment (in present dollars) exceeds the projected cost (also in present dollars). In general, investment with a positive NPV is a profitable investment, and investment with a negative NPV is a net loss. It is the basic element of the net investment value rule that a project or investment must be performed only if the NPV value is positive. Since the NPV of the computer program in question is positive, it is a wise choice for the mayor to purchase this computer program. (8) The cost of equipment is the items purchase price. Knowing the internal rate of return and the expected life of the equipment, the cost of equipment purchase can be calculated using the following formula. 15,000/1.12 + 15,000/(1.12)2 + 15,000/(1.12)3 + 15,000/(1.12)4 + 15,000(1.12)5 = 54071.7 As the result, Cost of the equipment is $ 54,071.7 (9) Return on investment is a simple rate of return without a concept of time. The IRR is calculated by compounding the time it takes to enter a profitable point. There is a limit to the evaluation by simple profit rate calculation that does not consider time. Internal rate of return (IRR) is the interest rate at which the net present value of all the cash flows (both positive and negative) from a project or investment equal zero. Internal rate of return is used to evaluate the attractiveness of a project or investment. If the IRR of a new project exceeds a companys required rate of return, that project is desirable. If IRR falls below the required rate of return, the project should be rejected (Investinganswers.com, 2017). When a minimum desired rate of return is 12%, the present value of project is calculated as $ 1,646. Because the IRR is positive, Imperial Airways Ltd. should accept this project. 75000/1.12 + 75000/(1.12)2 + 75000/(1.12)3 + 75000/(1.12)4 + 75000/(1.12)5 + 75000/(1.12)6 280000 50000/(1.12) 4 + 10000/(1.12)6 = 308355.6 280000 31776 + 5066.3 = 1645.9 As the result, Present Value of the Project is $ 1,646. When a minimum desired rate of return is 12%, the present value of project is over than zero (calculated as $ 1,646). Thus, the internal rate of return is more than 12%. (10) Year1 Inflow1 + Year2 Inflow + Year3 inflow = $22,000 Inflows from Year1 to Year 4 = $28,000 The payback period is between Year 3 and Year 4. Accurately calculated PBP = minimum period + shortage of inflows / inflows in event = 3 + 3000 / 6000 = 3.5 As a result, payback period is 3.5 years. REFERENCE Abogun, S. and Fagbemi, T. (2011). The Global Debate on Budgeting: Empirical Evidence from Nigeria. International Business Research, 4(4). Ahrens T. (1997). Strategic interventions of management accountants: everyday practice of British and German brewers The European Accounting Review 6(4), 557-588 Anand, M., Sahay, B.S. and Saha, S., 2004. Cost management practices in India: An empirical study. ASCI Journal of Management, 33(1-2), pp.1-13. Becker, S. D., Mahlendorf, M. D., Schà ¤ffer, U. and Thaten, M., 2016. Budgeting in times of economic crisis. Contemporary Accounting Research, 33 (4), pp.1489-1517. Bruce, A., Buck, T. and Main, B.G., 2005. 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Reflective Essay: Grief and Bereavement Reflective Essay: Grief and Bereavement This essay is a reflective journey through the loss I have experienced in my life. The essay will discuss two models of bereavement, dual process and continuing bonds. Towards not only understanding self in the process of loss, but also to understand some of the theories used to assist those who are grieving. Relevant referenced literature will be used to demonstrate understanding of the models of loss chosen for the assessment. The loss that has impacted my world most recently began with the wonderful knowledge of pregnancy. That beautiful piece of news set in motion a series of events beginning with the primary loss of membership within a band, which I had created and maintained for six years. The band was a manifestation of hopes, dreams and realisations I had carried since childhood and finally began actualising in my early thirties. The secondary losses were simple I thought, as in losing the social network associated with being a band member, and the loss of a portion of identity. However, a major friendship was also lost in the process and this in reality lay far deeper than the apparent primary loss. This friend and fellow band member M was actually my x partner and soul mate, with who I had shared my life and musical experiences from the age of nineteen. Even though we had separated as partners we were still very close as friends and involved musically. I had lost my x, my best friend, my band membe r, fellow song writer, and pain in the butt. I acknowledge that adjusting to motherhood and the happiness of my new family life overshadowed the losses I was experiencing, and also my resilience, spirituality and being quite differentiated contributed to my ability to cope, move forward and adjust to yet another segment of my very interesting, challenging and rewarding life. Attachment and meaning, family systems, social support, cognitive process in adjustment and coping, are all factors and terms associated with the theories of loss and bereavement which have preceded and assisted Stroebe and Schut (2007) to generate the dual process model. Their model perceives a person oscillating between loss-orientation and restoration-orientation. Loss-orientation deals with the process of having a good cry and experiencing and dealing with the emotion of loss, and restoration-orientation deals with getting oneself back into feeling okay to proceed with life emotionally, physically and psychologically. Within this process of oscillation it is important to understand the need for both negative and positive thought processes within both loss and restoration. Furthermore it is important that one experiences and adjusts to both aspects of thought processes in life, even when it appears that loss is not perhaps a prominent focal point. Stroebe and Schut (2004) discuss how attachment theory plays a role within the dual process model, by aligning loss-orientation with the experience associated through loss of a relationship where the bond of attachment is deep. Secondly their restoration-orientation process can align with cognitive stress theory by making use of tasks or coping strategies to assist a grieving person to find balance in their process of loss. The strength of the dual process model as Stroebe and Schut (2004b) explain is the ability to understand that people fluctuate between positive and negative thoughts and emotions. Additionally by applying certain aspects of cognition tools and the understanding of attachment, a balance between the swaying emotions and thoughts can be normalised and processed in a comfortable and personal manner as adaption takes place. In my experience of grief I certainly experienced the swapping of emotional positions such as sadness that our friendship had ceased, and feeling okay that M wanted to disconnect. I am able to reflect with both sadness and joy, when I ponder our shared love and experiences. However I also take great strength from my husband and son, my parents and siblings in an almost unconscious process of living and loving. Continuing bonds resonated with me in that it recognised attachment bonds dont disappear when one experiences loss or death, instead the connection and bonds change and continue. Klass and Walter (2004) explain continuing bonds as recognition that the human condition in both life and death is far more complex and unique than many theorists previously had argued. In addition research discovered that many diverse people carried on conversations and relationships with the dead. Klass, Silverman, Nickman (1996) relate that continuing bonds means that those left behind feel a real sense of the person they have lost, either unconsciously or on a conscious level, therefore their changed relationship with the deceased is a continuous process of adjustment. It is now realised people dont get over a loss of a loved one, they continue to have an internal relationship or tell stories to keep their meaning alive. From what I have understood of continuing bonds dealing with grief, is simply not a s simple as getting over a loss, but a process of mourning, grieving, adjusting and changing. Packman, Horsley, Davies Kramer (2006) cite Hogan and DeSantis who refer to attachment in connection with continuing bonds such as reaffirming relationships, search for understanding, checking in with deceased, reconnecting, asking for guidance, and seeking to meet again, it seems the process demonstrates once more that attachment and love does not cease with the death or loss of our loved ones. Nadeau (2007) discusses continuing bonds around how families make meaning via conversations and shared feelings through storytelling, family conversation or verbalising experiences of the person who has died. In addition to dreaming, comparing and experiencing interpretations of personality, joining or linking of events or perhaps considering fatalistic observations, through which these processes assist a person to deal and adjust to the loss and life without the physical presence of their loved one. It almost seems ridiculous in my mind to consider those Ive lost in life as being completely gone just because they died or have disconnected their friendship. In my personal culture of beliefs, values, and spirituality, death is but a single part of an enormous cycle where as human beings we experience the physical plane of existence, which is only a fraction of our total cycle of being and knowing. The process of writing this assessment has made me consider exactly what losses I have experienced. I began by making a time line of losses, and realised that through death I had lost four grandparents, friends, one x mother-in-law, and one current mother-in-law, nine cats, one bird, and one dog. The losses consisted of my heart at least three times, contact with aunts and uncles, and my cousins, jobs, dreams, my band, friends, even my respect at certain times, and the most significant friendship of my life prior to meeting my husband and my baby. Through contemplating my losses I can identify with certain aspects of poor self-esteem that has occurred in my life, and understand how feeling unworthy of certain considerations from friends is mixed in with the manner in which I handle loss in general. Being strong inside even though I feel alone is part of the coping mechanism loss in my life has taught me. For me being differentiated and resilient are the real keys to handling lifes my riad of experiences. Walsh (2006) suggests that beliefs and values build our cultural and family historical story that in turn builds resilience, which is strongly tied in with ones spiritual beliefs and life meaning. Weiten, Lloyd, Dunn, Hammer (2009) cite Gallagher and Chase who suggest that children benefit immensely from having their sense of resilience strengthened and nurtured by cherishing close relationships between children and parents. Resilience can help with the development of coping strategies, for example how to release anger, or help children be able to differentiate between risk assessment of traumatic event and management of possible danger. Furthermore the importance of relating and sharing of values and beliefs, not only in self, but also in a wider social arena, and encourage the ability to see and endeavour towards a positive future. My sense of myself as a differentiated and resilient person has also been a driving force behind my search of spiritual answers outside my birth religion. I live my life through my sense of spiritual knowing, which I align with the Buddhist concept of dharma, reincarnation and karma. My foundation of spirituality and knowing in God as my belief and value system is how I function through lifes loves and losses. I now understand how positive functioning is interconnected with a sense of differentiation. Corey (2009) discusses, differentiation is the process of becoming an individual with a positive sense of separateness from family of origin, able to live life with an ability to accept responsibility for ones own emotions, thoughts, feelings, perceptions and behaviour. I am truly thankful for the two strengths of resilience and differentiation, as in whenever I feel alone in my experiencing of loss, be it as simple as feeling I have no one to talk to, I can draw from inside myself the strength to escape negative emotional spirals. I also have an immense sense of connection to a higher spirit and find great comfort in lifes meaning and feeling of universal love. Since life, love, death, loss and grief all are experienced, affected, and expressed, in highly individual styles and approaches it seems logical there should be different methods and theories attached to grief and loss counselling. Therefore when I look at the two models of dual process and continuing bonds, I feel it important to understand attachment in life and loss. Machin (2009) discusses that the sense of self and independence is born out of the relationships of attachment we experience across our lifespan. These attachments are what allow a person to develop resources such as coping mechanisms, resilience, and the predisposition towards either positive or negative outlooks on life as well as death and loss. Sigelman and Rider (2009) refer to Bowlbys theory of attachment, concerning how a person copes through lifes challenges and stages, which can depend a great deal on the style of attachment they have developed, such as securely attached opposed to avoidant or resistant atta chment. These attachment styles play out through life in the manner of relationships beginning with family relationships, meaningful friendships, and marriage relationships, a person experiences through life and through their losses. Sigelman and Rider (2009b) cite Parkes who in conjunction with Bowlby constructed their theory of attachment model of bereavement, based on the simple fact that loss and love are counterparts that cannot be separated. Furthermore our interpersonal connections are built through attachment and centred on the conveying and sharing of love. Machin (2009b) also considers that attachment styles are also impacted through family culture, especially in how a person is taught the norms, values and beliefs surrounding appropriate mourning and grief, and life and love. As I reflect on how I seek and find support around my loosing M as a close friend, the cultural influence and norm my family advocates, is that of behaving as if nothing has changed. Almost like sayi ng, what are you worried about, and ignoring any deep feelings that need sharing to complete the cycle of grief. In relation to attachment within my family history I would say I have learnt secure attachment as a child, but as I grew my sense of attachment to my parents and siblings had a feeling of separateness, which funnily enough I feel was the grounding for my sense of differentiation and resilience, self reliance, sense of spiritual belonging and an ability to have a positive life mindset. On the flip side that separateness I felt when younger was the underlying force behind my poor self-esteem which was an enabling factor in the attachment style of relationship I shared with M. No matter the type of grief or loss one experiences or suffers in some way or another, love is at the heart of the felt experience. Even if the loss is as simple as the loss of a job, or perhaps a beloved cat, or friend, a partner, a mother or father, sister or brother, or sadly a child, it is love that binds us, it is love that makes life and death worthwhile. Kubler-Ross (1998) put it very succinctly when she wrote, you should live until you die, no one dies alone, everyone is loved beyond comprehension, everyone is blessed and guided, and the hardest lesson to learn is unconditional love, everything is bearable when there is love, and finally the only thing that lives forever is love (p288). To conclude this essay I would reflect on the importance of a counsellor taking the time to experience and deal with lifes losses and loves. Whether one chooses a particular model or process to assist the journey of self discovery, it is important to understand the underlying concepts of the attachment bonds that are formed over a life span. The bonds we form also bring the love that not only continues but also fluctuates between positive and negative emotional balancing and adjustment.