The affect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Housing and Urban Development Essay

The affect of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act on Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Audits - Essay Example It also called for public company accounting reform and investor protection act 2002. When the accounting scandals of reputed companies are made public, the companies stand to lose the trust of the people. A quasi public agency named as public company accounting oversight board (PCAOB) was established to prevent companies from getting into fraudulent activities. It also helped to conduct proper investigations in this regard. According to this act the public companies must disclose their internal account practices to make public their effectiveness. The independence of the auditor is to be maintained and any listed public company should have an independent audit committee to look over the relations between the auditor and the company. This enabled smoother interactions between the auditors and the companies. As more number of people are involved in the auditing process, any serious disagreement stood the chance of becoming public. The loans taken by directors and executive officers are restricted to prevent the public money from being misused. Previously they used to take money in form of unsecured loans. Public money was at stake as if any loss was reported, recovery of these loans would be difficult. Misuse of public money by the directors could be checked in this way. The reporting of insider trading was made compulsory to protect the interests of share holders. Insider trading was reduced to a large extent by imposing fines along with a sentence of imprisonment for executives who involve in that practice. Along with protecting the investments, provisions were also made to protect the employee's interests. These enabled employees and whistle blowers to file complaints regarding the harassment and dismissals in order to get quicker responses. The auditor's attestation was made mandatory and this made companies to be more responsible and accountable in their account practices and disclosures. The auditor, who attests, will be made responsible for any fraudulent disclosures in the statements, even at future. This makes the financial disclosures accountable. The most important and critical section in the law which makes the disclosure of financial statements responsible is section 404. This section compels the management to establish internal controls in order to make them selves accountable for the details revealed in the financial statements. The companies have to certify that the internal controls were efficient and trouble free. Sarbanes-Oxley Acts relationship and affect on Not-for-profit entities: The provision of restriction of loans to the directors of non profit organisation

Should Sharia law have more or less power Research Paper

Should Sharia law have more or less power - Research Paper Example On the other hand, Muslims are of the opinion that Sharia law nurtures humanity, allows individuals attain their potential as well as helps individuals release themselves from the strains of life. This paper will assess of Sharia law should be given more or less power. As seen in the research conducted by Mahmoud (2013), Sharia law should have as minimal power as possible since a great percentage of religious laws do not provide a chance for humanistic values that gives all humans a chance to enjoy equality just like other individuals. Evidently, Sharia law is a good testament of discriminatory practices since it does not give all individuals to enjy equal rights. This explains why even international actors are opposed to the law especially bearing in mind that the law incorporates high levels of discrimination on different persons especially based on their gender. A good example is that of the Sharia law discriminating against the homosexuals (Mahmoud, 2013). With this in question, it is manifest that granting Sharia law more power means that the civil and the safety rights of a group of individuals in the society will be threatened to a great extent. Additionally, any person with contrary beliefs would be indicated to demean the government opera ting under the Sharia law since the law does not appreciate the divergent views of different people in the society. For the case of Britain, it is clear that the society is fighting for a secular Britain due to the constraints that the Sharia law has on its followers (Mahmoud, 2013). With the law having state power in many regions around the globe, it is evident that law will continually seize the achievements of the civil society if the law is given more power. The developments achieved over the years have high chances of being overrun by the Sharia law. A notable example is the rights of

Effective Co-Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Effective Co-Teaching - Essay Example Consequently, there should be effective procedures to implement a strategy that ensures that all educators have a common goal of ensuring success to all students. Â  An inclusive classroom not only eliminates the exclusion barriers, but also ensures success for all students regardless of students’ potential marginalization because of disabilities; hence reduce the disruptive behaviors associated with an inclusive educational system. However, there are bound misunderstanding between the special education staff and the classroom, which is as a result of poor coordination and cooperation, inefficient learning strategies among the educators, and negative attitude towards an inclusive classroom (Villa, Thousand, & Nevin, 2008). For example, the Sunnyslope Elementary school case study indicates a conflict between the classroom teachers and the special education staff whereby lack of collaboration has led to a blame game on student lack of success. Sunnyslope case requires careful s teps and procedures to ensure that the balanced classroom schedules are balanced, and the collaborative relationship of special educations and classroom teachers is improved, which helps in defining a common goal focused on students’ success. The steps towards a successful learning environment in sunnyslope elementary school should implement the following steps towards the conflict resolution between the special educators and the classroom teachers. ... l education staff members should ensure that they work together in making the optimal classroom accommodation for all including students with disabilities. The interactive and co-teaching method should be implemented whereby the alternate roles of teaching, which will ensure that the teaching staff focuses on a common goal in the learning process, focused success among all students in an inclusive classroom. On the other hand, the special education teachers will feel incorporated in the learning schedules and will not have to provide classroom teachers with the students individual Educational Programs (IEPs) whereby they will have a schedule to enforce them appropriately according to each student’s need (Pastorex, 2011). Moreover, the special educators with the help of classroom teachers should develop inclusive Student’s IEPs that include information to support successful participation students in the general learning process in a classroom. Through an effective collab orative teaching practice, the classroom teachers will have an appreciative aspect of the role of the special educators in ensuring that the inclusion policy is not solely under the classroom teacher, but both the educators. Step 3: Effective Time planning and communication Time schedules and effective communication are significant aspects in ensuring an inclusive teaching practice. The co-teachers at sunnyslope should embrace parity and ensure that the lesson planning is based on grade-level expectations, which encourage the discussion of interpersonal skills and strengths between the special education and classroom teaches. Consequently, an appropriate co-teaching pair is achieved through the outlined IEPs for the classroom to meet the support needs of students with disabilities (Pastorex, 2011).

Critically evaluate the statement that the objective of portfolio Essay - 1

Critically evaluate the statement that the objective of portfolio investment is to minimise risk with examples, and discuss the differences between systematic and unsystematic risk - Essay Example Unsystematic risk on the other hand is specific to a particular industry and can only b controlled through proper diversification or portfolio management strategy. The following pages describes the two types of risks and critically analyzes the statement that objective of portfolio diversification is to minimize risk. Systematic risks are the macro risk and affect all sectors and all industries in a market (Back, 2010). This risk cannot be minimized by an investor through portfolio diversification. From the company’s view point this risk cannot be controlled by the company. This type of risk is both unavoidable and impossible to predict (An, 2007). Such type of risk is impossible for the company to control. Another type of risk is the unsystematic risk. Systematic risks are the risks that arise due to the influence of external factors that are beyond the control of an organization (Chance and Brooks, 2015). Since these types of risks are beyond the control of an organization so these risks do not affect a particular organization but affects all types of organization that are present in the market. The organization cannot plan in advance for such type of risks. Such types of risks are macro in nature and have its impact across the market spectrum irrespective of the industry or sector types (Fouque and Langsam, 2013). The systematic risks can be of various types and can be further subdivided into Interest rate risks, Purchasing power risk and Market risk. Interest rate risk: Interest rate risk is mainly associated with debt instruments and refers to the variability of interest rates from time to time. Interest rate risks can be further subdivided into price risk and reinvestment rate risk (Gai, 2013). Price risk as the name suggests is the risk that is associated with the probable fall in the price of shares or any other commodity in the future. Reinvestment risk is the risk that is

Household Food Waste in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Household Food Waste in the UK - Essay Example It aimed at giving a statistical representation of samples across Wales and England to come up with a determination of cost and mass of food waste. From July 2007, 2,715 households that were in a questionnaire that asked for background data that is socio-demographical, home composting, waste collection habits, recycling experiences and some perceptions towards UK waste food. After four weeks, waste from the municipality from 2138 households was put together, sorted, weighed and put into 13 groups of food (check Appendix B) and the categories of food stage (see Figure 2) Annual food waste mass for all homes in the UK was calculated through average mass by the type of household. That is, households shared, of singles, related adults and that one that is related to children. The researchers allocated cost with mass in grams according to a set mean price for all identified food items. The analysis was focused on cost and mass of waste that is avoidable. 6.7 million tonnes, which are equivalent to 14.5 billion Pounds or (18.8 billion Euros2) of food are always disposed of in the UK every year. This stands as a 20% representation of all domestic waste that is generated in the UK. For the reason of WRAP’s report, it was divided into three major categories: Products that are discarded but still within their dates at the day of sorting analysis, add up to at least 8.3% of food waste that is avoidable under which drinks, condiments, and confectionaries have the greatest portions. The top three items on the list of food that is wasted in % of mass are: The main difference between avoidable and total food waste in the vegetable category is caused by inedible parts and peelings (see Figure 4). Despite, potatoes turn out to be the food items that mostly appear in the vegetable category, which is ranked second in food waste that is avoidable after bakery.

Survival and Positive Growth during an Economic Downturn Assignment

Survival and Positive Growth during an Economic Downturn - Assignment Example This study will evaluate and arrive at a consensus regarding each of the financial aspects to provide a plan that will help the organization survive during a depression or recession and lead to a positive growth. It is therefore aimed at providing inputs from the financial perspective of business during the economic downturn. The idea of providing inputs or making changes and venturing into new arenas in terms of cost efficiency and management are discussed as they are the need of the hour. The whole economic system functions on the money supply in the market, and this supply is facilitated by the various business enterprises that are the backbone of every economy. To begin with, let us get acquainted with the "Great Depression of the 1930's" and the current economic downturn. The Great Depression was the worldwide economic downturns that lead to widespread poverty and unemployment as businesses failed. Though the exact cause of the Great Depression is unknown, it began with the Stoc k market crash by the end of 1929. A normal change in the business cycle that becomes a short recession can lead to a depression. During the 'The great depression' the construction industry came to a stunning halt in many countries with prices of crops falling by almost 60%, leading to widespread unemployment, as these sectors have few alternative employment options. However, the economy started showing signs of recovery during early 1933 and the economy stabilized thereafter leaving potential room for the growth of the business. A report about recession where the Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan commented "the current global recession will "surely be the longest and deepest" since the 1930s and more government rescue funds are needed to stabilize the U.S. financial system."To stabilize the American banking system and restore normal lending, additional TARP funds will be required," Greenspan said in a speech to the Economic Club of New York. The U.S. Treasury's Trou bled Asset Relief Program designed to help bail out banks has been partially successful". The current recession too had the stock markets crashing with the heavy downturn in the construction industry segment. Greenspan further comments "a housing recovery is a necessary condition for the end of the financial crisis, and said that "the prospect of stable home prices remains many months in the future." The effect of this economic downturn is the huge cut down on spending by corporate houses leading to widespread unemployment. According to the Forbes Digital Company "Working capital management" means a "managerial accounting strategy focusing on maintaining efficient levels of both components of working capital, current assets and current liabilities, in respect to each other. Working capital management ensures a company has sufficient cash flow in order to meet its short-term debt obligations and operating expenses." It is only in the implementation of an effective working capital man agement can companies see the return on investment and better earnings.

Perspectives on conflicts and disputes Essay Example for Free

Perspectives on conflicts and disputes Essay Legal positivists postulate that individuals are intrinsically greedy, which is the main root of conflicts among them. Thomas Hobbes posits that beings are doomed to dispute because of their primeval nature, which is deduced to selfishness that causes them to struggle to maintain their social status. In this milieu, Charles Darwin furthered this stance by conjecturing that species’ selfish ways are embedded to their genes because life is nothing but a struggle for survival. To curtail this selfishness, law is of necessity because only it provides rules and restrictions to protect the interest and upholds the rights of each individual. The advancement on the epistemological aspect of conflict starts at the ontogenetic condition of the specie and continues in its phylogenetic condition. Ontogenetic state means that the being develops from the conception of its genes up to the end of its life cycle. Conversely, phylogenetic event transpires in between of the beings conception and death, meaning the individual develops throughout the time it exists. Therefore, Homo sapiens understanding of conflict’s anatomy begins at phylogenetic level and its full comprehension happens when Homo sapiens reaches the end of ontogenetic level. The epistemic acquisition of conflicts thrives in human playground or to events and settings that necessitates human actions and interactions. Conflicts undergo a succession that perpetually exists within the life-world of beings such as their surroundings, environment, politics, business, science, etc. Having drawn this conclusion, we can infer that in existing innumerable of conflicts there is a myriad of ways of resolving it. Conflict is impossible to annihilate because of the following reasons: first, it thrives at the very heart of human volition, which is the source of human selfishness, and second, it has been part of human psyche to transfer it from one generation to the other, which resulted to a vicious cycle within the epistemic system of conflict. And throughout history, individuals have learned the art of conflict, and some even mastered the usage of conflict in their everyday lives. Handling conflict is very vital to human existence because it can totally change the landscape of one’s own existence. The coming of twentieth century proved that beings are becoming more and more aware of how to comprehend the nitty-gritty details of conflict, and what are the effective means of handling conflicts. There is no panacea that will medicate continuous existence of conflict, but humans strive to find a better solution to satisfy the needs of a prominent conflict because they are challenged by the difficulty it embodies. It must be noted that conflict is getting more complicated as time passes by, which means that better solution must be concocted to counter-attack more severe problem. The vastness of the universe implies a far more serious condition because the contingency of the world can necessitate an unknown conflict, which greatly needs a novel constructs or to put it simply, man has to go out of the box to resolve a new or unknown prevailing issue. This kind of conflict serves a greater challenge to human reason because it is something that our very reason has not yet encountered. The enigmatic characteristic of such new issues demands transcendence in our rationality. Using Karl Marx philosophical stance, we can infer that conflict has a crisis-response blueprint or a thesis-antithesis pattern. Multiplicity of conflicts has evolved into a more complex manner within the continuum of time, as well as the individual effort to manage and to elucidate it. In order for a human specie to understand the mechanism of conflict, he/she must know its intrinsic values, and in doing so, he/she can decipher appropriate solution for different conflicts. The epicentre of conflict lies on the innate nature of man and its solution lies on the rules that have been drawn to curb the natural operation of human volition. Development is the life-source of conflict, ironically speaking, the more we formulate means to make life easier the more we recognize new conflicts. In the primeval condition of humanity the only existing problem is the source of food, and then it further develops into the issue of territory, and finally when men resolved these issues another conflict sprouted when they realized the significance of property. The birth of science and technology intensified the man’s struggle to annihilate conflicts. Science and technology successfully medicated the prevailing conflicts of our society but it also paved for the birth of novel conflicts, and in some condition aggravated an existing issue. As of this modern day period, science and technology provides a myriad of solutions in human crises in the field of poverty, education and medicine. But it also exacerbates war between nations because technology brings forth weaponry of mass destruction. Man by Nature is Selfish According to Richard Dawkins introduction in his book The Selfish Gene, man’s attitude is greatly affected and designed by our genetic composition. Our genes made us. We animals exist for their preservation and are nothing more than their throwaway survival machines. The world of the selfish gene is one of savage competition, ruthless exploitation, and deceit. But what of the acts of apparent altruism found in nature the bees who commit suicide when they sting to protect the hive, or the birds who warn the flock of an approaching hawk? Do they contravene the fundamental law of gene selfishness? At the onset of Dawkins book, he clearly stipulated that all species either man or animals are machines fashioned by their genetic design. As mentioned earlier, Hobbes believes that men are naturally born selfish, and it is the same in Dawkins case. According to him, the selfishness of man is deeply embedded in our genes, and due to this we must learn the virtue of generosity and altruism because if we failed to do so, men will perpetually live on catastrophic state. Dawkins stance must not be misconstrued as an ethical justification of human behaviour or a moral treatise that must be followed since his insight is loud and clear; that men are selfish because of their genes, no more, no less. Having said this, it is a challenge for us to control it if not exterminate it because we are the only species who can desired to do it. In the furtherance of man’s selfish genes, Dawkins incorporated Darwin’s biological conjecture that man is doomed for the battle of its own survival. However, the former believes that survival is not controlled by man; rather man is machinated by genes to strive for its own survival. The genes are the building blocks of human existence, it is the one that created us, and these genes even dictates how we should reason out. Men are innately selfish for the sole reason of life preservation or prolongation. They are willing to do everything just to ensure that their interests are satisfied. Satisfaction of interest is tantamount to the validation of one existence. This is the embodiment of human existence, chaotic and full of struggle. The machination of individual is further elucidated by Dawkins through his explanation of gene mechanism. Dawkins adopted G. C. Williams’ definition of genes, which stated that gene any portion of chromosomal material that potentially last for enough generations to serve as a unit of natural selection . The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of man thrives within our body. It must be noted that DNA is not contained in a particular body parts rather it is widely disseminated within our cells. Approximately speaking, a human body is made of a thousand million cells, and each of these cells contains an exact blueprint of all DNA in our body. The significance of the ontogenetic control of genes is its capability of self-continuation and self-propagation, meaning, genes can preserve itself under the condition of numerous struggles. The survival of genes lies on the efficiency and power of our corporeal body, which they inhabit for its own development. The existence of each human species is not everlasting, it is ephemeral. Dawkins uses an analogy wherein each card in a deck represents the genes. According to him, when a deck of card are being shuffled they undergo a process of survival. And this process of survival is exactly the mechanism of genes wherein every time they are shuffled a gene only assumes the position of another gene, instead of being destroyed, and after the shuffling process genes are still genes that continue to march on. Dawkins draws a conclusion from this analogy, which stated that genes are basically the replicators and we are their machinery for survival. And when we have fulfilled our function we are automatically became useless, but gene will perpetuate its existence because it is a denizen of geological time . In view of that, Dawkins also posits that gene is the basic unit of survival because it competes for its own preservation against their alleles for a slot in the chromosome. With this picture, we can infer that genes struggle for survival of future generation in the gene pool in the expense of its own alleles. Therefore, selfishness is indeed the fundamental foundation of selfishness. The genes are the master programmers, and they are programming for their lives. They are judged according to the success of their programs in copying with all the hazards that life throws at their survival machines, and the judge is the ruthless judge of the court of survival . This phrase only strengthened Dawkins claims that man is nothing but a machinery of genes for its own survival. As pointed earlier, man is different from other specie because a human being has a will power and reason, meaning man can go against the dictate of its gene i. e. a person can choose not to reproduce. In addition, reason has its own domain wherein it has the capability to manipulate habitual operation of gene machine, to envisage what lies beyond its own future, and most significantly, to act according to its own course of nature. Because of rationality, gene machinery is able to be in command of outlining what direction individuals must follow. Rationality can curtail the dictate of gene, meaning, a person can transcend his/her selfishness and reach the condition of being generous and altruistic. The emancipation of man from his selfish nature is only possible if and only if he succumb himself to an agreement. Being established that human beings to be innately selfish also indicate that they are self-regulating. But generosity and altruism can only be actualized if the self-regulating beings surrender their self-regulating prowess. Selfishness is the anti-thesis of the said virtues but because of rationality human beings will submit to an agreement to satisfy the insufficiency of self-regulation. The universal antidote for this insufficiency is the construction of law through its rules. In the vein of Hobbes social contract theory, man must give in to an agreement to restrain his natural tendencies, but he must only surrender to a contract if and only if others will surrender to it in equal footing. But in the provision of rules it is a prerequisite to understand the intricate schema of conflict. The Role of Rules In Using Conflict Theory, Otomar Bartos and Paul Wehr claim that in the wide range of epistemic knowledge regarding conflicts there are two guiding principles that must be comprehended: one, to concentrate on general theories, and second, to carry out these theories on a simplified fashion. The former necessitate an application of theories to innumerable types of conflicts. While the latter focuses on the specific arguments or application of the former. One good example of general theories is elucidation of poverty in the third world countries using the framework of dialectical materialism by Marx. If we convert this general theory into a simplified manner, one must look at the specific causes of poverty such as shortage of natural resources, lack of capital, misallocation of funds, graft and corruption, and the likes. If one is successful in outlining the appropriate general theories in an existing conflict, then he/she translates these theories in its simplified form. And if this will be the case, then concoction of rules will be easier. Rules must embody the principle of the entire society and it must cater to the needs of its citizenry. Rules can be perceived in two ways: Kantian or Utilitarian. Immanuel Kant posits that rules must be made in the context of universal imperative, meaning it must not be used as means of advancing one’s interest rather it must be created for its own sake and for the goodness and betterment of humanity. In lieu to this, Utilitarian advocates such as J. S. Mill argues that rules must be conceptualized in the essence of achieving the goodness of the majority and resulting to the production of best consequences. Kant postulates that a rule must be encompassing and must not reside on the band wagon of majority votes because it contradicts the reason of man, and because number of votes does not imply truth. For example, killing another being is morally unjustified is a universal rule because it affirms the importance of life, which is true to all beings. Conversely, J. S. Mill believes that rules are justified if and only if the â€Å"greatest happiness for the greatest number of people† is reached. But it must be noted that utilitarian theory also entails a qualitative measurement through the intensity and duration of happiness, meaning, it must have greater impact to the society and its intensity must last for the longest time if not forever. For example, death penalty can be either permissible or impermissible depending on the context of society, but the point is, morally justifiability of death penalty lies on majority votes since it can serve the interest of more people. There are voluminous conflicting issues regarding these theories because both of them are in extreme opposition. Kant rejects utilitarianism because it does not uphold a consensual quest for universal truth and it only served the interests of the majority of population in a given social context. On the other hand, utilitarian advocates refute the Kantian theories because of its impossibility or tedious system in knowing the universal truth. But in the modern day period, utilitarian theories are more adopted than Kantian theory because it is more feasible in creating rules for present conflicts and for future conflicts. In most cases, before a rule can be ratified it must undergo an election and must meet certain number of votes to quantify its validity i. e. three-fourths of the voting population or majority votes. But it must be noted that most rules fashioned in utilitarian perspective must follow a universal precept so that it will not contradict the constitution of a specific nation. For example, murder is universally not accepted, which one of the reason why death penalty is not easy to endorse because it contradicts a universal precept, though some countries provided an reasonable exemption on the matter, killing will still be universal precept that they must consider. Rules main goal is to promote the interest of every individual as possible as it can, and to restrict the selfish ways of human beings, in order to maintain an ordered society. Because of this guideline, law has delineated the scope of public and private sphere to guarantee the possibility of generosity and altruism. Public sphere is far more superior to the private sphere because the former promotes national interest and the welfare of the entire populace. Law provides countless rules to reinforce the supremacy of public sphere, which is the apparent implication on the significance of reason. Rules are the product of our reason to rebel against the dictate of our selfish genes. In the furtherance of rules, justice must be encapsulated in its formulation to ensure an effective implementation of it.