Global Economic Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Economic Issues - Essay Example Financial services organizations that act in the international arena in facilitating financial flows between lenders and borrowers have to operate in a strategically competitive environment that compels them to adopt a quintessentially ideological stance which Stiglitz (2008) attributes to the predominance of the financial community’s view of the world (Lechner and Boli, 2008, p. 204). Stiglitz’s tirade against globalism and its consequences is not a one-sided affair either. Criticism of Washington Consensus, which advocates a minimum role for the government while at the same time actively encouraging privatization and trade liberalization, has not been a recent phenomenon (Stiglitz, 2003). International financial services institutions play a major role in determining the very outcomes in globalization process to such an extent that their impact is felt in the far corners of the globe in every sphere of decision making including those of the central governments’ and local bodies’. According to Stiglitz international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB), have been pushing forth a particular line of â€Å"market fundamentalism† that pays little or no attention to third world countries’ diverse needs. This total irrelevancy of policies that these institutions advocate for developing countries is nothing new even in respect of those East Asian economies like South Korea and Taiwan. However these latter countries could successfully ignore the Washington dictated reformist formula and achieve a greater degree of equality among their citizens. Globalization and/or globalism particularly refer to a set of liberal economic principles that underlie the very nature of how best to expand international trade and commerce links beyond the national borders of countries (Nagdeman, 2009). While the underlying theoretical constructs basically refer to such parallel concepts as international free trade and

Current Rights of Women in India Essay Example for Free

Current Rights of Women in India Essay In America women have the right to work, vote, and own just about anything that they can afford. The only thing limiting them is their credit score, or the limit that the bank determines. These may seem like rights that are universal because the reality of America is not the dismays that other countries have to deal with. In other countries this luxury of Equal Rights is not common, and is actually rejected and avoided by all costs. Some countries do not believe in these rights because of their religion, and what they’ve been taught. How can a fundamental value not be learned? Other countries just do not know any different than the man as the hunter or provider, and the woman as the caregiver or housekeeper. These roles in America only recently began to be shared amongst the genders, and to this day these roles are not confirmed by any means. Other countries are beginning to open their mind to other policies mostly because of influences of other cultures, and it is about time this happens. Some of the horrifying conditions that women in India have to deal with are issues that no women would ever want to fathom, and is very unfortunate. Not always being granted the ability to gain an education, being married at a youthful age without any say in the choice of a partner, and unwanted abortion of female fetuses are just a few that surface news channels. Those disturbing issues listed above are what these women have to deal with regularly and have no hope of these problems ever changing because of what some people in some cultures call beliefs. Media has placed great emphasis on the stories that depict that the women’s rights in India have been improving over the past few decades. Improvement can be misinterpreted when a third world country is involved, because any change that is not for the worst can be considered an improvement. What has really improved? Is it going to be up to the women to determine at which point they feel like they are an equal gender in this country? Until this point, there is no telling how long this can take. Cultural Belief of Equality The problem lies in the internal practices of the country. India is a country which mainly operates from the religious inclinations of the population. Be that as it may, how can anyone question their beliefs, and furthermore, who is to say that these practices do or don’t work? Shouldn’t the answer of whether or not their current policies are effective come from the source – the women in this country? In 1926 Sarojini Naidu, the first female president of the Indian National Congress party, had helped achieve the right for women to vote along with the men. It had taken, like most political victories in India for women, a great deal of time and patience (Roy, 2012, para. 15). Indian society is also one of the worlds most culturally diverse, with innumerable linguistic, cultural, and religious groups. Due to the diversity of the Indian populace, Indian policy makers have faced a tough challenge in ensuring that the individual rights of its citizens, including women, are protected (â€Å"Balancing Minority Rights and Gender Justice: The Impact of Protecting Multiculturalism on Womens Rights in India,† 2005, p. 05). This is a country where religion has always ruled their judicial and ethical structure, and because of this it will need to be a common agreement that there needs to be a change from within. The Butalia (1998) website describes a poor woman Rojammas who took a literacy class. She read a story about a woman who had to endure physical abuse from her husband due to his drinking habit. The woman in the story went through the village speaking with the other women to see who had the same problem as her. She determined that the reason for most of the abuse is that their husbands would go to work, and come home and spend all of their money on alcohol. The husbands would get upset when the women weren’t able to feed them because all of their money was spent at the liquor stores. The women rallied and protested at the liquor stores and eventually, in Andhra Pradesh liquor was banned. As a result, families were able to save, violence rates dropped, and life seemed to improve for these people. Unfortunately women are no longer able to be seen in the streets protesting. These brave women were able to make a difference, and had the strength and tools to do so. Since then, their power of protest and voice has been taken. Is this an improvement, and if so, what is next? The nineteenth century was to be considered â€Å"the age of the women†, because all over the world women’s rights and wrongs were the main topic of heated discussion amongst the world. Different countries such and France, Russia, England and Germany began spreading women consciousness, and more towards the mid nineteenth century, Russia began having issues with reformers and anarchist because of the question that was being widely spread across the nations; should women have rights? Although these issues were now arising throughout most countries, in India, the men still see it as men have all power and women obey as they are told. This now brings us with today’s issue that is still being fought in India and even in some other countries. Women now come across broken promises and the â€Å"possibility† of women rights when those rights were already being fought for and stated in the Indian Constitution. In the Constitution it states that â€Å"every single woman’s and girl’s well-being and safety paramount; that their liberties and rights are not to be challenged on the basis of attire or profession; that they are treated equally. † (Women’s Rights in India, 2009) With that being said, this is not the case of what is going on with the women in India; one in particular that was being socially, economically, and politically deprived. This is what is being said about this situation. â€Å"The police commissioner on the other hand has referred to the recent attacks on women as mere incidents of eve teasing. While eve-teasing is itself a term specific to the South Asian region, associated with unsolicited verbal harassment like catcalls, whistles and/or remarks directed towards women, the incidents that he so casually referred to were actual assaults on women for being dressed in western attire. More importantly, even eve teasing calls for action against the perpetrators† (Women’s Rights in India, 2009). It is not ethical for any one person to use their stature for their own personal gain. Although, different countries do have different ethics/cultural ethics, morals and religious beliefs they choose to abide by, does not mean it is not right to degrade women as sexual objects, â€Å"different† because of their personal beliefs, or even their own sense of style. How can one be punished because of the attire they chose to wear? Women have come so far from being just a â€Å"house wife†, to working while World War 1 was taking place, to joining the army to help our fellow soldiers fight for this country, to running as a presidential candidate. Women bleed, breath, think, feel emotion and get hurt physically just like men do, so why do we treat women any differently than a male? If you look back into Egyptian history, Greek Mythology and even some of the â€Å"Gods† that were â€Å"Political† figures to us at one point in time were women: Aphrodite, Artemis, Isis and etc. Women should be granted the exact same rights as the men in this world because they contribute to a lot of the findings we discover, cures we find, the birth our children, some of the things we study and so forth. Will we ever be able to look passed all of the things that we say and do about/towards women? Is it possible to give the rights that we promised for so many years to the women of our country and the other countries that have promised the exact same thing? Discrimination is such a huge discussion amongst our community today because it continues to thrive off of those that are not subjective to change. Change is exactly what we need to bring out the different opinions between cultures, and religious beliefs. Although it is a belief, that does not mean that it is morally right to believe it is ok to treat women in a certain fashion that we see as correct. The mixed bag of laws, bills, commitments, broken promises, new pledges and fresh possibilities for women’s rights comes with its share of anticipation and disappointments. Will promises be converted into laws and will prejudices make way for a little more tolerance and a little less chauvinism? Will social perceptions of women and their traditionally assigned roles in society witness a change under the collective pressure of government laws and social campaigns? And will society eventually look at girls through the same lens that they see boys? And yet hope survives†¦

Why Is Education So Important In Canada Education Essay

Why Is Education So Important In Canada Education Essay A large selection of Canadas universities and  colleges found in both urban and rural places in every region of the country. (Education System In Canada) Canadian universities are much known for the quality of the teaching. Degrees from Canada are actually equivalent to degrees from America or other commonwealth places. Many Canadian schools are largely funded publicly which means they are consistently high quality, no matter where the location is. In Nunavut there is also higher education, (Nunavut is the province in the north of Canada). In Nunavut higher education allows the residents of the Canadian Arctic territory to specialize in secondary institutes. Of course there will be some unique challenges which some students have to face wishing to perfect advanced training in Nunavut. The territory of Nunavut has approximately 32,000 people in it. But there has been a problem in Nunavut about language but now has been resolved. There are no universities in Nunavut.  Nunavut Arctic College  is the only institution of higher education. It offers a small number of degrees in conjunction with Dalhousie University (Wikipedia). The Canadian school system actually accepts Inuit languages due to cultural reasons. But the university in Nunavut is actually struggling quite hard to get the best quality education possible. One of the governor generals named Michelle Jean decided to build more Arctic universities. For Full-time student enrolments at some universities are from over 35,000 to less than 1,000. Also, most universities have a large number of part-time or continuing students who are being educated. They offer allot of courses and allot of degrees from undergraduate to doctorates, and can also offer certificates and professional degrees. Fees for universities differ, depending on the province, institution and program of the study. Private schools exist in every single province around the country, and private schools are very good for parents who seek an overseas education for their child. The most international schools are in Ontario and Alberta. Sasckachewan has enough international schools and Nunavut has quite a few. All international schools must be registered with the ministry of education In the province or territory. Some private schools even have religious faith and use particular moral teachings. Canada has two official languages which are English and French. A student can take their institutions in either English or French. Some universities will offer instructions in both languages. But you dont have to be fluent in English and French to attend schools in Canada. If English isnt your first language you will at least have to pass the English examination which is called the (TOEFL). The Canadian Skilled Worker immigration program was developed to encourage people with skills that would be useful to the country to move there. If you want to meet the qualifications, the program will serve only two purposes. First of the government wants to make sure that the program will become overwhelmed with immigrants who have a high skilled ability. Second, the government does not want you to move out of your country, only to find that there are limited amount of jobs left. You will need to have an extremely good score on your high school diploma to have this opportunity. (Why Your Education Is Important For Canada) If you also want to go as an immigrant you have to also pass something named a (Pass-Mark System). It is not very hard to achieve and potential immigrants should atleast get a score of 75 percent. But these days, most people got 64 percent and if an immigrant wants to go to Canada they should start thinking now how their going to pass. This is one of the factors assessed by the Canadian government in Education It was good to hear Saskatchewans Education Minister, Russ Marchuk, talking recently about the value of pre-kindergarten and other forms of early childhood development in generating better learners, and ultimately more successful citizens. (Better Education Integral To Canadas Economy) The ministry of education is the industry that ensures that the students of Ontario have a great quality of education and that Ontario has the best education, in terms of quality and teaching. The ministry of education can be in English or French and the Ministry of education has to: Make sure that all the schools and authorities are funded. Structuring provincial support for curriculums. Making sure that the teachers are well trained and ready for excellence. Making sure that a child has good health so they give children health cards. Search around to see that every child has got this health card. Managing child care programs, such as CMSMs. Investigating complaints regarding unlicensed child care providers. Making requirements such as student diplomas and certificates. In the governments vision, educators, students, parents, teachers, principals, schools, boards, child care providers, service system managers. First Nations and the wider community work together in a genuine partnership to ensure good outcomes for all children. (Ministry Of Education) There are a lot of Eskimos who are taught by their parents how to survive in the harsh weather and how to fish, how to hunt for animals such as seals. The Eskimos diet is mostly seals because most of the foods in the markets are very expensive. There is a school in The Eskimo region named Inkulit School. And the school is in the main city of Nunavut which is named Iqaluit. Iqaluit is the modern city of Nunavut. The second most modern city of Nunavut is Cambridge Bay and the city has a school where students have to attend. The ministry of education also has a place in Nunavut and the ministry of education makes sure that students of Nunavut have at least attended schools or programs. The Northwest Territories also has a lot of schools and in the Northwest Territories you have to attend schools, it is compulsory and if a student does not attend schools the parents will get a lawsuit by the ministry of education for not letting your child attend schools or programs. There are colleges named career colleges which will allow you to get prepared for a job in a short period of time, and instructions. The college will have a broad range of instructions and technical duties. There are a lot of Eskimos in these career colleges because it is not the type of colleges where you have to participate for at least 1 or 2 years, you can just attend the college for at least 9 months. Career colleges have a highly competitive fee structures. If an Eskimo can have a degree from college, it will be extremely good for the persons future. Dalhousie University is also a good university for the Eskimos because Dalhousie shares diplomas with Nunavut Arctic University. Dalhousie University is in Halifax, Nova Scotia. But Dalhousie University is a better choice for an Eskimo who is looking to attend a University. Nunavut Arctic University is also a good university, but there are a limited amount of diplomas in the university. In Dalhousie there are more courses, more programs and more diplomas available than Nunavut Arctic University. British Colombia has got 11 universities, 11 colleges, and 3 institutions. Approximately 433,000 people attended secondary institutions in 2006 to 2007 in the academic year. The number of students were 17,250 of them where From British Colombia and 10,500 where international students. In 2011 at least 151,774 applications took place in the British Colombian campus. But the problem was that in some schools, the grading system was harshly marked and most students didnt get the mark that they wanted or expected. That started causing cheating during 2008-2009. For Eskimos there is also a nursing program. The nursing program involves The University Of Regina. The nursing program is quite an intense course for male or females who want to learn how to become nurses or something else. The nursing program needs a lot of focus and concentration to become successful in the course. There is also a Nunavut teacher learning program which involves University Of Prince Edward Island, Master of education in leadership and learning program. And also the former Akitsiraq Law Program. But now unexpectedly it was disabled by the territorial government, even though it was very good, and acknowledged and successful. The government of Yukon was saying the Yukon University was hiring more and more teachers because more and more students were attending that particular University. In 2011 the students increased from 9,856 to 10,234. This affected some of the education in that college and made it harder to reach because theyre not use to many students in one class. There was also an art college that was sharing applications with Yukon University. There is also a man named Bartlett who was very pleased to attend SOVA. In the Northwest Territories there is a government community school where residences attend the school. The school focuses on carriers. Work cited list A large selection of Canadas universities and  colleges found in both urban and rural places in every region of the country 2012 (Education System In Canada) There are no universities in Nunavut.  Nunavut Arctic College  is the only institution of higher education. It offers a small number of degrees in conjunction with Dalhousie University 2012 (Wikipedia) You will need to have an extremely good score on your high school diploma to have this opportunity. (Why Your Education Is Important For Canada) 2003 It was good to hear Saskatchewans Education Minister, Russ Marchuk, talking recently about the value of pre-kindergarten and other forms of early childhood development in generating better learners, and ultimately more successful citizens. (Better Education Integral To Canadas Economy) 2012 First Nations and the wider community work together in a genuine partnership to ensure good outcomes for all children. (Ministry Of Education) 2012

The Birds :: essays research papers fc

Satire defined is 'A composition in verse or prose holding up a vice or folly to ridicule or lampooning individuals… The use of ridicule, irony, sarcasm, etc, in speech or writing for the ostensible purpose of exposing and discourage vice or folly'; (Johnston, 5). In other words, satire is the use of humor to expose moral behavior of man. In the Aristophanes' play The Birds, satire is used to mock the common Greek's dream of ruling the gods that they worship. It mocks the power that they seek to become the supreme ruler of the world. To understand Aristophanes use of satire, one must first understand the role satire plays in sending out its message.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the basis of satire is a sense of moral outrage. This outrage is wrong and needs to be exposed. The goal of a satire is to correct this misconduct of man in a humorous way that makes the audience relate to the problem and try to correct it. Satire 'seeks to use laughter, not just to remind us of our common often ridiculous humanity, but rather to expose those moral excesses, those correctable sorts of behavior which transgress what the writer sees as the limits of acceptable moral behavior'; (Johnston, 5). In exposing these foibles, one could discover not to behave in such a manner by realizing his or her mistakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When setting up a satire, one must do so in a few steps. The first step is setting up a target which will symbolize the conduct that the satirist wishes to attack. In The Birds, the target is the average Athenian citizen, seeking power Pisthetaerus or in Greek translation, 'companion persuader'; (Luce, 300). Pisthetaerus is upset with his current living conditions and sets out to seek a new place, far better than his existing residence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adding exaggeration and distortion to the target, the satirist then emphasizes the characteristic he wishes to attack. 'The target must be close enough to the real thing for us to recognize what is going on, but sufficiently distorted to be funny, an exaggeration, often a grotesque departure from normality'; (Johnston, 17). After deciding to create a city strategically located between heaven and earth, so the birds can rule god and man, Pisthetaerus eats a magical root that has the powers to give birth to wings. Although it is evident that humans growing wings is not imaginably possible, the birth of wings does give birth to the power that Pisthetaerus craves more of.

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses Essay

This paper concerns the personal strengths and weakness of my own life. The details I will be presenting are what I consider my best and worst strengths and weaknesses. The purpose of this paper is to clearly define each of these and figure out a way to learn how to solve my weaknesses and make my strengths even stronger. Identifying personal strengths and weaknesses are essential part of the overall learning processes. Just as we understand which methods and techniques help us to learn at an optimal level, understanding our strengths and weaknesses help us to become more self conscious and well-rounded individuals. I believe that life is our personal experiences and everyone has certain attributes with their personal strengths and weaknesses. . Being aware of what are my best strengths can help me overcome my worst weaknesses. In the past, I have had a hard time recognizing my weakness but as you get older, you become more aware of your weaknesses. I feel that recognizing your strengths and weaknesses is what makes you a successful person in any aspects of your life. I feel that one of my greatest strengths is that I love to learn. Life to me  is a never-ending learning experience. As we go through our life it is vital that we learn who we are and have the ability to grow from our own strengths and weaknesses. I feel by overcoming my weaknesses and reinforcing my strengths that I will become more successful in both my personal and professional life. My strengths, which include good analytical skills, and good computer skills, are offset by my weaknesses, which is procrastination and dreadful writing and grammar skills. I believe one of my greatest strengths is my analytical skills. I love working with numbers and figuring out complicated problems. This is why I chose Accounting for my profession. I love working with numbers and figuring things out. Very few people love working in accounting. Another of my strengths is my computer skill. I am a very fast learner when it comes to figuring out new computer software or hardware. This stems from my husband who I have learned a lot from over the past eight years. His profession is in the computer software business. Often the people I work with will turn to me for help with configuring their computers or formatting a Word document. I had a difficult time narrowing this list to just one or two faults that I would mention here. My one of my most weaknesses is that I am a major procrastinator. Over the past few years, I have tried to work on this fault by reading books and lectures. I feel the only way to stop procrastinating is through determination, commitment, and a desire to change. I believe I possess the determination and desire, and I commit today to apply myself to making this change in my personality. I feel that this next weakness can either be considered a fault or a strength and that is organization. I am a compulsive organizer and sometimes that tends to slow me down on projects. It also takes time away from my children because I am such a perfectionist and organizer. I do not think anyone is perfect but I do think we all strive to be our best. The first step is to improve our weaknesses by learning from them everyday. I think that by using are strengths to improve our weaknesses would be a very efficient process we all could learn. I think that taking this class will definitely improve my weaknesses and help me learn more about my strengths Both my personal and professional life.

Chinese Mine Explosions essays

Chinese Mine Explosions essays Three coal mine explosions occurred in China this past Wednesday, October 20. The most devastating of which happened in Xinmi, located in the province of Henan. Several gas explosions in the mine have left rescuers to find sixty four dead bodies, and still searching for eighty four more. Yahoo News and Reuters UK have reported on this incident from two differing points of view, and this comes from who they believe is responsible for the incidents. Yahoo News reports on the incidents as if they are the fault of the bosses controlling the mines. In a quote taken from Li, whose nephew was trapped in the mine, and is yet to be found says that "There was a lot of talk in the mine that the mine boss was no good. A lot of the miners did not like him." The China Labor Bulletin, a Hong Kong based human rights group says that there are over twenty thousand coal mine related deaths per year in China. They believe that the reason for this comes from the coal mining bosses's lack of attention to safety needed for the workers to operate in good conditions. The group believes that there are many fatalities that go unreported by mine bosses so that they will not be subject to penalties, and also that their mine will not be shut down. Many people have gathered outside of the Xinmi mine in hopes that they will receive some news of their family members sooner. From what Yahoo News has reported, the fault of this particular mining accident, and the other ones as well lies with the mining bosses's lack of attention to safety. Reuters UK reports on the incidents that took place on Wednesday focuses on a lot of governmental related problems that seem to have caused these deaths. China's government relies heavily on their own production of coal as a cheap way to find energy. The government puts a lot of pressure on mine workers and mine bosses to maximize their production of coal. Li Dun, a sociologist at Beijing's Qinghua University, says tha...

Free Essays on Challenger Nasa

January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger the 25th space shuttle mission, was set to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at, 11:38am. Originally the launch was scheduled for January 22, at 3:43pm but had been set back several times due to bad weather. Hopes ran high the anticipation for the lift off was tremendous. This was to be one of the greatest missions ever. It would be a first for many things. The most publicized was that it would be the first time a schoolteacher was allowed to travel in space. The crew was picked and they were anxiously awaiting the countdown. On board the space shuttle that fateful day was.. Crew of the Challenger Michael J. Smith (Pilot) Francis R. Scobee (Commander) Judith A. Resnik (Mission Specialist 1) Ellison S. Onizuka (Mission Specialist 2) Ronald E. McNair (Mission Specialist 3) Gregory B. Jarvis (Payload Specialist 1) Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist 2) 3,2,1..Lift off..The 10th flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, the Challenger had been launched from Pad 39B at 11:38am EST. Hopes ran high as many were lined outside to watch the Challenger being launched, the lift-off was being watched live on television for those who couldn't make it to the Kennedy Space Center. As the Challenger climbed higher and higher something that wasn't expected occurred. Seventy-three seconds after lift-off the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all 7 crewmembers. The United States was devastated. Many people thought this would be one of the greatest missions ever. So what really happened? Many factors contributed to the explosion of the space shuttle. The temperature was 36Â °F at the launching site. After the Solid Rocket Boosters a.k.a. SRB was ignited a thundering noise was heard. Pictures and video showed black smoke coming from the bottom field joint of the right Solid Rocket Booster. That suggested that an O ring was ... Free Essays on Challenger Nasa Free Essays on Challenger Nasa January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger the 25th space shuttle mission, was set to be launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at, 11:38am. Originally the launch was scheduled for January 22, at 3:43pm but had been set back several times due to bad weather. Hopes ran high the anticipation for the lift off was tremendous. This was to be one of the greatest missions ever. It would be a first for many things. The most publicized was that it would be the first time a schoolteacher was allowed to travel in space. The crew was picked and they were anxiously awaiting the countdown. On board the space shuttle that fateful day was.. Crew of the Challenger Michael J. Smith (Pilot) Francis R. Scobee (Commander) Judith A. Resnik (Mission Specialist 1) Ellison S. Onizuka (Mission Specialist 2) Ronald E. McNair (Mission Specialist 3) Gregory B. Jarvis (Payload Specialist 1) Sharon Christa McAuliffe (Payload Specialist 2) 3,2,1..Lift off..The 10th flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger and the twenty-fifth space shuttle mission, the Challenger had been launched from Pad 39B at 11:38am EST. Hopes ran high as many were lined outside to watch the Challenger being launched, the lift-off was being watched live on television for those who couldn't make it to the Kennedy Space Center. As the Challenger climbed higher and higher something that wasn't expected occurred. Seventy-three seconds after lift-off the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all 7 crewmembers. The United States was devastated. Many people thought this would be one of the greatest missions ever. So what really happened? Many factors contributed to the explosion of the space shuttle. The temperature was 36Â °F at the launching site. After the Solid Rocket Boosters a.k.a. SRB was ignited a thundering noise was heard. Pictures and video showed black smoke coming from the bottom field joint of the right Solid Rocket Booster. That suggested that an O ring was ...

Expanding Diversity Consciousness Essay Example

Expanding Diversity Consciousness Essay Example Expanding Diversity Consciousness Paper Expanding Diversity Consciousness Paper As our country has gotten to be more culturally diverse, it as become quite obvious that there is a need for diversity training in different places like the workplace and even schools. Sometimes ignorance can be ones biggest enemy when it comes to dealing with someone who is considered diverse from the norm. The minority group that the focus of this paper will be on are Hispanics. This group was chosen because often times they are looked at as if they are immigrants Just because of their accents or they are looked at as if they dont know more than they actually do because of the accents. Its very unfortunate that this goes on everywhere including the workplace. The Hispanic or Spanish speaking errors could very well know more than the boss, but because of the accent that knowledge can often times go unnoticed. Introduction There are many different stereotypes, myths and discriminatory acts when it comes to diversity. Whether youre talking about race, sex, age, religion, culture, sexual orientation, etc. There is always going to be someone that doesnt agree with your differences/or your decisions because it is not the same as them. Diversity/cultural awareness is important in this day and age because you have so many different people who have live, work and go to school with so many different types of people it ay often be hard to know what may or may not be offensive to that person or to even know that something that may be offensive to you is a part of their culture. We may not like it but if we have to share space with people other than ourselves then it is important to know exactly who you are sharing this space with. According to Davis, M. , Cappuccino, S. , Krause, L. 2010) our society it has always been the norm to say that men are more forceful and dominating during conflicting situations while being steady and consistent with their gender stereotype which is known to be more assertive and task oriented; women have been said to be more disarming or appeasing which is also consistent with their gender stereotype of being more relationship oriented. Diversity Awareness According to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it is illegal to discriminate against individuals because of their color, religion, sex, race, national origin, or disability. One must recognize and be aware of diversity and its importance. Diversity consciousness is ones awareness of others differences that are unlike yours. Along with that awareness that one has to be accepting of those differences and prejudice of them. Diversity Competencies are ones knowledge or the skills theyve acquired in order to be successful at not only respecting others differences but creating an atmosphere where acceptance is the norm in any organization including work and school. Cole and Salivate (2012) discuss how the increase in diversity awareness over the last 30 years or so has made it mandatory for changes to be made regarding diversity. Because employees are of all different walks of life now it has prompted organizations to be more politically correct when addressing any issue; formal or informal. Cole and Salivate (2012) also talk about the benefits as well as the sedateness for companies who do or do not implement rules and or training for diversity. One has to implement rules in order for the organization to be in sync when it comes to diversity. Hinderer, Jordanians, and Soldiering (2013) speak of the shortage of nurses and nursing faculty and their practice of with seeking a number of the nursing faculty from the underrepresented population such as males and culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. In order for that diversity competencies that one develops and is then able to apply to everyday life. Different aspects of diversity awareness has been increased over the last couple of cascades. When it comes to the workplace Cole and Salivate (2012) discuss how the increase in diversity awareness over the last 30 years or so has made it mandatory for changes to be made regarding diversity. Because employees are of all different walks of life now it has prompted organizations to be more politically correct when addressing any issue; formal or informal. Hinderer, Jordanians, and Soldiering (2013) speak of the shortage of nurses and nursing faculty and their practice of with seeking a number of the nursing faculty from the underrepresented population such s males and culturally and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Accepting our Differences According to Davis, M. Cappuccino, Krause, L. (2010) there is not only race or culture bias in the work place but there is also gender bias as well. Based on public opinion, Cat. Org conducted a small survey about peoples opinions about technological and social changes: This study shows that Just base on a small random survey conducted on the street that people feel as though ethnic diversity and the opinions on the gay and lesbian community has made quite a change for the better. Though it has, there is still a lot ore work to be done and a lot more growing to do. According to a study from a sample of 6,130 workers in the retail industry in 743 of large retailer in the U. S. By McKay, Avery and Morris (2008) Blacks and Hispanics were less favorable in the stores where the diverse atmosphere was less prominent. Bullying in the Workplace According to Lava, H. Martin, W. M. Bullying in the workplace has become quite a serious problem; somebody has either experienced or knows someone who has personally been a victim of it. There are signs that one could look for to know if they are being bullied at work. Some of the feelings or experiences one might have while not at work are: feeling nauseous at Just the thought of going to work obsessing about work even when youre not there; including days off believing that you somehow caused the treatment feeling embarrassed to tell anyone about someone controlling you at work While at work one may experience the following: feeling isolated or alienated by your peers because they were told not to socialize with you confronting your tormentor only to have the roles reversed and they accuse you surprise meetings that seem as though they are only meant to harass you youre ever able to complete your Job alone without someone over your back Individuals are targeted for bullying for many different reasons. A lot of times those reasons cant even be explained. There are many times that someone will target an individual because of their diversity or even because they feel they are threat. Bullying usually happens when employers and certain employees creat e a workplace culture. One of those workplace cultures is the way we do things around here Myths and Stereotypes There are many different myths and stereotypes that exist in the workplace; ones oracle can be flooded with different stereotypes and myths that can be very distracting and Just down right degrading to certain people and or certain groups of people (Woos, 2011). Its very unfortunate that some people learn these traits as children and they then carry them into adulthood and they never learn to break the cycle no matter what type of diversity training or even diverse people they are exposed to (Woos, 2011). The Hispanic community is one of the fasting growing minority in the United States; yet Hispanic people are definitely one of those groups that are targeted quite often (Woos, 2011). Often times its automatically assumed that they dont speak or understand English Just because they may have an accent. Its important that people treat people how they would like to be treated because you never know when your race, culture, sex, age, etc. Will be targeted next. Its also important that we dont engage in those types of behaviors or conversations with other people who are engaging in those types of behaviors because it can ultimately send a signal stating that the behavior is acceptable when it actually is not. There definitely needs to be more diversity training because a lot of people dont know how o interact with people who are not the same as them. Because of their accent, a lot of people often speak slowly to Hispanics Just assuming that they arent comprehending. Here are a list of some of the more common myths: They dont speak and/or understand English They are all illegal immigrants They all have large families (lots of children) They prefer labor/blue collar Jobs These are all myths that many people have heard before. These simply are not true. In fact, all of these statements can hold true for Just about any culture there is. There are some Hispanics who are bilingual and there are some who dont even peak Spanish at all. Its fair to say that they prefer labor/blue collar Jobs. There are many well educated Hispanics who are Dentists and Doctors, lawyers and paralegals out there that love what they do and would not prefer a blue collar Job. There is an increase in workplace bullying that is going on and it really has to stop (Lava Martin, 2008). These workplace bullies are causing unnecessary stress to people for no reason. In order to make sure that this workplace bullying stops; mandatory training will be introduced. Also, during this training there would be some role playing to keep everyone thinking. Sometimes people need to place the shoe on the other persons foot for they can truly understand what they experience personally for themselves. This also need to be a continuous effort on behalf of the company because unfortunately these types of reminders are necessary in order for people to understand certain things; especially things that are not a priority for them. This survey signifies the rate of union Jobs that have been secured by the increasing Hispanic population throughout over a 30 year period: According to Responded Clambake (2009) this study shows the declining unionization and growth of the Hispanic population. Employer Interviews The interviews began with Ms. Mean (Molly) Dimmitt]evict, who is the co-owner/ manager of Victor Bakery in Highland Park, Michigan. Although Victor Bakery is a relatively small family owned bakery and only employs approximately 10 people, they do take the necessary steps to make sure they are diverse with their hiring process and to make sure that their staff is diverse because they have such a diverse cultural base. Mean and her sister Dona are both co-owners of their family owned bakery located in Highland Park, Michigan. Mean and Dona were born in Yugoslavia and have since taken on American names, Molly and Donna. They took over Victor Bakery about 15 years ago once their parents were too old to run it. The bakery does cater to a very diverse population because of the location. They are located on a main street the leads into downtown Detroit so there are always different people in there constantly even though they are located in a predominantly African American city/ neighborhood. Because they are a privately owned small company they typically post help wanted ads in the store for their customers to see, they typically get commendations from their regular customers, and they also post ads online as well when they are hiring. Molly states that she also provides an employee handbook to make sure that all of her employees are well aware of their policies and procedures. This handbook also has a section on diversity as well because they want make sure that their employees can all handle working with diverse people. Although Molly and Donna moved here as children they still have their heavy accents and their cultural beliefs that they still practice. The bakery actually has Molly, Donna, Mollys husband Danny and their cousin Victor, they also have 6 African American females who work there as well. Although they seem to be doing well with it, think one thing that they could also do that may be a cost effective way for them to provide their employees with diversity training is to maybe have them watch videos of diversity awareness. The next interview was conducted with Ms. Tamari Johnson, principle of University Preparatory Elementary School in Detroit Michigan. According to Ms. Johnson she strictly hires according to who is better qualified for the Job. Ms. Johnson states that her goal is to give everyone a chance. Though the school is located in a highly populated African American community, the area has become more diverse over the years and slowly but surely the students who attend the school are becoming more diverse as well. The school posts Job offers on its own website, indeed. Com, and most of the charter school staff and substitute teacher Job boards. Ms. Johnson, who is African American, states that she has a staff that consists of 1 Indian (female) teacher, whos married to a Caucasian man that comes to visit and volunteer at the school frequently, 1 Chinese teacher(female), 1 Middle Eastern Janitor (male), 7 African American teachers (1 male 6 female), 2 African American office staff members both female, 6 Caucasian teachers (4 females 2 males), and 3 Caucasian staff members that hold other position is in the school; 2 of them males 1 of them female. Ms. Johnson obviously hires a very diverse work staff based on their skill set as well as their attitudes towards the children they will be working with and not solely based on her race or the majority of the population of the schools population. She does state that it is important for her to have teachers of color because it is an inner city school ND its important to show the students someone to look up to that looks like them, however it is equally important to show them diversity at an early age so that they can take that into their later years. She states that she feels that the students arent getting what they deserve by not exposing them to teachers of diverse backgrounds. According to Ms. Johnson when she hires anyone she is sure to have them read and sign a handbook that outlines their diversity policies and procedures that are according to the entire district. They also go over a diversity presentation during orientation once they are hired. They are strict and have a zero tolerance policy when it comes to diversity and acceptance/respecting others. This goes for the staff and it also goes for the students as well. The other employer interviewed with Ms. Christina Brothers, manager of the Sprint retail store located in the busy suburb of West Bloomfield Michigan Just about 35 minutes away from Detroit Michigan. West Bloomfield is a primarily Caucasian city with a median household income of about $102,000. Ms. Brothers is an African American single mother of two who lives in Detroit, which is primarily African-American with a median household income of bout $25,000 dollars annually. Ms. Brothers says for that reason she tries to be extremely diverse when it comes to hiring employees for her store. She does not judge for candidates based on their zip codes and she gives everyone that is qualified a fair shot at the Job. Although the city is primarily Caucasian, there are other races who live and work in the area that visit the store and she does try to reflect that with her staff in her store. There is 1 Indian employee who is also the assistant manager there are 5 Caucasian men, there are 3 Caucasian females and 2 African American females including her that work in the store. She stated that she posts her openings for the Jobs that are available online on the online Job boards as well as referrals from other people, as well as in store postings. Because of the nature of this Job Ms. Brothers sates that they also have a strict zero tolerance policy when it comes to diversity and accepting/respecting ones differences. Because they not only work with each other, but also get a lot of foot traffic in the store and have to greet these people face to face, they have to make sure that any negative feelings awards anyone for their race, sexuality, culture, etc. Is totally turned off and that they are customer oriented and treat each customer like they would want to be treated. Because it is a Sprint Store they usually have their training electronically during orientation as well. They too have to sign a handbook that discusses the policies and procedures that the company has in place to make sure that they not only hire but train the most diverse and well qualified individuals for the positions. This particular Sprint store, Just like University Preparatory Elementary both do not have any Hispanics working there at this time. When asked, both employers stated that it was not something that was overlooked or purposely ignored, it was Just because they did not have enough qualified candidates to apply for the postings. Recommendations For my recommendations I would definitely have to take some pointers from my interviewees. The all had great ideas for how they handle diversity in their respective workplaces, which were all diverse establishments. This workshop/ training that will be offered will not be the same type of training that employees normally dread. Initial Assessment In order to begin to try and create a diverse atmosphere in a not so diverse atmosphere one must first assess that atmosphere. It will include interactive games and exercises that will engage the employees into wanting to know more. The training will also teach management on the importance of making their diverse staff of want to stay with the company (Enchilada, A, 2011). Through this assessment it should become more clearer how to conduct he diversity training; whether or not it should be an ongoing training, testing, one on one counseling, group training, and just information being passed out. The purpose of this initial training would be basically an assessment to pick everyones brains to see where everyone is on the subject. The goal is to try and have everyone on the same page and getting along before any real issues arise during training scenarios. The bottom line is that everyone has and should have the right to work in a diverse atmosphere. This atmosphere should be free from hatred Judgment, and should always respects ones differences, even if you dont agree with them. Getting to the Bottom Line Getting to the bottom line will be determined from that initial assessment. Normally when individuals are more aware of diversity and what they should or should not be doing it becomes more clearer and they begin to take more responsibility for their role in both creating and maintaining that environment. Employees should also be more aware on how to improve workplace relationships as well. This is a factor that definitely plays a major role in diversity training and diversity awareness because it should help to open communication skills which will also improve work ethics and teamwork. After the employees needs have all been assessed and it is determined hat type of diversity training is necessary for the group then it is equally important for things such as team building exercises and the posing of critical thinking exercises to boost the actual results of the training. Finding a Solution With finding a solution there definitely take a lot more research because as people change, their circumstances change as well. Having a code of ethics is one step closer to having everyone on the same page. Theres really no guaranteed way to keep everyone focused on being diverse and accepting others whether black, white, Hispanic, Asian etc. The code of ethics brings them one step closer to being unified as a group. According to Long and Discoid (2008) there may be a high demand with companies to adopt different institutions of ethics; which is something that gets overlooked in during the creating of organizational culture that encourages ethical behavior (Kelly, 2005). Literature Review The minority group that the focus of this paper will be on are Hispanics. This group was chosen because often times they are looked at as if they are immigrants Just because of their accents or they are looked at as if they dont know more than they actually do because of the accents. Its very unfortunate that this goes on everywhere including the workplace. The Hispanic or Spanish speaking person could very well know more than the boss, but because of the accent that knowledge can often times go unnoticed. Woos (2011) speaks about the different stereotypes that Hispanics have to go through in the workplace. This article will be used to discuss some of the different stereotypes mentioned are their accents and the relation because they have a certain last name. There are also talks about how employers are quick to hire Hispanic employees especially when they know that it will help them out, mainly hen needing a translator. The paper will show that bullying in the workplace is an ongoing issue that does not seem to be going away anytime soon (Lava Martin), 2008. It may not be as common because of the different employer rules and regulations that are being established; and also holding people accountable for their actions. Unfortunately this bullying can be age discrimination, gender discrimination, sexual orientation, and of course race. According to Lava Martin (2008) there are even different rivals between different Hispanic groups; there are often issues with he legal status of Hispanics from Puerco Rice and is often contrasted with the illegal status of Mexican and Central America Hispanics. Davis, Cappuccino, Krause conducted a study to see a relationship for gender effects in conflict behaviors by examining the ratings according to peers, subordinates and bosses of 2,000 adults that participated leadership programs. Of those 2000 adults about 5% of them were Hispanic. They took a deep look into different conflict situations and who the initiator was (race and gender) as well as how the conflict was resolved if it were resolved. McKay, Avery, and Morris (2008) were about to assess whether diversity climate moderated mean racial ethnic differences in employee sales performance using the data from approximately 6130 employees out of 743 stores of a large US retail organization. According to a study McKay, Avery Morris (2008) stated that when it came to sales Whites out performed both Black and Hispanics but Blacks also beat Hispanics. This article talks about how Responded Clambake (2009) sought to research the minority population as it relates to securing union Jobs. Unfortunately Responded Clambake concluded that there was little to no research out there that purported the relationship between Hispanics and the union labor market. The research that they used to support were surveys that dated from 1973 2007. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education speaks about the trend at making higher education students more of a priority than bringing aboard more capable faculty. This information will be used to determine the factors that take place when considering faculty that will cater to the Hispanic population in higher education. Sips, Johnson and Fisher (2009) speak of University students perception of gender discrimination in the workplace. This will also look at the significance of race along tit gender to see if there is a determining factor. The goal of this article was to gain students perception of how the workforce may be. There are real issues that plague diversity in corporate America today. According to the Hispanic Outlook for Higher education, it was thought that the US would a little more diversity because of having an African American President but unfortunately this has not been an easy task to handle Cooper, M. (2013. Cultural diversity affects all of us in the United States Pope, M. (2012). These cultural differences include race, gender, ethnicity, age, or sexual orientation. They also speak about the career development issues that occur often due to language barriers. This paper will also discuss hiring processes and employee retention as it relates to having a diverse faculty in a social work program. According to Hughes, Hornier Rotor (2012) the recent doctoral graduates put together 3 narratives about the role that diversity played in their Job searches. They even talked about at some point being that next diversity hire without knowing. Annotated Bibliography go unnoticed The articles that have been chosen for this project are as such: Woos, D. (2011). Who is Hispanic/Latino in the workplace? Diversity Factor (Online), 19(1), 1-2. Retrieved from http://search. Protest. Com. Library. Capable. Deed/ docketed/863501021 Woos (2011) speaks about the different stereotypes that Hispanics have to go through in the workplace. This article will be used to discuss some of the different stereotypes mentioned are their accents and the relation because they have a certain last name. There are also talks about how employers are quick to hire Hispanic employees especially when they know that it will help them out, mainly when needing a translator. Lava, H. , Martin, W. M. (2008). Bullying in the U. S. Workplace: Normative and recess-oriented ethical approaches. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(2), 147-165. Dot:http://DXL. DOI. Org/lo. Locoweeds-007-9608-9 Bullying in the workplace is an ongoing issue that does not seem to be going away anytime soon (Lava Martin), 2008. It may not be as common because of the different employer rules and regulations that are being established; and also holding people accountable for their actions. Unfortunately this bullying can be age discrimination, gender discrimination, sexual orientation, and of course race.

Union Citizenship - metaphor or source of rights Essay

Union Citizenship - metaphor or source of rights - Essay Example Union Citizenship - metaphor or source of rights? The present EU law does not define whether the citizenship of EU will cover those non-citizen individuals who are residing in a Member States for long years. In Rudy case, the concept of citizenship to offer rights for free movement, the Court of Justice has been reluctant to confer â€Å"quasi-citizenship† rights to nationals of third countries who are residing in the Union for many years. Thus, the law relating to EU citizenship seems to be in the infancy stage where a lot of reform has to be undertaken to plug the existing loophole that is found in the present EU citizenship rules and to make the EU as a whole as a borderless territory. Reich is of the opinion that the phrase â€Å"EU citizenship â€Å" has not been defined exactly and due to this , there are flooding of case laws as regards to free movement and social rights for non-citizens living in EU for many years. Reich is of the view that citizenship can be defined as â€Å"full membership of the community â€Å"which offers a package of rights, which consists of social, civic and political rights. Reich is more concerned about the rights of third nationals who are residing in the EU Member States for long years. He is of the view that EU citizenship should not be decided merely on the citizenship of Member States but also should include those who are residing in a Member States for many years. Reich insi sts that there should not be any non-discrimination for granting citizenship to those who residing in a Member State for many years as compared to those who are having natural citizenship. Reich is of the view that citizenship should be awarded both on the status path and on the rights path. Reich prefers that union citizenship as a simile with some valued added to it. Reich cites the verdict in Micheletti case, where EU citizenship is derived from the condition of nationality. The EU has no authority to grant citizenship as an outcome of nationality. The citizenship in the EU Member State has to be recognised Union-wide even where an individual who had a dual citizenship as held in Micheletti case As per Reich, for contrasting between the duties and rights of Member States’ nationals in the European Union, nationality should not be considered as a criterion unless there exists some particular variety of cross-border disputes that inflicts different norms. In concluding part, Reich is of the opinion that the question – Union Citizenship – Whether Metaphor or source of Rights – can be found to be positive only to a restricted degree. Reich is of the opinion that citizenship seems to be like a baby in a cradle who is in deep sleep who has to be awakened by a gentle kiss by the direct impact of community law. 2.How has the law relating to Union Citizenship developed since the publication of the article in 2001? ( 900 words) As per Siofra O’ Leary, there is a failure to make an obvious connection between ambit and operation of the community citizenship with that of fundamental rights of EU citizen. EU citizenship offers the following rights; right of unrestricted movement , right to stand for election both for municipal and EU parliament , the right to petition , the right of consular and diplomatic protection , the right of petition and safeguard by the Ombudsman of the European Parliament. However, EU citizenship is not essenti al for enjoying certain rights for those who reside in EU Member States like directives on consumer, worker, environmental protection and data. The same will hold true in the case of both European and International conventions either on the aspect of conflict of laws or on jurisdictions. Thus,

Why is it important to get tested for HIV every 6 months Essay

Why is it important to get tested for HIV every 6 months - Essay Example The decisions will be important in determining one’s sexual health and the future. Studies have shown that realizing one’s HIV status helps take actions that will protect their health, as well as their partners and relatives. With respect to Sherman, a respected scholar on health issues, it is only through testing that one may realize as being positive, in such a situation the victim will seek medical intervention in time. People live healthy, long, and fulfilling lives upon getting the HIV test. It is important to safeguard your health once you get the HIV test regardless of whether you test negative or positive. According to the cdc website, knowing your HIV status makes one stronger than before. You also need to seek medical attention immediately you get or feel unwell. Many people do not realize the HIV virus is within them because they feel fine with no complications. HIV, however, will attack the T-cells or CD4 cells that defend the body against attacks. The attack of the cells leads to a weak immune system. If one gets the virus and does not seek medical treatment, it destroys many CD4 cells to the extent that body becomes weak and cannot fight even the slightest infections. In such a situation, the HIV virus graduates to AIDS. Go for the HIV test as often as possible. For those who get positive results, am sorry but you should seek medical treatment immediately. Cdc further stresses that, although there is no cure, proper medical care can control the virus. Please go for the HIV tests to avoid the saying of â€Å"I wish I knew.† It is important to maintain every part of our bod y in the right state of health. According to Womenhealth.org, getting an HIV test will prevent health complications that may exceed your financial abilities in future. It will make you honest to your own feelings. The virus spreads even in unthinkable ways. HIV spreads through some simple means which people may tend to neglect or

The Process of Sustainable Decision Making Process at Greenheart Essay

The Process of Sustainable Decision Making Process at Greenheart - Essay Example The main aim of this research essay is to evaluate the decision-making process at Greenheart, a multinational food company which was taken over by another multinational food chain in 2001, which was known as Greenheart Plus after the merger. The research essay will be analyzing the environmental investment decision making policy at Greenheart, which was entrusted to the CEO whereas it was delegated to TMT (a group of corporate top management team} and will be evaluating who was the best environmental decision maker, whether the individual CEO or the group team of TMT. It is to be observed that at Greenheart, much significance was given to environmental sustainability whereas at Greenheart Plus, much significance was given to the economic sustainability. Greenheart Plus relegated the environmental sustainability to the backyard by giving more significance to the economic sustainability as its core business –decision making process. This research essay employs a sociological out look to spot out two major concerns of the company and also will make two proposals for the efficient decision –making of the company in the near future. The Process of Sustainable Business Decision Making Process at Greenheart As per Laclau and Mouffe, the relationship between society and business organizations commenced at the start of 1970s due to materialization of social care movements and environmental activism in the USA, Europe and rest of the world. From the starting of 1990s, the societal care and environmental safety topped the business decision making. This can be evidenced from the new concept of ecological paradigm advanced by Catton and Dunlap in 1980s, which is a complete transformation to ecocentric thoughts from that of anthropocentric thoughts as advanced by Kennelly and Krause (1995).(â€Å"National Research Council,2005†) As per Levinger and Schneider’s (1969) social comparison theory, the people in group clusters act in a different way than individually. The general view is that the collective authority of a group outperforms the individual decision. Despite the individuals who are self-motivated can achieve an extraordinary ingenuity but working jointly as a team can gen erate astonishing outcomes and a better business decision. As per Guindham, as contrasted with individuals, business decisions taken by a group has proven positive as it offers commitment to their tasks. (Mullins, 2005p.569). A business decision may vary from individual to individual. As per â€Å"Herbert A. Simon†, a decision-making by an individual is subject to limits

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

European Union Law - Essay Example Based on similar grounds, directive 2004/113/EC was implemented in order to expand the protection against gender discrimination in different areas of the society1. In the light of discrimination, Article 141 TFEU plays a significant role by obligating EU member states to ensure any kind of discrimination with respect to sex must be prohibited. In this context, Article 157 deals with maintaining ‘equal pay for both male and female workers’ in an organisation for similar job responsibilities2. Discrimination practices in employment can occur in different situations and under different conditions. For instance, when an employee receives treatments which segregate them from other employees bearing same job responsibilities, on the basis of subjective or assimilated criteria such as gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, marital status, parental status, political views, socio economic view and trade union activities, it may be referred to as discriminatory practices. Discrimination and equality are governed by the key principle that an employee must receive equal treatment. Contextually, the code of non-discrimination is used to gender oriented discriminations concerning equal pay for male and female in Article 157 TFEU. This Act is used for avoiding pay gap between the earnings of men and women in an organisation. Under Article 157, an employee is regarded as an individual who performs certain activities under the guidance of another individual in exchange for money for a certain period of time. Therefore, once an individual is considered an employee as described in Article 157 TFEU, the articles of the treaties can be applied to him/her3. Article 157 TFEU provides an explicit commitment to equal pay for males and females, stating that equal pay without discrimination on the basis of gender denotes that the pay for similar kind of work must be calculated on the basis of the same unit of measurement for each employee. Equal pay also denotes tha t the pay for work at certain time rate must be equal for similar kind of job. With respect to Article 157 TFEU, pay comprises not only the basic remuneration committed to the employee, but also his/her overtime pay, extras, special advantages, travelling grants, rewards for appearing in training, termination payments and job-related pensions. Thus far, this has been constantly interpreted by legal bodies to imply that there must be no discrimination on the basis of gender over pay. With respect to any discrimination regarding pay, the European courts consider the link between the notion of pay which is articulated in Article 157 and the practiced social security system4. With respect to discrimination practices, there are two types of acts that can be performed by an organisation which are direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. In this context, it can be stated that Article 157 of the TFEU forbids both direct discrimination on the bases of gender in the area of pay and indirect discrimination. It is worth mentioning in this regard that direct discrimination happens when an individual is unequally treated on the basis of gender; for instance, when a woman is paid less than a man in a similar job. On the other hand, indirect discrimination refers to the discrimination which is the consequence of gender neutral norm, which tends to hamper an individual’s interests on the basis of sex5. With respect to the case of Kate, it can be observed that

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

European Union Law - Essay Example Based on similar grounds, directive 2004/113/EC was implemented in order to expand the protection against gender discrimination in different areas of the society1. In the light of discrimination, Article 141 TFEU plays a significant role by obligating EU member states to ensure any kind of discrimination with respect to sex must be prohibited. In this context, Article 157 deals with maintaining ‘equal pay for both male and female workers’ in an organisation for similar job responsibilities2. Discrimination practices in employment can occur in different situations and under different conditions. For instance, when an employee receives treatments which segregate them from other employees bearing same job responsibilities, on the basis of subjective or assimilated criteria such as gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, marital status, parental status, political views, socio economic view and trade union activities, it may be referred to as discriminatory practices. Discrimination and equality are governed by the key principle that an employee must receive equal treatment. Contextually, the code of non-discrimination is used to gender oriented discriminations concerning equal pay for male and female in Article 157 TFEU. This Act is used for avoiding pay gap between the earnings of men and women in an organisation. Under Article 157, an employee is regarded as an individual who performs certain activities under the guidance of another individual in exchange for money for a certain period of time. Therefore, once an individual is considered an employee as described in Article 157 TFEU, the articles of the treaties can be applied to him/her3. Article 157 TFEU provides an explicit commitment to equal pay for males and females, stating that equal pay without discrimination on the basis of gender denotes that the pay for similar kind of work must be calculated on the basis of the same unit of measurement for each employee. Equal pay also denotes tha t the pay for work at certain time rate must be equal for similar kind of job. With respect to Article 157 TFEU, pay comprises not only the basic remuneration committed to the employee, but also his/her overtime pay, extras, special advantages, travelling grants, rewards for appearing in training, termination payments and job-related pensions. Thus far, this has been constantly interpreted by legal bodies to imply that there must be no discrimination on the basis of gender over pay. With respect to any discrimination regarding pay, the European courts consider the link between the notion of pay which is articulated in Article 157 and the practiced social security system4. With respect to discrimination practices, there are two types of acts that can be performed by an organisation which are direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. In this context, it can be stated that Article 157 of the TFEU forbids both direct discrimination on the bases of gender in the area of pay and indirect discrimination. It is worth mentioning in this regard that direct discrimination happens when an individual is unequally treated on the basis of gender; for instance, when a woman is paid less than a man in a similar job. On the other hand, indirect discrimination refers to the discrimination which is the consequence of gender neutral norm, which tends to hamper an individual’s interests on the basis of sex5. With respect to the case of Kate, it can be observed that

Formula Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Formula Analysis - Assignment Example When the element of violence was introduced was the point that the story slowly unfolded and moved on. It was evident in the film albeit being an animated feature geared to entertain the young that the element of violence had to be employed to spice things up. Without violence, there would not have been a story. Formulas, apparently, have not changed over the years. Movies still employ the â€Å"bad guy vs. good guy† plots. The bad guy brings menace to the good guy and his family—another staple factor to formulaic movies. Good guy defends his family to the death—usually of bad guy’s—thus justifying the violent actions of good guy. Bag guy gets eliminated, but nobody knows what happened or where he had gone after. He’s simply out of the picture. Nobody could care less as long as the protagonists are happy. The Incredibles, for instance, has the Parr Family—Mr. Incredible, the dad; Elastigirl, the mom; and the kids Violet, Dash, and Jack-jack—pitted against Syndrome, the evil genius. The warmth of family versus the evil of cold revenge. Mr. Incredible ditches Syndrome as a young fan who wanted to be his partner. Young Syndrome exacts revenge years by trying to prove he can outdo Mr. Incredible—to the extent of putting his family in grave danger. Viewers are made to consider violence as an integral and positive part of the movie for without which the Parr kids would not have been able to bring out the best in themselves. After all, if they had not been subjected to Syndrome’s menace, they would not have been able to rise above childish scuffles. And the consequent violence—the destruction of the villain Syndrome—is thereby justified. He is the â€Å"bad guy† after all. And as the clichà © goes, â€Å"they lived happily ever after.† The viewers are satisfied. Very formulaic. Yes, the formula, tiresome as it

Communication 207- Literature Review Assignment , Relational dialects Essay

Communication 207- Literature Review Assignment , Relational dialects - Essay Example This paper endeavors to understand the meaning and use of relational dialectics theory by examining various print and online literatures. People use various communication approaches to deal with opposing and contradictory forces inherent in interpersonal relationships (Prentice, 2009). According to Prentice (2009), relational dialectics provide insights into the process that people go through as they socialize with new comers. Various dialectical tensions have been identified. According to Baxter (2004), these tensions occur along specific internal dimensions of a relationship, such as autonomy-closeness, openness-closedness, and predictability-novelty. External and internal dialectics may occur in a myriad of different combinations (Baxter, 2004). Thus, various researchers have re-conceptualized relational dialectics as knot of contradictions; overlapping centripetal and centrifugal forces that are interrelated rather than existing as simple binary oppositions (Baxter, 2004). This paper is based on the communication paradigm of interruptive social science theory. According to Suter and West (2011), relational theories’ abstract and intimidating nature compromises students’ ability to comprehend the importance of their immediate relationships. Relational theories, including rational dialectics, provides students with perspectives to examine and constructively make use of lived experiences such as those with their roommates, lovers, friends and family members. Suter and West (2011) sought to evaluate the disconnect between theory and experience. Most importantly, the researchers aimed at valuating students’ uneasiness in retention and use of relational theories. The researchers argue connection-retention and application determine the success of students, and are influenced by active teaching techniques and classroom settings that encourage student motivation

European Union Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 2

European Union Law - Essay Example Based on similar grounds, directive 2004/113/EC was implemented in order to expand the protection against gender discrimination in different areas of the society1. In the light of discrimination, Article 141 TFEU plays a significant role by obligating EU member states to ensure any kind of discrimination with respect to sex must be prohibited. In this context, Article 157 deals with maintaining ‘equal pay for both male and female workers’ in an organisation for similar job responsibilities2. Discrimination practices in employment can occur in different situations and under different conditions. For instance, when an employee receives treatments which segregate them from other employees bearing same job responsibilities, on the basis of subjective or assimilated criteria such as gender, nationality, religion, disability, age, marital status, parental status, political views, socio economic view and trade union activities, it may be referred to as discriminatory practices. Discrimination and equality are governed by the key principle that an employee must receive equal treatment. Contextually, the code of non-discrimination is used to gender oriented discriminations concerning equal pay for male and female in Article 157 TFEU. This Act is used for avoiding pay gap between the earnings of men and women in an organisation. Under Article 157, an employee is regarded as an individual who performs certain activities under the guidance of another individual in exchange for money for a certain period of time. Therefore, once an individual is considered an employee as described in Article 157 TFEU, the articles of the treaties can be applied to him/her3. Article 157 TFEU provides an explicit commitment to equal pay for males and females, stating that equal pay without discrimination on the basis of gender denotes that the pay for similar kind of work must be calculated on the basis of the same unit of measurement for each employee. Equal pay also denotes tha t the pay for work at certain time rate must be equal for similar kind of job. With respect to Article 157 TFEU, pay comprises not only the basic remuneration committed to the employee, but also his/her overtime pay, extras, special advantages, travelling grants, rewards for appearing in training, termination payments and job-related pensions. Thus far, this has been constantly interpreted by legal bodies to imply that there must be no discrimination on the basis of gender over pay. With respect to any discrimination regarding pay, the European courts consider the link between the notion of pay which is articulated in Article 157 and the practiced social security system4. With respect to discrimination practices, there are two types of acts that can be performed by an organisation which are direct discrimination and indirect discrimination. In this context, it can be stated that Article 157 of the TFEU forbids both direct discrimination on the bases of gender in the area of pay and indirect discrimination. It is worth mentioning in this regard that direct discrimination happens when an individual is unequally treated on the basis of gender; for instance, when a woman is paid less than a man in a similar job. On the other hand, indirect discrimination refers to the discrimination which is the consequence of gender neutral norm, which tends to hamper an individual’s interests on the basis of sex5. With respect to the case of Kate, it can be observed that

Communication 207- Literature Review Assignment , Relational dialects Essay

Communication 207- Literature Review Assignment , Relational dialects - Essay Example This paper endeavors to understand the meaning and use of relational dialectics theory by examining various print and online literatures. People use various communication approaches to deal with opposing and contradictory forces inherent in interpersonal relationships (Prentice, 2009). According to Prentice (2009), relational dialectics provide insights into the process that people go through as they socialize with new comers. Various dialectical tensions have been identified. According to Baxter (2004), these tensions occur along specific internal dimensions of a relationship, such as autonomy-closeness, openness-closedness, and predictability-novelty. External and internal dialectics may occur in a myriad of different combinations (Baxter, 2004). Thus, various researchers have re-conceptualized relational dialectics as knot of contradictions; overlapping centripetal and centrifugal forces that are interrelated rather than existing as simple binary oppositions (Baxter, 2004). This paper is based on the communication paradigm of interruptive social science theory. According to Suter and West (2011), relational theories’ abstract and intimidating nature compromises students’ ability to comprehend the importance of their immediate relationships. Relational theories, including rational dialectics, provides students with perspectives to examine and constructively make use of lived experiences such as those with their roommates, lovers, friends and family members. Suter and West (2011) sought to evaluate the disconnect between theory and experience. Most importantly, the researchers aimed at valuating students’ uneasiness in retention and use of relational theories. The researchers argue connection-retention and application determine the success of students, and are influenced by active teaching techniques and classroom settings that encourage student motivation

Routed vs Routing Protocols Essay Example for Free

Routed vs Routing Protocols Essay Routing is the process of choosing paths in a network and deciding the path on which it is supposed to be sent. It is carried out on many communication systems, like phone and Internet. In switch networking, routing provides data forwarding and the transportation of reasonably located packets initial locations toward their final destinations working on the foundation of layer 3 of the OSI Model; usually hardware systems called routers and bridges are used. Normal computers can also carry out routing, but cannot do so because of being an un-dedicated hardware for this purpose, and may undergo failure (Odorn, Rus Donohue, 2009). Routed vs. Routing Protocols: Routing Protocols are the software that permits routers to broadcast and know about routes, deciding on accessibility the path to be followed and following the best routes to a target. The internet codes of collection include Ciscos Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP), Open Shortest Path First (OSPF), Routing Information Protocol (RIP and RIP II) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP). The procedure followed in transferring information in a networking system is known as routing. Inside a network, every user is openly reachable and does not require passing data via default gateway. All the users in network are connected and can converse directly with each other. Routed Protocols only transports data transversely over the networks and nothing more than that. Routed protocols include Internet Protocol, Xerox Network System (XNS), Open Standards Institute networking protocol, Novell IPX, DECnet etc (Odorn, Rus Donohue, 2009). Classful vs. Classless Protocols: Classful routing protocols do not send subnet disguised data through their routing modernization. A classful routing protocol will react in any two ways when getting a route: If the router has a straight connected boundary of the same main network, it will apply the same subnet disguise but if the router does not belong to the identical network, classful subnet pretense will be applied to the to the route. Classful protocols include Routing Information Protocol (RIPv1). Classless protocols send the subnet pretense by means of their updates so; Variable Length Subnet Masks (VLSMs) are permitted when classless protocol is in use, it includes Routing Information Protocol (RIPv2) and Ciscos Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP). Distance Vector vs. Link State Protocols: Distance Vector and Link State are expressions used to explain routing protocols used by routers to transfer packets among networks. Distance is the charge of getting to a place, generally based on the number of points the course goes from beginning to end, or the check points present during the whole course while vector from the perspective of routing protocols is the boundary that traffic will be advanced to arrive at the respective target of network at that path; while the path is selected by the routing protocol so the Distance Vector Protocols make use of a process calculation and also a departing network border usually a vector for selecting the finest course to an objective network. Then the protocols like IPX, SPX and IP transmit information via best routes. Link State protocols follow the position and connection kind of every link and construct a planned metric based on these factors, including some positioned by the network superintendent. Link state protocols are familiar with whether a link is up or down and at what speed it should be sent in order to get there on time. As routing protocols decipher how to reach the target we can take link states as being the status of the line on the router. Link State protocols go on the route that has more hops, but at a high speed which is more than the one which takes a less hopping path (Odorn, Rus Donohue, 2009). However the distance vectors are well supported and they include Routing Information Protocol (RIP). Conclusion: It is said that differentiating between Switching and Routing can be difficult, therefore in simple terms it can be elucidated that switching and routing are not the identical things. Switching comprises of transferring packets among devices on the similar network. On the contrary, routing includes the moving of packets between diverse networks. So these networking processes are useful in transferring data packets from one destination point to the other and therefore require better routing protocols and router to do it efficiently and in a better way. References: Odorn, W. , Rus, H. Donohue, D. , (2009), CCIE Routing and Switching Certification Guide, 4th edn, Cisco Press, USA. (Odorn, Rus Donohue, 2009)

Importance of Intellectual Capital in the Modern Economy

Importance of Intellectual Capital in the Modern Economy Executive Summary The report discusses the relative importance of the Intellectual Capital in the present economy due to the revolution that fosters the propagation of the value creation. The Intellectual Assets of an organisation play a vital role in improving its value and maintaining the competitive advantage. However, these intellectual assets are not capitalised in the financial statements as they are unable to determine their historic costs and their future benefits are sometimes uncertain. Despite of this a lot of companies have discovered ways that facilitate the valuation , measurement and reporting of their intellectual assets i.e companies like Coca Cola , Marks Spencer and Kingston Hull Plc have reflected their intangible assets such as brands separately from the goodwill on their company balance sheets as some guidance is provided by the International Accounting Standard in the disclosure of the intangible assets. The report also presents some theories that are aimed at eliminating the confusions created about the Accounting Profession. As the Accounting Profession and the Accountants cannot be blamed as conservatives in not providing space for the Intellectual Assets in the financial statements because in doing so , the financial statements will loose their relevance , reliability and neutrality. The report further throws some light on the issues that are related to the field of Intellectual Capital that include that there is no uniformity in the relative theory as there is no such definition and the Intellectual Capital model that is accepted generally. In the end the report concludes by suggesting that the under the supervision of the International Accounting Standard researchers, consultants, scholars and the accountants have to find a common way such that the value relevance of the Intellectual Capital and the principles of accounting are preserved. Aims and Objectives The aim of this study is to discuss that whether the exclusion of the Intellectual Assets of an organisation in the balance is realistic and pragmatic. As the Intellectual Capital is considered a value driver for the modern economy and a lot of organisations are focusing on their intellectual assets as compared to the intangible assets. Objectives The objectives of this study include: To assess the importance of the Intangible assets as compared to the tangible assets of an organisation. To provide some evidences about the organisations attitudes and the awareness about their intellectual assets. Finally, to conclude that whether the eviction of the Intellectual assets is pragmatic or not. Rationale The Current Gobal economies are now facing a new revolution that brings them to a new form of business environment. This major change in the world economies is due to the fact that there has been a disproportion observed between the Book Value and the Market Value of a firm. Because , in the past the Balance Sheet and the Income statement were the only tools used by the Shareholders ,managers and the executives to make strategic decisions and monitoring the performance of the company. However, it can be argued that things have changed now. As one of the important concern for the companies is the Value Creation. The expansion of the markets in the product or a service sector has been possible with the aid of the internet , high- technology and the innovation ,information , market chains and globalisation. This in turn has created a global competition among the firms that are now striving to acquire knowledge. Furthermore, the acquisition of the knowledge brings some vital concerns of its use, management and the improvement. This has changed the operations of the the organizations that used to emphasize on the production capability ,now focus on the creative operational structure. The organisations are now using the special tools for acquisition, management and the protection of knowledge such as Research Development , Patents , trademarks , copyrights , databases , customer and supplier relationships and Human Resources are known as the intellectual assets of the organization and constitute the Intellectual Capital. The relative importance and the expected returns of the Intellectual Capital has convinced the organisations to think and work in a new innovative way to achieve dominance over the competitors in the market. However , inspite of this the Intellectual Capital has not been considered in the performance appraisals and not included in the financial statements under the heading of assets. The organisations are spending a lot on the Intellectual Capital as compared to their tangible assets so therefore it is not wise to go against the flow of current market trends by focusing more on the tangible assets. This would lead to the creation of inaccurate procedures, policies and the decisions. Hence reducing the value in front of the investors and the customers. Cowey (1999), approves the conception of a â€Å"New Economy â€Å" and the â€Å" Knowledge Company † and insists that this concept accepted world-wide. He demonstrates that the opinions of â€Å" what we own † to â€Å" what we Know † have changed and know it depends upon the companies to apprehend the value creation by putting stakes in the training technology , staff retention and knowledge otherwise the efforts will not be productive. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD , 2005) reports that the investments in the Intellectual Capital has grown faster than the investments on machinery and equipment few years back. It is further revealed that the spending on the Research Development , software and the higher education was higher than the spending on the Machinery and the equipment in USA and Finland notebaly in 2002 and increased in greater proportions between 1994 2002 among the OECD countries as well. Arora(2000) purports that the the edge on the competitors in the challenging business environment can only be achieved by the proper administration of the Intellectual Capital which is another name of the Knowledge management. Kaplan Norton(2001) suggest that the company’s market value includes only 10-15% of the company’s book value of the assets. Furthermore, the possibilities of producing a value are risen through the the activities whose foundation is the knowledge that is enforced on the intangible assets of an organisation as compared to tangible assets. A Convention held under the OECD(1999) , concludes that a prominent set of information is required on the Intellectual Capital in its association with the tangible assets in the determination of value. Traditional Financial Reporting does not provide the necessary information to pursue the value creation process. Due to the availability of the information via internet technologies there is a need of a new reporting model that accommodates the information pertaining the Intellectual Capital that creates the value for customers and suppliers. Bradley(1997) discovered that the predicaments that were involved in the traditional financial accounting were due to the emergence of value. He explained the problem by arguing that the balance sheets and the income statements were the benchmarks in delivering the financial information to the shareholders. However, the significance of these financial statements in propagating the value has decreased due to the emerging trend of investments in the intangible assets. It is stated that the value of the brands was not reflected in the financial statements and in the equity values .This has led to the reconsideration of the intangible assets and the brands specifically. This fostered the proposition of of including such assets in the financial statements. However , the accounting profession does not fully supports the the idea that the intangible assets are the main factors in creating the value. On the contrary the investors and the trade leaders have acknowledged this truth. Furthermore, it is also quoted that 72% of the value was not reflected in the balance sheets of the companies surveyed in United Kingdom. Brands form the major part of the unexplained value that is not part of the balance sheet (Brand Finance plc , 2000). The Figure 1 shows the Gap between the market capitalisation and the net asset value. Why Intellectual Capital Upton(2001) reports that the companies under the scrutiny of the FASB Business Reporting Research Project provide considerable non- monetary information. Therefore it can be argued that the AICPA and FASB have been analysing the Intellectual Capital since 1991.The Intellectual Capital is considered endangered when the information of a company becomes obsolete when the competitor increases its information. Therefore the preservation of the Intellectual Capital is crucial for maintaining the competitive edge. However,the companies that are knowledge intensive are prone to risks of losing their market shares(MacDougall Hurst,2005).Guthrie(2000) suggests that â€Å"Accountants must find a to incorporate measures of Intellectual Capital or they will become irrelevant â€Å". Statement of Methodology The method used in the report is the study of the literature that is already present in the field of Intellectual Capital and the Accounting to support the arguments.After, the study necessary facts and evidences are combined to form the Literature Review of this report. This report does includes the collection of the primary data and its analysis. A case study is added to further enhance the understanding of the applications of IC in firms. Research Question The research question is â€Å" Is the exclusion of Intellectual Assets from accounting statements realistics?† The research question of this report is basically a debate that is going on in the academic, industrial and the business sector. This topic demands study to be commenced taking in account both the views of the implications of including or excluding the intellectual assets in the financial statements. Literature Review Definition of the Intellectual Capital The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD , 1999) illustrated that the Intellectual Capital was the composition of the financial value of two classes of the intangible assets i.e Structural Capital Human Capital The structural Capital includes the organisational resources like the softwares, databases etc. The Human Capital however, contains the human resources employees (internally) , customers and suppliers(externally). The term Intellectual Capital is presumed as having the same meaning as the Intangible Asset. In contrast , the definition that is provided by the OECD(1999) puts the Intellect Capital as a subset of the intangible assets of an organisation. Because there are certain intangible assets that do not fall under the category of the Intellectual Capital. The repute of a firm is not considered as a part of the Intellectual Capital(Guthrie Petty , 2000). Stewart(1997) defines the Intellectual Capital as a â€Å" Intellectual Material â€Å" that Includes the knowledge , information , intellectual property , experience that can be used to generate wealth. Furthermore , Stewart (1997) categorises the intellectual capital in to structural , customer and the human capital. He argues that the human capital is the generator of the innovation and the improvement. The structural capital includes the tools and the facilities that are used the human capital to form value. Customer Capital includes the value that is produced as a consequence of the organisations relations with which performs the business transactions(Stewart , 1997). Intellectual Capital can also be defined as the combination of the human capital and the structural capital. The human capital includes the knowledge , skills and the experience of the employees. It is further argued that the human capital is not in the possession of the organisation as compared to the structural capital (Edvinsson Malone , 1997). Elements of the Intellectual Structural Capital Structural Capital is what is left behind in the organisation when the employees go home. The Structural Capital arises from the those organisational processes that are focusing on the improvement and the establishment of the organisation. (Roos et al , 1997). Bontis et al (1999) suggests that the structural capital includes the organisational resources that encompass the knowledge that is not actually stored in the human brains and whose value is greater than its physical value.These assets include databases , softwares , manuals , trademarks , leaseholds , franchises , patents , licenses , employee training , employee contracts etc. The structural capital plays an important role in the creation of the value. As it helps the human capital to explore new ideas , learn from the past experience and protects the knowledge and the new inventions by providing the technology and the legal aid. Customer Capital Kohli jaworski(2000) defined the customer capital as the organisations ability to evolve the knowledge about market that is focusing on the cutomer desires and perceptions. This acquired knowledge is used by the organisations in response to the changing attitudes of the customers and the market. Organisations use this knowledge to have a contingency plan to tackle the threats produced from changing market trends. The definition provided by Bontis(1999) suggests the customer capital should be iterated as the relational capital that includes the relationships with the suppliers, partners and the investors in addition to the relationship with the customers. Human Capital Hudson(1993) defined the human capital as the composition of the inheritance, qualifications , experience with the opinions about life and business. It is further argued that the organisational employees are the key architects of the Intellectual Capital through their proficiency , opinions and expertise. The competence of the employees includes skills and qualifications and their opinions come under their behaviour and perceptions about work. The expertise is important in devising the innovative solutions to the problems. Furthermore, employees are an important asset for an organisation but they are not owned assets(Roos et al , 1997). Exploitation Of Intellectual Capital (Economical Perspective) It is suggested that the critical factor in the improvement of the economy is the proper utilization of the Intellectual capital .It is further noted that by increasing the tricks of Intellectual Capital will provide a competitive edge and the value of the firm will be augmented and specifically business will bring financial benefits. It is not a new thing that the intangible assets like brands, intellectual property , relationships are considered as a unprocessed input for the organization that increases the worth by the application of intelligence in possession of the organization. (Watters et al 2006 , Intellectual Assets Center , Glasgow, Uk). The research on the recognition and reporting of the intangible assets and the intellectual capital has brought them to the acute attention.The research believes that the intangible assets play a significant role in the creation of endurable competitive advantage with in the advanced organsations.Due to the expansion of the modern knowledge based economy it has become transparent that the intangible assets and the Intellectual Capital of an organization have become a platform in accomplishing the competitive advantage as compared to the hi-tech tangible assets(Drew , 1999). Tayles et al (2005) have described two doctrines in the realization of the intangible assets that provide the assistance in the achievement of the competitive superiorty. The research is continuously striving to find the authentic procedures to measure the intangible assets and the indices that provide a forecast of the future economical benefits based upon the doctrines that are prescribed by Tayles et al (2005).Firstly , the expanding financial statements of the companies is the idiosyncracy of its Intellectual Capital that give the edge on the market competitors. Secondly, is the inefficient justification of the Intellectual Capital in the expansion of the economy(Tayles et al , 2005). Skinner (1986) purported that with the utilization of the technology, manufacturing productivity can be achieved by the intangible assets of the company which are the authentic reagents of the prosperity and that justify the monetary investment. How the Companies Exploit the Intellectual Capital Case Study Kingston Communications(Hull) Plc is group of companies based in Hull,United Kingdom. The groups is presently offering the services related to information, communication technology and the telecommunications to the consumer markets in UK. The groups Brands include Affiniti,Smart 421,Jam IP(Integration and management services),Karoo, Eclipse, Mistral (Internet and Telecommunication services) and Hull Color pages and Know( Information Services). The group is Ammortising the its Intangible Assets that aquired in the Acquisitions.In 2007,the ammortisation on intangibles was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤8 million(from Total depreciation and ammortisation).The group also has purchased the tangible and the Intangible assets worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤30.2 million.The Groups Controlled measures include, measuring the learning and development(p9),Customer Satisfaction. KM also believes that Human Resources when managed through and effective Policy can bring the Tangible effect on the companys performance. KM is running a development program to enhance the Knowledge and Intelligence of the employees.The company also manages the Relational (Custmer) Capital by arranging the meetings of the Directors on the Investor relations and the shareholders concerns specifically. The Company’s publishes its Financial Reports complying with the IFRS,however, the company also provides additional disclosures if compliance with the IFRS does not fullfil the requirements of the users(i.e External Stakeholders,External investors,Suppliers and the Customers) to understand the impact of certain transactions that have an effect on the financial performance of the company. Relational Capital Management and Policies Arranaging meetings with the shareholders time to time to discuss the company’s strategies and performance.Maintaining a investors relations function to encourage and improve the communication with the investors. The Goodwill of the Company in 2007 was worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤192.754 million(2006:à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤155.551 million) and the Intangible Assets had the value of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤48.511 million (2006 : à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤39.450) according to the Balance Sheet on 31st march,2007. The Cash Flow Statement of the Company for the year ended 31st march,2007 also explicitly show the Amounts of the Ammortisation of Intangibles as compared to the tangible fixed assets.The Cash Flow statement also show the companys procurement of the Intangible assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤6.495 illion in 2007. The financial statements of the Company are prepared according to the principles prescribed by IFRS and IFRIC.These financial statements are based on the concept of historical Cost accounting.However, the statements are modified due to the revaluation of the financial assets to a fair value by using the income statement. Intangible Assets Identified by Kingston Communications The Intangible Assets of the Kingston Communication include: 1.) Goodwill 2.) Customer and Supplier Relationships 3.) Technology and Brands 4.) Software 5.) Development Goodwill The Groups Goodwill is reported in the acquisitions of the subsidiaries and it is the difference between the Cost of Acquisition and the Net Assets. The Goodwill is tested for impairment annually. Development The company’s intangibe asset that is developed through the research and development activities only when it fulfils the criteria of Intangible Asset Recognition prescribed by IAS 38 i.e the asset is identifiable,impact on future cash flows and the developmental costs of the assets are measured reliably.The estimated life of the internally developed intangible asset is 1 year and is also ammortised on a straight line basis. Valuation of the Intangible Assets in Kingston Commnuications The intangible assets that are acquired through the acquisitions are valued on the basis of their time value and the future impact of on the performance of the companies. Appraisal of Intellectual Capital in Kingston Communications The Kingston Communication is exploiting,managing and reporting its Intellectual Capital as tool necessary for the competitive advantage and for improving the future performance of the company. According to the companies policy the Intangibles Assets are included in the Balance Sheets in order to satisfy its investors and guarantee the future investments in the company. However, there are no benchmarks for the management and the evaluation of the these Intangible assets.Also, the company is not using the models for the Classification of these Intangible assets as suggested by (Kingston Hull plc , 2008) Measuring the IC (Performance)through strategies(Management Accounting) Simons(1999) suggests that the by measuring the performance of a company is basically the comparison of the outcomes of the business activities with the critical business targets. The traditional financial accounting utilizes two techniques to measure the Performance .These are Return on Capital Employed(ROCE) and Return on Assets (ROA). However , these techniques are condemned due to the fact that they are old fashioned , unable measure the intangible assets and are unable to appraise the stakes in the technology which is essential for the firm to compete in the global market(Bourne et al , 2000; Amir Lev , 1996). Valuation Methodologies(Performance Measures as well) The economic measure of the Profit yields the same result as the traditional accounting during the matching phase of costs and revenues by preserving the value significance. This is done by improving the financial reports with the disclosure of the concealed assets like the intangible assets and the investments in the long run(Simons , 1990). (It includes the tools and various methodologies ) Watters et al(2006) have discussed the application of a Scorecard assessment tool in the Scottish SME that provides a review that how efficiently companies are exploiting their Intellectual assets.The tool helps the SMEs to manage three areas of operations i.e Sales and Marketing , Research and Development and Human Resources. It assign the scores to activities that come under the three operational areas according to their effectiveness and links them to the strategic objectives of the firms. (Appendix 1) Brand Finance plc(2000) suggests that there are a lot of methods present for the valuation of the Brands, however there is a need to find an optimal one. Cost based methods of brand valuations show a disparity from its market valuation. The Market Comparison method is not efficient as it is difficult to obtain the comparison data. Royalty Relief method determines the royalty rate on the estimates of the income generated from brands. However , this method does not clearly states that how a brand is going to create value. The Economic Use method combines the consumer and the competitor to entitle the value to the brand.The last method is the most optimal method which is the Brand Finance that uses the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis in concluding the value for a brand.As the Discounted Cash Flow method valuation complies with the valuations performed by the financial analysts , accountants to check for the impairment of the intangible assets. Measurement of Intellectual Capital Why there is a need for the companies to measure the intellectual capital This is a very long debate that why companies need to measure the intellectual capital.There are several advantages of doing that. The term intellectual capital can be said to be â€Å"expandable† in terms of the Value and rewards. The greater the effort of a company the greater is a competitive advantage and greater is sustainability of the company. Nowadays companies and the firms have become Knowledge aware i.e they have now recognized the importance of the of the knowledge that creates value and sustainability. The Companies working in the Telecommunication, Pharmaceutical and the research technology sector specifically have to invest a lot in the Research and Development to compete and develop the innovative solutions to avail the opportunities in the market.Therefore, there is a strong need for these companies to devote themselves to measure and manage their intellectual capital effectively. However, it is very difficult to justify the investments in digging out the knowledge that creates value .These investments are rather very complex and unpredictable even if they are tested and analysed by the efficient tools for their proficiency. Some Organisations that are knowledge based are sometimes not sure about the amount of the Knowledge they have and the amount of knowledge they need tocarry out their functions internally and externally. That is the reason, these organizations loose the interest of the investors and therefore the investment. Balanced Scorecard (An Alternative to Balance Sheets) Kaplan Norton(1992) , presented the theory of the Balanced Scorecard for improving and tracking down the performance of an organisation. The authors suggest four dimensions such as Financial , Customer , internal business process and learning and growth. These dimensions are believed to provide a insight in to the current performance and identify the factors that can improve the future performance. A combination of the non-financial and financial measures are insufficient in determining the performance of an organisation. The main problem is that its just like a Wild Goose Chase as this amalgam of the performance indicators are not pursuing a specific business objective. Kaplan Norton(1996) believe that the both the financial and the non- financial measures must have a focus on a goal that has to be achieved in maintaining the sustainability. The authors further argue that the various measures provided by the balanced scorecard can help the organisation to plan a particular strategy and then can implement it across its subsidiaries, departments to share a common motive with trasnparency. A well planned BSC can hep the organisation to learn from the short-term reports that are generated and scrutinized through various perspectives. Andriessen(2004) suggests that the predicament of measuring the Intellectual Capital can be resolved by applying the balanced scorecard. It has been advised that the specified strategy plans can be created that guide the organisations to confidently invest in the human resources, technology and the structural capital. It is further revealed that by measuring and administering the intellectual capital can also help the organisation to convert its non-monetary achievements in to monetary achievements(Kaplan Norton , 2004). A study conducted by Hagood Friedman(2002) devised a way for the implementation of the balanced scorecard to measure the accomplishments of the human resource information system of a company. They have developed a system that uses the balanced scorecard as its foundation to improve the human resource information system in association with highlighting the goals and objectives of the organisation. Despite of its usefulness the Balanced Scorecard has some limitations. In this context Voelpel et al (2006) has identified five limitations of the balanced scorecard in its application in the modern economy. First being its inflexibility that is, it measures the performance of a company only in four perspectives by leaving behind some other perspectives out of attention. Voelpel et al(2006 ) explain the second limitation which is that the BSC is less efficient in accommodating the changes in the changing economy. The BSC a defines a strategy for a company and its subsidiaries to achieve a goal by neglecting the individual goals of a subsidiary as a consequence a company is unable to use its potential properly. The third one is that BSC focuses more on improving the internal performance of an organisation therefore by losing a link with the external world to exploit the innovation.The forth limitation of a BSC is that it focuses on the organisation in itself and provides no information about the actions of competitors. The fifth problem with the balance scorecard is that it goes straight in measuring the performance in a rational way .As a consequence the more complex predicaments are difficult to apprehend(Voelpel et al , 2006). A Comparison between the benefits that arise from intangible and tangible assets There are risks involved with the investment in the intangible assets like RD. Kothari et al(1998) have conducted a research by comparing the uncertainty of benefits associated with the tangibles and the intangibles assets. The methodology used for this research was the regression analysis of the future earnings variability involved with the expenditure in Research and Development and the tangible assets .Furthermore , the variables like firm size and the leverage are also used to define the boundary of a research.It has been illustrated by Kothari et al (1998) that the future benefits of RD investment are more uncertain than the tangible assets. Shi(2003) has analysed and studied the relationship of bond prices and the measures of RD expenditures and suggest that there is a fair risk involved with the spending of the RD projects that increases risk factor with the bondholders claims and hence are more riskier than the other projects. Issues in Intellectual Capital(Flaws in the IC Concepts) Bontis (2001) discovered a predicament with the intangibles assets is that there is no unique conception that is accepted by everyone. Every investigator or a consultant who contributes to the debate expects the approval and recommends his own jargon. Various other researchers have pointed out flaws in the definitions of the Intellectual Capital. According to Edvinsson and Malone(1997) the intellectual capital was the difference of Market value and the Book value. In contrast Upton(2001) recommends that the intellectual capital cannot be absolutely characterized by simply calculating the difference of market and book value. Following that Habersam and Piber(2003) advocate that the term intellectual capital cannot be determined by the difference of market value and the book value. Pragmatically, the difference can be influenced by some other elements that are not associated with the intangibles.Further research enumerates five components that can realize a change in the the stock prices which incorporates the recognised assets , company liabilities , legal events , shareholders equity and the timing issues(Garcia-Ayuso 2003). The benefits received by a firm cannot be attributed to the individual intangible Assets as such benefits are a result from the inter-cooperation of more than one Intangible asset. Therefore, it could be wise to value the intangible assets all together. It is further argued that the market value of a firm cannot be ascribed to the intangible asset Importance of Intellectual Capital in the Modern Economy Importance of Intellectual Capital in the Modern Economy Executive Summary The report discusses the relative importance of the Intellectual Capital in the present economy due to the revolution that fosters the propagation of the value creation. The Intellectual Assets of an organisation play a vital role in improving its value and maintaining the competitive advantage. However, these intellectual assets are not capitalised in the financial statements as they are unable to determine their historic costs and their future benefits are sometimes uncertain. Despite of this a lot of companies have discovered ways that facilitate the valuation , measurement and reporting of their intellectual assets i.e companies like Coca Cola , Marks Spencer and Kingston Hull Plc have reflected their intangible assets such as brands separately from the goodwill on their company balance sheets as some guidance is provided by the International Accounting Standard in the disclosure of the intangible assets. The report also presents some theories that are aimed at eliminating the confusions created about the Accounting Profession. As the Accounting Profession and the Accountants cannot be blamed as conservatives in not providing space for the Intellectual Assets in the financial statements because in doing so , the financial statements will loose their relevance , reliability and neutrality. The report further throws some light on the issues that are related to the field of Intellectual Capital that include that there is no uniformity in the relative theory as there is no such definition and the Intellectual Capital model that is accepted generally. In the end the report concludes by suggesting that the under the supervision of the International Accounting Standard researchers, consultants, scholars and the accountants have to find a common way such that the value relevance of the Intellectual Capital and the principles of accounting are preserved. Aims and Objectives The aim of this study is to discuss that whether the exclusion of the Intellectual Assets of an organisation in the balance is realistic and pragmatic. As the Intellectual Capital is considered a value driver for the modern economy and a lot of organisations are focusing on their intellectual assets as compared to the intangible assets. Objectives The objectives of this study include: To assess the importance of the Intangible assets as compared to the tangible assets of an organisation. To provide some evidences about the organisations attitudes and the awareness about their intellectual assets. Finally, to conclude that whether the eviction of the Intellectual assets is pragmatic or not. Rationale The Current Gobal economies are now facing a new revolution that brings them to a new form of business environment. This major change in the world economies is due to the fact that there has been a disproportion observed between the Book Value and the Market Value of a firm. Because , in the past the Balance Sheet and the Income statement were the only tools used by the Shareholders ,managers and the executives to make strategic decisions and monitoring the performance of the company. However, it can be argued that things have changed now. As one of the important concern for the companies is the Value Creation. The expansion of the markets in the product or a service sector has been possible with the aid of the internet , high- technology and the innovation ,information , market chains and globalisation. This in turn has created a global competition among the firms that are now striving to acquire knowledge. Furthermore, the acquisition of the knowledge brings some vital concerns of its use, management and the improvement. This has changed the operations of the the organizations that used to emphasize on the production capability ,now focus on the creative operational structure. The organisations are now using the special tools for acquisition, management and the protection of knowledge such as Research Development , Patents , trademarks , copyrights , databases , customer and supplier relationships and Human Resources are known as the intellectual assets of the organization and constitute the Intellectual Capital. The relative importance and the expected returns of the Intellectual Capital has convinced the organisations to think and work in a new innovative way to achieve dominance over the competitors in the market. However , inspite of this the Intellectual Capital has not been considered in the performance appraisals and not included in the financial statements under the heading of assets. The organisations are spending a lot on the Intellectual Capital as compared to their tangible assets so therefore it is not wise to go against the flow of current market trends by focusing more on the tangible assets. This would lead to the creation of inaccurate procedures, policies and the decisions. Hence reducing the value in front of the investors and the customers. Cowey (1999), approves the conception of a â€Å"New Economy â€Å" and the â€Å" Knowledge Company † and insists that this concept accepted world-wide. He demonstrates that the opinions of â€Å" what we own † to â€Å" what we Know † have changed and know it depends upon the companies to apprehend the value creation by putting stakes in the training technology , staff retention and knowledge otherwise the efforts will not be productive. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD , 2005) reports that the investments in the Intellectual Capital has grown faster than the investments on machinery and equipment few years back. It is further revealed that the spending on the Research Development , software and the higher education was higher than the spending on the Machinery and the equipment in USA and Finland notebaly in 2002 and increased in greater proportions between 1994 2002 among the OECD countries as well. Arora(2000) purports that the the edge on the competitors in the challenging business environment can only be achieved by the proper administration of the Intellectual Capital which is another name of the Knowledge management. Kaplan Norton(2001) suggest that the company’s market value includes only 10-15% of the company’s book value of the assets. Furthermore, the possibilities of producing a value are risen through the the activities whose foundation is the knowledge that is enforced on the intangible assets of an organisation as compared to tangible assets. A Convention held under the OECD(1999) , concludes that a prominent set of information is required on the Intellectual Capital in its association with the tangible assets in the determination of value. Traditional Financial Reporting does not provide the necessary information to pursue the value creation process. Due to the availability of the information via internet technologies there is a need of a new reporting model that accommodates the information pertaining the Intellectual Capital that creates the value for customers and suppliers. Bradley(1997) discovered that the predicaments that were involved in the traditional financial accounting were due to the emergence of value. He explained the problem by arguing that the balance sheets and the income statements were the benchmarks in delivering the financial information to the shareholders. However, the significance of these financial statements in propagating the value has decreased due to the emerging trend of investments in the intangible assets. It is stated that the value of the brands was not reflected in the financial statements and in the equity values .This has led to the reconsideration of the intangible assets and the brands specifically. This fostered the proposition of of including such assets in the financial statements. However , the accounting profession does not fully supports the the idea that the intangible assets are the main factors in creating the value. On the contrary the investors and the trade leaders have acknowledged this truth. Furthermore, it is also quoted that 72% of the value was not reflected in the balance sheets of the companies surveyed in United Kingdom. Brands form the major part of the unexplained value that is not part of the balance sheet (Brand Finance plc , 2000). The Figure 1 shows the Gap between the market capitalisation and the net asset value. Why Intellectual Capital Upton(2001) reports that the companies under the scrutiny of the FASB Business Reporting Research Project provide considerable non- monetary information. Therefore it can be argued that the AICPA and FASB have been analysing the Intellectual Capital since 1991.The Intellectual Capital is considered endangered when the information of a company becomes obsolete when the competitor increases its information. Therefore the preservation of the Intellectual Capital is crucial for maintaining the competitive edge. However,the companies that are knowledge intensive are prone to risks of losing their market shares(MacDougall Hurst,2005).Guthrie(2000) suggests that â€Å"Accountants must find a to incorporate measures of Intellectual Capital or they will become irrelevant â€Å". Statement of Methodology The method used in the report is the study of the literature that is already present in the field of Intellectual Capital and the Accounting to support the arguments.After, the study necessary facts and evidences are combined to form the Literature Review of this report. This report does includes the collection of the primary data and its analysis. A case study is added to further enhance the understanding of the applications of IC in firms. Research Question The research question is â€Å" Is the exclusion of Intellectual Assets from accounting statements realistics?† The research question of this report is basically a debate that is going on in the academic, industrial and the business sector. This topic demands study to be commenced taking in account both the views of the implications of including or excluding the intellectual assets in the financial statements. Literature Review Definition of the Intellectual Capital The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD , 1999) illustrated that the Intellectual Capital was the composition of the financial value of two classes of the intangible assets i.e Structural Capital Human Capital The structural Capital includes the organisational resources like the softwares, databases etc. The Human Capital however, contains the human resources employees (internally) , customers and suppliers(externally). The term Intellectual Capital is presumed as having the same meaning as the Intangible Asset. In contrast , the definition that is provided by the OECD(1999) puts the Intellect Capital as a subset of the intangible assets of an organisation. Because there are certain intangible assets that do not fall under the category of the Intellectual Capital. The repute of a firm is not considered as a part of the Intellectual Capital(Guthrie Petty , 2000). Stewart(1997) defines the Intellectual Capital as a â€Å" Intellectual Material â€Å" that Includes the knowledge , information , intellectual property , experience that can be used to generate wealth. Furthermore , Stewart (1997) categorises the intellectual capital in to structural , customer and the human capital. He argues that the human capital is the generator of the innovation and the improvement. The structural capital includes the tools and the facilities that are used the human capital to form value. Customer Capital includes the value that is produced as a consequence of the organisations relations with which performs the business transactions(Stewart , 1997). Intellectual Capital can also be defined as the combination of the human capital and the structural capital. The human capital includes the knowledge , skills and the experience of the employees. It is further argued that the human capital is not in the possession of the organisation as compared to the structural capital (Edvinsson Malone , 1997). Elements of the Intellectual Structural Capital Structural Capital is what is left behind in the organisation when the employees go home. The Structural Capital arises from the those organisational processes that are focusing on the improvement and the establishment of the organisation. (Roos et al , 1997). Bontis et al (1999) suggests that the structural capital includes the organisational resources that encompass the knowledge that is not actually stored in the human brains and whose value is greater than its physical value.These assets include databases , softwares , manuals , trademarks , leaseholds , franchises , patents , licenses , employee training , employee contracts etc. The structural capital plays an important role in the creation of the value. As it helps the human capital to explore new ideas , learn from the past experience and protects the knowledge and the new inventions by providing the technology and the legal aid. Customer Capital Kohli jaworski(2000) defined the customer capital as the organisations ability to evolve the knowledge about market that is focusing on the cutomer desires and perceptions. This acquired knowledge is used by the organisations in response to the changing attitudes of the customers and the market. Organisations use this knowledge to have a contingency plan to tackle the threats produced from changing market trends. The definition provided by Bontis(1999) suggests the customer capital should be iterated as the relational capital that includes the relationships with the suppliers, partners and the investors in addition to the relationship with the customers. Human Capital Hudson(1993) defined the human capital as the composition of the inheritance, qualifications , experience with the opinions about life and business. It is further argued that the organisational employees are the key architects of the Intellectual Capital through their proficiency , opinions and expertise. The competence of the employees includes skills and qualifications and their opinions come under their behaviour and perceptions about work. The expertise is important in devising the innovative solutions to the problems. Furthermore, employees are an important asset for an organisation but they are not owned assets(Roos et al , 1997). Exploitation Of Intellectual Capital (Economical Perspective) It is suggested that the critical factor in the improvement of the economy is the proper utilization of the Intellectual capital .It is further noted that by increasing the tricks of Intellectual Capital will provide a competitive edge and the value of the firm will be augmented and specifically business will bring financial benefits. It is not a new thing that the intangible assets like brands, intellectual property , relationships are considered as a unprocessed input for the organization that increases the worth by the application of intelligence in possession of the organization. (Watters et al 2006 , Intellectual Assets Center , Glasgow, Uk). The research on the recognition and reporting of the intangible assets and the intellectual capital has brought them to the acute attention.The research believes that the intangible assets play a significant role in the creation of endurable competitive advantage with in the advanced organsations.Due to the expansion of the modern knowledge based economy it has become transparent that the intangible assets and the Intellectual Capital of an organization have become a platform in accomplishing the competitive advantage as compared to the hi-tech tangible assets(Drew , 1999). Tayles et al (2005) have described two doctrines in the realization of the intangible assets that provide the assistance in the achievement of the competitive superiorty. The research is continuously striving to find the authentic procedures to measure the intangible assets and the indices that provide a forecast of the future economical benefits based upon the doctrines that are prescribed by Tayles et al (2005).Firstly , the expanding financial statements of the companies is the idiosyncracy of its Intellectual Capital that give the edge on the market competitors. Secondly, is the inefficient justification of the Intellectual Capital in the expansion of the economy(Tayles et al , 2005). Skinner (1986) purported that with the utilization of the technology, manufacturing productivity can be achieved by the intangible assets of the company which are the authentic reagents of the prosperity and that justify the monetary investment. How the Companies Exploit the Intellectual Capital Case Study Kingston Communications(Hull) Plc is group of companies based in Hull,United Kingdom. The groups is presently offering the services related to information, communication technology and the telecommunications to the consumer markets in UK. The groups Brands include Affiniti,Smart 421,Jam IP(Integration and management services),Karoo, Eclipse, Mistral (Internet and Telecommunication services) and Hull Color pages and Know( Information Services). The group is Ammortising the its Intangible Assets that aquired in the Acquisitions.In 2007,the ammortisation on intangibles was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤8 million(from Total depreciation and ammortisation).The group also has purchased the tangible and the Intangible assets worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤30.2 million.The Groups Controlled measures include, measuring the learning and development(p9),Customer Satisfaction. KM also believes that Human Resources when managed through and effective Policy can bring the Tangible effect on the companys performance. KM is running a development program to enhance the Knowledge and Intelligence of the employees.The company also manages the Relational (Custmer) Capital by arranging the meetings of the Directors on the Investor relations and the shareholders concerns specifically. The Company’s publishes its Financial Reports complying with the IFRS,however, the company also provides additional disclosures if compliance with the IFRS does not fullfil the requirements of the users(i.e External Stakeholders,External investors,Suppliers and the Customers) to understand the impact of certain transactions that have an effect on the financial performance of the company. Relational Capital Management and Policies Arranaging meetings with the shareholders time to time to discuss the company’s strategies and performance.Maintaining a investors relations function to encourage and improve the communication with the investors. The Goodwill of the Company in 2007 was worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤192.754 million(2006:à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤155.551 million) and the Intangible Assets had the value of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤48.511 million (2006 : à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤39.450) according to the Balance Sheet on 31st march,2007. The Cash Flow Statement of the Company for the year ended 31st march,2007 also explicitly show the Amounts of the Ammortisation of Intangibles as compared to the tangible fixed assets.The Cash Flow statement also show the companys procurement of the Intangible assets à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¤6.495 illion in 2007. The financial statements of the Company are prepared according to the principles prescribed by IFRS and IFRIC.These financial statements are based on the concept of historical Cost accounting.However, the statements are modified due to the revaluation of the financial assets to a fair value by using the income statement. Intangible Assets Identified by Kingston Communications The Intangible Assets of the Kingston Communication include: 1.) Goodwill 2.) Customer and Supplier Relationships 3.) Technology and Brands 4.) Software 5.) Development Goodwill The Groups Goodwill is reported in the acquisitions of the subsidiaries and it is the difference between the Cost of Acquisition and the Net Assets. The Goodwill is tested for impairment annually. Development The company’s intangibe asset that is developed through the research and development activities only when it fulfils the criteria of Intangible Asset Recognition prescribed by IAS 38 i.e the asset is identifiable,impact on future cash flows and the developmental costs of the assets are measured reliably.The estimated life of the internally developed intangible asset is 1 year and is also ammortised on a straight line basis. Valuation of the Intangible Assets in Kingston Commnuications The intangible assets that are acquired through the acquisitions are valued on the basis of their time value and the future impact of on the performance of the companies. Appraisal of Intellectual Capital in Kingston Communications The Kingston Communication is exploiting,managing and reporting its Intellectual Capital as tool necessary for the competitive advantage and for improving the future performance of the company. According to the companies policy the Intangibles Assets are included in the Balance Sheets in order to satisfy its investors and guarantee the future investments in the company. However, there are no benchmarks for the management and the evaluation of the these Intangible assets.Also, the company is not using the models for the Classification of these Intangible assets as suggested by (Kingston Hull plc , 2008) Measuring the IC (Performance)through strategies(Management Accounting) Simons(1999) suggests that the by measuring the performance of a company is basically the comparison of the outcomes of the business activities with the critical business targets. The traditional financial accounting utilizes two techniques to measure the Performance .These are Return on Capital Employed(ROCE) and Return on Assets (ROA). However , these techniques are condemned due to the fact that they are old fashioned , unable measure the intangible assets and are unable to appraise the stakes in the technology which is essential for the firm to compete in the global market(Bourne et al , 2000; Amir Lev , 1996). Valuation Methodologies(Performance Measures as well) The economic measure of the Profit yields the same result as the traditional accounting during the matching phase of costs and revenues by preserving the value significance. This is done by improving the financial reports with the disclosure of the concealed assets like the intangible assets and the investments in the long run(Simons , 1990). (It includes the tools and various methodologies ) Watters et al(2006) have discussed the application of a Scorecard assessment tool in the Scottish SME that provides a review that how efficiently companies are exploiting their Intellectual assets.The tool helps the SMEs to manage three areas of operations i.e Sales and Marketing , Research and Development and Human Resources. It assign the scores to activities that come under the three operational areas according to their effectiveness and links them to the strategic objectives of the firms. (Appendix 1) Brand Finance plc(2000) suggests that there are a lot of methods present for the valuation of the Brands, however there is a need to find an optimal one. Cost based methods of brand valuations show a disparity from its market valuation. The Market Comparison method is not efficient as it is difficult to obtain the comparison data. Royalty Relief method determines the royalty rate on the estimates of the income generated from brands. However , this method does not clearly states that how a brand is going to create value. The Economic Use method combines the consumer and the competitor to entitle the value to the brand.The last method is the most optimal method which is the Brand Finance that uses the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis in concluding the value for a brand.As the Discounted Cash Flow method valuation complies with the valuations performed by the financial analysts , accountants to check for the impairment of the intangible assets. Measurement of Intellectual Capital Why there is a need for the companies to measure the intellectual capital This is a very long debate that why companies need to measure the intellectual capital.There are several advantages of doing that. The term intellectual capital can be said to be â€Å"expandable† in terms of the Value and rewards. The greater the effort of a company the greater is a competitive advantage and greater is sustainability of the company. Nowadays companies and the firms have become Knowledge aware i.e they have now recognized the importance of the of the knowledge that creates value and sustainability. The Companies working in the Telecommunication, Pharmaceutical and the research technology sector specifically have to invest a lot in the Research and Development to compete and develop the innovative solutions to avail the opportunities in the market.Therefore, there is a strong need for these companies to devote themselves to measure and manage their intellectual capital effectively. However, it is very difficult to justify the investments in digging out the knowledge that creates value .These investments are rather very complex and unpredictable even if they are tested and analysed by the efficient tools for their proficiency. Some Organisations that are knowledge based are sometimes not sure about the amount of the Knowledge they have and the amount of knowledge they need tocarry out their functions internally and externally. That is the reason, these organizations loose the interest of the investors and therefore the investment. Balanced Scorecard (An Alternative to Balance Sheets) Kaplan Norton(1992) , presented the theory of the Balanced Scorecard for improving and tracking down the performance of an organisation. The authors suggest four dimensions such as Financial , Customer , internal business process and learning and growth. These dimensions are believed to provide a insight in to the current performance and identify the factors that can improve the future performance. A combination of the non-financial and financial measures are insufficient in determining the performance of an organisation. The main problem is that its just like a Wild Goose Chase as this amalgam of the performance indicators are not pursuing a specific business objective. Kaplan Norton(1996) believe that the both the financial and the non- financial measures must have a focus on a goal that has to be achieved in maintaining the sustainability. The authors further argue that the various measures provided by the balanced scorecard can help the organisation to plan a particular strategy and then can implement it across its subsidiaries, departments to share a common motive with trasnparency. A well planned BSC can hep the organisation to learn from the short-term reports that are generated and scrutinized through various perspectives. Andriessen(2004) suggests that the predicament of measuring the Intellectual Capital can be resolved by applying the balanced scorecard. It has been advised that the specified strategy plans can be created that guide the organisations to confidently invest in the human resources, technology and the structural capital. It is further revealed that by measuring and administering the intellectual capital can also help the organisation to convert its non-monetary achievements in to monetary achievements(Kaplan Norton , 2004). A study conducted by Hagood Friedman(2002) devised a way for the implementation of the balanced scorecard to measure the accomplishments of the human resource information system of a company. They have developed a system that uses the balanced scorecard as its foundation to improve the human resource information system in association with highlighting the goals and objectives of the organisation. Despite of its usefulness the Balanced Scorecard has some limitations. In this context Voelpel et al (2006) has identified five limitations of the balanced scorecard in its application in the modern economy. First being its inflexibility that is, it measures the performance of a company only in four perspectives by leaving behind some other perspectives out of attention. Voelpel et al(2006 ) explain the second limitation which is that the BSC is less efficient in accommodating the changes in the changing economy. The BSC a defines a strategy for a company and its subsidiaries to achieve a goal by neglecting the individual goals of a subsidiary as a consequence a company is unable to use its potential properly. The third one is that BSC focuses more on improving the internal performance of an organisation therefore by losing a link with the external world to exploit the innovation.The forth limitation of a BSC is that it focuses on the organisation in itself and provides no information about the actions of competitors. The fifth problem with the balance scorecard is that it goes straight in measuring the performance in a rational way .As a consequence the more complex predicaments are difficult to apprehend(Voelpel et al , 2006). A Comparison between the benefits that arise from intangible and tangible assets There are risks involved with the investment in the intangible assets like RD. Kothari et al(1998) have conducted a research by comparing the uncertainty of benefits associated with the tangibles and the intangibles assets. The methodology used for this research was the regression analysis of the future earnings variability involved with the expenditure in Research and Development and the tangible assets .Furthermore , the variables like firm size and the leverage are also used to define the boundary of a research.It has been illustrated by Kothari et al (1998) that the future benefits of RD investment are more uncertain than the tangible assets. Shi(2003) has analysed and studied the relationship of bond prices and the measures of RD expenditures and suggest that there is a fair risk involved with the spending of the RD projects that increases risk factor with the bondholders claims and hence are more riskier than the other projects. Issues in Intellectual Capital(Flaws in the IC Concepts) Bontis (2001) discovered a predicament with the intangibles assets is that there is no unique conception that is accepted by everyone. Every investigator or a consultant who contributes to the debate expects the approval and recommends his own jargon. Various other researchers have pointed out flaws in the definitions of the Intellectual Capital. According to Edvinsson and Malone(1997) the intellectual capital was the difference of Market value and the Book value. In contrast Upton(2001) recommends that the intellectual capital cannot be absolutely characterized by simply calculating the difference of market and book value. Following that Habersam and Piber(2003) advocate that the term intellectual capital cannot be determined by the difference of market value and the book value. Pragmatically, the difference can be influenced by some other elements that are not associated with the intangibles.Further research enumerates five components that can realize a change in the the stock prices which incorporates the recognised assets , company liabilities , legal events , shareholders equity and the timing issues(Garcia-Ayuso 2003). The benefits received by a firm cannot be attributed to the individual intangible Assets as such benefits are a result from the inter-cooperation of more than one Intangible asset. Therefore, it could be wise to value the intangible assets all together. It is further argued that the market value of a firm cannot be ascribed to the intangible asset