Discuss the weaving together od induction and deduction with imperical Essay

Discuss the weaving together od induction and deduction with imperical evidence in the scientific method. - talk about the scientific method, then use examples to - Essay Example The products included an expanded body of knowledge, tools and techniques† (The dawn of Science, p.26). The nature itself was the tutor for the ancient human being. He has learned many things from the nature by observations, testing and analysis. He has devised many methodologies and formulated many concepts based on his experiences with the interaction of nature. Though he was unaware of many natural phenomena at that time, his interaction with nature has made him aware the common patterns associated with all the nature’s activities such as day and night and summer and winter. The scientific method has emerged through these careful observations and analysis of nature’s activities. General principle and scientific principle have lot of differences. General principle may not have any scientific evidences. For example sun is believed to be rises in the east. But east, west, north, south concepts are relative and all such things are mere assumptions and have no Scientific method of inquiry usually associated with gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. Scientific method consists of the collection of data through observation and experimentation. These data will be used to formulate hypothesizes. From these hypothesizes, conclusions will be made. Scientific method is the method adopted by scientists in their investigation of various phenomena. It is a systematic and orderly method of solving problems. Whatever be the nature of the problems, the scientists adopt a cautious and methodical procedure that helps him to acquire valid and verifiable conclusions. Sensing of the problem is the first step in scientific method followed by the research. The research will provide lot of data which will be used for generating various hypothesizes. These hypothesizes will be tested and then the conclusion will be made which will lead to the formulation of laws. Such formulated laws

Media Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Media - Assignment Example Any story that sells means that the advertisers have a field day. Prior to the 2008 US presidential elections, Mr. Obama’s religion was questioned. There were claims that the former senator was a Muslim (Smith et. al., 2009). The media made this such a debate, so much so, he had to lay the issue to rest. Pundits viewed the scandal as a propaganda meant to derail his presidential ambitions then. The media have always capitalized on such scandals to cash in money (Smith et. al., 2009). Although the issue of religion is a â€Å"public issue†, one wonders why it did not generate endless debates prior to the campaigns. For instance, does one have to account for their middle names? Such was the case with Obama’s â€Å"Hussein† middle name. Politicians, like the rest of us, deserve to a fair treatment by the media (Marion, 2010). Some scandals were able to expose the mistakes and ‘evil’ sides of the politicians; majority of them were ‘created’ by different media houses so that they could make more money selling the stories to curious citizens (Marion, 2010). The pubic have a right to know the integrity of their leaders or would-be leaders; however, the politicians are entitled to their privacy. The media must ensure they expose only the scandals that touch of the politician’s integrity and efficiency concerning their public

Hellenic and Roman Periods Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hellenic and Roman Periods - Research Paper Example The preference for the infantry appears to stem from the ideology that came with men fighting on foot in hand to hand combat. Based from the culture, philosophy and norms of the ancient Greeks, they must have seen infantry warfare as nobler. There is something admirable, which could have been appealing to the Greeks, when men endure great hardships, from training and the actual combat, and defeat the enemy in a violent clash. This is hardly surprising. Even today, when battles are recreated in film, for instance, the frontline where the soldiers fight in violent clashes - through a collective spirit and discipline - evoke a sense of pride and inspiration from among us because the condition allow for a great show of valor and bravery. Compare this with going to battle riding atop a horse. The battle strategy for the cavalry is more calculated, requiring a degree of skill, cunning and calculation. In addition, it avoids and could not hold its own in a protracted battle. This was suppor ted by Schmid who pointed out the Greeks might have equated cavalry warfare with the barbarians way of fighting. He said that the Greeks acknowledge the skill and boldness involved but that they generally consider it to be "inferior to the kind of fighting courage needed by the hoplite in the ranks, which did not permit the excuse to run away.2 Even in actual warfare, the Greek cavalry was unwilling or hesitated to face the Greek hoplite. Fagan and Trundle (2010) identified a pattern in this attitude. First they cite numerous instances of defeat by cavalry horses in the hands of the Greek hoplite. There were the cases of Pharnabazus's cavalry defeat at the hands of Athenian infantry and the failure of a Persian-led cavalry in the Pactolus plain against the Greek hoplites in 395 B.C. There are, of course, periods when certain shifts transpired. This can be demonstrated in the case of the Peloponnesian war. The infantry was not extensively used during this time. Instead, the Greeks re lied on light troops such as archers, slingers and peltasts.3 This was what happened because the war was mostly typified by raiding and quick attacks. The training of the Greek hoplites meant that they are not suitable to fight most clashes. Therefore, light troops and even cavalry came to be used in the conflicts as well as those that preceded the Peloponnesian War. The changes demonstrate how warfare, particularly the tactics involved in using infantry, light troops or cavalry, is also determined by the nature and characteristics of the enemies that it faces. For instances, in order to defeat the notorious Persian cavalry, Alexander’s tactics involved the development of heavy infantry to serve as a platform of maneuver for his cavalry.4 Similar experience transpired for the Byzantines. The empire heavily copied the Roman warfare strategy but modified them in order to be effective in dealing with its neighbors such as the Saracens. This enemy was notorious for its highly agi le mounted archers. As a result, the Byzantines trained its infantry to use bows, which dealt significant damage to the enemy cavalry.

Is China a Threat to Indian Industry Essay Example for Free

Is China a Threat to Indian Industry Essay Renewable energy has huge potential to provide solution to increase energy crisis and it is the key factor to the future of energy, food and economic security, said participants at a seminar organized by greentech and Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. We are a growing economy. So our energy requirement is also growing. But we dont produce enough energy to meet even our current needs. With depleting fossil fuel reserves and concerns about its environmental impact, renewable energy is the only long-term solution, said Bibek Bandhopadhyay, advisor at the ministry of new and renewable energy. At present, Indias installed power capacity is 2,10,645 MW with renewable energy contributing 26,900 MW or 12.4%. From various energy technologies, a capacity addition of about 30,000 MW has been planned during the 12th Plan period 2012-2017. The focus is now on mainstreaming renewable energy technologies so that it becomes cost-effective. Of this, 69% is generation from wind and 4.5% from solar. Incidentally, India was the first country to set up a ministry of non-conventional energy resources in the early 1980s. India is densely populated and has high solar insolation, an ideal combination for using solar power in India. Much of the country does not have an electric grid, so one of the first applications of solar power has been for water pumping, to begin replacing Indias 4-5 million diesel powered water pumps, each consuming about 3.5 kilowatts, and off-grid lighting. Some large projects have been proposed, and a 35,000 sq km area of the Thar desert has been set aside for solar power projects, sufficient to generate 700 to 2,100 GW. The Indian Solar Loan Programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme has won the prestigious Energy Globe World award for sustainability for helping to establish a consumer financing program for solar home power systems. Over the span of three years more than 16,000 solar home systems have been financed through 2,000 bank branches, particularly in rural areas of south India where there is no grid electricty. Launched in 2003, the Indian Solar Loan Programme was a four-year partnership between UNEP, the UNEP Risoe Centre, and the Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank. Announced in November 2009, the Government of India proposed to launch its Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission under the National Action Plan on Climate Change with plans to generate 1,000 MW of power by 2013 and up to 20,000 MW grid-based solar power, 2,000 MW of off-grid solar power and cover 20 million sq metres with collectors by the end of the final phase of the mission in 2020. Development of wind power in India began in the 1990s and has increased in recent years. Although a relative newcomer to the wind industry compared with Denmark or the US, domestic policy support for wind power has led India to become the country with the fifth largest installed wind power capacity in the world. As of December 2010, the installed capacity of wind power in India was 13,065.37 MW, mainly spread across Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal. Wind power accounts for 6% of Indias total installed power capacity, and it generates 1.6% of the countrys power. Every year, about 55 million tonnes of municipal solid waste and 38 billion litres of sewage are generated in the urban areas of India. In addition, large quantities of solid and liquid wastes are generated by industries. Waste generation in India is expected to increase rapidly in the future. As more people migrate to urban areas and as incomes increase, consumption levels are likely to rise, as are rates of waste generation. It is estimated that the amount of waste generated in India will increase at a per capita rate of approximately 1-1.33% annually. This has significant impacts on the amount of land that is and will be needed for disposal, economic costs of collecting and transporting waste, and the environmental consequences of increased MSW generation levels.

Society, Culture and its Effects on the Behavior Essay Example for Free

Society, Culture and its Effects on the Behavior Essay There are so many races of human all over the world; we have extensive variations of people, society, and culture. They say that in a given society the distinguishing factor of its people is culture then the culture defines the norms and beliefs. With these several factors alone we become exclusive, unique, and exceptional human beings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Culture affects the way we behave, the way we perceive things, and the way we deal with certain situations. According to the social construction theory, culture produces the society exclusive ways to perceive things, express emotions and the way we experience them. However, there are aspects of emotion that are innate, and universal which means it is the same all across nations and societies and there are other aspects which are constructed by the society in different ways and by different cultures. American culture, norms and beliefs   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   United States, generally speaking, is a liberated country; our culture is totally different from other nation’s culture. Nowadays, American culture has been spread globally. Many of other nation’s culture have been influenced by America but others remain constant with what culture they have. Say for example, after turning eighteen a child is allowed to separate from his parents and he or she can live alone. Unlike in other cultures, most especially in the continent of Asia, they practice extended families. This kind of culture of ours is effective expressing our rights as human beings who are given free will to do what we want to do but in other culture they do not consider it as good as the way we do. When I know I am right I tell my mother my insights; this is just an expression of my freedom. I have the freedom to say what I really feel but not in a manner which would offend my mother or any other person I am talking with. Something is normal when you do the right thing for the right case or moment. We, as human beings of any society would weep when someone that is dear to us dies but for some society this is not right. While for us and other societies it is normal to grieve for death of someone Chinese’s don’t believe in this, they just pay people who would weep for them because they believe that weeping is not good. American music   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Music is one of the most influential cultures that America has been affecting. I am fond of listening to rock and ballad or RNB and pop music. I guess the reason behind this is the kind of society I live with. We have been the nation which has produced many influential and popular music and musicians in which most of them are doing pop or RNB. We influence other societies with our kind of music that’s why pop and RNB are now listened to by people all over the world. Most teenagers in other societies are very fond of this kind of music. I think beat makes the music good to hear even though some of its lyrics are censored. However, this kind of music somehow makes people wild most; it influences kids and most especially the teenagers. American attitude and behavior   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I can say I am a competitive person. I guess that it comes from the society’s culture because we are known to be competitive globally; our attitude towards progress is very positive. We are optimistic in nature and we perceive things in a positive way. We identify mistakes positively and we do not take it against ourselves. I am also a risk taker, with regards to optimism I often take risks though I know that there are several factors that would make my decisions worse. I often decide on things even though I don’t know how high the level of success is because I know that somehow I have taken my chance. American’s are very competitive that’s why it was one of the first countries who have been industrialized all over the world. We often innovate because we are not satisfied with what we have because we know that there can be better. I don’t settle for something that is less, as well as any other American citizen’s because I know that I can do better and I can have a better thing. Another thing I can say about myself that I have gained from my culture is that I am independent. This is a positive culture because at an early age I have learned not to ask money from my parents if I wanted to buy something for myself. For most societies other than mine the children are dependent of their parents not until they are married or until they finished their degree and find a job to support themselves with what they need. Emotions The previous American culture nowadays also influence a person’s way regarding on how they express their emotions; for example: when I get angry or mad about something, I tend to listen to a music which is loud and expresses deepest anger or those songs which are seemingly rebellious. Other people on the contrary tend to drink excessive alcohol beverages till they get sober and forget whatever they are worrying about. In general, culture primarily imposes its strong influence towards people’s behavior; the way they think, the way they perceive things, and the way they deal with matters and situations. Culture also strongly influences the society’s way of expressing their feelings and emotions.

Philosophical Definition of Justice: The Role of Accounting

Philosophical Definition of Justice: The Role of Accounting What is Justice? Justice means different things to different people. It is very much a culturally determined concept that requires an innate understanding of a particular person or group of people. For the purpose of this research paper justice is defined as the judgment and process involved with making something that is wrong or bad, right and good. Justice helps us as a society distinguish wrong from right and corrects what is wrong by making it right. But what is right and what is wrong? What is fair and what is just? If something is wrong or unfair, how should society make it right? Such questions have been asked since the beginnings of human interaction. Perhaps under a monarchy justice, for right or wrong, is more easily determined as it is simply what the supreme ruler (or monarch) feels is just or fair. Under a monarchy or aristocratic rule, there is only one ruler and what that individual feels is right, just, or fair, simply is and often cannot be questioned. However, within the realm of more contemporary political systems such as democracy, the ideology of justice, while arguably more fair, can be much more difficult to establish and understand. Democracy, at least in theory, grants the power to the people and therefore places the burden of justice or defining what is fair or equal upon the masses. Since different people have different belief systems they are often in disagreement on what is right or what is fair and have differences of opinion when it comes to justice. Without the aristocracy, justice becomes a very argumentative and ambiguous concept. Philosophy, the Various Schools of Thought, and their Influence on the Ideology of Justice Disagreements over what is fair (or just) have been around since the beginning of time, almost certainly since the very first of human interactions. At first glance we probably think we have a fairly uniform understanding of what justice might or should be. For example if someone commits premeditated first degree murder, most would probably agree the individual should be jailed and, depending on your belief system, either face a life sentence in jail or the death penalty. If someone embezzles money from their company, most would insist the individual should be forced to make restitution and face additional criminal or civil penalty. But even in the seemingly straightforward examples above, and within the realm of a relatively homogenous audience (those reading this paper), one can already start to see how complicated the ideology of justice can be. For example, some have very strong feelings about the death penalty and insist that no crime, even murder, would justify ending another persons life. Additionally, some feel that crimes such as embezzlement are a form of victimless crime and would never warrant a punishment as severe as jail time since no one individual had been harmed. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 527) Within the relatively straightforward scenarios above, one can already begin to imagine the diversity of opinions as to what is just and fair. Should the murder be murdered? Should the embezzler be jailed? What if he only stole the money to pay for chemotherapy for his dying wife? Luckily, numerous philosophers and historians have provided us with rich literature that helps us decipher the complex ideology of justice. In fact, it is only after studying and critically evaluating several of these philosophers, their different schools of ethical and moral thought, and the way they define justice that one can start to understand the differences in perceptions of justice around the world. The next sections provide brief introductions into several of the various schools of ethical and moral thought and provide some insight into the individual philosophers that have undoubtedly helped to shape ours and others understanding of justice. It is only after considering the various schools of thought that we can start to understand the differences in the perception of justice that exist around the world. Utilitarianism Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) was a utilitarian and insisted that justice is doing what will produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. (Justice a Reader pg. 9) The utilitarian school of thought considers the principle of utility as the basis of moral law. Bentham defines utility as whatever promotes pleasure or prevents pain. (Justice A Reader pg. 9) The major criticism / objection to Benthams utilitarian principals come from the perspective that maximum utility, or collective happiness, may come at the expense of violating individual rights. (Justice A Reader pg. 9) In order to refute some of the criticisms of Benthams utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) argued that the idea of justice rests ultimately on utilitarian considerations but also requires a respect for individual rights. (Justice A Reader pg. 9) But even with Mills approach to justice, it becomes extremely difficult to choose and/or decipher between individual rights and the majority or maximum utility. This often leaves us with questions of where to draw the line between the greatest good for the majority and the protection of individual rights. Libertarianism Milton Friedman and other libertarian thinkers were advocates of free markets and critics of government regulation. (Justice A Reader pg. 49) Underlying their (libertarians) laissez-faire stance is the idea that each of us has a fundamental right to liberty – a right to do whatever we want with the things we own, provided we do not violate other peoples rights to do the same. (Justice A Reader pg. 49) Contrary to utilitarian thought, libertarians would never sacrifice individual rights for maximum utility or the benefit of the majority. According to the Libertarians, only a minimal government is necessary. In essence the government should only be put in place such that it enforces contracts, protects private property, and keeps the peace. (Justice A Reader pg. 49) Justice would ensure that we own ourselves and the fruits of our labor, and therefore, as the proprietors of our own person, each of us has the right to decide what to do with our bodies and our labor, with the money we earn, and the goods we possess. (Justice A Reader pg. 49) Justice would be the protection of those rights as well as the individual rights of others. The biggest challenges to libertarian policy usually come in the form of paternalist and/or redistributive laws. Paternalist and redistributive laws typically are enacted such that a society can tax the rich to help the poor. While utilitarian principles strongly favor such laws, Libertarians typically argue that such laws are a form of coerced charity that makes every person the property (perhaps even the slave) of the majority. (Justice A Reader pg. 49) Pure Libertarianism teaches that welfare is a violation of individual rights. Liberationists believe that while the poor should have every right to better themselves, that right should not come at the expense of anyones individual right to what they own or produce. Egalitarian A third school of thought that attempts to define the role of justice in society is egalitarianism. John Rawls (1921-2002) was often described as an egalitarian liberal (Justice A Reader pg. 263) and defined justice as fairness. Rawls believed that justice is a social contract in which people come together to choose the basic principles that will govern their society and proposed that the way to think about justice is to ask what principles would be chosen by people who came together behind a veil of ignorance that temporarily deprived them of any knowledge about where they would wind up in society. (Justice A Reader pg. 203) Accordingly, Rawls moral reasoning requires us to be abstract from the particular circumstances in which we find ourselves (Justice A Reader pg. 203), and justice is the first virtue of social institutions, as truth is of systems of thought. (Justice A Reader pg. 203) Rawls rejected utilitarianism and believed that certain individual rights are so fundamental that utilitarian considerations should not override them. (Justice A Reader pg. 203) However, contrary to Freidman and the libertarians, Rawls did not believe that the results of a free market are necessarily fair and was not opposed to the taxation of the privileged to help the poor. In Rawls opinion it would be acceptable, under certain circumstances, to take from the privileged as long as it were helping the underprivileged. Accounting and Justice Regardless of how you define justice or what school of thought you most closely relate to, it is clear the accountant plays a significant role in the establishment and preservation of justice for society. Accounting is the language of business (Bloomfield, 2008) and without it justice cannot exist. Since the beginnings of specialization, when humans stopped being self sufficient and started specializing, bartering, and trading, accounting has become a critical part of human interaction. In todays society accountants serve in many roles critical to the defense and preservation of justice. For example, in the U.S., IRS accountants ensure that citizens pay the appropriate amount of tax, forensic accountants provide investigative services for criminal and civil proceedings, and many of the FBIs anti-terrorist agents use their accounting backgrounds to trace terrorist funding. History of the Spanish Empire One only has to look back a few hundred years to see a perfect example of how the role of an accountant can protect and help preserve, or fail to protect and preserve, an entire civilization. In his book For Good and Evil – The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization, Charles Adams describes how tax fraud lead to the demise of one of the largest and most wealthy empires found in modern times – Imperial Spain. Around the time Christopher Columbus discovered the new world (the 14th and 15th centuries), the Spanish Empire was the strongest empire in the world which has never been equaled in terms of size or money. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 529) It controlled significant portions of Europe, the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Oceania (Australia and the Pacific Islands), and at its peak Spains conquered overseas empire was the largest the world has ever known. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 529) However, in the 17th century the vast empire started to disintegrate. Contrary to conventional wisdom, it was not the English fleet defeating the Spanish Armada that brought down the Empire, rather it was tax evasion and revolt by the masses against the patronage system that ultimately lead to the bankruptcy of the empire. After several revolts from within the empire, and long civil war, the Spanish Empire was forced to increase taxes to pay soldiers to put down the various rebellions. As a result, many of the people in the colonies engineered what was probably the best system of fraud and evasion that history has ever known. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 530) When the Spanish authorities tried to tax goods that passed through the major ports, the Spanish businessmen created complicated schemes to have silver and gold shipped to alternate ports away from the customs officials, even laundering it through foreign countries. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 530) In order to avoid the Royal Fifth – a 20% cu stoms tax and a 35% convoy tax on good from the colonies, the Spanish businessmen transformed commerce into one massive smuggling operation by avoiding the authorities and therefore the taxes. (Hanlin 2004, pp. 530) The Empire tried to stop the smuggling and division of money and goods away from the taxing authorities but simply did not have the means to control and stop the smuggling and tax evasion. As a result, the overseas empire could not defend itself and stealing the colonies of Spain became an international sport as most of the colonies were lost to the British, Dutch, and eventually the United States. Contemporary Accounting and Justice Given its role as the language of business, accountings integral role in society continues to grow as global economies grow and become increasingly interconnected. World GDP has grown from $1.34 trillion in 1960 to $60.6 trillion in 2008. (The World Bank, 2009). The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that in the U.S. 7% of total GPD is lost to fraud and injustice. (ACFE, 2008) When applied to a global GPD of $60.6 trillion loses resulting from fraud and injustices are estimated to have been $994 billion in 2008. $994 billion is a staggering number but in fact may be understated as many developing countries face an even higher percentage of fraud due to the lack of infrastructure and the ability to combat fraud. According the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), the U.S. ranks 19th (with 1st indicating the least amount of corruption) out of 182 countries surveyed for the amount of perceived corruption within a particular country indicating that, on a global scale, losses probably well exceed the trillion dollar mark annually. So who is best equipped to protect and defend the innocent from the injustices of fraud? The answer is simple, the accountants around the world. Accountants understand the language of business better than anyone and therefore are best suited to be the defenders of justice and fight the injustices that exist across the globe. Just or unjust, they may have even been able to preserve the Spanish Empire. Distributive Justice Another manner in which accountants play an integral role in society is through distributive justice. Utilitarian principles have led to many governments and societal systems that incorporate and rely upon paternalist or redistributive laws. For example, the U.S. and many other countries tax their wealthy citizens and use the funds to run social support programs for the poor such as welfare, unemployment, section 8 housing, etc. Such programs are a form of distributed justice. Robert Nozick describes distributive justice as follows: In contemporary political theory, distributive justice is primarily about the allocation of income, wealth, and opportunity. (Justice A Reader pg. 263) If distributive justice does represent the allocation of income and wealth, than who other than that accountant, who understands the language of business and taxation, would be best equipped to establish and preserve distributed justice? Another example of distributive justice and the role that an accountant plays is the concept of price gauging. Michael Sandel uses a great example in his teachings at Harvard when discussing the events that often transpire in the aftermath of a hurricane. Often, in the days following a major hurricane, for example Hurricane Charley in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, local retailers charge prices for common goods such as bags of ice and gas powered generators in excess of 1000% of their normal price. (Justice, 2009) Should such practices be considered simply the effects of supply and demand or is it injustice on the part of the retailer in the form of price gauging? Regardless of your opinion on price gauging laws, it is evident the accountant is best equipped to understand and determine whether or not price gauging exists and how to best allocate monies. Who other than the accountant would understand all the transactions taking place between retailers and consumers? In both cases above, the enforcement of paternalistic laws and analysis of price gauging activities, accountants are the ones that ensure monies are appropriately being collected and allocated, thereby defending justice as a society sees fit. Justice and the Role of the Accountant Globally Increasingly, corporations and businesses are taking on the global environment. This requires that accountants and auditors be able to identify the different risks associated with international interconnectedness and be able counteract these risks with the necessary precautions. The global environment adds additional complications for the role of the accountant and actually increases the responsibilities as the defender of justice. In a global spectrum, there are many different laws and regulations and thus, the role of the accountant changes depending on the environment in which the rules are generated. Culture is a huge influence on accounting regulation. Additionally, culture is intertwined within the market and political forces that help to shape the resulting accounting system. The different interaction of these forces in an environment helps to determine the place of the accountant in the economic system, which has a direct effect on the accountants role as the defender of just ice. Justice can only prevail in a society that embraces it. Perceived levels of corruption can be indicative of the state of the economy of a particular country which can help to define or determine the role of the accountant. If there are very few cases of fraud, but high levels of corruption perception it can be an indication that the appropriate level of justice is not being achieved. If enforcement of laws and regulation is inconsistent then a tougher approach may be needed to combat corruption. Transparency International states that in order to minimize corruption there needs to be strong oversight by governments, law enforcement, media, and the society. If a country is lacking oversight, corruption can continue to get worse. As a result, the role of the accountant in these environments would be limited since rules, laws, and regulations are not embraced and enforced. Regulation is only part of the battle. Change will only be effective if it comes from a commitment that is made by businesses and governments of all sizes. Stronger institutional oversight is needed across the world. There needs to be strict legal frameworks and more alert regulation by enforcement agencies in addition to accountants and auditors that ensure lower levels of corruption. As noted in an article issues by Transparency International, persistently high corruption in low-income countries amounts to an ongoing humanitarian disaster. According to the CPI index, China has improved over last year showing that their efforts to reduce corruption by enacting reforms, the implementation of forceful investigation, and intense sentencing have created less perceptions of corruption than before, but still remains a very serious problem. Norways score indicates that as a result of some serious scandals that have emerged over the last few years there is a significant problem in the private and public sectors. However, a growing number of cases being investigated and prosecuted demonstrates that they are at least trying to make headway. Italy is declining in the corruption index because of severe fraud and corruption that exist in the public health system and because of the recent arrests of politicians and public officials in the Abruzzo region. France also has also seen several cases of public officials that were connected to corrupt activities surface recently. Somalia, having the lowest CPI score highlights that there is a link between economic and political collapse. Additionally, Iraqs score of 1.3 shows the importance of establishing solid and functioning institutions capable of preventing corruption and implementing the rule of law. In all cases, the examples provide insight and indicate a need for regulation and an increased role for accountants because justice is not being found. Accounting Regulation Globally Accounting rules can indicate a lot about a country. Accounting rules are created in such a way that they fit the environment that they exist in, which varies across countries and cultures. If society wishes to protect the investor, the accounting system will have disclosure rules that enable investors to gain information and protect themselves. While some countries are developing regulations that contain investor protection improvements, in many cases much more work needs to be done. The manner in which markets function and the way politics are conducted greatly affect accounting systems and often lead to drastic differences across countries. The role of the accountant and, furthermore, the way that justice is enforced will also vary greatly amongst countries. Common law countries differ from codified law countries because common law countries have an independent body to interpret the law. Accounting rules in common law countries are determined by the private sector and require lengthy disclosure since there are no close relationships with corporations. However, code law countries require that corporations be heavily involved the government. The government often includes banks, labor unions, and major suppliers in rule-making decisions. As a result, transactions in these countries tend to be focused more on private information. There are institutional differences between all countries. Institutional differences enable economic and accounting systems to differ, thus the role of the accountant and the justice that results will differ amongst these countries. Accounting regulation in Germany allows more discretion on the accountant because it is written in more general terms. However, in France the regulation is more rigid, enables less discretion, and thus provides less wiggle room on the part of corporations. In Switzerland there are very few disclosure requirements, which can facilitate the reporting of smooth earnings through the usage of hidden reserves. Further, some accounting systems are difficult to compare because they do not fit within any particular mold. For example, the accounting system in Finland was created specifically for use by the foresting industry. By looking at international comparisons of accounting systems, it is evident there is no single way of performing accounting. As a result, the accounting rules are different and change to become an integral part of the markets and politics of each country and culture. Market demand affects the financial statements because the corporations must pay to prepare them. The political environment is important because the government has the ability to control regulators and possibly interfere with regulation. In order to perform and understand the different accounting processes, accountants must be aware of the different forces that exist in a particular country. By being aware of the different forces, accountants will be able to more aptly ensure that justice prevails in the country they operate. As evidenced above, accounting regulations vary across countries, time, and cultures which causes significant variations in the role of the accountant. While countries have been extending efforts to strengthen accounting rules and oversight, this alone cannot and will not prevent future fraud. (Leuz, 2002). But there are many benefits to implement strong laws and enforcement in order to protect shareholders rights. U.S. firms are not the only ones experiencing problems, as many firms globally are suffering from accounting irregularities. Some countries experience self-dealings and misappropriations of profits because of weaker legal measures. Weak legal measures create a greater incentive to manipulate the financial statements to conceal poor business performance. Manipulation is less apparent in places where outside investors have legal rights to vote out corrupt managers. However, manipulation is predominant in places like Austria, Italy, Germany, Southeast Asia, South Korea and Ta iwan, because they do not have investor protection. East Asian Perspective The East Asian countries, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand can help accountants see the way that accounting standards interact with the incentives of managers and auditors. (Ball, Ashok, et al, Incentives versus standards) The accounting standards in these countries come from a common law environment. Common law countries generally create high quality financial reporting. However, in these countries the preparers incentives generate low quality financial statements. The preparer incentives again, depend on the market and political forces and how these forces interact with one another. Market forces are dependent on the demand for high-quality financial reporting. The political forces depend on the government involvement in the creation and enforcement of the regulation. The interaction of these forces with the accounting system can drastically change the role of the accountant in these countries. The standards themselves are viewed as high-quality, but the institutional s tructure creates incentives for preparers incentives to issue low-quality financial reports. Financial reporting in East Asia generally exists with an incentive structure that is similar to a code-law model. However, the East Asian countries do not follow that model. Their governments have code-law reporting incentive features, but also have indications that the environment reduces the financial reporting quality. The large amount of family-owned businesses and enterprises is a cause for the low need of quality financial statements. One family generally owns investments that are inter-related. These networks are commonly referred to guanxi networks. These networks attempt to take away the demand of required disclosures and timely loss recognition and it also reduces the communication required with stakeholders. The extent of government involvement in the standard setting and the financial reporting practice differs across these countries. Political factors can create an incentive to hide large profits and losses. The political environments in these East Asian countries have a tendency to want companies to succeed, so they recommend companies hide losses. They also are afraid of other countries becoming involved in their practices because they do not want to be held accountable for any misstatements. The companies are also expected to report smooth earnings, which reinforces the desire to report, cover, and hide losses. Litigation is minimal in these countries since there is a large incentive to hide earnings, which the government reinforces. There have been very few cases of judicial actions in these countries. Audit quality in these countries is poor primarily due to lack of auditor independence. The influence and independence of the accounting profession is an indicator of ineffective enf orcement of accounting standards. Considering the financial incentives for managers and auditors there is a greater incentive for reduced timeliness and conservatism in accounting earnings. Fraud is continuing to go undetected in Hong Kong. Although there is a 22% incidence of fraud, much more is expected to be going on given the different forces that are currently having an effect on the country. As a result, currently more scrutiny is being given to the monitoring of financial transactions and corporations are beginning to make it a priority. There are currently programs that are offered for certification in forensic accounting, which is having an impact on fraud detection. Most of the fraud cases that exist in Hong Kong are internet banking fraud, computer fraud, misuse of corporations credit card, and electronic funds transfer fund. There is a need for more forensic accountants in Singapore in order to ensure sufficient justice as many significant fraud cases are going undetected. Two important fraud cases involved Fibrechem Technologies and Oriental Century. In the Fibrechem Technologies audit, Ernst Young Singapore were not certain of the cash and trade debtor balance. KPMG had the same problem with Oriental Century. Another notable case is one in which a Singapore monk, who was in charge of Singapores well-known charities, received 10 months in prison for committing fraud. In Malaysia, the role of accounting in the fight for justice is very small. Crimes are beginning to become more and more complicated and controlled but forensic accounting is viewed as a service that only larger companies can afford. This makes catching fraud more difficult. Cases that are investigated are generally handled by the Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Division. This group was able to catch a large fraud that involved the CEO and two others of Transmile Group Bhd for publishing misleading financial statements and has often been called Malaysias Enron. Fraud and forensic accounting is a relatively new topic in Thailand. According to an Ernst Youngs global survey, more than half of the companies in Thailand have suffered significant fraud. The management of the corporations was responsible for over half while employees ranked second, responsible for 45% of the fraud incidents reported. Asset misappropriation was the biggest concern. (MPA Program: Forensic accounting project) The commercial crimes in Thailand are becoming more and more complicated and organized. Forensic accounting is used to combat this to an extent, but is only utilized in the public sector. It is also noted in Thailand that there remains an enormous amount of well documented corruption related to the government amounting to billions of US dollars. There are many cases where Thailands auditor general, Jaruvan Maintaka, was able to bring about cases against members of the government but there are even more cases linked to the military involving loans from politicia ns. Chinese Perspective This accounting profession is still at the early stage of development in China, and a lack of skilled professionals creates problems for regulators. To a large extent the accounting standards and practices in China lack conservatism Doupnik and Perera note in their International Accounting textbook. There are also no sound interpretations of the relevant requirements that need to be implemented to have an effective accounting system. The theory of true and fair presentation and transparency may not be clearly understood by Chinese accountants. Until the 1980s, those who carried out accounting work were not held in high regard which had a very negative effect on the development of the accounting profession in China. Unlike in other countries, accounting and auditing have taken different paths in their development as rival disciplines with the support of different government agencies. However, there has been some growth in the accounting profession due to the recent economic reform pro gram and the demand for financial information from investors has increased. There are many fraud cases evident in China. One high-profile case that deserves mentioning was with Zhu Xiaohua who was the chairman of state-owned company, Everbright Group. Zhu was convicted to 15 years in prison for taking $500,000 in bribes. These bribes were taken between 1997 and 1999. The bribes were for the purchase of shares in a company that resulted in large losses. Another example of fraud in China was when a business woman, Du Yimin, was sentenced to death for running a Ponzi scheme that cheated investors out of YUAN700m ($102 million). (Lin, 2009) According to Lin, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security has been stepping up such prosecutions and says there are now 1,416 similar cases open, involving YUAN10bn ($1.5 billion) in investors money. In China it is still possible to receive the death penalty for fund-raising fraud, however, if a Chinese person is charged with collecting money illegally from private investors, the maximum sentence is 10 years in prison. In Chi na is evident that ethics are not being followed across the board. Japanese Perspective Japan also differs from other cultures and has a different role of the accountant and effectively different need for justice. The Japanese attitudes towards external auditors and the audit function are different from others. This is due to the cultural value orientation of not trusting someone from outside the group. Companies are not under pressure from their main providers of finance to disclose information publicly and companies are reluctant to provide information voluntarily. As a result, the a

The History and Role of Accounting in Business Essay -- Accountant, Eco

Accounting can be defined in a number of ways, but I chose the book definition, which is; Accounting is an information system that provides reports to stakeholders about the economic activities and condition of business. The person in charge of accounting is called the accountant. The accountant is typically required to follow a set of rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are called the General Accepted Accounting Principles. Throughout these next few paragraphs, I will be giving you the history and evolution of accounting, and I will be explaining who the stakeholders are and what type of information they require, and I will be explaining the role of accounting in business. There will be many examples and type of business decisions throughout this whole paper. The history of accounting dates all the way back to the fourteenth century. In 1494, Luca Pacioli, first published and printed his accounting book in Venice, Italy. Pacioli’s book included a 27-page step by step guide on bookkeeping. In his book Pacioli, introduced symbols for plus and minus for the first time in a printed book. His accounting book contained the first known published work of double-entry, and it was said that this laid the foundation for double-entry bookkeeping in the world today. Double-entry was defined as any accounting action that required a debit and credit transaction for each transaction. The very first known accounting book to be discovered in the English literature was published and printed in London, England by John Gouge in 1543. Accounting can be broke down into four categories; Financial, management, open-book, and tax accounting. Financial accounting can be defined as a major branch of accounting involving the collection, re... ...n’t be following the rules of bookkeeping which are also known as the (General Accepted Accounting Principles.) That’s why the accounting equation and accounting are so important to everyday life and business. In the future, I see the role of accounting being the same as it is today. I see it being the same because the companies might change, but they will always need accounting in one way or another. No matter what company it is, a company will always like to know what it owns, and a company would always like to know who they owe, Without this how would a company be able to run efficiently and maximize profit. Although all companies don’t aim to maximize profits, majority of the companies in today’s world do. Unlike other jobs, I believe that accountants will always have job, cause as long companies are up and running, they will need somebody to run there books. The History and Role of Accounting in Business Essay -- Accountant, Eco Accounting can be defined in a number of ways, but I chose the book definition, which is; Accounting is an information system that provides reports to stakeholders about the economic activities and condition of business. The person in charge of accounting is called the accountant. The accountant is typically required to follow a set of rules and regulations. These rules and regulations are called the General Accepted Accounting Principles. Throughout these next few paragraphs, I will be giving you the history and evolution of accounting, and I will be explaining who the stakeholders are and what type of information they require, and I will be explaining the role of accounting in business. There will be many examples and type of business decisions throughout this whole paper. The history of accounting dates all the way back to the fourteenth century. In 1494, Luca Pacioli, first published and printed his accounting book in Venice, Italy. Pacioli’s book included a 27-page step by step guide on bookkeeping. In his book Pacioli, introduced symbols for plus and minus for the first time in a printed book. His accounting book contained the first known published work of double-entry, and it was said that this laid the foundation for double-entry bookkeeping in the world today. Double-entry was defined as any accounting action that required a debit and credit transaction for each transaction. The very first known accounting book to be discovered in the English literature was published and printed in London, England by John Gouge in 1543. Accounting can be broke down into four categories; Financial, management, open-book, and tax accounting. Financial accounting can be defined as a major branch of accounting involving the collection, re... ...n’t be following the rules of bookkeeping which are also known as the (General Accepted Accounting Principles.) That’s why the accounting equation and accounting are so important to everyday life and business. In the future, I see the role of accounting being the same as it is today. I see it being the same because the companies might change, but they will always need accounting in one way or another. No matter what company it is, a company will always like to know what it owns, and a company would always like to know who they owe, Without this how would a company be able to run efficiently and maximize profit. Although all companies don’t aim to maximize profits, majority of the companies in today’s world do. Unlike other jobs, I believe that accountants will always have job, cause as long companies are up and running, they will need somebody to run there books.