Saturday, May 23, 2020

Strategic Thinking A Coherent, Integrative And Unifying...

The business environment is continuously evolving with the integration of new management trends developed to create opportunity and respond to various challenges. However, with the unpredictability of the business environment which is driven mainly by globalization and technology, innovation turned out to be increasingly critical to success. It means that innovation and strategy are converging to help in productivity. Innovation has the potential to change the agents within an organization to become better entrepreneurs to meet various challenges. Strategic thinking is crucial in creating a coherent, integrative and unifying framework for making decisions particular regarding the direction in which an organization goes and the resources it plans to utilize (Goldsmith, 2009). In some way, strategic thinking utilizes external and internal data, perceptions, and opinions. It is proactive, conscious and explicit while defining a competitive realm for strategic advantage in the organization. Strategies are formed to improve the performance of an organization which means that the company will have to conduct something unique and different compared to that of the competitors. Whenever a team develops a new strategy, it means that they are establishing change whether it is innovative or incremental. It means that managing to execute a strategy involves managing change. The business landscape of today is characterized by escalating diverse environments whereby some organizationsShow MoreRelatedStrategic Hr in Samsung5902 Words   |  24 PagesSamsung Strategic HRM Case Introduction: â€Å"In the recent time human resource management (HRM) has assumed new prominence because of continuing concerns about global competition, the internationalisation of technology and the productivity of labour. It is argued that these market imperatives require manager to change the way in which they manage the employment relationship in order to allow for the most effective utilization of human resources (HR). Managers and academics argue thatRead MoreThe Role of Strategic Groups in Understanding Strategic Human Resource Management15467 Words   |  62 PagesThe current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm The role of strategic groups in understanding strategic human resource management Judie M. Gannon Oxford School of Hospitality Management, Faculty of Business, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK The role of strategic groups 513 Liz Doherty Business School, Shefï ¬ eld Hallam University, Shefï ¬ eld, UK, and Angela Roper School of Hospitality Tourism Management, UniversityRead MoreFeasibility of Management in the Public Sector6201 Words   |  25 Pageswill include the key concepts of change management strategies from a public sector project management perspective (Kallio, Saarinen, Tinnila, 2002), followed by an assessment of the best practices in change management and the definition of frameworks for unifying change management, long-term learning and productivity gains (Price, Chahal, 2006). All of these factors will be applicable in the context of creating a change management model for participative management as well (Pardo-del-Val, Martà ­nez-FuentesRead MoreStrategic Human Resource Management View.Pdf Uploaded Successfully133347 Words   |  534 PagesVIEW Strategic Human Resource Management Taken from: Strategic Human Resource Management, Second Edition by Charles R. Greer Copyright  © 2001, 1995 by Prentice-Hall, Inc. A Pearson Education Company Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458 Compilation Copyright  © 2003 by Pearson Custom Publishing All rights reserved. This copyright covers material written expressly for this volume by the editor/s as well as the compilation itself. It does not cover the individual selections herein thatRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesOthers 323 Managing Conflict 373 PART III GROUP SKILLS 438 8 Empowering and Delegating 439 9 Building Effective Teams and Teamwork 489 10 Leading Positive Change 533 PART IV SPECIFIC COMMUNICATION SKILLS 590 591 Supplement A Making Oral and Written Presentations Supplement B Conducting Interviews 619 Supplement C Conducting Meetings 651 Appendix I Glossary 673 Appendix II References 683 Name Index 705 Subject Index 709 Combined Index 713 iii This page intentionally leftRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesengages in an imaginative way with a wealth of organizational concepts and theories as well as provides insightful examples from the practical world of organizations. The authors’ sound scholarship and transparent style of writing set the book apart, making it an ingenious read which invites reflexivity, criticalness and plurality of opinion from the audience. This is a book that will become a classic in organization studies. Mihaela L. Kelemen, Professor of Management Studies, Keele University, UK AnRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesHistory and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning of the New York City Landscape Gerda Lerner, Fireweed: A Political Autobiography Allida M. Black, ed., Modern American Queer History Eric Sandweiss, St. Louis: The Evolution of an American Urban Landscape Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past Sharon Hartman Strom, Political Woman: Florence Luscomb

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Drug Abuse - 2197 Words

Drug Abuse Many people in the world have abused drugs at least once in their lifetime and some of those people abuse it every day. Lots of drug abuse often turns into a drug addiction which is much more serious and can even be deadly.Many people do not understand that people who have drug addictions choose to continue their behaviors or that they lack the will to quit. Many people just assume that a person with a drug addiction could just quit anytime they wanted to but that is not the case. Because of the ways that drugs change the brain quitting is extremely hard, even if a person wants to quit. Although the decision to take drugs for the first time is a personal choice, eventually the brain changes to reduce self control and their†¦show more content†¦Only drugs that actually contain addictive substances can cause physical addictions and once addicted it can be very hard for a person to stop. Some drugs however can still cause an addiction even if the drug itself has no addictive properties inside it. Unlike with a physical addiction a person with a psychological addiction will not actually have a reaction in their body due to not having the drug but they can still mentally develop an extreme want for it. Psychological addictions are more common in people who abuse drugs like marijuana. Marijuana itself has no substance inside of it that are actually addictive but the brain can still develop a desire for the dopamine that marijuana releases making a person want to do it. Some people say that this is not a real addiction however because a person can develop a psychological addiction to anything. A person with a psychological addiction can usually just kick the addiction themselves or have a friend help monitor them but sometimes seek professional help anyways. Although not as severe as a physical addiction a psychological addiction can still negatively affect a persons lif e. People who have really bad addictions are usually easy to identify buy some people with minor addictions can not be spotted unless a person knows the symptoms of an addiction. People with addictions often get confused about thingsShow MoreRelatedDrug Of Drug And Drug Abuse1538 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Resistance Drug use has become an increasing problem among high schoolers and teenagers around the same age. Ever since the drug war of the 1900s, drugs have been a major problem in today’s society. â€Å"Use of drugs such as opium, morphine, and other byproducts were common in twentieth century America† (Dobkin, 1998). While most students in standard high school drug education know about the use of coca leaves in Coca-Cola and the opium trade in China, drug addiction during the century is muchRead MoreDrug Abuse1279 Words   |  6 PagesThe use of and abuse of illegal and prescription drugs are a health, social, and law enforcement problem that is affecting Americans across the country. Drug abuse is destroying the lives of many teens and adults and is also destroying families in the United States. The use of drugs is a major problem in the United States among all Americans, but drug addiction is the main cause for America s troubled teens today. Exactly what is a drug? A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeuticRead MoreDrug Abuse8640 Words   |  35 Pagesreport on ‘drug abuse’ has been made by our group to give an idea of the calamitous cause of using drugs in improper way. The report is intended to serve the purpose of providing the knowledge about drug abuse and to suggest ways to help limit drug abuse. An effort has been made on our part to include certain symptoms which indicate drug abuse. Also throughout the report, repetitive use of the drug abuse’ has been made to instate into the minds of the reader the cause of using drug abuse in an illicitRead MoreDrug Abuse And Addiction : Drugs977 Words   |  4 PagesDrug abuse/addiction Jeremy Graham May 11, 2015 Period, 5 Drug abuse and addiction Drug abuse/addiction is a major problem in Indiana that affects many individual. Several solutions such as rehab and drug classes have been tried. Yet, the best solution is taking drug classes. Many people do not understand why people become addicted to drugs or how drugs change the brain to foster compulsive drug abuse. They mistakenly view drug abuse and addiction as strictly a socialRead MoreDrug Abuse2895 Words   |  12 PagesDay against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking every year. It is an exercise undertaken by the world community to sensitize the people in general and the youth in particular, to the menace of drugs. The picture is grim if the world statistics on the drugs scenario is taken into account. With a turnover of around $500 billions, it is the third largest business in the world, next to petroleum and arms trade. About 190 million people all over the world consume one drug or the other. Drug addiction causesRead MoreDrug Abuse and Prevention1510 Words   |  7 Pagesidea of prevention is to limit the availability of drugs (Hart Ksir, 2011, p. 400), but this is not essentially the best way. Addiction affects everyone. According to the National Inst itute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), substance abuse cost our nation â€Å"more than $484 billion dollars (The National Institute on Drug Abuse ).† So although you might not be directly impacted by drug abuse, as a whole your tax dollars are spent on fighting the war on drugs. Currently there are several different types of substanceRead MoreDrug Abuse On The Workplace Essay1704 Words   |  7 PagesDrug Abuse in the Workplace: The human resource topic I chose to write my research paper on is â€Å"Drug Abuse in the Workplace†. Drug abuse in the workplace is something very common that many of us will encounter at some point. Alcohol and drug abuse has a major effect on employee absence and lost productively that leaves a negative working environment. It is important a company addresses the right guidelines to keep a drug free workplace. Establishing a clear and fair substanceRead MoreDrug Abuse And Substance Abuse1658 Words   |  7 PagesThe National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines drug abuse as, â€Å" It becomes drug abuse when people use illegal drugs or use legal drugs inappropriately.† This may include; the repeated uses of drugs to produce pleasure, alleviates stress, and/or alters or avoids reality. The perception of addiction and substance abuse has been widely known for many years, but the medical community has failed to accept and publicly this issue among it own members . Drug abuse by nurses is prevalent in today societyRead MoreInjectable Drug Abuse1488 Words   |  6 PagesMEMORANDUM INJECTABLE DRUG ABUSE: GROWING CHALLENGE IN NORTH-EASTERN PART OF INDIA FROM: AE28697 TO: Ministry of development of north east affairs, India RE: Scenario C-Health and harm reduction DATE: 19 October 2013 Introduction North-east (NE) India is connected to remaining part of India through a constricted passage known as Siliguri Corridor squeezed between Nepal and Bangladesh (Hussain, 2011). It comprises of seven sister states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, NagalandRead MorePrescription Drug Abuse And Prescription Drugs1487 Words   |  6 PagesPrescription Drug Abuse Prescription Drug Abuse has increased in an alarming rate over recent years! Prescription drug related deaths now outnumber those from heroin and cocaine combined. The abuse in prescription drugs in America goes back more than a hundred years ago. Prescription drug abuse is the use of a medication without a prescription, in a way other than prescribed, or for the experience or feelings elicited. Although prescription medications are intended to help individuals, they can

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

The Return Nightfall Chapter 9 Free Essays

When Matt, Meredith, and Bonnie were all on their way, Stefan was left with Elena, now decently attired by Bonnie in her â€Å"Night Gown.† The darkness outside was comforting to his sore eyes – not sore from daylight, but from telling good friends the sad news. Worse than the sore eyes was the slightly breathless feeling of a vampire who hasn’t fed. We will write a custom essay sample on The Return: Nightfall Chapter 9 or any similar topic only for you Order Now But he’d remedy that soon, he told himself. Once Elena was asleep, he’d slip out into the woods and find a white-tailed deer. No one could stalk like a vampire; no one could compete with Stefan at hunting. And even if it took several deer to assuage the hunger inside him, not one ofthem would be permanently injured. But Elena had other plans. She wasn’t sleepy, and she was never bored being alone with him. As soon as the sounds of their visitors’ car were decently out of hearing, she did what she always did in this mood. She floated to him and tipped her face up, eyes closed, lips just slightly pursed. Then she waited. Stefan hurried to the one unshuttered window, pulled the shade down against unwanted peeping crows, and returned. Elena was in exactly the same position, blushing slightly, eyes still shut. Stefan sometimes thought that she would wait forever that way, if she wanted a kiss. â€Å"I’m really taking advantage of you, love,† he said, and sighed. He leaned over and kissed her gently, chastely. Elena made a noise of disappointment that sounded exactly like apurruping kitten, ending on a note of inquiry. She bumped his chin with her nose. â€Å"Lovely love,† Stefan said, stroking her hair. â€Å"Bonnie got all the knots out without pulling?† But he was leaning into her warmth now, helpless. A distant ache in his upper jaw was already beginning. Elena bumped again, demanding. He kissed her for slightly longer. Logically, he knew she was a grown-up. She was older and vastly more experienced than she had been nine months ago, when they’d lost themselves in adoration kissing. But guilt was never far from his thoughts, and he couldn’t help but worry about having her competent consent. This time thepurrup was one of exasperation. Elena had had enough. All at once, she gave her weight to him, forcing him to suddenly support a warm, substantial bundle of femininity in his arms, and at the same time, herPlease? chiming clear as a finger swirling on a crystal glass. It was one of the first words she had learned to think to him when she’d woken up mute and weightless. And, angel or no, she knew exactly what it did to him – inside. Please? â€Å"Oh, little love,† he groaned. â€Å"Little lovely love†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Please? He kissed her. There was a long time of silence, while he felt his heart beat faster and faster. Elena, his Elena, who had once given her very life for him, was warm and drowsily heavy in his arms. She was his alone, and they belonged just like this, and he never wanted anything to change from this moment. Even the quickly growing ache in his upper jaw was something to be enjoyed. The pain of it changed to pleasure with Elena’s warm mouth under his, her lips forming little butterfly kisses, teasing him. He sometimes thought she was most awake when she seemed half-asleep like this. She was always the instigator, but he followed helplessly wherever she wanted him to go. The one time he had refused, had stopped in mid-kiss, she had broken off speaking to him with her mind and floated to a corner, where she then sat among the dust and spiderwebs†¦andwept . Nothing he could do would console her, although he knelt on the hard wooden floorboards and begged and coaxed and almost wept himself – until he took her back into his arms. He had promised himself never to make that mistake again. But still, his guilt nagged at him, although it was growing more and more distant – and more confused as Elena changed the pressure of her lips suddenly and the world rocked and he had to back up until they were sitting on his bed. His thoughts fragmented. He could only think that Elena was back with him, sitting on his lap, so excited, so vibrant, until there was a sort of silken explosion inside him and he didn’t need to be forced anymore. He knew that she was enjoying the pleasure-pain of his aching jaw as much as he was. There was no more time or reason to think. Elena was melting into his arms, her hair under his stroking fingers a liquid softness. Mentally, they had already melted together. The aching in his canines had finally produced the inevitable result, his teeth lengthening, sharpening; the touch of them against Elena’s lower lip causing a bright flicker of pleasure-pain that almost made him gasp. And then Elena did something she never had done before. Delicately, carefully, she took one of Stefan’s fangs and captured it between her upper and lower lips. And then, delicately, deliberately, she just held on. The whole world reeled around Stefan. It was only by the grace of his love for her, and their connected minds, that he didn’t bite down and pierce her lip. Ancient vampire urges that could never be tamed out of his blood were screaming at him to do just that. But he loved her, and they were one – and besides,he couldn’t move an inch. He was frozen in pleasure. His fangs had never extended so far or become quite as sharp, and without him doing a thing the razor edge of his tooth had cut into Elena’s full lower lip. Blood was trickling very slowly down his throat. Elena’s blood, which had changed since she had come back from the spirit world. It had once been wonderful, full of youthful vitality and the essence of Elena’s living self. Now†¦it was simply in a class of its own. Indescribable. He’d never experienced anything like the blood of a returned spirit. It was charged with a Power that was as different from human blood as human was from animal blood. To a vampire, blood flowing down the throat was a pleasure as sharp as anything imaginable to a human. Stefan’s heart was pounding out of his chest. Elena daintily worried the fang she had captured. He couldfeel her satisfaction as the tiny sacrificial pain turned to pleasure, because she was linked to him, and because she was one of the rarest of all breeds of humans: one who actually enjoyed nurturing a vampire, loved the feeling of feeding him, of him needing her. She was one of the elite. Hot shivers traveled down his spine, Elena’s blood still making the world spin. Elena let go of his fang, sucking on her lower lip. She let her head drop back, exposing her neck. The head-drop was really too much to resist, even for him. He knew the traceries of Elena’s veins as well as he knew her face. And yet†¦ All’s right. All’s well†¦Elena chimed telepathically. He sank twin aching fangs into a small vein. His canines were so razor-sharp by then that there was nearly no pain for Elena, who was used to the snakebite sensation. And for him, for both of them, there was the feeding at last, as the indescribable sweetness of Elena’s new blood filled Stefan’s mouth, and an outpouring of giving swept Elena into incoherency. There was always a danger of taking too much, or of not giving her enough of his own blood to keep her – well, frankly, to keep her from dying. Not that he needed more than a small amount, but there would always be that danger in trafficking with vampires. In the end, though, dark thoughts swam away in the sheer bliss that had overcome them both. Matt fished for keys as he and Bonnie and Meredith all crowded into the wide front seat of his rattletrap car. Embarrassing to have to park that next to Stefan’s Porsche. The upholstery in back was in shreds that tended to stick to the derriere of whoever sat on it, and Bonnie easily fit on the jump seat, which had a jerry-rigged seat belt, between Matt and Meredith. Matt kept an eye on her, since when she was excited she tended not to use the belt. The road back through the Old Wood had too many difficult turns to be taken lightly, even if they were going to be the only travelers on it. No more deaths, Matt thought as he pulled away from the boardinghouse. No more miraculous resurrections, even. Matt had seen enough of the supernatural to last him the rest of his life. He was just like Bonnie; he wanted things to settle down to normal so he could get on with living the plain old ordinary way. Without Elena, something inside him whispered mockingly. Giving up without even a fight? Hey, I couldn’t beat Stefan in any kind of fight if he had both arms tied behind his back and a bag over his head. Forget it. That’s finished, however she kissed me. She’s a friend, now. But he could still feel Elena’s warm lips on his mouth from yesterday, the light touches that she didn’t know yet weren’t socially acceptable between just-friends. And he could feel the warmth and the swaying, dancing slenderness of her body. Damn, she came back perfect – physically, at least, he thought. Bonnie’s plaintive voice cut into his pleasant reminiscences. â€Å"Just when I thought everything was going to be all right,† she was wailing, almost weeping. â€Å"Just when I thought it’s all going to work out after all. It’s going to be the way it wassupposed to be.† Meredith said, very gently, â€Å"It’s difficult, I know. We seem to keep on losing her. But we can’t be selfish.† â€Å"Ican,† Bonnie said flatly. I can, too, Matt’s inner voice whispered. At least inside, where nobody can see my selfishness. Good old Matt; Matt won’t mind – what a good sport Matt is. Well, this is one time when good old Matt does mind. But she chose the other guy, and what can I do? Kidnap her? Keep her locked up? Try to take her by force? The thought was like a dash of cold water, and Matt woke up and paid more attention to his driving. Somehow he’d already automatically navigated several curves of the pitted, one-lane road that ran through the Old Wood. â€Å"We were supposed to go to college together,† Bonnie persisted. â€Å"And then we were supposed to come back here to Fell’s Church. Backhome . We had it all planned out – since kindergarten, practically – and now Elena’s human again, and I thought that meant that everything was going to go back to the way it wassupposed to be. And it’snever going to be the same again,ever , is it?† She finished more quietly and with a little gulping sigh, â€Å"Is it?† It wasn’t even really a question. Matt and Meredith found themselves glancing at each other, surprised by the sharpness of their pity, and helpless to comfort Bonnie, who now had her arms folded around herself, shrugging off Meredith’s touch. It’s Bonnie – just Bonnie being theatrical, Matt thought, but his own native honesty rose to mock him. â€Å"I guess,† he said slowly, â€Å"that’s what we were all sort of thinking, really, when she first came back.† When we were dancing around in the woods like crazy people, he thought. â€Å"I guess we sort of thought that they could live quietly somewhere near Fell’s Church, and that things would go back to the way they were before. Before Stefan – â€Å" Meredith shook her head, looking off into the distance beyond the windshield. â€Å"Not Stefan.† Matt realized what she meant. Stefan had come to Fell’s Church to rejoin humanity, not to take a human girl away from it into the unknown. â€Å"You’re right,† Matt said. â€Å"I was just thinking about something like that. She and Stefan could have probably worked out some way to live here quietly. Or at least to stay close to us, you know. It was Damon. He came to take Elena against her will, and that changed everything.† â€Å"And now Elena and Stefan are leaving. And once they leave, they’ll never come back,† Bonnie wailed. â€Å"Why? Why did Damon start all this?† â€Å"He likes to change things out of sheer boredom, Stefan once told me. This time it probably started out of hatred for Stefan,† Meredith said. â€Å"But I wish that for once he could have just left us alone.† â€Å"What difference does it make?† Bonniewas crying now. â€Å"So it was Damon’s fault. I don’t even care anymore. What I don’t understand is why things have to change!† â€Å" ¡Ã‚ ®You can never cross the same river twice.’ Or even once if you’re a strong enough vampire,† Meredith said wryly. Nobody laughed. And then, very gently: â€Å"Maybe you’re asking the wrong person. Maybe Elena’s the one who could tell you why things have to change, if she remembers what happened to her – in the Other Place.† â€Å"I didn’tmean that theydo have to change – â€Å" â€Å"But they do,† Meredith said, even more gently and wistfully. â€Å"Don’t you see? It’s not supernatural; it’s – life. Everybody has to grow up – â€Å" â€Å"I know! Matt has a football scholarship and you’re going away to college and then you’re going to get married ! And probably have babies!† Bonnie managed to make this sound like some indecent activity. â€Å"I’m going to be stuck in junior collegeforever . And you’ll both be all grown up and you’ll forget about Elena and Stefan†¦and me,† Bonnie finished in a very small voice. â€Å"Hey.† Matt had always been very protective of the injured and ignored. Right now, even with Elena so recently on his mind – he wondered if he wouldever get rid of the feeling of that kiss – he was drawn to Bonnie, who seemed so small and fragile. â€Å"What are you talking about? I’m coming back after college to live. I’ll probably die right here in Fell’s Church.I’ll be thinking about you. I mean, if you want me to.† He patted Bonnie’s arm, and she didn’t shy away from his touch as she had from Meredith’s. She leaned into him, her forehead against his shoulder. When she shivered once, slightly, he put his arm around her without even thinking. â€Å"I’m not cold,† Bonnie said, although she didn’t try to shrug off his arm. â€Å"It’s warm tonight. I just – I don’t like it when you say things like  ¡Ã‚ ®I’ll probably die right’ – watch out!† â€Å"Matt, look out!† â€Å"Whoa – !† Matt pumped the brakes, cursing, both hands wrestling with the steering wheel as Bonnie ducked and Meredith braced herself. Matt’s replacement for the first beat-up old car he’d lost was just about as old and didn’t have airbags. It was a miscellany of junkyard cars pieced together. â€Å"Hang on!†Matt yelled as the car skidded, tires screaming, and then they were all flung around as the back end swerved into a ditch and the front bumper hit a tree. When everything stopped moving, Matt let out his breath, easing his death-grip on the steering wheel. He started to turn toward the girls and then froze. He scrabbled to switch on the map light, and what he saw held him frozen again. Bonnie had turned, as always in moments of deepest distress, to Meredith. She was lying with her head on Meredith’s lap, hands locked onto her friend’s arm and shirt. Meredith herself was sitting, braced, leaning as far as possible backward, her feet stretched to push against the floor beneath the dashboard; her body bowed back in the seat, head flung backward, arms holding Bonnie down tightly. Thrusting straight through the open window – like a knobby, shaggy green spear or the grasping arm of some savage earthen giant – was the branch of a tree. It just cleared the base of Meredith’s arched neck, and its lower branches passed over Bonnie’s small body. If Bonnie’s seat belt hadn’t let her turn; if Bonnie hadn’t flung herself down like that; if Meredith hadn’t held onto her†¦ Matt found himself staring directly into the splintered but very sharp end of the lance. If his own seat belt hadn’t kept him from leaning that way†¦ Matt could hear his own hard breathing. The smell of evergreen was overpowering within the car. He could even smell the places where smaller branches had broken off and were oozing sap. Very slowly, Meredith reached out to break off one of the twigs that was pointed at her throat like an arrow. It wouldn’t break. Numb, Matt reached over to try it himself. But although the wood wasn’t much thicker than his finger, it was tough and wouldn’t even bend. As if it’s been fire-hardened, he thought dazedly. But that’s ridiculous. It’s a living tree; I can feel the splinters. â€Å"Ow.† â€Å"Can I please get up now?† Bonnie said quietly, her voice muffled against Meredith’s leg. â€Å"Please. Before it grabs me. It wants to.† Matt glanced at her, startled, and scratched his cheek against the splintered end of the big branch. â€Å"It’s not going to grab you.† But his stomach was churning as he fumbled blindly for his seat belt fastening. Why should Bonnie have the same thought as he had: that the thing was like a huge, crooked, shaggy arm? She couldn’t even see it. â€Å"You know it wants to,† Bonnie whispered, and now the slight shivering seemed to be taking over her whole body. She reached backward to undo her seat belt. â€Å"Matt, we need to slide,† Meredith said. She had carefully maintained her painful-looking bowed-backward position, but Matt could hear her breathing harder. â€Å"We need to slide toward you. It’s trying to get around my throat.† â€Å"That’s impossible†¦.† But he could see it, too. The freshly splintered ends of the smaller branch had moved only infinitesimally, but there was a curve to them now, and the splinters were pressing into Meredith’s throat. â€Å"It’s probably just that nobody can stay bent backward like that forever,† he said, knowing that this was nonsense. â€Å"There’s a flashlight in the glove compartment†¦.† â€Å"The glove compartment is completely blocked by branches. Bonnie, can you reach to unfasten my seat belt?† â€Å"I’ll try.† Bonnie slid forward without raising her head, fumbling to find the release button. To Matt it looked as if the shaggy, aromatic evergreen branches were engulfing her. Pulling her into their needles. â€Å"We’ve got a whole freakin’ Christmas tree in here.† He looked away, out through the glass of the window on his side. Cupping his hands to see better into the darkness, he leaned his forehead against the surprisingly cool glass. There was a touch on the back of his neck. He jumped, then froze. It was neither cool nor warm, like a girl’s fingernail. â€Å"Damn it, Meredith – â€Å" â€Å"Matt – â€Å" Matt was furious with himself for jumping. But the touch was†¦scratchy. â€Å"Meredith?† He slowly moved his hands away until he could see in the dark window’s reflection. Meredith wasn’t touching him. â€Å"Don’t†¦move†¦left, Matt. There’s a long sharp bit there.† Meredith’s voice, normally cool and a bit remote, usually made Matt think of those calendar pictures of blue lakes surrounded by snow. Now it just sounded choked and strained. â€Å"Meredith!† Bonnie said before Matt could speak. Bonnie’s voice sounded as if it were coming from underneath a featherbed. â€Å"It’s all right. I just have to†¦hold it away,† Meredith said. â€Å"Don’t worry. I won’t let go of you, either.† Matt felt a sharper prickle of splinters. Something touched his neck on the right side, delicately. â€Å"Bonnie, stop it! You’re pulling the treein ! You’re pulling it on Meredith and me!† â€Å"Matt,shut up !† Matt shut up. His heart was pounding. The last thing he felt like doing was reaching behind him. But that’s stupid, he thought, because if Bonnie really is moving the tree, I can at least hold it still for her. He reached behind him, flinching, trying to watch what he was doing in the window’s reflection. His hand closed over a thick knot of bark and splinters. He thought, I don’t remember seeing a knot when it was pointed at my throat†¦. â€Å"Got it!† a muffled voice said, and there was the click of a seat belt coming undone. Then, much more shakily, the voice said, â€Å"Meredith? There are needles shoved all into my back.† â€Å"Okay, Bonnie. Matt,† Meredith was speaking with effort, but great patience, the way they’d all been talking to Elena. â€Å"Matt, you have to open your door now.† Bonnie said in a voice of terror, â€Å"It isn’t just needles. It’s little branches. Sort of like barbed wire. I’m†¦stuck†¦.† â€Å"Matt! You need to open your doornow – â€Å" â€Å"I can’t.† Silence. â€Å"Matt?† Matt was bracing himself, pushing with his feet, both hands locked around the scaly bark now. He thrust backward with all his strength. â€Å"Matt!† Meredith almost screamed. â€Å"It’s cutting into my throat!† â€Å"I can’t get my door open! There’s a tree on that side, too!† â€Å"How can there be a tree there?That’s the road!† â€Å"How can there be a treegrowing in here?† Another silence. Matt could feel the splinters – the slivers of broken branch – biting deeper into the back of his neck. If he didn’t move soon, he would never be able to. How to cite The Return: Nightfall Chapter 9, Essay examples

Friday, May 1, 2020

Role of Government in Business is Very Important Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Government in Business ? Answer: Introduction In Australia there are government bodies which work to protect the interests of the investors and creditors. This is achieved by ensuring that companies make proper financial statements based on accounting standards. It is Australian Securities and Investments Commission which is entrusted with ensuring the implementation of Corporations Act by the government (ASIC, 2017). This report is an effort to understand what are the documents the companies have to submit to ASIC and how their financial statements are properly audited by external auditors. The role of the Australian Accounting Standards Board in making different accounting standards is looked into. Further it is found what are the listing requirements of Australian Stock Exchange. The role of the Reserve Bank of Australia as a financial regulator is also discussed. Regulatory framework under Australian Securities And Investments Commission Companies are business entities in which large amounts of money are invested to carry out the business of the firm. Therefore it is needed that companies maintain a proper system of recording their business transactions. There would be investors and creditors of the company who would like to be sure that their money is properly being used by the management for carrying out the business activities. All this would become clear from the financial statements of the company, namely, profit and loss account and balance sheet (Kimmel, Weygandt and Kieso, 2012). In Australia, companies are required to maintain proper financial records and prepare their financial statements in accordance with the provisions of the Corporation Act. The regulatory authority which makes sure that this is being done is known as Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Companies are required to deposit their financial statements with ASIC if there is substantial money involved, the general public has invested funds and the companies exist for carrying out charitable activities and not for making profits. In the case of charitable companies also there should be proper accounting so that money donated by people is properly used. Section 292 of the Corporations Act requires all disclosing entities, public companies, companies limited by guarantee, all large proprietary companies that are not disclosing entities, all registered managed investment schemes to prepare financial reports (ASIC, 2017). The companies are required to get their financial statements audited by external auditors as per the provision of the Corporation Act. The financial statements of the company would carry an auditors report in which the external auditor would give the audit opinion (Leung et al., 2014). This audit opinion reflects whether the financial statements reveal a true picture of the financial position of the company or not. There are different types of opinion an auditor can give. Where the auditor gives an unmodified opinion, it means that there is no material misstatement in the financial statements. In case the auditor gives an adverse opinion, it means there is material misstatement and it is all pervasive. In this case the provisions of Corporation Act and the Australian Accounting Standards have not been followed to some extent. This means there has been a mistake by negligence or deliberate fraud in maintaining accounting records of the company. According to Mock et al., (2012) there is sometimes a difference between what the financial statement user expect the auditors report to deliver and what the auditor wants to deliver. There can be communication and information gap. The financial statement user lack knowledge and are not able to interpret what auditor is saying in the report in the right manner. There are certain anxieties of shareholders and creditors which the auditors report should address and which it fails to address in many cases. There needs to be more communication between auditors and shareholders who appoint them. Australian Securities and Investment Commission checks the financial statements of selected companies also to find out if there is some mistake in their preparation. The financial statements of a company can be manipulated to show less amount of profits so that lesser amount of taxes are to be paid. This is where the auditors work becomes so important (Porter, Simon and Hatherly, 2014). The auditor would have access to the accounts of the company. The individual would take a sample of the accounting entries and trace how these entries have been made. The auditor would check if the accounting standards have been followed in the calculation of the amount of assets like machinery and plant. Similarly it would be checked if the amount of expenses shown in the profit and loss account have actually been incurred. This would reveal if there are fictitious expenses included to decrease the profits. A company has to prepare its financial statements according to the provisions of the Corporation Act. All the expenses incurred and income earned during the year have to be shown in the profit and loss account in a proper way in a chronological order. Similarly the balance sheet would have the items like goodwill, patents and financial instruments held by the company. The objective is that nothing important is left out in the financial statement so that a true and fair picture of the financial position comes out in the open. Financial reports prepared in accordance with the Corporations Act 2001 must generally comply with Australian Accounting Standards which meet the requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) which Australia adopted in 2005. According to Brown and Tarca (2005), since 2005 AASB issues standards based on IFRS rather than making standards from the beginning. The areas where significant changes have been made include the recognition and measurement of intangible assets including goodwill, share based payments, employee benefits, financial instruments, investment properties and impaired assets. Chua, Cheong and Gould (2012), have examined the effect on accounting quality following the adoption of IFRS on January1, 2005. The focus of study was on earnings management, timely loss recognition and value relevance. It was found that earnings management by way smoothing had reduced. The losses were recognized on time. The values given in the financial statements had become more relevant, more so, in case of non financial companies. Ahmed, Chalmers Khlif (2013) have studied effects of IFRS adoption on value relevance and transparency in earnings recognition in case of discretionary accruals. They have further studied the effect on capital market with regard to the quality of earnings forecasting. They have come to the conclusion that value relevance of book value of equity has not increased. Value relevance of earnings has increased. Discretionary accruals have not reduced. Accuracy of analysts forecast of earnings has improved very much. Australian Accounting Standards Board Australian Accounting Standards Board provides the conceptual framework of accounting. In other words, it specifies which are the business transactions which are to be recorded. It also provides how expenses and revenues are to be recognized and measured. Similarly how assets and liabilities are to be recognized and measured. The definitions of expense, revenue, assets and liability are given in the conceptual framework. This basis of accounting process is also provided by the accounting standards. The financial statements have to be prepared by the companies on the basis of the accounting standards (Australian Accounting Standards Board, 2017). If the accounting standards are not followed by a company, Australian Securities and Investment Commission would take action against the company and action would be also taken against the auditor if the individual has been totally negligent in performing duties and gives an unmodified opinion when there are gross mistakes in the making of the financial statements. Some of these accounting standards made by Australian Accounting Standards Board are discussed below: Firstly there is AASB 102 that relates to the inventories which are goods held by the company for resale. This is true in case of a trading company. In the case of a manufacturing company, inventories consists of raw materials, work in progress and finished products. Inventories are to be shown in the books as an asset till they are realized as sale. According to this accounting standard, inventories would be valued at cost or net realizable value whichever is less (Aasb.gov.au, 2017). Cost of inventories includes all costs of purchase, costs of conversion and other costs incurred in bringing the inventories to their present location and condition. Costs of purchase includes the purchase price, import duties, other taxes (other than those which can be recovered by the company later from tax authorities) and transport, handling and other costs directly attributable to the acquisition of goods. Other costs includes costs incurred for converting raw material to finished goods like direc t labour and overheads. It becomes clear that how inventories are to be valued has been explained in great detail in the accounting standard. This is done because there are different types of companies engaged in varied businesses. The accountants sometimes get confused on how to apply the accounting standard in making the financial statements. All these details help to clear the confusion and ensures to a great extent that companies rightly recognize and measure their inventories which are of significant amount in most of the companies. Secondly, there is AASB 116 relating to property, plant and equipment. According to this accounting standard cost of acquiring property, plant and equipment will be recognized as an asset if cost of acquiring can be ascertained and its future economic benefits will accrue to the company (Aasb.gov.au, 2017). Cost of the asset would include delivery and installation costs. If cost model is used, then asset would be shown at a value equivalent to the cash price paid minus any depreciation. If revaluation model is used then fair value is ascertained at regular intervals using the prevalent market price of the asset. Accounting standard relating to property, plant and equipment is made because sometime a company would try to overvalue its assets in order to accomplish more market value of its shares. The creditors of the company could be misled by overvaluing the asset of the company so that they lend more to the company feeling that their investments in the company are safe. According to Christensen and Nikolaev (2013), most of the accountants record non financial assets in their balance sheet at the historical cost. There are accountants in some parts of the world who record assets at their fair value as determined by the prevailing market price. But there could be several markets and several market prices. This is the reason why most accountants record assets at their cost price or historical cost. According to Steenkamp et al., (2016), more strict requirements of AASB 138 which came into effect from 1 January 2005, about capitalizing research and development spending led to a change in managerial decisions. Managers started reducing research and development spending to show more earnings. Thus long term advantages of research and development spending were lost. The chance of long term growth through product developments was left. Financial reporting council Financial reporting council is a statutory body responsible for overseeing the process of making the accounting standards in Australia (Financial Reporting Council, 2017). It is involved in appointing the members of Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB). It also gives sanction and monitors the AASBs budgets and business plans. The organizational structure of AASB is formed on the advice of Financial reporting council which gives directions and advice to it on policy to be followed by it. Financial Reporting Council monitors the current accounting standard to see if they are still relevant. It encourages the use of suitable accounting and auditing standards in Australian accounting. Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) Australian Stock Exchange admits securities to its official list and for quotation after thorough investigation and submission of certain documents by the companies (ASX, 2017). The company has to fulfill minimum quality and size of operations. The company has to disclose minimum information about itself, the kind of business it is doing. It has to prove that people are interested in buying its shares. It has to later on disclose information that would have material effect on the prices of the securities. The company has to submit financial statements which are made in accordance with accounting standards and are audited. It has to submit information about it corporate governance practices. Its shareholders should have the freedom to express their opinions to board and the management. The company has to lodge a prospectus with the Australian Securities And Investment Commission. The entity must be a going concern. Australian Stock Exchange has laid down a list of formalities the companies have to fulfill in order to get listed. This means that only good companies get listed after thorough investigation. This protects the investors and builds their confidence in the capital market. Christensen, Kent, Routledge Stewart (2015) undertook a study about whether the implementation of Australian Securities Exchange Limiteds 2003 governance recommendations improved accounting, earning quality and market value of small and large companies. Many companies adopted these recommendations when they were introduced and formed audit committees leading to better earnings. Better auditing leads to cost control and minimization of frauds and other benefits. A study by Cybinski Windsor (2013), investigates whether voluntary remuneration committee independence matches chief executive officers pay and bonuses with the companys financial performance. This study was done after Australian Government Productivity Commission recommendation to allow remuneration committee independence for ASX 300 companies. This study shows firms size plays a role in CEOs remuneration. ASX 300 large firms link to a greater extent CEOs pay to firms financial performance as compared to smaller firms. Chapple, Clout and Tan (2013), undertook a study to find out about the governance attributes of firms that have been subject to securities class actions which are brought up when there is violation of securities laws by the company. These companies had lower standards of corporate governance. They were subjected to more queries by Australian Securities Exchange. ASX also suspected that something was wrong. Reserve Bank of Australia Reserve Bank of Australia is the central bank which is a primary financial regulator of the country. The bank is responsible for undertaking monetary policy and for over all financial system stability. This stability can be threatened by events like recession and excessive inflation. If there is instability in the financial system, the central bank is the lender of the last resort. It would lend to manufacturing industry and banks and financial institutions. The bank operates the monetary policy (Reserve Bank of Australia, 2017). If there is lot of inflation in the country and the prices of the commodities become very high, the central bank would take steps to ensure that the rates at which the commercial banks lend to the industry and people becomes high. This would mean that the people would reduce their demand for goods as loans have become costly. This would result in prices of goods going down. As the value of money increases the exchange rate for Australian dollar would also be come higher. In this way the bank also influences the exchange rates of Australian currency. The central bank also ensures that payment and settlement system between entities goes on properly. For this purpose the bank has entered into an agreement with Australian Securities and Investment Commission. Baxa, Horvth Va?ek (2013) have studied how selected central banks including that of Australia responded to periods of financial stress. The findings of the study were that central banks make a change in interest rates decreasing them in the face of high financial stress so that there is more economic activity. If there is stock market stress or banks are under stress or exchange rate stress is there, there will be a change in monetary policy rates. Conclusion In a developed old democracy like Australia many bodies have been made by government over the years to support and regulate business. One of them is ASIC which takes action to implement the provisions of Corporations Act. The companies have been responding well to the initiatives of the government and getting their financial statements audited and fulfilling the listing requirements of ASX. There is the need to frame new accounting standards with changing times and these have to be clear and concise to avoid confusion. The adoption of IFRS has led to improvements in areas like value relevance of earnings. References Aasb.gov.au (2017). Compiled AASB standard AASB 116 property, plant and equipment. Retrieved from: https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB116_07-04_COMPjun14_07-14.pdf Aasb.gov.au (2017). Compiled accounting standard AASB 102 inventories. Retrieved from: https://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content105/c9/AASB102_07-04_COMPjun09_01-09.pdf Ahmed, K., Chalmers, K. Khlif, H. (2013). A meta-analysis of IFRS adoption effects,The International Journal of Accounting,48(2), 173-217. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020706313000472 ASIC (2017). Lodgement of financial reports. Retrieved from : https://asic.gov.au/regulatory-resources/financial-reporting-and-audit/preparers-of-financial-reports/lodgement-of-financial-reports/ ASX (2017). Listing requirements. Retrieved from: https://www.asx.com.au/listings/index.htm#howtolist Australian Accounting Standards Board (2017). Home. Retrieved from: https://www.aasb.gov.au/Home.aspx Baxa, J., Horvth, R., Va?ek, B. (2013). Time-varying monetary-policy rules and financial stress: does financial instability matter for monetary policy?.Journal of Financial Stability,9(1), 117-138. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1572308911000520 Brown, P. and Tarca, A. (2005). 2005-its here, ready or not: a review of the Australian financial reporting framework, Australian Accounting Review, 15(2), 68-78. Chapple, L., Clout, V. and Tan, D. (2013). Corporate governance and securities class actions, Australian Journal of Management, 39(4), 525-547. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0312896213512320 Christensen, H. Nikolaev, V. (2013). Does fair value accounting for non-financial assets pass the market test?.Review of Accounting Studies,18(3), 734-775. Retrieved from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11142-013-9232-0 Christensen, J., Kent, P., Routledge, J., Stewart, J. (2015). Do corporate governance recommendations improve the performance and accountability of small listed companies?.Accounting Finance,55(1), 133-164. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acfi.12055/abstract Chua, Y., Cheong, C. Gould, G. (2012). The impact of mandatory IFRS adoption on accounting quality: evidence from Australia,Journal of International Accounting Research,11(1), 119-146. Retrieved from: https://www.aaajournals.org/doi/abs/10.2308/jiar-10212 Cybinski, P., Windsor, C. (2013). Remuneration committee independence and CEO remuneration for firm financial performance, Accounting Research Journal,26(3), 197-221. Retrieved from: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/ARJ-08-2012-0068 Financial Reporting Council (2017). About the FRC. Retrieved from: https://www.frc.gov.au/about_the_frc/ Kimmel, P., Weygandt, J. and Kieso, D. (2012). Financial accounting (7th edn.). Australia: Wiley. Leung, P., Coram, P., Cooper, B. And Richardson, P. (2014). Modern auditing and assurance service (6th edn.). Australia: Wiley. Mock, T., Bdard, J., Coram, P., Davis, S., Espahbodi, R., Warne, R. (2012). The audit reporting model: current research synthesis and implications,Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,32(sp1), 323-351. Retrieved from: https://www.aaajournals.org/doi/abs/10.2308/ajpt-50294 Porter, B., Simon, J. and Hatherly, D. (2014). Principles of external auditing (4th edn.). Australia: Wiley. Reserve Bank Of Australia (2017). Monetary policy. Retrieved from: https://www.rba.gov.au/monetary-policy/ Steenkamp, N., Steenkamp, N., Steenkamp, S., Steenkamp, S. (2016). AASB 138: catalyst for managerial decisions reducing RD spending?,Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting,14(1), 116-130. Retrieved from: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1