The Alliances of World War 1 free essay sample

This was called the ‘Three Emperors League’. In 1890 Wilhelm II became Kaiser of Germany. Austria and Russia were fighting over who should rule the Balkans. IN the end, Germany sided with Austria, which led to the ‘Three Emperors League’ breaking and Germany and Austria formed an alliance with Italy (‘Triple Alliance’). Russia then formed an alliance with France, this meant that Germany had enemies on both sides, which could result ‘War on two fronts’. Since France was in the west and Russia was in the East. Germany tried to form an alliance with Britain to scare off Russia and France. But when Britain knew that Germany was expanding their navy, they took this as threat towards them since Britain had the largest navy, even more than the world’s put together. This left Britain the only country without an alliance. Germany offered Britain an alliance with them, but they also had to stop building their navy. We will write a custom essay sample on The Alliances of World War 1 or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Britain disagreed and formed an alliance with France. Germany made up the Schlieffen Plan. Because France and Russia were allies, war with one of them means war with both. If Germany goes into war with either one, they should move first, defeat the French by sending the army through Belgium then unleash the whole German army on Russia. In this way, Germany could avoid a war on two fronts. Britain signed an alliance with Russia in 1907 which created the Triple Entente of Russia, France and Britain. This matched the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria and Italy. In 1908, a British newspaper called the Daily Telegraph interviewed the Kaiser og Germany. He wanted to present himself as friend of England but lost his temper when he remembered the times that Britain had refused his offer of an alliance. He called British Mad as March Hares which made Britain very mad. This destroyed any chance of an alliance forming between Germany and Britain. The Kaiser of Germany gave Austria a â€Å"Blank Cheque† in July 1914 and promised them to give them full support to whatever happens. Russia started to mobilize her army. Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany and Tsar Nicholas of Russia exchanged messages and tried to sort things out. But when Germany asked Russia to demobilize, Russia replied that only Austria was being threatened, not Germany. Germany did not want France to get involved and asked France to promise that they wouldn’t, they did not reply. Britain did not want to get involved unless Belgium was going to be attacked. When Germany declared war on Russia, they had no choice but to declare war on France too because France and Russia were allies. They would attack Germany even if they did not declare war because they were allies and would create ‘The war on two fronts’. But when Germany barged into Belgium as part of the Schlieffen Plan, even though Britain then promised to defend Belgian neutrality, which resulted to Britain declaring war on Germany. And this is what started World War 1.

How to Write a History Research Paper Comprehensive Guide from Expert Writers

How to Write a History Research Paper Comprehensive Guide from Expert Writers A research paper in History is exactly what it says on the tin – a written endeavor to research some events, factors, situations or conditions in the past to prove a certain point. In this sense, it is rather close to a term paper, and indeed, the difference between the two is often vague. The main distinctive feature is that a research paper isn’t tied to any particular period. You may have to write one over either a shorter or a longer period of time than a semester, and it may be larger or smaller than an average term paper, so you should adapt the following advice to the specifics of your particular task. Choice of Topic You may have a varying amount of freedom in your choice of topic. Sometimes the path is already decided for you by your professor, and the most you can do is to ask for a slight alteration. Sometimes you are given a free hand. Either way, you should strive to write about something you are both interested and well-versed in. One of the two can do, but try to avoid writing on topics that are both unfamiliar and boring to you. Remember, you will have to spend many hours gathering information and analyzing it, so don’t approach this choice lightly. Laymen often perceive history as a mechanical record of events that happened in the past. The reality is much more complicated. History is not only concerned with what happened (although it is extremely important, and figuring out the nature of past events based on fragmented, incomplete and often biased sources is a major part of a historian’s work), but with why it happened and what were its consequences. At the same time, it isn’t the job of history to evaluate the moral nature of the events. Any academic work is to a considerable degree based on existing bibliography on the subject. However, for History it is especially important as written sources are, by and large, all you have to rely on. You can’t run practical experiments, you can only glean some understanding from something somebody has written on the subject. Therefore, your choice of topic is to a great degree based on the existing body of work on the subject. Ask yourself the following questions: Do scholars agree on your topic? If not, what is the point of contention? Do you consider the argument to be meaningful? Can you offer another approach to the problem? How well-researched is your topic? Are you the first to approach it in this particular way? Were there any recent findings that call for its reassessment? How much freedom do you have? Limitations aren’t always bad – when you are given a direction and a list of relevant documents to study, you already have something to build upon; Are there any assumptions about the topic that you and others take for granted? Are you sure these are correct? Will you have an opportunity to alter your choice later on, and if yes, to what extent? In the end, your topic should deal with an interpretation of events, their causes and effects, be neither too general nor too narrow and, ideally, be something you would write about willingly. Here are some examples: Satsuma Rebellion: Reasons for Its Premature Start and Failure; Fall of Constantinople in 1453 And Its Immediate Influence on the European History; Erwin Rommel and His Role in the Plot Against Hitler; Intermarium Federation Proposal of Joseph Pilsudski and Its Potential Implications for The World History; Operation Overlord and Its Role In Bringing World War II To a Close. Preparation and Research: Tips from Our Writers You Can’t Neglect The first order of business is to prepare the sources you are going to use in your research. All sources can be roughly divided into two types: Primary – all the relevant materials created during the time period you research. This, however, doesn’t mean that they are the most useful and trustworthy: while people who wrote at the time the events in question took place have an advantage of seeing them play out in front of them, they don’t see them in perspective, are often biased and don’t possess complete information. Secondary – all the materials created after the time period in question. These are mostly analytical works that perceive the past events in perspective, see their connections with other factors and usually make a certain argument. You will mostly deal with such sources, and your own work will become such a source when you complete it. As your time is limited, you should be very selective about the sources you use. Before choosing a work to use as a source, you should check how relevant and trustworthy it is. Find out the following: Who is the author? Is his background relevant for the problem in question? How objective he is likely to be? Is he biased? What is his reputation in academic community? When and where was the source created? Could these factors have influenced the author’s viewpoint (things like dominant views at the time, ideological constraints in the country of origin, limited information on the subject); What were the reasons for the creation of a source? Are they stated? Is it a scholarly work, a piece of propaganda, a work of fiction or art, or one of these things masquerading as another? How does the source look in the context of other sources on the subject? Does it represent a common point of view? Does it omit important pieces of evidence? If yes, can this omission be intended? Does it promote particular viewpoints? Remember – a history research paper is only as good as the sources it is based on. Even if your reasoning and analytical abilities are impeccable, if they are based on disreputable, untrustworthy or one-sided sources, it immediately devalues your work. Select a limited number of sources representing different points of view but unlikely to be strongly influenced by factors not related to the subject matter (politics, author’s views, etc.). Don’t try to encompass them all – even the narrowest subjects usually have enough sources to last you a lifetime. When you start reading, know when to stop: don’t fall into the trap of reading for reading’s sake, for you can collect information and corroborative evidence indefinitely. Start writing when you feel you have an absolute minimum to work on, and read up on things that require additional attention as you go along. Outline/Thesis Statement Once you’ve clearly formulated your topic and made about a third of the necessary research, you should start working on your outline. In the outline you are supposed to define the main points of your research, decide how they relate to each other and to the main topic of your work, in what order they are to be mentioned and what supporting details you should provide. Remember – this isn’t a plan set in stone. It is an outline that you write mostly for your own convenience. If, in the course of your work, you find out that some facts are better mentioned in different order, or have unexpected similarities and connections and thus have to go hand in hand, make these changes. Right now, your paper is a work in progress. Title Once you’ve defined and narrowed down your topic, you won’t have particular problems with the title of your paper. A history research paper doesn’t need its title to be overly creative and unusual – its main purpose is to clearly and unequivocally denote the topic and, if possible, your main argument. Consult your instructor if you feel any doubts. Body Paragraphs This is where most of your work lies, and it is where you should start after you finish preliminary work. Introduction comes later, possibly last, when you already know how your research turned out. In writing the main part of your paper, it is important to follow certain conventions. They may differ in different colleges, but some things are accepted almost everywhere: Use of past tense. As everything related to your subject matter by definition happened at some point in the past, this is the tense you should use. If you’ve carried out the habit of sometimes falling into â€Å"literary present† from your creative writing course or somewhere else, forget about it – it does not belong here. Analyze the events of the past in context of what happened next, but don’t fall into the mistake of viewing them from the position of a modern human. Remember that the people you are writing about lived in another time, in completely different conditions and shared sets of values and assumptions completely different from those of your generation. Today, some of these values may seem quaint, barbaric or alien, but at the time they were quite natural. Analyze but do not judge. Use formal, academic voice. Don’t use informal words, expressions and sentence structures. Avoid passive voice. Don’t use first and second person pronouns. Use a consistent citation style. Find out the format your college uses, get your hands on a style guide and start using it from the very beginning. It will save you a lot of time later on. Avoid general statements. Whatever people may say, history is an exact science. Don’t make sweeping statements. If you know the year, say it. If you know the number, mention it. If you don’t, make no assumptions. Don’t rely on quotes too much. A paper that has too many quotes looks as if you don’t have anything of your own to say. You should use quotations only when it is absolutely necessary. Paraphrase in all other cases. Employ your own writing and analytical skills when possible. Introduction and Conclusion Once you’ve finished with the main body of research, you can write an introduction based on it. Point out the main topic of your paper, what arguments you intend to make, what conclusion you expect to draw and so on. To a considerable degree, it is a formal part built around the main part of the paper, and it is exactly the reason why you should start working on it when everything else is already done – otherwise you will have to rewrite it multiple times to reflect the changes your research underwent in the course of work. Conclusion mostly recounts the same ideas as introduction does, only now you mention whether research went as planned, whether you achieved the expected results, what you believe to be the significance of your research, what work remained undone and what can be done in the future. Editing and Proofreading Check everything you’ve written so far. Correct any grammar, syntax and spelling mistakes you could have made. You can use online spellcheckers for that purpose, but don’t expect much from them – the best course of action would be to hire a professional editor or proofreader. Check the facts. You could’ve made a mistake when quoting somebody, or used incorrect notes or something else – the larger the amount of data you had to deal with, the higher the likelihood of errors is. Go through the paper with the style guide in hand once again. The rule of formatting and quoting may seem trivial and unimportant for you, but academic community has different views on the subject. Refine your text. This means eliminating all informal expressions and structures (like contractions), repetitions, filler words (like â€Å"the fact that†, â€Å"in order to†, â€Å"as a matter of fact†, â€Å"somewhat†, â€Å"fairly†, â€Å"considerably†) and overly complex sentences. If you have a long and complex sentence, either break it up or remove parts of it completely – chances are, you can say the same things in a much simpler way. Don’t try to sound smart and sophisticated by using long, multi-clause sentences. If a 6-syllable word has a 1-syllable synonym, use the shorter variant. Give your paper to a trustworthy person to read and review. They can point out many mistakes that eluded you throughout the process of writing. If necessary, don’t hesitate to correct, revise and even rewrite parts of your paper. Even if you find flaws at such a later date, it is better to spend some additional time on corrections than to hand it in as it is and hope nobody would notice.

MCDONALDS Corp Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

MCDONALDS Corp - Research Paper Example McDonalds was established in the year 1955 by Ray Croc in USA as a retailer of snack foods like burgers. The company since then has grown by leaps and bounds with the company presently having its dedicated presence in about 118 diverse nations across the globe and an attractive product offering that includes famous products like Big Mac, Mc Nuggets, Quarter Pounders etc. McDonalds has about 33000 restaurants across the globe that provides the best experience at largely affordable price to the customers. McDonalds serves its customers through a dedicated employee base of over 1.7 million active employees who are determined to provide the best experience to the customers with a touch of excellence to satisfy the needs of the customers (McDonalds, 2011). The mission statement of the company is â€Å"be our customers favourite place and way to eat†. The company believes in creating a marketing mix that is essentially in line with the mission statement of the organization. McDonald s prepares a menu that is in tune with the market demands in an innovative manner that tends to satisfy the demands of the target market audience (McDonalds-b, 2011). The history of McDonalds began in the year 190 when the founder of the organization opened up a Bar-B-Que restaurant in California. This was essentially a drive in restaurants that provided snack items for individuals on the drive. However after a few years this restaurant was closed off an official McDonald’s restaurant brand was launched in 1955. The restaurant met with good success and eventually sold 100 million burgers by the end of the third year into the business. By the year 1963 there were about 500 restaurants operating under the McDonalds brand name. Subsequently the company went public in the year 1965 with IPO of 22.5 US dollars as the price of a share. After three years the company went about to launch the product Big Mac that is one

U.K.FILM INDUSTRY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

U.K.FILM INDUSTRY - Essay Example On waking up, The Bride sets out on a bloody trail of vengeance killing her ex-colleagues one-by-one, leaving Bill for the end, thus deriving the eponymous name of the movie. Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the movie is divided into ten chapters, five per volume. Chronological fragmentation leaves the viewer guessing till the start of Volume 2 (Chapter six: Massacre at Two Pines) as to the exact motivations behind The Bride's gory path of violence. Most reviews were positive with some critics calling it a masterpiece. Detractors pointed to its questionable morality, pop-culture dialog and graphic depictions of extreme violence. Many scenes were filmed on location in China, Japan and North America and completed over eight months of shooting. Produced by Miramax Films a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company (Disney), it had an initial budget of US $42 million which shot to $60 million plus under the direction of Miramax' golden boy -Tarantino. Miramax, founded by brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein in 1979, started life as a independent film distribution company before being acquired by Disney in 1993 for $80 million. From the beginning, the Weinstein brothers focused on the independent film segment, generally shunned by the big studios due to the perceived lack of commercial viability. A string of stellar hits made them an acquisition target for Disney and Harvey Weinstein grew to become the "darling" distributor of the experimental and independent feature film world and ultimately emerged as one of the most powerful and influential moguls in Hollywood.2 Kill Bill was distributed in the UK by Buena Vista International, the global distribution arm of Disney. Research Methods: The primary source of information in researching this paper has been the Internet. Material on subjects of popular culture like movies is exhaustively available, giving one a wide range of perspectives to study and analyze. One of the dangers with Internet based research is the larger scope for factual errors due to source inaccuracies. This has been largely mitigated by cross verifying the information from different sources. For example, the Harry Weinstein biography referenced here has been reviewed at Wikipedia3 as well as IMDB (Internet Movie Database)4 and Yahoo! Movies5. Evidence of Commercial Relevance: Originally, Kill Bill was written and filmed as a single movie extending slightly over four hours. Harvey Weinstein fearing audience fatigue over such a long movie hit upon the idea of editing it and shrewdly released it as two films during the last quarter of 2003 and the first quarter of 2004. The timing proved to be a stroke of marketing genius. The films featured in the top ranks in two consecutive years in addition to raking in a huge commercial gross. They were a big success ranking in the top 25 at the UK box office in both years of release, with combined worldwide receipts exceeding US $331 million6 ( 190 million). In the UK, their combined box office gross was over 20 million7. Video rental and DVD sales have also shown very strong numbers with rental figures touching $25 million (as of 25th April 2004) and first day US DVD sales reaching $40 million. Background: Movie genre classification is problematic in that most movies have long since crossed over from a rigid formulaic approach to entertainment with central themes spanning

Contemporary Middle East History using books The Modern Middle East Essay

Contemporary Middle East History using books The Modern Middle East (Gelvin) and Sources in History of the Modern Middle East (K - Essay Example At the end of the 19th century, in light of this increasing anti-Semitism in Europe, Zionist leaders encouraged massive immigration to Palestine through the purchase of these lands using the Jewish National Fund. Soon the Arabs who were the predominant owners of this land started feeling aggrieved. This land dispossession of the Arab land by the Jews soon erupted into sporadic violence between the two communities (Smith, 2006). During the First World War both the Arabs and the Jews fought on the side of the British against the Turks who were allied to the Germans. Their reasons were however very different. On the side of the Arabs the British encouraged them to revolt against the Turks with the promise that after the war the British would establish nation states for them including for the Palestine territory which by then had huge numbers of Jews (Schindler, 2008). Jews on the other hand were also encouraged to revolt with the promise that after the war the British would establish fo r them a Jewish state. This was done through the Balfour Declaration to the Zionist leaders. Following the end of the war however the British could not simultaneously satisfy the promises made to both the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine which had been placed under its mandate. Meanwhile violence between the Arabs and Jews increased as more Jews continued emigrating from Europe into these Arab lands especially after the Nazi ascendance to power in Germany on an anti-Semitic platform. After the Second World War and in light of the Holocaust, the state of Israeli was formed 1948 resulting in war with the Arabs which have continued sporadically since then with major ones being in 1948, 1952, 1956, 1967, 1973, 1982 and 2006. The major stumbling blocks to the Arab-Israeli peace include the continued construction of Jewish settlement housing schemes in what the Palestinians consider their own territory. This has resulted in the Palestinians claiming that that the Israelis deliberately want to ensure that if they ever get a state then it won’t be a viable one (Fawcett, 2005). Another stumbling block is the refusal of powerful forces within the Palestinians like Hamas to recognize the state of Israel. There is also the contention of the state of Jerusalem on where exactly it should be given that it is considered a Holly City by both the Arabs and Jews. (Fawcett, 2005). The First World War is considered a turning point in the affairs of the Middle East. During the war the British had given both the Jews and the Arabs in Palestine promises it could not fulfil. The British, in a bid to defeat the Turks had encouraged both Arab nationalism and Zionism to spur both the Arabs and the Jews in fighting the Turks (Sachar, 1976). Following the defeat of the Turks Arab states were curved from the former Ottoman Empire while some became British Mandates. One of these mandatory states was the Palestinian state which was occupied by both the Arabs and the Jews. Since the Brit ish could give the land to neither the Arabs nor the Jews conflicts continued between the two groups especially after the influx of Jews continued to grow leading to severe pressure on the land. The influx was mainly due to the Russian Revolution and later on in the 1930s to the violent anti-Semitism in Germany which

Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Advantages and Disadvantages

Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Advantages and Disadvantages Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act and describe how an IT department can meet the challenge of implementing SOX compliance Over the past ten years we have been exposed to a series of financial scandals. The effect has been catastrophic and society has required regulation to restrain corruption. In 2002, the USA senator Paul Sarbanes and Representative Mike Oxley sponsored the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act. It is generally called the Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act and was put in place in order to regulate the accountability of financial reports and prevent risks occurrence However, the deployment of SOX compliance costs a lot of money, resources and efforts. It not only affects the finance department, but also the information technology (IT) department. The risk prevention and cost concern of SOX Act will be described in the first paragraph; the pros and cons of process control, documentation and responsibility will be discussed in the next; the strengths and drawbacks of security control will be indicated after that; then the challenge of an IT department for SOX compliance will be examined. Finally, a case study on the Enron scandal will be introduced. This essay will help prove that the SOX system is worth the price despite certain drawbacks and discuss how an IT department meets the compliance. It is worth preventing potential risks by effectively performing the SOX regulation in spite of extra costs and workload. To begin with, SOX Act provides a guideline of internal control for financial statement to prevent any potential risk, all the financial events and accounting activities will be managing by this mechanism. Thus, the financial statements would be more accurate and reliable (Anand 2006: 2). In addition, through regular internal and external auditing to ensure there has no unscrupulous behaviors in the financial operations. Consequently, the potential risks can be minimized and unethical behaviors can be prevented and deterred. However, the finance and IT departments must budget the expenditure of SOX implementation at the beginning and also need to pay external accounting firms for regular examinations every year. The estimation of its cost was around USD 91,000 with an extra 383 man hours in 2003, and the cost is still increasing every year (Jahmani and Dowling 200 8: 59). Staffs have an increased workload by collaborate with consultants for the auditing. Those employees not only have to document routine activities, but also need to prepare a lot of evidences for auditors investigation. Although employees may suffer through these additional tasks, some unexpected benefits will be gained from them as well. The transparency of documentation gives a company more integrity even though some process changes are required. The standard operating procedure (SOP) of each department must be documented, especially for those operations involve to financial activities and SOX compliance. Namely, the internal or external auditors will investigate any potential risk of process control according to the documentation. It is thought that the establishment of SOP and documentation would be an advantage to companies, because it demonstrates the system of a company and employees are easy to follow, and it also improves the effectiveness and efficiency of business process. In addition, the segregation of duties is also a critical control point to the SOX compliance for the risk prevention (Anand 2006: 53). Employees are required to request accounts to the system administrator according to their responsibility, and other colleagues are disallowed to process information systems through other peoples system ac counts. Thus, every single detail is filed into the information system with regular backup solutions. It provides the traceability for auditors investigating any suspected issues. Conversely, companies may need to change business process flow and modify related system flow in order to align with SOX Act guideline. They must pay extra costs of business process re-engineering and IT staffs must enhance information system to meet those requirements as well. The regulation of security control will avoid inappropriate behaviors happening although employees may feel frustration. The IT department performs a very important role to assist and reduce the effort of manual jobs. However, they usually have more authorities in system to support user needs. For this reason, IT members are also divided into different roles, and those roles are usually separately assigned into server, database, security and application systems. Every change and modification must be approved and documented into the system. Moreover, those changes must be regularly reviewed by the management team in the change management meeting (Sentt and Gallegos 2009: 408). Thus, it will be more safety and the risk of system change can be diminished. In sum, employees have clear understanding of their roles and their performance can be easily traced from the information system. Potential risks can be also minimized by the restriction of system design and security control. Despite t his benefit, more staffs may need to be hired to prevent the conflicts of job duties, because employees cannot validate the rule of segregation of duties. Finally, owing to those complicated restrictions of SOX compliance regulation, employees may feel frustrate of against rules. They may prefer focusing on their routine tasks rather than extending their capability to involve another area because of risks taken. IT department often plays an important role of implementing SOX compliance for the information system perspective. There are some approaches suggested for an IT department to cope with the challenge of SOX compliance. To begin with, a sophisticated information system is fundamental in implementing SOX compliance. The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system automatically calculates financial reports and its operations usually can meet Sarbanes-Oxley Act requirements (Pathak 2005: 72). Next, the system change and program version control are also mandated. Therefore, the introduction of a change management system would be helpful for executing these changes. In addition, cross check of those changes would help companies prevent any unexpected disaster as well as some frauds in purpose. Furthermore, system logs, backup solutions and security controls are also critical for an IT department meeting the criteria of SOX implementation. Ultimately, documentation is a basic element for the s uccess of SOX compliance implementation. Therefore, system manuals, user manuals, transaction logs, security control sheets, schedule jobs and change request logs must be archived and categorized in the file system. In short, as long as IT department follows above guidelines, then it will not be difficult to meet the challenge of implementing the SOX compliance. Let us now look at the Enron scandal, a crucial example not least because of its impact on the USA government and society. The aftershocks were felt globally. Enron was an energy company which supplied electricity and gas in the USA. This company was also providing bandwidth service, paper and metal commodities. However, those investments seemed not successful and profitable. Enron therefore had created a lot of overseas special purpose entities for hiding Enrons losses on their financial reports, and it had also created the illusion of profitability which was actually losing money. Besides, Enrons audit firm Arthur Andersen had a long term relationship and it assisted Enron to hide losses by destroying related documents. Eventually, their conspiracy was exposed to society due to revelation of a huge amount of undisclosed losses USD 586 million. The stock price had a dramatic fall from approximately USD 90 dollars to 30 cents. Finally, Enron was filed bankruptcy in 2002 (Welytok 200 6: 26). People should learn the harmful from this incident, particularly the US government and the entire corporate must prevent such kind of scandal occurring again. Therefore, the implementation of SOX Act would be a good approach to curb corruption. The evidence shows that implementing and sustaining SOX compliance could minimize fraud or crime risk up to 95 per cent of a company, if that company performs it appropriately and effectively(Anand 2006: 196). It demonstrates the significance and effectiveness of SOX compliance. In conclusion, there are several advantages and disadvantages for implementing SOX compliance in companies. First, financial reports would be more transparent and reliable through auditing controls, and potential risks will be reduced. Next, both companies and employees will benefit from the creation of documentation. Because it meets SOX compliance and helps employees understand the business processes. After that, it is more safety for the restrictions of system account and authority, and those possible swindles would be minimized. Conversely, there are some disadvantages of SOX compliance to companies. First, SOX compliance implementation will cost a lot of expense, and companies have to budget for SOX auditing every year. In addition, the processes change of a company is inevitable to conform to the guideline. Furthermore, employees may lose their enthusiasm for job due to the limitations of SOX Act, employees would become frustrated of involving the other areas. Finally, some str ategies are advisable for IT department implementing the SOX compliance. For instance, a sophisticated ERP system can be easier to adapt the change of SOX compliance implementation; change management and version control must be under controlled; preparing all documentations as possible as you can. Above all are basic elements for the success of SOX compliance implementation. Reference list: Anand, S. (2006) Sarbanes-Oxley guide for finance and information technology professionals. New Jersey: John Wiley Jahmani, Y. and Dowling, W. (2008) The impact of Sarbanes-Oxley Act Cluteinstitute-Onlinejournal [online] 6(10), 57-66. Available from [26 August 2010] Pathak, J. (2005) Information Technology Auditing An Evolving Agenda. New York: Springer Sentt,S. and Gallegos, F. (2009) Information technology control and audit(3dn). Florida: Taylor Francis Welytok, G. (2006) Sarbanes-Oxley For Dummies. Indiana: Wiley

The Feudal System :: essays research papers

"The Feudal System" The feudal system was a political, military, and economic system based on the holding of land. The system was developed since the whole entire basis of rule from all the civilizations before the Middle Ages was lost. Early Europe was in desperate need of such a system since they were constantly being raided by the Vikings and other outsiders. Man was lonely during the Middle Ages. Life was very harsh and everyone worked except the king. The usual life expectancy was 35. People lived in small farming communities. Everyone lived in constant fear of being raided by foreign invaders such as the Vikings. When they were not worrying about being invaded they were scared of plague and other living conditions. Man's position in the world was unknown. Knowledge, wealth, and governing body had to be recreated. Cities were far and few between and much less populated and developed like today's cities. The Middle Ages was a religious age. Man clung to God as creator. People painstakingly built churches. Religion was what was the most important to people for a long time, and to be excommunicated was horrible. As time progressed the feudal system was created. It was designed to divide the lands and protect from attack. The king first gave a fief or a piece of land to a royal vassal. As proof for this exchange in land a vassal would swear to the lord to be his man all the days of his life and protect him against "all men who may live or die." Next came investiture. Investiture was a symbolic gesture when a King or a lord presented a royal vassal or a vassal a stick, a small rod, or a clod of earth to show that he has given him a fief. Now this royal vassal was in charge of a huge piece of land. In order to defend it he would then divide his land into smaller pieces. He would take these smaller pieces and give them to warriors or who agreed to be his own vassals. Thus, the royal vassal became a lord to other vassals. The vassals now under this lord would now divide their lands and grant fiefs to warriors of their own. Last in the dividing of land was the knight whose parcel of land was too small to be divided. Everyone in the feudal system worked except the king.

How Far Do the Sources Suggest That James I’s Extravagance?

How far do the sources suggest that it was James I’s extravagant giving was the cause of his financial problems? On the face of it the sources seem to disagree on this issue. Sources ten and twelve seem to show that James’ extravagant giving was the cause of his financial problems however source eleven seems to show that it was not James’ extravagant giving that caused his financial problems.In source ten, ‘Matthew Hutton’ states that, â€Å"His Majesty’s subjects hear and fear that King James’ heroical and excellent nature is too inclined to giving† and that this will soon ‘exhaust the treasury of his kingdom’, thus implying that James’s extravagant nature was and will be the cause of his financial problems. This is further backed up by source twelve as it states that James ‘is very generous with his gifts’ and that ‘gifts to the scots are causing an incurable leak from the cistern, this is demonstrating how James’ extravagance is causing him financial trouble.Whereas on the face of it source eleven seems to disagree with the other two sources as it demonstrates how it was not James’ extravagance that was causing him financial trouble. In this source it states that payments to the king, for example taxes are not paid or collected and also ‘The Earl of Dorset’ goes on to say that the fact James I has a family is another reason for his financial trouble.Furthermore as this this is a letter from the ‘Lord Treasurer’ to ‘The Chancellor of the Exchequer’ this is the most reliable source about whether it was James’ extravagance that was causing him financial problems as between them they are the people who look after and maintain the treasury. However it can be argued that all three sources agree to a large extent that it was not James’ extravagant personality that caused his financial problems.Firstly in so urce twelve it does not specifically say that he is ‘extravagant’ also at the time it was written, 1604, James the I was not actually in debt and so this is not a very reliable source to find out whether James’ extravagance caused him financial problems. Source twelve can also back up the point that it was not James’ extravagant giving that caused him financial difficulty as it states that, â€Å"Parliament could replenish the treasury of his Majesty’ Treasury.This implies that it was parliament who caused James’ financial troubles as they did not give him the funds needed to suffice all of his needs, and so in order to negotiate with others he had to resort to giving as he was not given the money needed to create an army. Also, in source twelve the person who wrote the letter was not a part of the government and so this means that he would not have been that close to James to be able to judge whether he was an extravagant giver or not.This is backed up further by his statement, â€Å"I understand from common talk† thus implying that these are just rumours and so they are not a reliable source of information for the listener, in this case John More, and as the information was not reliable that makes the source not reliable. Furthermore, as source ten was written a few years before the rest it was not that reliable and this was further proved by the fact that it is written before the time that James ends up in debt.Therefore the sources, when taken together, show that it was not James I’s extravagant giving that caused his financial difficulties, but that there were a lot of contributing factors stated in source eleven which is the most reliable source and should therefore have the most weight put onto it. This is because the source is between the two leading members who are looking after James I’s money.And sources ten and twelve are not that reliable so they do have so much weight put onto them th us backing up further that it was not James’ extravagant personality as on the face of it that was they suggest but. But when the sources are looked at collectively they show that it was not James’ extravagant giving that caused him financial trouble. Brendon Head Word Count (686 words)

The Definition of a Bar Graph

The Definition of a Bar Graph A bar graph or a bar chart is used to represent data visually using bars of different heights or lengths. Data is graphed either horizontally or vertically, allowing viewers to compare different values and draw conclusions quickly and easily. A typical bar graph will have a label, axis, scales, and bars, which represent measurable values such as amounts or percentages. Bar graphs are used to display all kinds of data, from quarterly sales and job growth to seasonal rainfall and crop yields. The bars on a bar graph  may be the same color, though different colors are sometimes used to distinguish between groups or categories to make the data easier to read and interpret. Bar graphs have a labeled x-axis (horizontal axis) and y-axis (vertical axis). When experimental data is graphed, the independent variable is graphed on the x-axis, while the dependent variable is graphed on the y-axis. Types of Bar Graphs Bar graphs take different forms depending on the type and complexity of the data they represent. They can be as simple, in some cases, as two bars, such as a graph representing the vote totals of two competing political candidates. As the information becomes more complex, so will the graph, which may even take the form of a grouped or clustered bar graph or a stacked bar graph. Single: Single bar graphs are used to convey the discrete value of the item for each category shown on the opposing axis. An example would be a representation of the number of males in grades 4-6 for each of the years 1995 to 2010. The actual number (discrete value) could be represented by a bar sized to scale, with the scale appearing on the X-axis. The Y-axis would display the corresponding years. The longest bar on the graph would represent the year from 1995 to 2010 in which the number of males in grades 4-6 reached its greatest value. The shortest bar would represent the year in which the number of males in grades 4-6 reached its lowest value. Grouped: A grouped or clustered bar graph is used to represent discrete values for more than one item that share the same category. In the single bar graph example above, only one item (the number of males in grades 4-6) is represented. But one could very easily modify the graph by adding a second value that includes the number of females in grades 4-6. The bars representing each gender by year would be grouped together and color-coded to make it clear which bars represent the male and female values. This grouped bar graph would then allow readers to easily compare the number of students enrolled in grades 4-6 both by year and by gender. Stacked: Some bar graphs have each bar divided into subparts that represent the discrete values for items that constitute a portion of the whole group. For instance, in the examples above, students in grades 4-6 are grouped together and represented by a single bar. This bar could be broken into subsections to represent the proportion of students in each grade. Again, color coding would be needed to make the graph readable. Bar Graph vs. Histogram A histogram is a type of chart that often resembles a bar graph. However, unlike a bar graph, which represents the relationship between two different variables, a histogram represents only a single, continuous variable. In a histogram, the range of values is divided into a series of intervals, known as bins or buckets, which are labeled on the charts x-axis. The y-axis, when the bins are evenly spaced, measures the frequency of the given values. Histograms can be used to produce models of probability and to estimate the likelihood of certain outcomes. How to Make a Bar Graph The easiest way to create a bar graph is to use the Charts tool in Microsoft Excel. This tool allows you to transform spreadsheet data into a simple chart, which you can then customize by adding a title and labels and by changing the chart style and column colors. Once you have completed the bar graph, you can make updates and adjustments by changing the values in the spreadsheet. You can also create simple bar graphs using free online tools such as Meta Chart and Canva.

Alternative Sentencing

Alternative Sentencing Free Online Research Papers If we are to be a serious society then we need to address the human element seriously, and that means addressing the worst of the human element along with the best. As humans are raised differently and their amount of self control varies with each individual there can be no constant as to the degree of behavior. Athletes who have had even the most stringent upbringing may enter the professional world as polite and decent human beings, and then after super stardom and the total collapse of inhibition and self control takes hold what once was a stellar upstanding member of society becomes a variant of the criminal class. Dennis Rodman would be a perfect case study as to what a decent human being can become.Given the microcosm which is the professional sports world we can easily leap into the macrocosm which is the rest of us in society. Humans of different degrees of self control and civility will engage in various degrees of activity which range from the saintly to the â€Å"hell-bound†. As a society that wishes to remain humane and just we must address these variant levels of behavior and establish a system of law and reward to match and measure the proper punishment that will meet the needs of mankind in it’s effort to maintain a civil society. For the most violent offenders of the laws of mankind this discussion can be brief and for the most part with the exception of the death penalty little is needed in gaining a consensus. However when the crimes fall under the categories of not so heinous, or even the sub-category of â€Å"super sillious lawmaking†, more prudent minds have come up with an idea that is as old as time. Alternative Sentencing. Now this idea isn’t new by any stretch of the imagination, the new part of it is that like any advancing society, new ideas can come up at any time and more than likely have some merit no matter it’s nouveau. While it is entirely proper and fills it’s calling it can be the subject of many discerning eyes. And for the most part it is worthwhile in pursuing even if a few eyebrows will be raised when a sentence is handed down that sounds more like a treat than a punishment. Now before getting too far ahead of ourselves as for the justice involved lets take a look at some of the â€Å"Alternative Sentencing† that is out there. A main staple for criminals who arguably are not criminals just a person caught up in foolish thinking or just lacked enough self control for the moment to wind up on the wrong side of the law†¦we have†¦ †HOUSE ARREST†. or Home Detention as it may be called. Most of the time but not always this may involve what some have endearingly called, â€Å"an anklet†. An electronic bracelet usually fitted around the ankle of the subject to send a signal to authorities if that individual leaves a certain area, usually the person’s home. Then there is the â€Å"WORK RELEASE PROGRAM†, sometimes called the â€Å"Work Furlough Program†. This program typically has an alternative to Jail housing while the individual goes to work routinely they must return to the facility of choice with no other stops on the way. Do not pass go, do not collect 200.00. Okay in this case they do collect their financial rewards. Also there is Drug Treatment Options or as they are so endeared by their participants†¦Ã¢â‚¬ DRUG COURTS†. Sounds ominous indeed but it is merely the pass or fail of random drug testing that these courts preside over. For Drug offenders this is an intelligent alternative to filling up prisons with addicted people who are not living the life of career criminal. â€Å"CITY JAIL† or Private Jail, this is like voluntary jail. You do your time when you can allowing to participate in a normal life yet still do the prescribed penalty for your crime. Kind of like Otus in Mayberry who would come in at night and sleep it off. Sort of, or maybe not. â€Å"SOBER LIVING†, affectionately called halfway houses. Halfway between Jail and living free. Mainly for alcoholics who have committed crimes but for the sake of their addiction maybe would have chosen better. â€Å"DIVERSION PROGRAMS†, or a more accurate term would be Addiction Education classes. Pass this class and maybe your minor crime is paid in full. And lastly we all know the ever-loving slap on the wrist†¦Ã¢â‚¬ COMMUNITY SERVICE†. Unfortunately I am not rich enough to know too much about this sort of punishment. Saw it on TV. but doubtfully will never experience it. This program can consist of cleaning up your freeway or being on a television sitcom. Whatever the judge feels like. So there you have it, a cornucopia of mental solutions for the inexperienced or novice criminal. Truth be told when mankind puts it’s collective minds together, they don’t do half bad. Now while the idea here is not to have a one-size-fits-all mentality, it is necessary to have programs readily available to keep the â€Å"Eigth Amendment† in the spirit it was intended. Unlike other societies around the world who have neither the time nor the inclination to fit the punishment to the crime, we have come up with a rather strong argument for why these â€Å"Programs† need to be implemented. For one they free up tax payer dollars. Another argument could be made it doesn’t create a career criminal which housing someone in with other career criminals could create. ( I couldn’t find exact evidence of this in my research but I strongly believe it and believe evidence does exist to corroborate it ). But even more compelling is the compassion of it. Now statistics could be made to say anything and while researching the topic of â€Å"Statistics of alternative sentencing† I came away with so much conflicting data I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. But it doesn’t stop me from coming to conclusions of what I read. Inasmuch as some say Alternative Sentencing is a farce and a waste of time, some important statistics did jump out. Alternative Sentencing produces much less repeat offenders. Now if you consider the types of crimes that are committed that receive alternative sentencing you could call that rubbish. But there is real meat in there and that has to be considered. It would matter not the category, if you get less repeat offenders, something has to be working. That is just plain common sense. Now where we can offer these programs where I think statistics would lead us is obviously the addicted. Unfortunately we have made addiction a crime. The use of illegal narcotics while is arguable in and of itself creates an instant criminal. While it might be easier to separate the â€Å"salesman† from the buyer never-the-less they both are criminals in the courts of our land. So here we are with a person who has stolen nothing, injured no one save his or herself and in a moment of weakness that person is now a criminal. Well for a crime like that would it make sense to put that person in prison? Don’t even ask yourself that ridiculous question, because right now in this country alone the prisons are filled with them. Now I don’t argue that after the person falls into the addiction usually bad things happen. Addicted people are famous for doing what they need to or have to; to continue on the addicted path. For those who use their addiction as an excuse to forgo any self control, well depending on the degree it leads to will depend upon where in the criminal justice system they land. But this does not deter my argument that drug addiction in itself isn’t criminal. So a reasonable mind would have to come up with a reasonable reward for such an action and â€Å"Alternative Sentencing fits that bill nicely. For crimes which society deem to be harmless enough Alternative Sentencing and Diversion must play the central role. It is fruitless and inhumane to do otherwise. In the case where rehabilitation is the keyword in all of criminal justice; over reaction to and heavy handedness to sentencing does nothing to help someone who has made a redeemable mistake. Humans will for the most part like an airplane be off course most of their destination, while making the final corrections just before their landing. It makes sense to be understanding of human behavior and use the rewards of the justice system to merit the crime, so that people who have a chance for rehabilitation are in an environment where they can feel like they can be redeemed. Over reaction and heavy handedness by judges is just as damaging as leniency. It has it’s place and wise men have done society a great justice in making sure we do not create a vengeful creature out of a minor mistake. Whether or not the system is working to the best of it’s creators hopes is not the real question here. The real question is, what would it be like without Alternative Sentencing? That is not an answer I would look forward to hearing. Research Papers on Alternative SentencingCapital PunishmentQuebec and CanadaThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenGenetic EngineeringNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceTrailblazing by Eric AndersonPETSTEL analysis of IndiaThe Spring and Autumn

AB Volvo within the last three years (2014, 2013, and 2012) Research Paper

AB Volvo within the last three years (2014, 2013, and 2012) - Research Paper Example †¢ In order to evaluate the potential of investing in a business, the first step is to evaluate the profitability of the business by determine how the business has performed based on its recent history. †¢ The analysis will involve digging into financial reports for AB Volvo within the last three years (2014, 2013, and 2012). The financial factors to consider in the analysis will determine the business’s current net worth, its sales and expense trends and identify the company’s strengths and weaknesses. o The company’s budgets and tax returns since 2012 o An analysis of the company’s balance sheet to determine a list of current assets, liabilities and net worth o An analysis of the current accounts receivables o Analyzing the cash flow projections o Analyzing the profit and loss statements †¢ The analysis will also consider an evaluation of ratios that are key to making investment decisions. The ratios will evaluate the performance activity, liquidity, financing, and activity within AB Volvo: †¢ Performance Activity o Book Value Per Common Share o Cash Return On Assets o Vertical Analysis o Dividend Payout Ratio o Earnings Per Share o Gross Profit Margin

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES - THE PENGUIN AN THE UTOPIA Essay

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES - THE PENGUIN AN THE UTOPIA - Essay Example The paper analyses the possible connections that exist between the 1934’s Penguin Pool and the modern Utopia. In so doing, the paper explores the relation between architecture and zeitgeist in terms of ideologies and the material production of space. Discussion Life and ideas of Berthold Lubetkin Berthold Lubetkin is considered one of the best architects ever in history. Many of his works have been landmarked in Britain. To add on this, his ideas are still being used in architectural discourse, as well as education worldwide (Allan & Sternberg, 2002). He pioneered design in Britain in the 1930s, with his works including the famous London Zoo penguin pool. According to Fisher (2007), Lubetkin viewed the world as a collection of static facts. These facts, he said, were never to be moved or disturbed. He added that however, that could not be the reality. To him, life was not all about creation or enjoying fixed values but rather humans enjoy processes. The whole is like a burning candle that result into change in one thing or another. To him, people were not built structures that looked as if they just landed there from the sky. As such, he looked at design as being something that could be manipulated to fit onto a given environment, at a given season. Things are not to look so permanent. Thus, dynamism is essential in architecture as it is a transformation process (Sheppard & Lousada, 2010). Using the transformation idea and dynamism, Lubetkin created the London Zoo penguin pool in 1934. He endeavoured to use the building as an opportunity to explore existing possibilities of the reinforced concrete in a creative manner. By 1934, reinforced concrete was a new building material (Perrin, 2002). He studied the behaviour of penguins and utilised the idea in coming up with the idea of the building. He created a penguin enclosure as well as a pool that provided an interesting environment for the penguins. There were also numerous viewing angles specifically for spectators to visit the place. It was a Modernist building that envisaged true clarity and style. Additionally, there was a large elliptical blue pool which provided the birds with a large swimming area. The blue pool, moreover, offers a contrast to the white concrete which was used in most of the design. The design included a shaded area which protects the birds from direct sun. Having gently curved walls is essential as it echoes the penguins’ cries. Through these aspects of design, Lubetkin demonstrates the need for relating architecture to the existing housing conditions. Thus, he showed this through satisfying the needs of the penguins. Furthermore, the structure demonstrates the need for coming up with a solution, which could be different in its appearance, as compared to the natural environment. However, the vital thing is for the solution to function as expected (Shore, 2010). Source: Allan & Sternberg, 2002. Modern architecture in 1920’s and 1930’s Ther e is a misconception that architecture in the 1920’s and 1930’s was old style. However, this period experienced art deco and the emergence of the modern style. The emphasis was on the streamlining of buildings and minimal use of colour. According to Page (2012), in her article titled â€Å"Period Houses: The 1920’s and 1930’s†, she looks examines modern design in 1920’s and 1930’s. Here, she explores the Villa Savoye in Paris which she