Friday, November 29, 2019

Everyone has heard the term theres no I in team Essays - Mineralogy

Everyone has heard the term there's no "I" in team, a phrase meant to signify that on teams individuals don't exist. That it should be all about the team that personal goal, aspirations, and accolades are not important. Can a person truly set aside every aspect of one's self for the sake of a team goal that are often not measurably import outside the team? I think people can do that and much more if put in situations where its required to reach a certain goal, and that's what team sports do they raise the stakes on simple goals and apply pressure to the athletes and coaches involved and more times than not these situations bring the best out of people. Heat and pressure make diamonds out of coal and I think it makes diamonds out of men also. That's why some of the most amazing humans to walk this earth have been athletes of some kind.

Monday, November 25, 2019

North Face Inc Essays

North Face Inc Essays North Face Inc Essay North Face Inc Essay Discuss the risks to an audit should the client become aware of the materiality thresholds used on audit engagements by the auditing firm. Auditors cannot insist that their clients accept all proposed audit adjustments even those that have an â€Å"immaterial† effect on the given set of financial statements, because most clients would refuse to propose audit adjustments. 1. Discuss the general principles or guidelines that dictate when companies are entitled to record revenue and how the $7. 8 million barter transaction and the two consignment sales discussed in the case may have violated these principles. Revenues and gains are realized when products (goods or services), merchandise, or other assets are exchanged for cash or claims to cash revenues are considered to have been earned when the entity has substantially accomplished what it must do to be entitled to the benefits represented by the revenues. Generally, barter transactions in which a company receives trade credits in exchange for merchandise should be recorded at the fair value of the merchandises given up since the ultimate reliability or economic value of the trade credits is typically not determinable at the time of the exchange. So, even though the exchange element of the revenue recognition principle is satisfied by such a transaction, the realized element is not necessarily satisfied, meaning that any profit on the transaction should be deferred. In the case at hand, there was clearly some question as to the fair value of the excess merchandise that was being sold to the barter company. A conservative treatment of the transaction might have dictated that a loss or write-down of the merchandise was actually the most appropriate accounting treatment for the transaction. . Explain the principle objectives of auditor’s work papers and how these objectives were undermined by Deloitte’s decision to alter North Face’s 1997 work papers. Audit documentation serves mainly to: a. Provide the principal support for the basis of opinion of audit paper work , including the representation regarding observance of the standards of fieldwork, which is implicit in the reference to generally accepted audit ing standards. b. Aid the auditor in the conduct and supervision of the audit. Both of these objectives were undercut by the decision of the Deloitte auditors to alter North Face’s 1997 audit workpapers. First, by modifying the 1997 workpapers and not documenting the given revisions in those workpapers, the Deloitte auditors destroyed audit evidence, evidence that demonstrated that the 1997 audit team had properly investigated the authoritative literature relevant to barter transactions and proposed an audit adjustment consistent with the requirements of that literature. Second, the alteration of the 1997 workpapers affected the decisions made on the 1998 audit. That is, the auditors during the 1998 audit relied on the apparent decisions made during the 1997 audit and thus reached an improper decision on the accounting treatment that would be appropriate for the barter transaction recorded by North Face in January 1998. North Face’s management teams were criticized for strategic blunders that they made over the course of the company’s history. Do auditors have a responsibility to assess the quality of the key decisions made by client executives? Defend your answer. Clearly, major strategic blunders by client management can create an environment in which client executives and their key subordinates have a strong incentive to distort their entity’s accounting records and financial statements. More generally, the overall quality of top management’s decisions affects the â€Å"inherent risk† present during a given audit References: termpapersmonthly. com

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Conventional Vs. Organic Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Conventional Vs. Organic Food - Essay Example One of the dangers of feeding on conventional food is the accumulation of dangerous chemicals in the body. According to Geary (2012), the chemicals used in inorganic fertilizers that are in turn used to bring up the conventional plants later on accumulate in our bodies after we feed on these foods. This later results into health problems such as obesity, development of cancer and stomach upsets among others. An easier way to avoid this is to stick to the conventional foods that are easy to grow and take care of. Another danger of feeding on conventional food is the fact that such food contains less nutritional value when compared to the organic food. According to Geary (2012), the chemicals used in cultivating the conventional crops reasons hasten their growth leading to unsustainable development of roots that prevents the absorption of adequate minerals. As such, when taken this way, little nutrients are taken in leading to poor health among the users of such food. The reasons given by people to warrant their usage of conventional food rather than the organic is that the conventional food is cheaper. As Geary (2012) argues out, this can be dealt with effectively if all people were to shift to organic food. The main reason as to why the price of organic food goes high is the limited market available which forces farmers to sell their products at prices which are a bit higher in order to avoid the imminent losses. However, if all people were to cultivate or buy organic food.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Evolution of marketing strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Evolution of marketing strategy - Case Study Example By selling a product via targeting the customers' desires (emotions), H-D was able to capture people from all walks of life. From top executives to blue-collar workers, a diverse group of people bought into the lifestyle and sense of belonging to an elite group that H-D had created. This occurred because H-D staff members from all various positions, departments, and socioeconomic status were involved in the company's decision making regarding the changes. Vedpuriswar (2003) reports, "By 1986, H-D had regained 25% of the US motorcycle market'it went public on the New York Stock Exchange'From 1988 t0 1995, annual shipments'more than doubled. Although H-D generated more than $1.3 billion revenues in 1995, it spent less than less than $2 million in advertising'In H-D achieved its 18th consecutive year of growth, outselling all other manufacturers in the heavyweight category for the third straight year'" H-D had the right idea when it focused on people being the greatest competitive advantage. By focusing on four marketing objectives, H-D was able to capture both beginners and those who had already fallen in love with its products. After much research, it was able to gear its motorcycles, pricing, advertising, and all other aspects to enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts. H-D used the same the same research and customized approach to target the international market by keeping motorcycle production below demand. The freedom and liberty of America was the symbol that H-D used to sell its products. The image that the company sold was the niche that made it successful above its competitors. With products ranging from motorcycles to clothing to financing, H-D's marketing mix was advertised in that many found surprising. The company wanted to get the general public's attention. H-D also combined forces with other companies such as Ford to create limited edition of vehicles. Hence, the community of customers that H-D built is from all walks of life. Membership, with purchase of a motorcycle, allowed customers to attend unique activities and functions (at local, regional, national, and international levels), which allowed them to share their love of riding and to Last Name 3 belong to a special community of those who share the same interests. Brand loyalty was the result of all this research and hard work and it proved to be extremely successful. The brand and licensing was sold to various companies in the United Stated and other countries. Eighty licenses covered eighteen product categories worldwide. The H-D brand can be found on cafes, dolls, children's wear, toys, etc. As with anything in life, with the pros are the cons; with the advantages there are usually disadvantages. A disadvantage was that H-D listened to their customers so well and created such a desire that they could not keep up with the demand at the current level of production. Some executives are concerned that the H-D brand, which exemplifies ruggedness and masculinity, may be disastrous as it goes into a category that does not live up to this hardcore image and value. They feel that the company may have ventured into territories that it had no business in dealing with which may have led to devastating

Monday, November 18, 2019

Personal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Personal - Essay Example   While my undergraduate course had been indispensable in carrying out the duties of my current job, I still felt the need to explore more on the studies of public administration to expand my knowledge and skills in public service which explains why I would like to pursue a post graduate degree in Public Administration with the Emphasis in Disaster Preparedness and Executive Fire Leadership as my first choice of academic program and Emphasis in Government and Policy as my secondary program of interest.   Both programs in Master in Public Administration deal with the advance levels of policy formulation, leadership and administrative preparedness in a public service context which explains why it interests me to explore through a formal study. I prefer to pursue post graduate academic training in Master in Public Administration with an Emphasis in Disaster Preparedness and Executive Fire Leadership University in Troy State University not only because of its excellent program and esteemed academic reputation, but also because of its holistic development program and the special emphasis it put on diversity. As a potential student in Master in Public Administration, I believe that I will tremendously benefit with this unique mix of academic training as well as having cultural and professional exposure because it will complement my academic education with cultural education. I believe that exposure to different nationality and profession is equally important especially in government because we are dealing with all kinds of people with different cultural background. I have a high regard of the academic standard of a post graduate study at Troy State University but I believe that my undergraduate study at University of Southern California had prepared me to undertake such academic rigor to be able to one of its exemplary students. I am a quick study albeit I also suffer the weakness of procrastination which is commonly shared by many

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Manages debated and controversial topic in english

Manages debated and controversial topic in english The way in which our innate language abilities are able to influence how successfully we manage to use a language is a somewhat debated and controversial topic within the world of linguistics. Many believe that universal grammar has a very strong influence on how well an individual is able to structure sentences and use grammar while others disagree, at least with regard to how important it is in different situations. It is often argued that universal grammar has at least a moderate influence on first language acquisition, but the affect it has on second language acquisition is where the controversies lie, with many researchers having opposing opinions. Individuals who learn a foreign language frequently experience problems with using correct grammar, at least until they are very advanced in the acquisition process. A lot of the time, individuals learning a second language take a very long time to become as proficient as native speakers are, and they even often never reach the same l evel of proficiency as native speakers of the language. The significance of this is highly debated however, with a variety of causes being outlined as possible from many different studies. Time and time again, it has been shown that individuals who learn a second language often use grammar inappropriately, even when they may be at least moderately accustomed to the language and have been learning it for a reasonably long amount of time. For example, Lu (2001) found that Chinese learners speaking English often used the word â€Å"the† when it would be more correct to use â€Å"a†. This is a trend that has been found in many so-called L2 learners (i.e. people who are learning a second language). Interestingly however, such errors have also been found in the acquisition of English as a first language. A good example of this was in a study by Schaeffer and Mathewson in 2005. They found that children learning English as a first language make very similar errors to the errors individuals learning a second language make. They also state that children seem to start off by obeying what seem to be innate universal grammar principals, but as their learning develops, they eventually start to apply the rules of the language in the way adults do (through learning, conditioning and observation). The suggestion here therefore is that universal language is the cause of this incorrect grammar usage in both children learning to speak and in adults learning a second language, at least to some degree. This implies that universal grammar may indeed have a role in second language acquisition, since it seems that there are certain innate rules of language development that everyone follows right or wrong. Of course, many other studies imply that universal grammar influences the individual to speak properly rather than wrongly (albeit, at a different stage of the language acquisition process). It is argued that the input an individual receives when learning a language is not enough to allow them to successfully and properly use grammar, therefore meaning innate language abilities have a strong influence on language development, at least with regard to first language acquisition and likely with second acquisition too (White, 1985). A big question is raised from this theory of universal grammar being so integral to successful language development. When considering the idea that a large part of grammar ability may be innate, one must question how to differentiate between innate language abilities and learned language knowledge knowledge that (for L2 learners) was gained from the learning of their first language. To differentiate between innate and learned phenomena, there are two areas to be considered (White, 1990). Firstly, the input the individual receives for learning the language should be insufficient for the phenomenon to be present. Secondly, it should be different from phenomena learned as part of the first language. The fulfilment of both of these criteria could in theory mean an innate language ability is responsible for the production of the specific phenomenon in the L2 learning. Most studies into L2 language acquisition have been based around adult learners. Zdorenko and Paradis (2007) however carried out a study into second language learning in children. Within this study, they addressed numerous questions, taking into account how much first language background affects second language acquisition. Their conclusions were that the childrens first language influenced their acquisition early on in the learning process, but not later on, once the child had become more competent. They do not directly suggest that any part of the L2 learning however is innate, and instead suggest that article semantics could be responsible for the presence of certain phenomena. The idea that universal grammar may have a role in the development of first language acquisition is generally more accepted than the idea that it plays a role in second language acquisition. This largely could be to do with the fact that determining a role for innate language abilities at the stage of learning a second language is a lot more challenging, since with first language acquisition the only confounding factor that needs to be taken into account is the level of input the learner receives about the language. Flynn (1996) suggested a model for the role of universal grammar in L2 learners. The model has 3 possibilities: the no access hypothesis, the partial access hypothesis and the full access hypothesis. The no access hypothesis states that universal grammar simply is not accessible to L2 learners and all learning is simply due to input the learner gains. The partial access hypothesis claims that universal grammar is partially available to the L2 learner, but only those parameters that characterise first language phenomena are available. The full access hypothesis states that universal grammar is completely available to L2 learners and that any differences between first and second language acquisition can be accounted for via other ways. If any part of this model is correct, it seems unlikely that it is the full access hypothesis. As stated previously, much evidence exists suggesting L2 language acquisition is rarely ever as complete as first language acquisition. Or at least, it is a much slower process and it takes a long time for L2 learners to become as proficient in the language as native speakers. Hale (1996) suggests that universal grammar is very difficult to distinguish from first language acquisition in L2 learners, implying that the two are almost one of the same. Indeed, many researchers agree with the idea that universal language is something that goes hand-in-hand with first language acquisition, but not with second language acquisition. It seems that the matter of how involved universal language is in second language acquisition may never be resolved. On one hand, the presence of certain phenomena in L2 that are absent in the first language along with evidence that the phenomena have not been learned suggest that maybe innate language skill do have a role in L2 learning, however evidence from Zdorenko and Paradis (2007) along with other studies suggest that innate language abilities at least dont hold the most significant level of importance. If universal grammar does have a role in the learning of a second language, Flynns hypothesis of partial access would arguably seem most plausible. The fact that many individuals learning a second language never become fully competent at it suggests that full access is not possible, since this would therefore suggest no variation in the ability to speak a second language from the ability to speak a first language. No access however seems unlikely to, since the fact that there are similarities in the mistakes L2 learners and children learning a first language make implies that there is some innate mechanism governing language ability; a mechanism all individuals have that predisposes them to language and which diminishes as they age but never fades. This theory is further backed up by the fact that, within the Zdorenko and Paradis study, they found that the children had features of language acquisition in common with both first and second language acquisition, implying that maybe thei r innate language skills (due to their age) were having an affect (although this is not an idea that is pointed out within the study). The ‘critical period hypothesis is a well-known theory of language acquisition which states that children are much more primed for learning languages than adults. This hypothesis fits together very well with the partial access hypothesis. The critical period hypothesis is widely accepted by a large number of linguists. One of the best known examples here is that of Genie, a girl brought up in social isolation, who started to learn to talk at a late age (Curtiss, 1977). Although she was shown to not be mentally impaired, she was never able to learn to speak properly. It is most likely this was due to her age and her inability therefore to gain full access to her innate language abilities. Therefore, universal grammar seems to be something that very possibly does influence L2 learning and adult learners, but its effect diminishes with age, and therefore children can learn languages first, second and beyond more effectively than adults.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Montage in Films and Music Videos Essay -- Film Review, Montage

In the 1920s, artist like Sergei Eisenstein, Dziga Vertov and Vsevolod Pudovkin started experimenting with the new technique in their abstractfilms which is known as montage. Montage which is a synonym for Editing is a technique where two or more shots are juxtaposed which create a new meaning thatis not existent looking at the shots individually (Manovich, 2001). Few of the early examples of films using this technique are The Battleship Potemkin(1925) by Eisenstein and Man with a Movie Camera(1929) by Vertov.Montages are widely used in many other TV production areas like Advertisement, Dramas, News Programs and Music Videos. The Music Videos make excessive use of montages for the imagery in theirsongs; one of the examples is The Buggles- Video Killed the Radio Star (1971) which was the first music video to be shown on television at launch of MTV in 1981. Both Films and Music Videos use different approach towards editing of their shots, which plays a major role in maintaining balance between audio and visual information. The main difference between Hollywood classical films is that they are narrative while Music Videos are non-narrative in nature. Films present series of events in different ways that imply connection between one event and the next. It basically follows the cause-and-effect relationship where one action is the result of another (Manchel, 1990). Editing in films binds the narrative by assembling sequences, layers of imagery, the story, music, effects and the pace to shape the story into a final product.Editing in music videos is done to setup a mood, feeling and emotional state which disconnects the audience from the traditional narrative. There may be or may not be a story, but the main focus of music videos is ... ...have already begun to see – more as a means to playful firing visual fascination. The opposition of realistic film visual culture and non-narrative montage tradition has begun to breakdown. It is leading towards hybridization of realistic and stylized editing. Thus at one extreme there is a montage phenomenon of music video and on the other hand the editing technique of traditional cinema comes together. Montage is no longer a dominant aesthetic according to the new computer culture, as it was throughout the twentieth century, from the avant-garde of the 1920s up until postmodernism of the 1980s. New editing techniques like composting has emerged which combines different spaces into a single environment seamlessly creating a virtual space. Compositing is an example of the alternative aesthetics of continuity and it is considered counterpart of montage aesthetics.