Software Ethics :: Copyright Plagiarism Technology Essays

Software Ethics INTRODUCTION Webster dictionary defines copyright as â€Å"the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell the matter and form (as of a literary, musical, or artistic work). The copyright law extended to software and technologies aims at protecting the artists who created the product. The owner of the product has the exclusive right to distribute or reproduce his work. To be qualified for the protection, the work has to be original and in a â€Å"concrete medium of expression† [1]. In every product that we use daily, there is already a copyrighted law protecting it. We can’t simply write the same book and call it a different name. That’s plagiarism and violating the copyright law. The creator of a software technology patented and copyrighted his work, and he can take violators to court for stealing his idea, and reproducing his work without his permission. Why? Simply put, U.S Copyright act, 17 U.S.C Sections 101-810, protects the owner of the product . We should be thankful that we live in a country where our inventions and ideas are protected from theft and being copied. In other countries, such as Vietnam, artists are not so lucky. For many years, songs artists didn’t make a lot of money, and their songs are being sung everywhere, by all the singers. It’s like a free song, and anyone could make money off of that. That’s the precedent. Who would want to create the product, and then turn around in split seconds only to have it posted it on the web or reproduced for free. The work is wasted, the people are discouraged, and the country is ailing. Now, the artist can now protect his work. So Vietnamese, living in America, enjoy the same rights and privileges as Americans. Countries that don’t have copyright law or fail to truly protect the artists of a product will continue to struggle economically, politically, and socially. Viet Nam has improved and been more developed over the past decades. The country is beginning to see foreign investors come in and utilize the resources such as the talents, the cheap labor and materials. However, the country is not flourishing other Asians because of the lack of copyright laws, ignorance, and government monopoly and corruption.

Vertical Integration

Andrew Carnegie, owner of the Carnegie Steel Company, used vertical integration, a system of related businesses in which a parent company owns its suppliers, to increase his businesses efficiency levels. Carnegie bought out the companies and suppliers that carried the raw materials and services he required for his business. He was able to control everything he needed, and make agreements with other companies to buy his steel. Using this method, he saved money and increased his profits.The Walt Disney World Corporation also uses vertical integration, just as Carnegie had done. Walt Disney plans, produces, advertises, and distributes all their own products. These products are sold in stores all owned by Disney. What also adds to the use of vertical integration within this corporation would be the purchase of ABC. Through this acquisition, it was a way for Walt Disney to propagate some of its programs on its own.Vertical integration affects society by creating less competition, it makes businesses’ profits increase and allows them to save money. There are many positive reasons for vertical integration, such as improving supply chain coordination and reduce transportation costs, but with that always comes the negatives. Due to the lack of supplier competition, there are potentially higher costs, and there is a lower opportunity to increase product variation. Vertical Integration Andrew Carnegie, owner of the Carnegie Steel Company, used vertical integration, a system of related businesses in which a parent company owns its suppliers, to increase his businesses efficiency levels. Carnegie bought out the companies and suppliers that carried the raw materials and services he required for his business. He was able to control everything he needed, and make agreements with other companies to buy his steel. Using this method, he saved money and increased his profits.The Walt Disney World Corporation also uses vertical integration, just as Carnegie had done. Walt Disney plans, produces, advertises, and distributes all their own products. These products are sold in stores all owned by Disney. What also adds to the use of vertical integration within this corporation would be the purchase of ABC. Through this acquisition, it was a way for Walt Disney to propagate some of its programs on its own.Vertical integration affects society by creating less competition, it makes businesses’ profits increase and allows them to save money. There are many positive reasons for vertical integration, such as improving supply chain coordination and reduce transportation costs, but with that always comes the negatives. Due to the lack of supplier competition, there are potentially higher costs, and there is a lower opportunity to increase product variation.

100 Years of Indian Cinema Essay

Tracing the history, birth and evolution of Indian cinema is always an exhilarating experience. According to historians, Harischandra Sakharam Bhatvadekar (Save Dada, 1868- 1958) and Hiralal Sen were among the pioneers who produced moving images in India for the first time. Bhatvadekar was part of the audience which attended Lumiere’s actuals screened for the first time in India, at Watson Hotel in Bombay by Lumiere’s agent, Marius Sestier, in 1896. Bhatvadekar was so impressed by the images he saw that he decided to make them in India. He had some experience of capturing images as he owned a still photography studio. He had to mobilize all his resources to import a camera and shoot a wrestling match and then send it to England for processing. He finally screened it in 1901. This is how moving images – what we now call cinema – arrived in India. D. G. Phalke Cinema developed fast, and its popularity grew immensely when image-makers started telling stories through moving images. Even during the silent era (up to 1931) cinema made an immeasurable impact through its ability to reach the people in a big way. Dhundiraj Govind Phalke, (D. G. Phalke, 1870- 1944), was totally captivated by the effect of cinema when he saw the silent film, The Life of Christ, in 1910. Phalke, who had a short stint as a photographer and then as a printing press owner, decided to take up filmmaking as his career. He travelled to London to procure filmmaking equipment and learn its process. After his return, he made India’s first feature film, Raja Hrischandra, and released it in 1913. He went on to make a series of other films, fulfilling his ambition of showing Indian gods on the silver screen. Thus, Phalke became the father of Indian cinema. It is now 100 years and time to celebrate. Aesthetics of India Cinema Cinema by its very nature is deceptive. This was evident even during the early stages of its emergence (1900-1903), when French illusionist Georges Melies used the camera to produce trick visual effects. Later when German Expressionist cinema asserted itself during the silent era, films mainly dealt with horror, mental illness, basic emotions etc. They were presented on the screen in an artistic style and studio sets were created with peculiar geometric designs, lighting and shadows that looked totally different from the straightforward narration used thus far. Many films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), The Golem (1920), Last Laugh (1924), Metropolis (1927) were direct products of expressionism. It is interesting to note that while Hollywood filmmakers, particularly stalwarts such as Alfred Hitchcock and others who specialized in crime drama, were totally influenced by this style of filmmaking, Indian films made during the silent era or even after it, never came under the influence of expressionist cinema. This is probably because Indian cinema, during its early years (covering both the silent era and the first talkies) stuck mainly to the mythological and the historical. These films were total replicas of the popular stage productions of that time. As a result of this, Indian cinema maintained its own identity. The first Indian talkie, Alam Ara (1931), we are told, was a big success. It had so many songs that people who had seen it say it was composed more of songs than of dialogue. What made Indian cinema distinctly different from other cinemas was this practice of using songs in films, a tradition which has persisted till date and probably will continue forever. In the early decades – during 1940s, 50s and 60s, known as the golden days of Hindi songs – pioneering music composers posted some outstanding achievements and made a rich contribution to the Seventh Art through songs that remain immortal. In the 40s, the famous New Theatres Company from Calcutta promoted legendary composers such as R. C. Boral, Pankaj Mullick, Timir Baran, and many others, while celebrities such as Kundanlal Saigal, Pankaj Mullick, Kurshid, Parul Ghosh, Umadevi, Kannan Devi, Juthika Roy enriched film music with their melodious voices. Bombay Talkies, the film company of Bombay, also took the cue from Calcutta, with Saraswathi Devi and Anil Biswas creating some outstanding tunes for films songs. It was in 1950s that Hindi cinema saw its finest period when the popularity of Hindi film songs reached its peak. The immortal voices of Lata Mangeshkar, Noor Jehan, Suraiya, Amir Bai Karnataki, Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, Mukesh, Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mohammed, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar and Kishore Kumar captivated the hearts of music lovers. Equally eminent were the lyricists – Kavi Pradip, Prem Dhawan, D. N. Madhok, Kidar Sharma, Shailendra, Hasarat Jaipuri, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Sahir Ludhianvi, Shakil Badayuni, Kamar Jalalabadi, Bharat Vyas, Gulzar and many others. A galaxy of music composers – Khemchand Prakash, Husnlal Bhagatram, Naushad, C. Ramchandra, S. D. Burman, Hemant Kumar, Roshan and Madan Mohan created some memorable tunes for these songs. All of this perhaps explains why Indian cinema has successfully resisted Hollywood’s domination, unlike in other parts of the world, including Europe, where Hollywood controls 70 to 80 % of occupancy in the theatres. Our Hindi cinema, or Bollywood, which laid its foundations in the 50s, adopted its own formula, different from the one Hollywood had established in early 1930s. Hollywood hired talented filmmakers to make films with a story embodying dramatic elements, hero, heroine, love and romance, a bit of religion, fight sequences, etc and a treatment with a universal appeal in order to attract a global audience. This strategy has been successful in large measure. Indian Bollywood, on the other hand, adopted a formula which included a hero with multi-dimensional talent who could accomplish absolutely anything, a heroine with a noble character, who was also a devoted life partner, and ready to undergo any suffering in life for the cause of her family’s welfare, their romance enhanced by songs, a villain or a vamp who torment the couple, sentimental melodrama, a fight, the end of the villain – and ultimately all ends well. Sometimes the film may be a tragedy too in which the hero or heroine becomes a martyr. This perceived formula percolated down to the regional cinema industry as well, successfully attracting mass audiences to cinema. Hollywood cinema, on the other hand, failed to bring in a large public, except in a few urban pockets. It was hindered as much by the language barrier as by the fierce competition from local films which provided better entertainment. Economically speaking, it is gratifying to know that we have our own very large, independent and rapidly growing film industry. There is, of course, degeneration in quality, but that is a matter for another discussion. D. G. Phalke probably never imagined that the Indian feature film industry, whose foundation he had laid, would become the largest film industry in the world, churning out, against innumerable odds, more than a thousand films annually. Hollywood is now thinking of capturing the Indian market by dubbing its films in the regional languages and pushing them through T. V. channels and local theatres. Arrival of the New Cinema India had its first International Film Festival in Bombay in 1952, and the Neo-realism films screened there made a big impact on our filmmakers. This marked the beginning of the New Cinema movement, engendered by the release of Do Bigha Zameen (1953) and Pather Panchali (1955). The well established formula of Bollywood films with music and dance was dispensed with here and low-budget films, particularly in the regional languages, started making their presence felt in a big way, both nationally and internationally. However, while many of the new cinema productions do win awards and laurels, they are yet to establish their economic viability by reaching people through regular commercial releases. The Advent of Technology Basically, cinema is a gift of science to art, an art which is composite in nature. Its growth, in terms of both technology and art, has been phenomenal, and its development particularly in its technology and format has been incredibly fast, making it exceedingly difficult for its practitioners to keep up the pace. It all began with the loading of celluloid films onto a camera and shooting the action as per the screenplay. In its technology, cinema, absorbed many innovations. Sound and dialogue entered in a big way in the early 30s, then it got its images painted in pleasing colours, and innovations in camera made it possible to work wonders in the field of special effects. However, despite these innovations, cinema remained basically in the celluloid format with 24 frames per second, with action being captured on film reel and stored in cans. Today, this concept is undergoing a sea change. The new digital technology has arrived, with a potential so immense that it has totally revolutionized both the production and the projection systems. To put it simply, digital cinema involves storing a film in a disc, like the hard disc of a computer, similar to DVDs, and projecting it on the screen by a digital projector. Astonishingly enough, it enjoys the great advantage of satellite projection from one centre to other centres. The quality of the image depends on the resolution, now commonly known as 2K file, which, in turn, depends on the kind of camera used. Research and development are continuous and relentless, with many innovations entering the market every day. Digital Cinema – Production Digital cinema production just needs a Digital video camera, recording tapes to record the images and computer and software to edit them. The biggest advantage of digital video is the cost-benefit. Shooting on the conventional film reel is cumbersome and hundreds of times more expensive. Equally important is the easier digital editing process. Digital editing is abundantly used by filmmakers now even for films shot on reel. They convert the film footage into digital format for post production and then back to film. This conversion process is costly, though, and the quality of the image suffers. However, digital cinema need not go through this process. It can opt directly for editing. In fact, the moment a digital film is shot, the result can be seen immediately as no processing required. It can go for post production right away, bypassing laboratory processing. If results are unsatisfactory, repeat shots can be taken on the spot at no extra cost. Digital Cinema – Distribution Film distribution through the digital system has many advantages. In the celluloid process, the cost of making a 35 mm print in the conventional way is around Rs. One lakh, while a film’s simultaneous distribution in 1000 centers for instance, with 1000 prints, will cost approximately Rs. 10 crores. In the digital system, a hard drive disc of a film will cost around Rs10, 000/- which is almost one tenth of a 35 mm print. Encrypted discs can also help avoid piracy. Yet another advantage is that the disc can be programmed for projection and, by providing codes for the servers, its unauthorized and illegal use can be avoided. Moreover, the cumbersome, bulky and costly process of shipping of film reels to and fro to the screening venues is easily overcome. Digital discs can be easily shipped through the courier system. Digital movies are simple computer files. They can be transmitted through broadband cables and played in hundreds of theatres simultaneously. It should also be noted, though, that copying these files is far simpler than copying reel films. Hence care should be taken to protect them properly from piracy. If a film is successful at the box-office and needs more shows, it can be quickly connected to other theatres with the digital signal. Digital Cinema –Projection Ultimately, what matters for the audience is the quality of the image and sound experienced when the visuals are projected onto the screen in cinema houses. According to experts, images – particularly those of landscapes – are of far better quality on film than on digital video. We do experience this while watching films in theatres. We notice a marked difference in the colour quality of the images. However, it is the considered opinion of users that while a film reel gets degraded after repeated screenings, the quality of the digital files remains unaffected. Taking Cinema to Rural Places In many villages in India, there are no regular theatres for film projection even today. People are deprived of watching films unless they go to the district or taluk headquarters. The lack of economic viability is the main reason. But recent developments show that the problem can be solved by using the satellite projection system and digital projectors. Small theaters with a seating capacity of around 100 to 300 can be constructed at a nominal cost and run by satellite projection; and the use of LED projectors can also help overcome the problem of outages. LED projectors need minimum power, and this can be managed with a maximum of 1 KW diesel power with UPS back up. An investment of around Rs 20 lakhs can earn handsome monthly returns. We can simultaneously run the show in several villages and small towns on the same day as the release of a film in major cities. It is a viable proposition for the film industry’s exhibition sector to take cinema to the country’s rural interiors. Growing apprehension There is a growing apprehension in the minds of many intellectuals that these fast paced developments may make a big difference to the quality of cinema, or what we call The Tenth Muse. A growing number of people will be able to capture visual images more easily; images may be created through software graphics on the computer without any actual shooting; even music is created and reproduced through software nowadays. However, while such a process has the advantage of easy access to cinema, it may not be able to portray the real human element that we experience even today when we see the great classics. This will be a big blow to cinema’s prestige. There may a huge spurt in the number of films produced, but at what cost? That is the question. And who knows whether the world will even call this process ‘film’, since ‘film’ in its present ‘reel’ form will not be there at all. It will be in the form of a disc or files. For all that, storytelling through the audio-visual medium is always enjoyable and loveable. Let us enjoy and celebrate its centenary.

Qwdew

Monomaniac's â€Å"Games For Change Keynote† lecture is about how much of an influence games have on society and the impact it can bring. Her two main questions to answer during this lecture are â€Å"What can games change? † and â€Å"What do games change? † MacDougal presents a list of some people's twitter responses to what games do for them. The first few responses refer to ones emotional state. People with Initial negative emotions such as sadness and anxiety can play games and end up feeling much better. Another change she presents Is â€Å"mental resilience†.This refers too arson's mindset and how it Is altered with games. It Is possible for people's confidence and performance levels to Increase after some time playing games. The next thing MacDougal talks about Is â€Å"social resilience†. How people socialize and Interact with the people around them can change with game play as well. For example, many of the games In the present day are mul tilayer and present an option to connect with players around the world. This creates socializing and Interacting with other online players who may even be real life friends.Before she alas about the science and data behind her lecture she gives us a list of how we can measure these changes when playing games. The list includes analyzing emotional, mental, neurological, social, self-efficacy, and engagement levels. In more general terms, MacDougal believes that â€Å"games can change your life. † MacDougal talks about an interesting mission of hers for this talk, which is to â€Å"increase the lifespan of everyone in this room by seven and a half minutes† and even provides a formula to show where she got that specific number.A good point she brings up is that on our deathbeds, many people may end up regretting all the time they devoted to playing games. Many people will say that the time spent in front of a game console or computer controlling a virtual character could have been used more wisely. She presents to the audience a list of the top five regrets people have. These regrets are working too hard, not staying in touch with friends, not allowing yourself to be happier, not truly expressing yourself, and not living the life that stayed true to your ideas. MacDougal goes on to say that each one of these regrets can be answered by laying games.The first regret of working too hard can be because people wish they had spent more time with their family and kids. Games are the perfect solution for this regret. Playing games with friends and family can definitely strengthen bonds and relationships. The second regret of not keeping in touch with friends can also be fixed through social games. MacDougal gives the example of social games such as Words with Friends and Formative that keeps people connected with others. The benefit games also produce Is that no matter how distant two people are, they canInteract with each other by these games. Games are al so scientifically proven to fix the third regret, which is not letting yourself be happier. MacDougal provides data from an East Carolina university stating that online games have actually outperformed clinical activities of depression when It comes to making someone happier. The fourth regret of not expressing yourself more can be solved by creating virtual avatars and characters that can be molded and shaped Into whoever you desire. The last regret on the list is not living a life true to your dreams.

Mundell-Fleming Model and RMB

Generally, Mundell-Fleming model states the impossibility an economy to sustain a fixed exchange rate system, liberalized trade and self-sufficient monetary regime altogether (cited in Cardona, unknown).   Also known as impossible trinity, this implication of the model assumes that domestic and international interest rates are equal.   Aside from the model, it should be noted that there are political and economic influences such as maintaining a strong currency ideology that motivates an economy to adapt a certain exchange rate system. Bolivia is a small and open economy that is recovering from a debt crisis in 1980s (cited in Cardona, unknown).   Under the crawling peg exchange rate system that the country adopts at that time, the model explains the inability of money supply to be moved because it has to follow dollars.   The role of Central Bank is limited to auctioning of dollars in a daily basis to devaluate the boliviano.   To prevent unemployment and slowdown in economic growth, the boliviano must follow the semi-fixed exchange rate system. On the revise side, Mexico experienced crisis under fixed exchange rate system (cited in Cardona, unknown).   The model predicts the inability of the currency to survive in the long-run under such system.   The Mexican currency aimed at appreciation but ended in overvaluation.   In this reason, Mexico should adopt flexible exchange rate system as increase in money supply (e.g. the cause of revaluation) can lead to lower domestic interest rate than global interest rate.   As a result, devaluation and normalization of the currency can happen. The implication of the model which is the impossible trinity of fixed exchange rate system, liberalized trade and self-sufficient monetary is relevant between US and China currencies (Stockman, 2000).   Both economies are large which enables them to capture the characteristics of IS-LM model (e.g. autarky) and Mundell-Fleming model (e.g. small open economy).   This makes them independent and very flexible on what exchange rate system would be employed.   For example, with pressures of revaluation of RMB from US authorities, the Chinese Government refused to do so in the grounds that it can cause lack of confidence and impression of conceding to the US from Chinese citizens. The RMB, especially in the pre-floating system, has captured a fixed rate system, exponential global trade intervention and autocratic monetary authorities at the same time.   This shows how the impossibility of trinity is relevant to the discussion of RMB especially when China assumes a conservative position regarding external trade to its economy.   On the other hand, the US Dollars would not dare to assume a fixed rate stance simply because virtually all currencies are pegged to it. Government ideology can serve as ultimate answer of Chinese authorities in their action to introduce fixed exchange rate system from 1995-2005 (Stockman, 2000). However, economic ends also motivated Chinese authorities to use fixed system.   It is meant to allow increasing trade (e.g. export and import) that the country houses from 1998-2003 and the aim to stabilize the current account balance throughout those years.   China is aware that beyond 1995 expels promising economic improvements particularly in trade liberalization efforts. In a study about the period1995-2005, it is proved that the fixed exchange rate system aided in the increase of Chinese income and price export elasticity (Garcia-Herrero & Koivu, 2007).   This means that any change in income of Chinese workers as well as prices of export commodities can lead to substitution effect from importing countries. The significance of these findings is that through the fixed exchange rate system Chinese economy resisted the influx of foreign direct investments that are made to modify the country’s balance of payments in risky terms.   To avoid dissolution of Chinese power in the minds of the population, the Government opt to fixed its exchange rate to prevent bowing to other currencies in the event of excessive trade and volatile net economic results. U.S. Mortgage Crisis Virtually all economic actors in the US mortgage industry contributed to its collapse in 2006 (Dupuis, 2007).   The increasing value of homes lured non-owners to borrow excessively beyond their capabilities while existing owners borrowed by using their properties as collaterals.   On the other end, lenders saw this scenario as opportunity to profit making them insensitive to creditworthiness of debtors.   Wall Street is also blamed for its contribution in carrying trade with outsiders (e.g. Japan) through ripping-off loans in foreign markets to finance the needs of mortgage companies, banks and lender. Lastly, and obviously the obvious conduit of mortgage crisis, is the lack of government intervention in housing sector.   As a result of these actions, sub-prime mortgage financial crisis inflamed that led to home foreclosures as interest rate rise and impacting reduction of supposedly rising house values.   The buyers of home did not have sufficient liquidity to solve their credit to lenders.   In effect, the lenders run to investment funds which in turn run to foreign markets and back to the US financial sector to address the credit problem. There are ways to mitigate the crisis.   First, the Central Bank can conduct open market operations to increase the chance of banks to access liquidity particularly short-term borrowing.   Second, homeowners and lenders can settle win-win terms in which the original contract can be modified based on the preference of one another.   Third, as prevention scheme, credit rating agencies can aid in creating an environment of transparency in the mortgage industry to prevent the same crisis in the future.   Lastly, authorities can contribute favorable legislations in lending methods, bankruptcy security and tax rate plans. The White House can intervene by improving the legal environment of which the mortgage industry can reduce substantial risk.   It can legitimize and support the media role in making the industry reports and practices more transparent.   This will not only create a less risky mortgage environment but also make it more competitive in the global business. The argument of President Bush is somewhat disciplinary as the profit-orientation of lenders is a clear manifestation of lack of public responsibility.   In effect, the Government may have the option to disregard the plea of the lenders as they are faced with bankruptcy and non-performing loans.   However, such argument does not mean to disregard the role of the Government in the mortgage industry and the White House should do its best to help lenders. The Fed, as mentioned earlier can execute open market operations to increase liquidity in the banking sector which in turn will provide liquidity to lenders to ease the credit difficulty in the mortgage industry (Andrews, 2007).   They can also affect money supply to affect interest rates and redeem the confidence of existing and potential homeowners about their abilities to pay their debts.   However, this should be done gradually in order to make economic entities responsible for the crises remember the tragic cause of their risky actions. The statement of the Fed Chairman is also coinciding with that of President Bush.   He too is a disciplinary authority that lenders and investors in the mortgage industry may not appreciate in these difficult times.   However, the penetrating open market operations may not seem a direct intervention to ease the needs but the effects will trickle down to small entities in the long-run. The mortgage crisis must be applied with active policy in the short-run particularly in addressing the liquidity needs of bigger banks that ensures the solvency of smaller banks that serve as lenders to homeowners.   The crisis is made by lack of experience of the sector in doing excessive speculation and craves for high priced assets. This excuse should be considered by authorities if it wish to minimize economic problems that the mortgage sector can further apply.   This act should be conducted through discretion and not by rule because the rule sometimes misinterprets the real world.   Discretion from monetary authorities (e.g. by involving in open market operations) and fiscal authorities (e.g. by legislating pro-crisis preventive laws) should be initiate to save not only the sector but the whole economy as well. References Andrews, E. (2007). US Congress split on solution to sub-prime crisis. New York Times. Cited in Cardona, R. (unknown). Aggregate demand in the short-run: The Mundell-Fleming Model. Dupuis, F. (2007). Impacts of the US Mortgage Crisis. Available in www.desjardins.com/economics Garcia-Herrero, Alicia and Tuuli Koivu, 2007, â€Å"Can the Chinese Trade Surplus Be Reduced through Exchange Rate Policy?† BOFIT Discussion Papers No. 2007-6 (Helsinki: Bank of Finland, March). Stockman, A. (2000). Exchange rate systems in perspective. Cato Journal, vol. 20, no. 1.            

Critical review of Collier and Fearons articles Essay

Critical review of Collier and Fearons articles - Essay Example Fearon and Laitin had taken data for the period of 1945 to 1999 from 161 countries which had minimum half a million population. On the other hand, Collier and Hoeffler have focused on the data from 1960 to 1999 of 98 countries and have used econometric model to predict civil war. The paper would critically review the articles for the operational definitions and measurements of key theoretical concepts for their validity and reliability. The article broadly tries to examine the various factors that may lead to civil unrest and insurgency in countries across the across. The authors have used the data on 161 countries for the period 1945 to 1999, made available from Singer and Small, 1994 and updated to include Kargil and Eritrean wars. They have consciously scrutinized and refuted the three popular beliefs which could have caused civil wars. They are: prevalence of civil war in 1990s was due to cold war and changing pattern of societies across the world after WWII; ethnic and religious diversity facilitate make countries vulnerable to internal conflicts and civil wars; and ethnic and political grievances are strong contenders for propelling civil wars. The authors have concluded that the major cause that may lead to civil war and insurgency is the socio-economic conditions of the regions where poverty is rampant. The article has extensively looked at various factors of unrest like civil war, insurgency and ethnicity. Civil war is broadly defined as public revolt against the state policies that tries to overpower the state machineries of administration to gain leverage. Ethnicity describes the demographic segmentation of the population based on culture, race and color. Insurgency is the most violent form of internal conflict where armed groups, using guerrilla techniques attack civilians and government machineries for their vested interests. Thus, insurgency primarily is associated with killing and threats to damage of public private property in order to

United States Surgical Corporation Audit Article

United States Surgical Corporation Audit - Article Example As the discussion stresses in 1981, USSC extended the useful lives of several of its fixed assets and adopted salvage value for many of these same assets for the first time. Are these changes permissible under generally accepted accounting principles? Assuming these changes had a material effect on USSC’s financial condition and results of operations, how should the change have affected Ernst & Whinney’s 1981 audit opinion? Assume that the current reporting standard were in effect at the time.  This paper outlines that the Securities and Exchange Commission was able to identify Michael S. Hope, a former partner of Ernst & Whinney.   He did the audit of the financial statements of United States Surgical Corporation in 1980 and 1981. Such statements appeared to be steady when it comes to the earnings of the company.   However, on the contrary, the company was losing money.   This case led to some charges filed against US Surgical.   In an investigation in 1984, it turned out that there were executives alleged of engaging in illegal practices.   Though SEC had pointed out US Surgical’s to be guilty of fraud, this was not a basis of defense against Ernst & Whinney.  Ernst & Whinney is a combination of companies with different cultures.   Such differences raised conflicts of interest between consulting and auditing.   Client opposition and antitrust issues caused so many problems.  Should the company focused on consulting, it could have had provided a better avenue for openness.   As consulting appears to be a friend of companies, on the other hand, conservative auditing was apparently an injustice to many companies. During this time, the auditor's report-- though should have been substantiated by figures-was dependent on the subjective opinion of the auditor. If the present professional means of audit in an objective approached is used during this time, it could have had been effective if coupled with consulting services. This would help the clients progress on their financial stability. They would concentrate on their strengths and work on their limitations to balance it off. QUESTION 3: Prepare common-sized financial statement for USSC for the period 1979-1981. Also compute key liquidity, solvency, activity, and profitability ratio for 1980 and 1981. Given these data, identify what you believe were the high-risk financial statement items for the 1981 USSC audit. ANSWER: The high risk financial statement items for 1981 USSC audit is in its profitability ratio. Retirement assets are recorded to be high. However, there is no concrete basis that supports nor aligns profit to assets, subjecting it to a doubt. QUESTION 4: What factors in the auditor-client relationship create a power imbalance in favor of the client Discuss measures that the profession could take to minimize the negative consequences of this power imbalance. ANSWER: Audit reports greatly rely on the auditor. Misstatements would lead to a false report that often became the basis of taking legal actions. A declaration of financial distress is crucial as it could create damage. On the other hand, the report of an auditor is affected by the way he understands the company. Although financial distress