Business Ethics - The Enron Scandal universal ethics point of view- Case Study

Business Ethics - The Enron Scandal universal ethics point of view- - Case Study Example The accounting fraud that would eventually come to be known as the Enron scandal was a creative, institutional, and systematic plan (Malcolm, 2008). Parties that took part in concealing Enron’s real financial condition were well known to the company. In this respect, the bid to address the underlying situation becomes an institutional process. To start with, the company’s corporate governance had failed. Instead of hiding this failure, stakeholders could have been consulted on ways to foster and enhance corporate governance. By virtue of business operations, shareholders and all other stakeholders for that matter deserved to know the actual direction that the company was taking. Board effectiveness, qualification, integrity, responsibility, and accountability were highly questionable. These aspects only came to light at a time when it was impossible to salvage the company. Given that business operations are profit-driven and that profits can undoubtedly attract unethical practices, there was need to vet and audit board operations from time to time. In so doing, the underlying issues were set to be identified before it was too late. The situation can, therefore, be addressed by taking measures to ensure that the company does not run independent of shareholders and other interested stakeholders. Conflicting interests were highly evident in the Enron case. Arthur Andersen played two roles in Enron; that of an auditor and that of a consultant (Malcolm, 2008). The direct implication is that one role relatively jeopardized the other, given that the same party undertook both roles. This situation stands to be addressed by ensuring that the two roles are handled by two independent parties. Ultimately, the management is to blame. This is because it downplayed the underlying risks of having an auditing firm that still offered consultation services to the same company. Financial entities that maintained an off-book relationship

Russia Pestel Essay Example for Free

Russia Pestel Essay Recent dissolution of the form Communist state of the Soviet Union to the Russian Federation. Russia’s economy is in transition from a a state-controlled to a market-controlled economy. †¢Vladimir Putin, moved to reduce the political influence of oligarchs soon after taking office, forcing some into exile and prosecuting others. Bbc Still strained relationship between the Russian Federation and the West (U.S) rooted from the cold war Uncertainty of control within the Russian government 2003 October Billionnaire Yukos oil boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky arrested and held in custody over investigations into tax evasion and fraud. Mr Khodorkovsky had supported liberal opposition to President Putin. (bbc) The energy giant Gazprom is close to the Russian state and critics say it is little more than an economic and political tool of the Kremlin. Existing taxes on oil companies * Royalty (6-16% of gross revenue).  * Mineral resource tax (10% of gross revenue less the value of the taxpayer spending on exploration). * Excise tax (66 rubles/tonne of oil, equal to 2.5%, according to calculations of the Ministry of Finance based on the weighted average price of Russian oil and taking into consideration export and domestic sales). http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/volume-99/issue-33/special-report/the-russian-oil-gas-industry-analysis-raises-questions-about-russian-tax-proposal.html Uncertainties about legal rights, infrastructure, ownership, and liability have slowed development despite the high hopes of many western corporations. http://archive.greenpeace.org/climate/arctic99/reports/blackice-8.html Yet, by end of 1998, the oil industry was fully privatized, substantially  deregulated, and had undergone significant internal restructuring (see Table 1 below). Even more recently, the Russian government has adopted (1998-2000) and enacted (1999-2002) a new Tax Code that by most accounts exceeds Western standards.5 For example, it introduced a 13 percent flat tax on personal income, capped corporate contributions to the social insurance fund, reduced the profits tax (a.k.a. corporate income tax) rate from 35 to 24 percent, abolished turnover taxes (as of 2003), tied export tariffs directly to the price of oil, and established new accounting procedures that are on par with International Accounting Standards Foreign Investment policies The Yukos crisis began when Mikhail B. Khodorkovsky, chief executive of Yukos and Russias richest man, was jailed at gunpoint Oct. 25 on charges of fraud, forgery and tax evasion. Mr. Khodorkovsky insists his arrest and the prosecution of other large Yukos shareholders are politically motivated. http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/03/world/signs-of-damage-control-in-russia-s-oil-scandal.html Tax and royalties http://new.aibse.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Patton2008.pdf

Internet Users Turn Addicts :: essays research papers

If you're an Internet user, you know who you are. They are among all of us in society, although many may choose to not acknowledge that they too, frequently use the Internet. As I sit here and look across the street, I see a man in front of his own computer; the screen glowing against the window behind him. He does not use his personal computer for work, he is a farmer. He has become what is known as an "Internet Junky".The addiction begins innocently. At the start, you are not even aware of the possibilities that may form from your excessive computer use. You begin to take an avid interest in e-mailing with your friends and family. Once the novelty of keeping in touch with your colleagues wears off, and researching starts to bore you, you may possibly expand your computer usage to chatting. Yes, chatting. It is something that is becoming more acceptable in our lives, but it is still looked down upon by many skeptics. Chatting through the Internet involves choosing an appropriate nickname for yourself (IE: Fisherman), and then finding a room where you feel compelled to spend time in. Once you've entered the room, other fellow chatters may say, "Hello...a/s/l (age/sex/location) please." And so begins the addiction. Once you become involved in meeting people online, it is difficult to break such a habit. You may even make a daily habit of it. People have been found to carry out exactly the same behavior, not only across the nation, but across the globe. In any one room, you may come across people from five different countries of the world. Granted, not everyone who stays online for hours on end, are enveloped in chatting, but it is more often then not, the cause for Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). (Goldberg, MD)The prevalence of Internet Addiction Disorder has been increasing in number, hence a support group, among many, The Internet Addiction Support Group (IASG) has been developed. IAD, a "maladaptive" pattern for Internet use, is leading to impairment and/or distress caused by three (or more) of the following, at any time in a period of one year: "A) A need for markedly increased amounts of time on Internet to achieve satisfaction, B) Markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of time on Internet.", C) Reduction in Internet use which has been prolonged. (Goldberg,

Creating Brochure Using Photoshop

Most of us think that creating the brochure is the quite simple task and most of us doesn't think too much of allocating the time to It. But It is not so creating the brochure can make the work cumbersome.. Brochure Is the silent but the most powerful weapon in the marketing field. It helps in promoting the products. So using the time wisely for preparing the brochure makes the work quite simple.Firstly we have to have a clear idea on what is to be included into the brochure, you need to get the specifications of the brochure such as dimensions of paper, trimming, folding, or facial cuts and the most of those things will depend on the budget allocated by the client. Now we shall look how to prepare a brochure In a photos. Firstly the photos software Is to be ready on your system. Ђ Next the piece of paper has to be folded into three sides and then that would make you easy to know which side of the paper would be the main frame and middle and the last frame. Open the new document in the photos in which the dimension as per required. Select the appropriate document which is suitable for the printing out. Ђ Next place all the images that are required In the brochure which makes the brochure attractive. Ђ Place all the matter which Is relevant does not place whole matter In the brochure It should be should precise and sharp such that it should attract the viewers. Next open the other new document same as the above required dimensions that is middle section of your brochure. Now take the print of the first side and place the paper again for the back side and that would finish your brochure.

Character Sketch of Daniel from Daniels Story

Character Analysis: ____chapter 3__________________ Your task is to choose a character from the novel and draw a picture of them in the first box. Surround your picture with quotes from the novel, as well as adjectives describing their appearance. Next, describe your character’s personality, family, and the conflicts he/she is facing in the story. You must have at least 5 points in each category and evidence from the novel. For example: Daniel is a ‘†free spirit† because in Chapter 3 he disguises himself as a Hitler Youth and travels throughout Frankfurt, doing all of the things he isn’t allowed to do.Physical Traits (What does your character look like? ) 12 – 13 years old. â€Å"I had to be who I was – Daniel, a twelve-almost thirteen-year-old Jewish boy who carried an I. D. Card stamped with a big J â€Å"(p 28) â€Å"How I had loved skiing – the speed, the cold, the daring† (p 24) Personality (What kind of person are th ey? ) â€Å"She’s not only beautiful, though, it’s that her inner calm and sweetness shine through her eyes. I love to photograph her† (p 20). (mother) -finds beauty within, caring, enjoys photography, They aren’t all so bad, Mother,† I say, trying to make her feel better. How can I tell her that I’m looking through them to try to make sense of this nightmare? I can’t let her see how upset I am. It would only make her more miserable† (p 21) -Caring, hides feelings from mother, devoted, kind, empathetic, compassionate, concerned, thoughtful, â€Å"I remember Auntie Leah giving me Uncle Peter’s camera when she and her children moved in with us after they took Uncle Peter away†¦ and the first thing we did was turn one of the closets into a darkroom.Then I read every book I could on photography until I felt ready to begin taking pictures† (p21) -Brave for starting a darkroom when photos were banned. Ambitious, moti vated, excited about photography, hard working, knowledgeable, patient as he gathers knowledge, likes to be prepared, responsible, cautious, â€Å"I felt it was my duty to take over his responsibility as the family photographer. † Friedrich and I made a pact that we would photograph everything we could as a record of our ill treatment by our fellow Germans† (p 21). Trying to compensate/ take pictures in memory of his Uncle Peter, gathering proof/evidence of German behaviour, historian, loyal, responsible, reliable, trustworthy, makes promises and keeps promises, I remember powdering my face with flour as she and Erika were working and then shouting ‘boo’ at them. †¦ it felt good to be scolded about something ordinary like that – I think it made me feel that things were ordinary† (p25) -trying to remain positive, make life feel normal, prankster, joker, comedian, humour,

Geography of Ancient Greece

Geography of Ancient Greece Greece, a country in southeastern Europe whose peninsula extends from the Balkans into the Mediterranean Sea, is mountainous, with many gulfs and bays. Forests fill some areas of Greece. Much of Greece is stony and suitable only for pasturage, but other areas are suitable for growing wheat, barley, citrus, dates, and olives. It is convenient to divide ancient Greece into 3 geographical regions (plus islands and colonies): (1) Northern Greece,(2) Central Greece(3) The Peloponnese.​ I. Northern Greece Northern Greece consists of Epirus and Thessaly, separated by the Pindus mountain range. The chief town in Epirus is Dodona where the Greeks thought Zeus provided oracles. Thessaly is the largest plains area in Greece. It is almost surrounded by mountains. On the north, the Cambunian range has as its highest mountain the home of the gods, Mt. Olympus, and nearby, Mt Ossa. Between these two mountains is a valley called the Vale of Tempe through which runs the Peneius River. II. Central Greece Central Greece has more mountains than northern Greece. It contains the countries of Aetolia (famed for the Calydonian boar hunt), Locris (divided into 2 sections by Doris and Phocis), Acarnania (west of Aetolia, bordered by the Achelous River, and north of the Gulf of Calydon), Doris, Phocis, Boeotia, Attica, and Megaris. Boeotia and Attica are separated by Mt. Cithaeron. In northeast Attica is Mt. Pentelicus home of the famous marble. South of Pentelicus is the Hymettus mountain range, which is famous for its honey. Attica had poor soil, but a long coastline favoring trade. Megaris lies in the Isthmus of Corinth, which separates central Greece from the Peloponnese. The Megarans raised sheep and made woolen products and pottery. III. Peloponnesus South of the Isthmus of Corinth is the Peloponnese (21,549 sq. km), whose central region is Arcadia, which is a plateau over mountain ranges. On the northern slope is Achaea, with Elis and Corinth on either side. On the east of the Peloponnese is the mountainous Argolis area. Laconia was the country in the basin of the Eurotas River, which ran between the Taygetus and Parnon mountain regions. Messenia lies to the west of Mt. Taygetus, the highest point in the Peloponnese. Source: An Ancient History for Beginners, by George Willis Botsford, New York: Macmillan Company. 1917.

Welcome the Criticism

Welcome the Criticism Welcome the criticism not just as critique group type rejection, but after the book, when people dont like it. Or before the book, when friends scoff about you ever getting onto a shelf in Barnes Noble. These issues should set you on firein a good way. We have a natural tendency to listen to naysayers. Standing fast against the current does not come easy. So when someone, especially someone with a sense of authority or expertise, tells you that youre on the wrong path, you assume they are right . . . you are wrong. In our profession, we are told that we need to write both to what the public wants (i.e., know your reader) as well as be original. Every agent and publisher alive wants something the market has proven while craving that never-seen-before talent.   They want it both ways. Heck, dont we all? Theres comfort in writing with the flow, following success. Theres risk and fear of failure when we dare to be like nothingor no one else. But with higher risk comes greater success. When you are handed criticism, accept it. Study it, then glean what to keep and what to ignore. Itll help you shape and mold what youre trying to accomplish. The hard part is that there isnt a right or wrong answer in how you proceed or whose advice you accept. Thats why so many writers remain average. They keep looking for a right answer that doesnt exist. But if you are stubborn, or contain some semblance of resolve, you start understanding what you want to produce. As rejection carves you, as criticism tests that resolve, you define yourself. When you feel the right path under your feet, writing stories ina voice thats purely yours, you weather the criticism. As stated in the opening paragraph, you become alive, set afire with purpose. Ive been told not to put children in my mysteries. Ive been told not to put so many personal anecdotes in my nonfiction. Agents told me not to use agriculture in Lowcountry Bribe, because it would bore people. Some accused me of too many newsletters, too much information too often delivered. I was told to blog only once a week Study your craft. Study all sides. Stand up and take the criticism or words of friendly advice. Then do what drives you, what enthuses you, what triggers you. Whether you publish or not is solely up to you. If you are fired up enough to make your work spit-polished and pertinent, you will publish. If you wont rest until the public holds your work in its hands, you will publish. The diligent eat up criticism, learning from it, but most of all, learning how to interpret it. When you mature enough in your judgment to pick and choose the advice you take, and recognize what feeds you as an artist and professional, you can wind up doing great things with your words.