Shocking the Audience with the Article, Autism Is a...

The article â€Å"Autism Is a Serious Public Health Crisis† is presented in manner intended to generate a shock reaction in its selective audience. It does this by using scare tactics and repetitious trigger words such as lies, epidemic and crisis. Though this piece is intended to be informative about the autism crisis and the author’s perception of the truth behind its cause, the argument ultimately is one based in ignorance and heavily driven by pathos. The author of â€Å"Autism Is a Serious Public Health Crisis†, Anne Dachel, is among other things a former school teacher and an established advocate for autism awareness. She is also the parent of a child who was diagnosed with autism in the early 90’s. This article focuses primarily on what Dachel has titled â€Å"the really big lie† and the economical results that an aging population of autistic children will have on the nation. According to Dachel the â€Å"big lie† being told is that t he increased number of children being diagnosed with autism is as a result of better diagnosing abilities and higher awareness. Dachel expresses her belief that the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is actually making these false claims as to why numbers are increasing in order to cover up the truth behind why autism numbers are on the rise and the CDC involvement in the cause. Anne Dachel is a major contributor to numerous autism websites, such as â€Å"Age of Autism†, a daily online newspaper dedicated to the topic of autism. In thisShow MoreRelatedINOCULATION TO DISABILITY AND DEATH1933 Words   |  8 Pagesdiseases, to becoming a killer inoculation? Are we still free to defend and decide for our health, or is there a danger of government actions with mass- vaccination mandates? There is a justified alarming concern on vaccines, not only in the population worldwide, but also in the medical personnel. The theory stated in some scientific groups, is that vaccines are not only harmful but also useless. In matter of health issues, science is the only honest filter we can use, looking at the critical dilemmaRead MoreChange Management49917 Words   |  200 Pageswhich may better serve the enterprise’s survival prospects. Change will not disappear or dissipate. Technology, civilizations and creative thought will maintain their ever accelerating drive onwards. Managers, and the enterprises they serve, be they public or private, service or manufacturing, will continue to be judged upon their ability to effectively and efficiently manage change. Unfortunately for the managers of the early twenty-first century, their ability to handle complex change situations willRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jers ey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesResearch: Dr. Judge’s primary research interests are in (1) personality, moods, and emotions; (2) job attitudes; (3) leadership and influence behaviors; and (4) careers (person–organization fit, career success). Dr. Judge has published more than 140 articles on these and other major topics in journals such as Journal of Organizational Behavior, Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology, European Journal of Personality, and European Journal of Work and Organizational

Keeping Two Sets of Records Free Essays

Ethical Dimensions of Financial Accounting: Keeping two sets of Records Financial Accounting is an informational tool intended for both managers of a company and for external parties of an organization as defined by Garrison. There is also an existence of some regulatory bodies requiring the use of different principles accordingly within companies’ jurisdiction. In some cases, companies are required to keep two sets of accounting records. We will write a custom essay sample on Keeping Two Sets of Records or any similar topic only for you Order Now For example, publicly traded companies are required to use GAAP by the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission. But GAAP and IFRS depreciation rules don’t always match up. Companies routinely account for earnings and expenses differently on their annual reports, compared with their tax returns . A contributing factor to keeping separate records is the different treatment in measuring income. The two approaches used in measuring income is the accrual-based and cash based accounting. As defined in our textbook Managerial Accounting by Garrison, Accrual accounting measures income as the difference between revenues recognized in the period versus and the expenses that are matched with those revenues. In contrast, cash basis accounting measures sales unless cash is actually received similarly with costs; they are deducted from sales in the same period they are paid for cash disbursements. Varying approach to accounting for depreciation is also permiited such as charging expense over a short period of time compared to its useful life of certain assets. (straight line method versus the accelerated depreciation). This lets the fixed assets expense higher at the early years of its acquisiton, thereby reducing taxable income. This approach to depreciation poses a benefit to a company to actually invest in fixed assets which may lead to operating efficiences. Another perspective is that businesss usually does a separate keeping of record for tax accounting purpose in order to minimize the possible amount of taxable income. In reality, companies tend to overstate income when the financial information is being presented to external creditors or investors, whereas understating it to government regulators. This is practically done by businesses to stay in business—which is logical and legal. The most important thing to be adhered is to report financials set within accordance to the tax regulations, otherwise a company will be subject to loss of credibilty and trustworthiness to stakeholders and other external parties. References: Is It Legal for a Business to Maintain Two Sets of Accounting Records? | eHow. com http://www. ehow. com/info_7840065_legal-two-sets-accounting-records. html#ixzz29M1e7rFq How to cite Keeping Two Sets of Records, Essay examples

Sensitivity Analysis and Parametric Programming

Question: Discuss about the Sensitivity Analysis and Parametric Programming. Answer: Introduction: The managers have showed their interest in the project by taking into the consideration the long-term benefit, which is attached with the project. The managers of the project have targeted the impact, which will be on future because of increasing fuel prices and the steps, which the government should take in order to reduce the impact of the air pollution. In addition to this, the managers are inclined to use the subsidiary benefits, which have been offered by the government (Aalto 2012). The managers have also stated to use the waste material in the form of raw material for new venture, as this will form an additional cost saving benefit for the company. It is worth mentioning that among the several tools of capital budgeting available Net Present value and annual annuity method is considered as the best suited technique which the company can use to determine the long term viability of the project in the log-run. Such tools would help in evaluating the changes of key variables such as sales and price of ethanol depending upon the feasibility of the project (Channon and Jalland 2016). In order to understand the value of the project, the managers should perform breakeven so that it can meet the environmental requirement regarding the disposal of waste beer. Coors stated that he could be satisfied with breakeven only if the project would cut down the further VOC emission assisting them to avoid any probable fines. It is noteworthy to denote that the investment analysis commenced with the forecasting of future cash flows. The incremental value for the project is to make pure fuel graded ethanol with incremental value of 5% of the gasoline, which must be added in contrast to the current price per gallon of gasoline. The managers have estimated that cost to be 15% of the revenue representing the incremental value of the project. The company anticipates it to be relatively stable for the next five years and this would for an approximate 20 cents per gallon of the ethanol. Rick on the other hand responded that the initial production capacity of 1.5 million is needed per year (Edwards 2013). The anticipated production for the initial year is 1.3 million of the gallon, which is anticipated to grow by 15% from the year 1994 to get 30% of the revenue per gallon and anticipated growth rate of 34% from the financial year of 1997 to 1998. The proposed production capacity with the current initial outlay should reach to two million gallon by the end of 1998. Being a joint venture Coors is aiming to realise a signi ficant portion of debt by splitting the current portion of the revenue between Coors and Merrick in a ratio of 30/70. Splitting would enable Coors to realise 30% of the revenue per gallon of ethanol. Cost involved for the project consists of freight cost, which amounts to $300 per truck for number of 30 trucks per day. Cost also include 10% of the factory time in order to manage the processing of yeast (Horngren et al. 2013). The average wages, which will be incurred over production process, accounts for $9.33 per hour. On the other hand, as far as benefits are concerned an anticipated savings of $0.30 for transportation are more likely to be earned. Coors also anticipates revenue of 30% of the revenue per gallon with a benefit of 40 cents per gallon and a tax incentive of 51 cents per gallon would be add beneficial for ethanol production. To analyse the appropriate opportunity cost of the project Coors should consider the weighted average cost of capital. Significant data were gathered to take into the consideration the weighted average cost of capital (Indounas 2014). The average market return for the project is estimated on the monthly data, which represented 12.6%. The estimation of the premium risk was based on the market risk where index data reflected 8.29% by taking into the consideration the inflation rate of 1991-1995 depending upon the consumer price index of 3.1%. Coors further planned to use this data to obtain a real discount rate so that it can discount the projects cash flow. Furthermore, to evaluate the viability of the ethanol project the Weighted Average Cost of Capital along with the beta value of company should be considered to understand the viability of the project. This is because the Peter knows the beta value of the company. However, the WACC of pioneer group had been decided to evaluate and d raw a comparable result with its competitor (Ittner and Michels 2015). The beta value of Great Plains is estimated to be 1.84 and the computations are based on the regression results performed for the last five months return of Coors. Depending upon the quantitative analysis Peter Coors optioned that the stewardship of the environment should be viewed as both personality responsibility as well as value for public. He went a step further by evaluating the quantitative as well as the qualitative aspects of the projects. By evaluating, the project based on the qualitative data by taking into the consideration the economic, environmental and social issues, which are concerned with the project (Morano and Tajani 2013). By undertaking the data obtained from the quantitative analysis it provides diversification of benefits of investments for the production of ethanol production. This is because the production of ethanol is not related to the production of beer. The study also reflects that undertaking the quantitative analysis ethanol additives would help in reducing the footprint of carbon in environment. This helps in promoting positive public relations for the company by being a good steward of the environment. In researching the ethanol prices, it has been discovered that the average whole price or in other words the rack price of ethanol during the last five years commencing from 1991-1995 was approximately around $1.20 per gallons. It is assumed that the current selling price of $1.35 per gallon of ethanol would fall down to approximate $1.20 per gallon. The assumption is relatively based on relative stableness for the next five years (Peters and Wieder 2015). On the other hand, the average demand for the ethanol will be based on the average factory wages. It is assumed that the aggregate factory worker wages is approximated around $9.33 and the Coors plans to use seven employees by dividing the shift into three eight-hour shift per day for distillation process of ethanol. The sensitivity of the data is based on the projected market analysis as the entire estimation is based on the historical data. The data are collected for the computation of the required rate of return of equity. The sensitivity of the data is based on the average risk free rate for treasury bills of three month, which is estimated to be around 4.31%. Such data could be viewed as market risk as it is based on the assumptions of 1991 to 1995 with SP index of 8.29% (Pratt 2013). The sensitivity of data is based on the average inflation rate from 1991 to 1995 depending upon the consumer price index of 3.1%. The sensitivity of the data is also based on the capital structure of the company with as the information of market structure values and interest rates of various type inflations. In addition to the financial analysis qualitative factors forms the imperative part for any undertaking any project. In the current case study, qualitative elements consist of the environmental and social factors concerning the project. The managers have cited that the economic viability of the project seems to be well organised as it involves diversification. Project diversification for the current study consist of the benefits, which will be obtained from the investment made in the ethanol production (Horngren et al. 2013). It should be noted that the production of ethanol is not related to the business of beer production. Furthermore, certain illustrations of qualitative issues have also been highlighted in this project, which should not be ignored. As stated by John that VOC emission which contaminate air at the projected savings of $33.00 per Tc of carbon Dioxide provides ethanol with additional additives, which lowers down the carbon footprint of the environment. The qualitativ e measures help in establishing enhanced public relations for the organisation, which ultimately promotes a better stewardship of the environment. To conclude with the project regarding the perceived trade-off for doing well and doing good there were a large number of information that has been provided to perform the relevant projections concerning the project. Based on the certain information received a forecasted cash flow statement was pending to be prepared depending upon the information received for the project. Preparation of the forecasted cash flow would enable the managers of the project to produce the Performa of Income statement (Peters and Wieder 2015). After preparation of both the projected cash flow and income statement is prepared, the management need to decide the appropriate amount of beta value to be computed which would decide the feasibility of the project by reflecting the Weighted Average Cost of Capital. Once the discounted rate of figure is obtained from the computation, the management need to evaluate the feasibility of the ethanol projected by comparing the data or figure obtained from the current mar ket projects. In addition to the above stated analysis, the management also need to perform the sensitivity analysis, which Peter has asked with Rick to derive certain data needed to assess the financial feasibility of the ethanol venture (Ittner and Michels 2015). The managers could make the conclusion of investigating the data of sensitivity analysis, which would help in highlighting the changes to be made to the key variables in accordance with the several economic and operational perspective. This would enable the mangers to derive conclusion of the result obtained, which would form a key variable regarding the certain changes to be made in the variable inputs (Baucells and Borgonovo 2013). Changes to the variable inputs consist of the demand for ethanol, current or prevailing conditions of the economic state, existing oil crisis, and increased level of competition from different alternatives of fuels along with the operational efficiency. It is evident from the project that the managers still need to perform several works but the overall assessment of the project provides that the production of ethanol is environmentally friendly keeping in view the sustainability of the project (Morano and Tajani 2013). The decision of making an investment in sustainability of the project allowed the managers to evaluate several business issues relating to the finance cost, accounting, management of operations and environmental management. The degree of reducing waste disposal cost and generation of revenues is the focus point concerning the project as it significantly provides the management of encouraging investment in environmentally safe projects. Reference List: Aalto, H., 2012. The compliance of budgeting and forecasting methods with organization design.Administrative Science Quarterly,41(1), pp.61-89. Baucells, M. and Borgonovo, E., 2013. Invariant probabilistic sensitivity analysis.Management Science,59(11), pp.2536-2549. Channon, D.F. and Jalland, M., 2016.Multinational strategic planning. Springer. Deegan, C., 2012.Australian financial accounting. McGraw-Hill Education Australia. Edwards, J.R., 2013.A History of Financial Accounting (RLE Accounting)(Vol. 29). Routledge. Gal, T. and Greenberg, H.J. eds., 2012.Advances in sensitivity analysis and parametric programming(Vol. 6). Springer Science Business Media. Horngren, C.T., Sundem, G.L., Schatzberg, J.O. and Burgstahler, D., 2013.Introduction to management accounting. Pearson Higher Ed. Indounas, K., 2014. CASE STUDY on BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS.The ROI of Pricing: Measuring the Impact and Making the Business Case, p.142. Ittner, C.D. and Michels, J., 2015. Risk-Based Forecasting and Planning and Management Earnings Forecasts. Kaplan, R.S. and Atkinson, A.A., 2015.Advanced management accounting. PHI Learning. Mnster, J.G., Samuelsson, J., Kjeldsen, P., Rella, C.W. and Scheutz, C., 2014. Quantifying methane emission from fugitive sources by combining tracer release and downwind measurementsa sensitivity analysis based on multiple field surveys.Waste Management,34(8), pp.1416-1428. Morano, P. and Tajani, F., 2013. Break Even Analysis for the financial verification of urban regeneration projects. InApplied Mechanics and Materials(Vol. 438, pp. 1830-1835). Trans Tech Publications. Peters, M. and Wieder, B., 2015, October. Performance Measurement Information Systems: Do They Convey (Sustainable) Competitive Advantage? In8th Conference on Performance Measurement and Management Control. Pratt, J., 2013.Financial accounting in an economic context. Wiley Global Education.

The Use Of Symbolism In The Glass free essay sample

Menagerie Essay, Research Paper Symbolism is an facet used in several novels of today # 8217 ; s and yesterday # 8217 ; s universe. In the book, The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Willams, symbols are a major portion of this drama. As Tom, the storyteller, is a poet, and admits he has a failing for symbols. There are three outstanding symbols in this drama that stick out more than anything. One major symbol presented in the narrative is the fire flight, a symbol that has a different significance and map for each character. For Tom, it is a manner of flight from fire, non the normal type of fire that would necessitate a fire truck, but # 8220 ; the slow and implacable fires of human desperation. # 8221 ; This is particularly true of Tom # 8217 ; s flat. His female parent, devastated after her girl Laura # 8217 ; s failure to get by in concern college, becomes obsessed with happening her a gentleman company so that she can get married and be good supported. We will write a custom essay sample on The Use Of Symbolism In The Glass or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When this company eventually comes, and it seems like it was meant to be, as they dance and snog, he announces he is engaged, and destroys their hopes. The ever-fragile Laura, temporarily drawn out of her dream-world shell of her glass aggregation and the Victrola, draws farther back into herself. Now a awful despair fills the flat, and Tom decides he must get away the suffocating environment to follow his ain naming. The fire flight to him represents a way to the outside universe. For Laura, the fire flight is precisely the opposite # 8211 ; a way to the safe universe interior, a universe in which she can conceal. Especially symbolic is Laura # 8217 ; s autumn when falling the stairss to make a job for her female parent, after go forthing the security of the flat. This autumn symbolizes Laura # 8217 ; s inability to map in society and the outside universe. For Amanda, the fire flight is symbolic of her hopes and dreams # 8211 ; hopes and dreams that a gentleman company will get to get married her girl and go forth her good supported. This is the manner Jim comes into the flat, at the clip when Amanda # 8217 ; s hopes have been peaked. It is symbolic that Laura does non desire to open the door when Jim arrives. It shows her reluctance to allow a messanger from the universe of world, symbolized by Jim, invade the comfy non-existence of the flat, and her insecurity in covering with the exterior universe. Another repeating symbol in the narrative is that of the glass menagerie itself. This represents Laura # 8217 ; s oversensitivity and breakability. The first clip the menagerie is mentioned in any item in a symbolic mode is when Tom and Amanda have a heated statement near the beginning of the drama. Tom ends it by naming Amanda an # 8220 ; ugly babbling old enchantress # 8221 ; , and struggles to set his jacket on, purpose on go forthing. When he can non set the coat on decently, he becomes frustrated with his awkwardness, and throws it across the room, interrupting some of the glass aggregation. Laura # 8220 ; calls out as if wounded # 8221 ; . This shows how delicate Laura truly is, and how she r eacts even when their is a little alteration in her milieus. The most outstanding usage of this symbol comes at the turning point of the narrative, when Jim is left entirely with Laura. The conversation turns to Laura’s glass aggregation, when she comments â€Å"glass is something you have to take good attention of.† , once more demoing her breakability. More analogues are shown between Laura and the glass aggregation with the debut of the unicorn. Jim says â€Å"Poor small chap, he must experience kind of lonesome† to which Laura replies â€Å"He corsets on a shelf with some Equus caballuss that don’t have horns and all of them seem to acquire along nicely together.† The unicorn becomes a symbol for Laura–she is different. When Jim and Laura dance, and Jim by chance knocks the unicorn off the tabular array and its horn is broken, it loses its singularity. Similarly, when Jim kisses Laura and so shatters her hopes by stating her that heâ€⠄¢s engaged, she becomes broken-hearted, and less alone. Part of the artlessness that made Laura so different is gone, because both Laura and the glass menagerie interruption when exposed to the detached outside universe. When Laura gives Jim her broken unicorn, it symbolizes her broken bosom that Jim will take with him when he leaves. The unicorn is no longer alone like her, instead it is common now, like Jim, so she lets him maintain it. Merely as she gives Jim a small spot of herself to take with him, he leaves behind a small spot of himself with her shattered hopes. Finally, the symbol of rainbows is used throughout the narrative, but is less outstanding and obvious than those of the fire flight and the glass menagerie. Rainbows are traditionally a symbol of hope, and each clip the symbol is presented it is in a hopeful state of affairs. For case, when Tom comes back from the thaumaturgy show with a rainbow-coloured # 8216 ; charming # 8217 ; scarf, that can turn goldfish into Canary Islandss, who fly off. Just like the Canary Islandss, Tom besides hopes to wing off, from his flat. Following, the pendants which create rainbow contemplations at the Dance Hall can be seen as boding for the dance between Jim and Laura, which gives Laura hope that her jobs are solved. And at the terminal, when Tom looks at # 8220 ; pieces of coloured glass, like spots of a tattered rainbow, # 8221 ; he remembers his sister and hopes that he # 8220 ; can blow her tapers out # 8221 ; . There is besides a batch of sarcasm tied up in this symbol, in that although rainbows seem to be positive marks, they all end in letdown. Tennessee Williams has managed to make a fantastic and powerful drama utilizing a combination of different elements, with one being symbolism ; the fire flight, as a sense of hope, and an flight both to the outside universe and from it ; the glass menagerie, a symbol for Laura # 8217 ; s breakability and singularity ; and rainbows, as symbols of unfulfilled hopes and aspirations. Through these symbols a greater apprehension of the subject is realized, and # 8220 ; The Glass Menagerie # 8221 ; is made into a powerful heroic poem.

ESOPs Essays

ESOPs Essays ESOPs Essay ESOPs Essay There are numerous studies being conducted the world over to determine the interaction of several factors. Most of the research has the objective of evaluating the performance after the implementation of some programs. The business community from time to time institutes some programs that are thought to expand the business in one way or another. Various methodologies are available in literature and researchers are always presented with the difficulty of choosing one methodology over another. The varying methodologies are appropriate for different types of research and a clearer understanding of the advantages of one methodology over the other should be well known. This will lead to valid conclusions and enable researchers to make generalizations about the whole population.In 1974, the United States Congress enacted an Act aimed at encouraging employee own stock in the firms in which they worked. This was to be attained by introducing tax measures to encourage employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). These measures have seen the numbers of employee owned companies increase to close to ten thousand from just above 1500 such companies. The numbers of employees owning stock also have increase to over eight million (Rosen Quarrey, 1987). A recent study was aimed at finding how the ESOPs had affected the governance of the companies. The research intended to find if the plan had worked to improve profitability and performance at the companies. The study sought to cool of the debate on whether the enactment of these laws was advantageous.The objective of the study was to identify the whether the ESOP companies had recorded faster growth than the other companies. Another objective was to determine whether the employees vigorously contributed ideas that shaped the company to attain any successes. The study took a sample of 45 ESOP companies and data was collected for five years prior and after implementation of the plan. This study design could be compared to the classical experimental design in which subjects under study are divided into two groups: the experimental or treatment group and the control group. In this case, the treatment group was the companies that had implemented the plan while the control group was the other companies that did not implemented the plan.This classical design setup is the best placed design since it controls against other factors that could affect the results of the study. Due to the long duration under which the study was being conducted, there were many factors that could contribute to the success or failure of the companies. The design used in this study was therefore appropriate sine it incorporated the control group. The design also allowed for the pretest and posttest to be performed on the companies. The data collected was for the duration prior to the implementation of the plan and after. This amounts to applying a treatment to some companies and then observing the results after some t ime. The results are than compared with those of the control group. Chances of other factors being involved are therefore minimized. Internal validity test was thus fulfilled. The study controlled against external factors by comparing with industry growth.The data is the most important part of any research. The data to be collected should be relevant and in line with the set objectives. The data collected for this study was data on sales and employment rates. These were the variables to be tested and they were in line with the study objectives. The analysis of the data showed that the implementation of the plan caused a significant positive effect on the performance of the company. The growth of the companies were traced over the duration before the implementation of the plan and compared with the growth over the five years after the implementation. This comparison showed that the growth rates after the plan implementation was much higher. This was rightly concluded to mean that the plan was responsible for the growth.In the analysis of the data also, the study concluded that there were no other factors that could have contributed to the growth. This was based on the tests carried out on other factors and they did not show significant interactions. On whether the implementation of the plan improved corporate performance, the study showed positive change. The ESOP companies that implemented employee participation plans were found to grow up to four times faster than the other ESOPs that did not have such a plan. This again rightly means that encouraging employee participation cultivates better work attitude leading to success of the company overall.The analysis on the non-ESOP companies indicated mixed results when the employee participation plan was implemented. This led to the conclusion that the participation plan works best when the company has converted to an ESOP. The conclusion is valid. If the participation plan was the contributing factor alone to the success of a company, the non-ESOP companies should have equally shown similar results with those of the ESOP companies. The results should have been uniform. The conclusion that the employees participate more in the company’s decision making is therefore justifiable. The explanation that involving the employee’s decisions in the company’s management creates an enthusiasm that motivates them to work harder also holds true.The researchers identified that the companies that allow their employees to own shares with them have better chances of performing well. The companies that intend to change the attitudes of their employees to motivate them to work harder should therefore consider going the ESOP way. The research also concluded that the employees were more likely to be comfortable with their pay since they know the profits belong to them.The above study was well planned and the objectives were well defined at the onset. The variables to be measured had also been clearly defined. The data that was collected was appropriate in meeting the set objectives. The design used in this study allowed the researchers to control the effects from other factors making the results valid. The interpretations give are also based on the data and are correct.

A review on software industry in the Gulf region Research Paper

A review on software industry in the Gulf region - Research Paper Example â€Å"There are many problems associated with tracking software imports and exports in trade statistics.† (OECD, 37). These problems include the hazy differentiation between software and software media trade, trade of software being a part of hardware, lack of measuring mechanism for the sale of intellectual property in international market. (OECD, 37). For obvious reasons this obscurity is even graver in gulf region states, who stepped into this industry late in 20th century and most of the software applications are imported from developed countries. The production and development of software in developed countries have raised serious concerns for the integrity of software industry itself as the bulk productions to realize rapid economic gains has forced deviations from the recommended software development framework and guidelines. Committee on the Off-shoring of Engineering (COE, 66) observes, â€Å"Scholars conceded that the effects of off-shoring on the quality of work do ne in developed nations are uncertain because we do not know whether the productivity gains will be captured by the developing countries or the developed countries.† Quality assurance is a core subject of software engineering and this stands true in any region and domain for which the software is being developed. The deviation from this basic guiding principal of software engineering has surfaced several legal and quality issues in gulf countries. This is especially true for the gulf region where software production is either offshore or in foreign control. â€Å"The wealthy Gulf nations have long relied on foreign (mostly American) contractors to build and maintain much of their IT base.† (Carmel, Paul, 24). This over reliance on foreign expertise has given birth to a variety of legal issues in software ownership, , legitimate use, quality and maintenance. Redha (n.p) the Business Software Alliance Chair, Gulf Region, while surfacing his concerns on quality and legal i ssues stressed, â€Å"While the region is seeing rapidly growing technological adoption and internet penetration, which is contributing to overall economic growth, we need to ensure that this growth is not compromised through software piracy.† The quality issues in offshore products are a common observation because of the variance in environment and culture of the software developer and user. COE (197) observes, â€Å"When we consider off-shoring, we must remember that there is great variability in software objectives, job types, and practices around the world.† Obviously, this variability may cause quality issue in a region where environment, software quality requirements and job types are considerably different. The fact has instigated a profound realization among Gulf States to develop an indigenous software industry, which can cater local requirement with minimum quality issues and legal breaches. The Gulf States, specially Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are now maki ng concentrated efforts to groom local software industry and the commitment of local software companies in the region may achieve better results for growth of software industry. However, the lack of latest technologies and the dearth of software engineers with required skills are two major areas where they face bottlenecks. Still quality can

The Age of New Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Age of New Media - Essay Example But, the flip side to all such developments is that the technology is also being used by some anti-social groups to carry out some destructive activities. For example, the terror network of groups like Al-Qaida etc. has been quite active in making use of networking, satellite communication etc. to shape up the nasty designs and thus causing tension in the society. Well, such groups have their own versions of truth, which they claim to be the motivation behind such acts. Therefore the governments of the world are supposed to come out with measures which can detect such designs and take corrective steps. The business world today has become quite competitive. With shrinking profit margins and high levels of competition, the corporate world has been trying to minimise the costs associated with the production and manufacturing of goods and services. Minimising the pilferage happens to be another key motive during the production and transportation of goods and services. Therefore the company management tries out ways and means to take effective control of such happenings and plan out strategies to counter them. Similarly, the retail industry is known to have a number of items on display in such a manner that customers can have a reassuring look at the items and if they feel convinced, they can purchase those products. But there are occasions when some unscrupulous elements try to lift the items without the knowledge of the sales person. To avoid such shop-lifting attempts, retail stores are supposed to put in place a mechanism so that they can keep an eye on suspicious elements. All such developments point out to one common phenomenon known as surveillance. If we take a look at the history of surveillance, the image of a burly spy in trench-coat standing on the roadside corner in the rain keeping an eye on the movement of the general public immediately comes to our mind. But the system of surveillance has graduated from this scenario and today the spy is not required to sweat out in the hot summer or drench himself in the rain, he can gather all the information on his desktop, laptop, palmtop, mobile or other handy gadgets, at the press of a button, thanks to the information gathering network. Though the modus operandi defers depending upon the importance and strategic nature of the surveillance, but one factor common in all such acts is the monitoring of our actions in different measure. While on the one hand we have biometrics machines on airports, railway stations, bus station, important offices etc. the RF tagging is used to keep an eye on goods as well as the movement of the workforce at many companies. A report brought out by the surveillance society in the year 2006 pointed out that the heightened concerns in view of the levels of intrusion in citizen's lives2. There are of course the incidents like the 9/11 attacks, the London bombing, the Mumbai shootout, the Pakistani bomb blasts, the Afghanistan war etc. which require intelligence inputs so that the terror elements are not in a position to work out similar incidents, but at