Human resource TOPIC Discuss the extent it would be worthwhile

Essays on Human resource TOPIC: Discuss the extent it would be worthwhile performing job analysis on complex and senior job roles Outline Job analysis on complex and senior job roles al affiliation Job analysis on complex and senior job roles This essay shall aim at giving the definition of job analysis and the importance of conducting job analysis on complex and senior job roles. According to Pynes (2008) job analysis is the practice whereby job descriptions as well as the requirements of a particular job are put into perspective. To conduct successful job analysis, it is vital that data on various jobs are collected and analyzed. Analysis of leadership capacity among senior officials has indicated to be an uphill task for many officials in the organizations. It is in light to this argument that, a myriad of assessment tools have been devised over the years. The introduction of the essay shall commence with a debate on the importance of carrying out job analysis in the workplace. In this case, it is vital that prior to carrying out job analysis, companies must always guarantee that prior to recruiting employees, definition and articulation of job requirements is properly done. Focus shall also be shifted on ensuring that, the parties concerned with hiring are keen to ensure that the organization is in a much better position to establish if the new executives are well informed on their tasks as employees. The introduction shall also confer whether the work of executives is really quantifiable. The body of the essay revolves around questions of whether job analysis of senior positions is really worth and applicable to the contemporary workplaces. The purposes of job analysis will also be discussed which are inclusive of the fact that job analysis is vital for making decisions regarding the training needs of the employees. This can be done through coming up contents that need to be assessed and what methodologies can be applied to come up with the best forms of training in the organizations. In this case, the employers are also able to devise the equipment that would allow for effective training in the workplace. Secondly, job analysis is a good basis on which compensation of employees would be possible in the workplace, through description of what would happen in the case of deviating from the job responsibilities or exposure to hazards in the workplace. Additionally, job analysis is useful for selecting specific roles an individual should perform, the salary levels, evaluate the employees as well as devise the best evaluation strategies. Finally, job analysis is useful for identification of the objectives of the job, setting the evaluation criteria, and what aspects should evaluated, so as to assess if the employees are on the right track. This concept shall be linked to organizations that are keen to assess the performance of its employees and weigh if the employees are fit enough for their jobs. The leaders are also assessed on their ability to lead their organizations and impart a change on the existing systems. This is only possible through job analysis of the employees selected for the senior positions in then organization. Secondly, the body of the essay shall draw attention to the concept of job analysis by focusing on the probability to quantify the kind of jobs in an organization. This is to mean that, there is a possibility that evaluation on top jobs can only be done through job analysis. Focus on the developments that have taken place in the field and the benefits of job analysis, will also be scrutinized. However, in as many developments have occurred through job analysis, it is imperative that employees follow strictly the aspects of job analysis, not on the employees but the jobs. Job analysis can only be possible if the entire system is designed in such a way that it is good enough to provide applicable outcomes a good portion of the time. Werner, Schuler Jackson (2011, pp.151) indicate that massive changes have been indicated in terms of job analysis through an expansion of the field of psychological and attitudinal testing. In this line to this argument, the body shall endeavor to highlight the strengths of job analysis. With time, Human resource managers seem to embrace a philosophy that every worker can be assessed and that every job can be quantified. Many companies embraced the assessment of employees at the highest levels, promoting the idea that executives should not be subject to such demeaning treatment (Kossen Drafke, 2002). This means that it would not be worthwhile performing job analysis on complex and senior job roles. However, the question of how human resource persons measure, what they could not see, define, or even articulate is of great concern. Lastly, the body shall focus on the viability of human resource tools in measuring senior level capacity, such as questionnaires and interviews on employees. Accuracy cannot be jeopardized in the case of job analysis, and as Zaccaro, et al. (2006, pp. 140) indicates, selection of the analysis of jobs must be based on well thought- of ideas and that the executive leaders cannot be assessed on the confines of job analysis of a particular measure, as the entire concept is too broad. On a brief overview, job analysis can only be possible through imposition of an objective means of assessment. In as much job analysis has been linked with the ability to assess senior and complex roles of senior officials, all the niches must be filled to come up with the best assessment model. The conclusion shall be based on the fact that it is important that the human resource officials come up with the best model for job analysis, as the current systems are associated with a lot of errors. This is backed up with the comprehensive research done regarding the topic. Job analysis of the senior role in an organization is beneficial (Hogan Kaiser, 2008, pp.22). This is for the reason that, selection of the best candidates is done with minimal errors and favoritism. References Hogan, R., Kaiser, R. B. (2008) Learning a lesson in executive selection. Leadership in Action, 27, 22-24. Kossen, S. Drafke, M. (2002). The human side of organizations. New York: Prentice Hall. Pynes, J. (2008). Human resources management for public and nonprofit organizations: a strategic approach. New York: John Wiley Sons. Werner, S., Schuler, R. Jackson, S. (2011) Managing Human Resources. London: Cengage Learning. Zagorsek, H., Stough, S. J., Jaklic, M. (2006) Analysis of the reliability of the leadership practices inventory in the item response theory framework. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 14, 180-191.

Rejuvenating a Mature Business Free Essays

The last two decades has seen a revolution in management accounting theory and practice due to the challenges of the competitive environment in the 1980s. Kaplan and Johnson (1987) identified the failings and obsolescence of existing cost and performance measurement systems which led to re-examination of traditional cost accounting and management control systems. Conventional financial and management accounting methods have developed primarily as a result of corporate legislation in the 1930s forcing companies to provide externally published financial accounts. We will write a custom essay sample on Rejuvenating a Mature Business or any similar topic only for you Order Now Management accounting is primarily focused as a decision making tool for running a business, hence they require more flexibility. According to Kaplan management accounts have become a subset of financial accounts and that they reflect more on the external rather than internal requirements of the company. Most of the managerial decision-making and control systems in use in the late 1980s were described by Johnson and Kaplan as stagnant. As a result, they went onto research in new accounting systems raising the profile of internal accounting systems by use of financial and non-financial measures although their work was seen as controversial by Drury but is now considered of key importance to manufacturing industries aiming to become world class. This essay aims to discuss the ways in which new management accounting techniques can bring life into mature businesses, in particular those using non-financial measures. Most companies still use the same cost accounting and management control systems that were developed decades ago in a competitive environment drastically different from today. These systems have major drawbacks described below: They distort product costs i.e. absorption of production overheads into product costs for the purpose of stock valuation. The external financial reporting process was purely driving this allocation of overheads for stock valuation. They do not produce the key non-financial data required for effective and efficient operations, hence they are of little help to operating managers† seeking to reduce costs and improve productivity. The data produced reflected on external reporting requirements far more than the reality of the new manufacturing environment. Failure to provide accurate product costs as they were distributed by simplistic and arbitrary measures usually direct labour based. The short term profit pressures led to a decline in long term investment. These poorly designed or outdated systems can distort the realities of manufacturing performance. As companies become more efficient by using new technologies, labour costs are accounting for a smaller proportion of a company†s overall cost, hence the allocation of overheads to labour hours will become irrelevant and counter-productive to the company†s operations. The most enduring management accounting innovation was the return on investment (ROI) measure which provided an overall measure of the financial performance of each operating units or the entire company. The ROI, initially developed by Du Pont and General Electric in the early 20th century, came about due to the excessive focus on achieving short-term financial performance. As ROI control was introduced, managers aimed to achieve good performance by making operating and investment decisions on developing new and better products/processes, increasing sales and reducing operating costs. But it later became evident that during hard times, when sales were decreasing and operating costs were increasing, ROI targets could still be achieved through financial entrepreneurship by reducing discretionary expenses and exploiting accounting conventions. The creation of wealth through these activities will not help companies survive as world-class competitors. Problems of ROI are only surfacing now because of: the difference in size of organisations, changes in the competitive environment and the rapid movement of technology less pressure for short-term financial performance in the last two decades current managers have little knowledge of their organisation†s technology hence they rely on creating value through accounting activities Cooper and Kaplan introduce the Activity Based Costing (ABC) systems for manufacturing expenses as a replacement for traditional cost allocation systems. ABC is an internal accounting system designed to track overheads to cost units. ABC attempts to track overhead costs to units as accurately as possible hence the concept of the cost driver is essential to this system. A cost driver is a unit measure of a particular overhead that can be assigned to a user of that overhead. For example, in attempting to allocate administration overheads to products, the cost driver may be the number of invoices generated for that product. Hence the product generating most invoices will acquire the largest share of the administration overhead. There does not have to be one driver per overhead. There can be more drivers per overhead if they are relevant to the organisation. The ABC model is shown below: A more accurate means of allocating overheads means that product costs can now be more accurately assessed. ABC analysis allows companies to discover profitable products that have not been properly exploited because the correct costs had not been appreciated. If unit costs are based on budgeted capacity rather than actual, ABC highlights excess capacity because only consumed capacity is allocated via cost drivers. Hence there is a now a measure of excess capacity. This takes away the focus of meeting budgets at all costs and instead focuses on continuous improvement. Product costing is not the only use of ABC. By finding appropriate drivers and cost units, overheads can be assigned to anything that uses them. This allows sales and marketing costs to be assigned both to the products and customers. Traditional systems do not take into account costs generated by customers. For organisations concerned with customer focus, ABC will give valuable insights into customer behaviour. The other benefits of using ABC are its focus on continuous improvement, its measurement of activities at the process level, its provision of accurate cost data including those generated by the customers, and it is geared for the medium term (3-5 years). An extension of ABC is Activity Based Management (ABM), where using the cost drivers, a deeper understanding of the process is enabled. By measuring activity and costs, ABM has a system to monitor continuous improvement and manages a business from a process perspective rather than a departmental one. Therefore it can make decisions based on accurate process level information. A greater understanding of factors critical to the success of manufacturing organisations is needed. Accounting researchers can play a critical role in this effort by attempting to develop non-financial measures of manufacturing performance like quality, productivity, inventory innovation and workforce . A particular challenge is to de-emphasise focus on short-term financial measures and develop indicators that are more consistent with long-term competitiveness and profitability. The challenge of improving a firm†s manufacturing performance is particularly relevant to managerial accountants as they are supposed to provide information for planning and decision making. Therefore, measurement systems for today†s manufacturing operations must consider the following non-financial indicators of manufacturing performance: Quality is emerging as perhaps the most important factor if companies are trying to excel as world-class competitors. U.S. firms typically inspect quality into products whereas Japanese manufacturing is dedicated to eliminating all product defects. Quality is planned and thought into the product at all stages of manufacture including design and supplier specifications. Further commitment is required in training employees, maintenance of equipment and integrating with suppliers. With this embedded into the processes the goal of achieving zero defects can be achieved. Executives claim that manufacturing costs decrease as quality increases thus a continuous drive to reduce product defects will enhance the long run productivity of the production process . Managers tend to use the economic order quantity (EOQ) model which helps in determining the cost balance between an additional set-up (for a new production run or change of product) to the cost of holding inventory. If set-up costs could be driven to zero and by just-in-time inventory control systems implementation firms would hold less inventory and raw materials. These would result to lesser costs in holding material that has no value being added to it. In addition, reducing uncertainties in deliveries from suppliers through close co-ordination can enable factories to run without any raw materials in stock. Reducing machine breakdowns also contributes significantly toward reducing work-in-process (WIP). Thus by investing in information systems and integrating with suppliers, inventory costs can be reduced significantly and accurate information on the company†s manufacturing performance can be obtained. Productivity measures for manufacturing performance have not yet been considered as part of the information that will help managers in decision making and control activities. These measures should be a supplement to financial measures that highlight improvements. Developing new productivity measures would thus be a fruitful field for accountants. There are companies present whose competitive strategy is based on the introduction of new products with unique characteristics, rather than producing mature products with lower costs. These companies will only succeed if their products are introduced at the right time and have features that are desired by their customers. Companies that are forced to produce these products on existing line, due to lack of space, will have to directly monitor the performance, quality and delivery and disregard traditional measurements which put an emphasis on efficiency. The attitudes, skills and morale of employees are important if companies are to succeed in achieving their goals. Investing in skills training, conducting surveys of employee attitudes etc by human resources are all critical if employees are to share company goals. It is clear from the above indicators of manufacturing performance that non-financial measures are essential in rejuvenating mature businesses to become world-class. Executives are also aware that traditional accounting measures like ROI can give misleading information on continuous improvement and innovation which current competitive environments demand. Managers want a balanced presentation of both financial and operational measures which led Kaplan and Norton to devise a balanced scorecard that incorporated both such measurements. The scorecard aids the building of a comprehensive picture of the company†s health and effectiveness in achieving its goals. The balanced scorecard includes financial measures that produces results on actions already taken and is complemented by operational measures on customer satisfaction, internal business processes, innovation and learning activities. It is these operational measures that will fuel the performance of future financial measures. The balanced scorecard yields several benefits, including the ability to bridge the gap between objectives of high level executives and those of front-line workers whose performance is ultimately responsible for reaching the company†s goals. Rather than focusing on short-term financial results, which can blind management to internal efficiency and lead to continued revenue losses, chief executives can benefit by using the balanced scorecard as a strategic management system for translating strategy into action at all levels of the enterprise. How to cite Rejuvenating a Mature Business, Essay examples

African American Culture free essay sample

Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions, many practices, values and beliefs survived and over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. There are even certain facets of African American culture that were brought into being or made more prominent as a result of slavery; an example of this is how drumming became used as a means of communication and establishing a community identity during that time. The result is a dynamic, creative culture that has had and continues to have a profound impact on mainstream American culture and on world culture as well. After Emancipation, these uniquely African American traditions continued to grow. They developed into distinctive traditions in music, art, literature, religion, food, holidays, amongst others. While for some time sociologists, such as Gunnar Myrdal and Patrick Moynihan, believed that African Americans had lost most cultural ties with Africa, anthropological field research by Melville Hersovits and others demonstrated that there is a continuum of African traditions among Africans in the New World from the West Indies to the United States. These practices include dancing, shouts and African rhythms and enthusiastic singing. Another religion practice in the black culture is Islam. Islam was founded in Detroit Michigan in the 1930’s by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad. Many blacks converted to Islam because they believed that Christianity was what the white slave owners used to control the minds of blacks. Today Islam in the black community is made up of black Americans that come from various backgrounds. The last most common religious practice is Judaism. There are a little over 150,000 African Americans that practice Judaism today. Some of these are members to mainstream Jewish groups like the reform, conservative, or orthodox branches of Judaism. Others belong to non-mainstream Jewish groups like black Hebrew Israelites. The socioeconomic status in black American is a lot different from other status in the American culture, somewhat to the lower end. The median of income in the African American families is just over 34,218, the lowest of any racial group. One out of every five black families lives in poverty. Black men in America hold the highest rate for unemployment, nearly doubling for Caucasian men. Black men that are employed have the second highest median earnings of any other minority group. Single black women with children median income is 29,958. Nearly one out of every three black households is headed by a single woman, highest in female-headed households. Forty percent of the black single mothers are considered poor. African Americans make up 12. 9 percent of the United States population. They are the second largest minority population, following Hispanics. Majority of the blacks live in the south totaling up 55. 6 percent of the black population. The top three states being Mississippi, Louisiana and Georgia. The state that has the highest population of African Americans is New York. The African American culture is much bigger than a micro culture. This is because a micro-culture is a small group of people who share the same values, beliefs, and behaviors. The reason why the African American culture is not a micro culture is because there are all types of black Americans of all different types just like any other race. For example you have African Americans the practice different religions. You also have black Americans that come from all over the United States in different cities and neighborhoods with different ways of living and growing up. There are a few concepts in the text that are relevant to the African American culture. The first concept is one of the biggest and that is stereotyping. The systematic study of racial and ethnic stereotypes began in the United States in the 1930s with a study conducted by David Katz and Kenneth Braly. They presented college students with a list of 84 adjectives (lazy, ignorant, and stupid. ) and the traits that came up for black Americans were superstitious, lazy, happy go luck, ignorant, musical, religious. They found out all those traits came up consistently on each students list. Since then there has been a number of different researchers that have replicated Katz and Braly work. In today’s world you find and still here a lot of the stereotypes such as blacks are more athletic, their very loud, they all live in bad neighborhoods, they don’t work. There are a lot of different explanations and ideas why stereotypes on African Americans seem to dominate people’s way of thinking. For example stereotypes are well established in children’s memories well before they acquire the intellectual ability to question or evaluate them. By seeing how parents act and talk about the black community. We also get stereotype ideas by what is on the television and movies now days. The movies and shows always seem to try to make the â€Å"stereotypical† black man or woman. Another Concept that is relevant to the black American culture is the Black English dialect, and Ebonics. A primary way in which members of culture group define themselves and establish in-group and out-group identities is through verbal language. African American differs in their use of language, which is labeled as â€Å"Black language†, â€Å"Black Dialect†. The term Ebonics was first brought up in 1973 and refers to a grammatically complex African American speech pattern. Ebonics or Black language is a unique language created by the slaves. According to John Rickford an Ebonics scholar. He explains Ebonic pronunciations include the omission of the final consonant in words like pas (past) or han (hand) and the pronouncement of the vowel in words like my ride (mah rahd). Overall the African American speech acts are more animated, lively, and forceful than a lot of other cultures speeches. The last relevant concept that will be discussed is the culture and cognition. Culture and cognition refers to people from different areas and backgrounds and how they view and see things. This comes into play with African Americans that grow up in poverty or live with a single parent. Even though this can be associated with any race and culture its more likely with black Americans. With watching an interview on real sports with Bryan Gumble there was a black American on there and he explained the difference between black children growing up and every other culture you had to focus on only one thing to get out of poverty, his reference was â€Å"the hood†. He explained that growing up the only thing that could get black children out of the hood was sports. It wasn’t good grades and doing well in school because that was just a bonus. He said good grades wouldn’t pay for college but a football or basketball scholarship would. By all that he didn’t think a lot of other cultures had to worry about those things, that’s what made African American think and act different in different situations. In conclusion, the African American culture has many different religions they practice; they stay in all parts of the United States and just like multiple other cultures, people seem to stereotype. All in all the African American culture is one of the more diverse cultures out there.

Overview of Distribution Channels

The world of marketing channels is a dynamic and ever changing place that offers some of the most exciting challenges known to business professionals. Whenever a new opportunity to make money appears, a new marketing channel is often created. In some fast changing markets, business possibilities emerge so rapidly, radically transforming the distribution channels. Often times, this is so frustrating for channel managers, who must decide which channels are correct for their company, product, and market places.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of Distribution Channels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A distribution channels are a group of people and firms involved in the transfer of title or ownership as the product moves from the producer to the ultimate consumer. The American Marketing Association describes a distribution channels as the structure of intra company organization units and extra company agent s, dealers, wholesalers and retailers through which a commodity, product or service is marketed (Havaldar and Cavale, 2006). In short, distribution channels are nothing but intermediaries or middlemen between the producer and the consumer. Distribution channels are there because the producers can not reach all their customers. They help to multiply reach and provide efficiency to the marketing process. Furthermore, they have the core competence and the reach which a company may not have and they can do this entire process more cost effectively. According to Havaldar and Cavale (2006), distribution channels can broadly be classified as follows: Sales Channel This has the function of motivating buyers, sharing information between the consumer and company, negotiating fair bargains for the consumer, and financing the transactions. A distributor for Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company would perform all these functions for the company by dealing with retailers and wholesalers who stock and sell the company products. Delivery Channel This is regarded as the primary job of a clearing and forwarding company and, is typically meant for physical transactions only. A clearing and forwarding company for Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company would ensure that the orders received from the company for the company distributors would be physically delivered to them on time and in full. The clearing and forwarding company would also receive and stock the company products for distribution. Service Channel This is mainly concerned with the after sales service. This will ensure that Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company is able to address any issues brought up by clients after the actual distribution has taken place.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A number of distribution channels are available and may be used by a company depending on preference. They include company owned distribution centers, dis tributors, value added resellers and agents, who could be exclusive, or shared, wholesalers who stock and sell a variety of products including that of competition and, retailers who are the ultimate and direct connect with the end user and consumer. For industrial products, a company’s own sales and marketing team could also serve as part of the channel system. Each channel member has unique characteristics and serves some objectives for the companies doing business in a given market or geographical area. Analysis of Target Market’s Needs This part contains information about the needs of the target market. In the first place, the target market is densely populated. In addition, the target population seems attracted to the Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company products and the existing companies are not able to satisfy the market demand. Clearly, this lessens the company’s advertising burden. However, despite the fact that the existing companies are not able to meet the ma rket demand, they have been offering high quality services. This implies that Oatmeal/Quaker Oats will be required to work extremely hard to differentiate its products and services from those of other players in the sector. Secondly, and to Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company’s advantage, there is a small market segment that is yet to be penetrated by any of the players. With such a niche, Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company is assured of setting foot in a section of the target market without fierce competition (Pinson, 2008). Over and above what has been said above, the trend in the target market indicates that the need for the company’s products and services will continue to increase. This can be attributed to the fact that there is an influx of people from other areas coming to live in the target market. In essence, this has the effect of increasing the area’s population. Choice of Channel Members Although there are a variety of channel members who may be used by Oatmeal/Qua ker Oats Company, it is advisable for the company to use wholesalers and retailers for effectiveness. Furthermore, an indirect rather than direct distribution approach will improve the company’s performance. Using an indirect approach to distribution will enable Oatmeal/Quaker Oats Company to create a strong relationship with customers by taking advantage of the wholesalers and retailers. In this case, wholesalers and retailers will act as the middlemen to deliver products and services to the customers.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Overview of Distribution Channels specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Number of Channel Members As has been indicated in the preceding section, wholesalers and retailers are the two channel members who will be used in the distribution of products and services to customers. This number of channel members has been chosen strategically in order to avoid dealing with a very complex distribution system. Channel Organization The channel organization will be as illustrated by figure 1. Figure 1: Channel Organization The figure shows the flow of products for the company to the consumer. Once the company has done its production, the products are dispatched to the wholesalers using the company’s transportation facilities. The wholesaler then makes arrangements to get the products to the retailers. Finally, it the retailer who makes sure that products end up with the consumers. References Havaldar, K. K., Cavale, V. M. (2006). Sales Distribution Mgmt. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Education. Pinson, L. J. (2008). Anatomy of a Business Plan: The Step-By-Step Guide to Building Your Business and Securing Your Company’s Future. Tustin, CA: Aka Associates.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This essay on Overview of Distribution Channels was written and submitted by user Coleman Burton to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

3 Problematic Parentheticals

3 Problematic Parentheticals 3 Problematic Parentheticals 3 Problematic Parentheticals By Mark Nichol Each of the following sentences is muddled because a parenthetical phrase is incorrectly punctuated. Discussion of each example explains the problem, and one or more revisions resolve it. 1. This phase consists of a management experience whose intensity and scope has few, if any rivals. The phrase â€Å"if any† is a parenthetical- a sentence element that is not essential to the sentence but provides additional information or otherwise modifies the main clause. Parenthetical phrases must be set off with a pair of punctuation marks (parentheses, dashes, or, most commonly, commas): â€Å"This phase consists of a management experience whose intensity and scope has few, if any, rivals.† 2. The operational risks of widespread automation, for example loss of service and technical problems around delivery, could lead to wholesale firms being unable to transact. The parenthetical phrase â€Å"for example† must be set off from the stated example, which itself, with the parenthetical, must be set off from the main clause: â€Å"The operational risks of widespread automation- for example, loss of service and technical problems around delivery- could lead to wholesale firms being unable to transact.† (Parentheses can replace the dashes, but to introduce a pair of commas would obscure the hierarchy of parenthesis within parenthesis.) 3. Smith, the superintendent of the park who has studied the history of the colony, said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past. The parenthetical phrase that describes Smith includes a phrase singling him out as one of two or more superintendents and identifies him as the one who has studied the history of the colony. However, Smith is the only superintendent, and the reference to his studies is additional, parenthetical information, so that phrase must be set off as a parenthesis modifying a parenthesis: â€Å"Smith, the park’s superintendent, who has studied the history of the colony, said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past.† Alternatively, the sentence can be reworded so that â€Å"the park’s superintendent† is the only parenthetical; â€Å"has studied the history of the colony† becomes the balance of the main clause, and the wording about his comment becomes an additional independent clause preceded by a conjunction: â€Å"Smith, the park’s superintendent, has studied the history of the colony, and he said the photos are a reminder of the state’s rich and influential past.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives25 Russian Words Used in English (and 25 More That Should Be)Titled versus Entitled

A Beginners Guide to the Enlightenment

A Beginners Guide to the Enlightenment The Enlightenment has been defined in many different ways, but at its broadest was a philosophical, intellectual and cultural movement of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It stressed reason, logic, criticism, and freedom of thought over dogma, blind faith, and superstition. Logic wasn’t a new invention, having been used by the ancient Greeks, but it was now included in a worldview which argued that empirical observation and the examination of human life could reveal the truth behind human society and self, as well as the universe. All were deemed to be rational and understandable. The Enlightenment held that there could be a science of man  and that the history of mankind was one of progress, which could be continued with the right thinking. Consequently, the Enlightenment also argued that human life and character could be improved through the use of education and reason. The mechanistic universe – that is to say, the universe when considered to be a functioning machine – could also be altered. The Enlightenment thus brought interested thinkers into direct conflict with the political and religious establishment; these thinkers have even been described as intellectual â€Å"terrorists† against the norm. They challenged religion with the scientific method, often instead favoring deism. The Enlightenment thinkers wanted to do more than understand, they wanted to change for, as they believed, the better: they thought reason and science would improve lives. When Was the Enlightenment? There is no definitive starting or ending point for the Enlightenment, which leads many works to simply say it was a seventeenth and eighteenth-century phenomena. Certainly, the key era was the second half of the seventeenth century and almost all of the eighteenth. When historians have given dates, the English Civil wars and revolutions are sometimes given as the start, as they influenced Thomas Hobbes and one of the Enlightenment’s (and indeed Europe’s) key political works, Leviathan. Hobbes felt that the old political system had contributed to the bloody civil wars and searched for a new one, based on the rationality of scientific inquiry. The end is usually given as either the death of Voltaire, one of the key Enlightenment figures, or the start of the French Revolution. This is often claimed to have marked the downfall of the Enlightenment, as attempts to rework Europe into a more logical and egalitarian system collapsed into bloodshed which killed leading writers. Its possible to say that we are still in the Enlightenment, as we still have many of the benefits of their development, but Ive also seen it said were in a post-Enlightenment age. These dates do not, in themselves, constitute a value judgment. Variations and Self-Consciousness One problem in defining the Enlightenment is that there was a great deal of divergence in the leading thinkers views, and it is important to recognize that they argued and debated with each other over the correct ways to think and proceed. Enlightenment views also varied geographically, with thinkers in different countries going in slightly different ways. For instance, the search for a â€Å"science of man† led some thinkers to search for the physiology of a body without a soul, while others searched for answers to how humanity thought. Still, others tried to map humanity’s development from a primitive state, and others still looked at the economics and politics behind social interaction. This might have led to some historians wishing to drop the label Enlightenment were it not for the fact that the Enlightenment thinkers actually called their era one of Enlightenment. The thinkers believed that they were intellectually better off than many of their peers, who were still in a superstitious darkness, and they wished to literally ‘lighten’ them and their views. Kant’s key essay of the era, â€Å"Was ist Aufklrung† literally means â€Å"What is Enlightenment?†, and was one of a number of responses to a journal which had been trying to pin down a definition. Variations in thought are still seen as part of the general movement. Who Was Enlightened? The spearhead of the Enlightenment was a body of well-connected writers and thinkers from across Europe and North America who became known as the philosophes, which is the French for philosophers. These leading thinkers formulated, spread and debated the Enlightenment in works including, arguably the dominant text of the period, the Encyclopà ©die. Where historians once believed that the philosophes were the sole carriers of Enlightenment thought, they now generally accept that they were merely the vocal tip of a much more widespread intellectual awakening among the middle and upper classes, turning them into a new social force. These were professionals such as lawyers and administrators, office holders, higher clergy and landed aristocracy, and it was these who read the many volumes of Enlightenment writing, including the Encyclopà ©die and soaked up their thinking. Origins of the Enlightenment The scientific revolution of the seventeenth century shattered old systems of thinking  and allowed new ones to emerge. The teachings of the church and Bible, as well as the works of classical antiquity so beloved of the Renaissance, were suddenly found lacking when dealing with scientific developments. It became both necessary and possible for philosophes (Enlightenment thinkers) to begin applying the new scientific methods - where empirical observation was first applied to the physical universe - to the study of humanity itself to create a â€Å"science of man†. There was not a total break, as the Enlightenment thinkers still owed a lot to Renaissance humanists, but they believed they were undergoing a radical change from past thought. Historian Roy Porter has argued that what in effect happened during the Enlightenment was that the overarching Christian myths were replaced by new scientific ones. There is a lot to be said for this conclusion, and an examination of how science is being used by commentators does seem to greatly support it, although thats a highly controversial conclusion. Politics and Religion In general, Enlightenment thinkers argued for freedom of thought, religion, and politics. The philosophes were largely critical of Europe’s absolutist rulers, especially of the French government, but there was little consistency: Voltaire, critic of the French crown, spent some time at the court of Frederick II of Prussia, while Diderot traveled to Russia to work with Catherine the Great; both left disillusioned. Rousseau has attracted criticism, especially since World War 2, for appearing to call for authoritarian rule. On the other hand, liberty was widely espoused by Enlightenment thinkers, who were also largely against nationalism and more in favor of international and cosmopolitan thinking. The philosophes were deeply critical, indeed even openly hostile, to the organized religions of Europe, especially the Catholic Church whose priests, pope, and practices came in for severe criticism. The philosophes were not, with perhaps some exceptions like Voltaire at the end of his life, atheists, for many still believed in a god behind the mechanisms of the universe, but they railed against the perceived excesses and constraints of a church they attacked for using magic and superstition. Few Enlightenment thinkers attacked personal piety and many believed religion performed useful services. Indeed some, like Rousseau, were deeply religious, and others, like Locke, worked out a new form of rational Christianity; others became deists. It was not religion which irked them, but the forms and corruption of those religions. Effects of the Enlightenment The Enlightenment affected many areas of human existence, including politics; perhaps the most famous examples of the latter are the US Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. Parts of the French Revolution are often attributed to the Enlightenment, either as recognition or as a way to attack the philosophes by pointing to violence such as the Terror as something they unwittingly unleashed. There is also debate about whether the Enlightenment actually transformed popular society to match it, or whether it was itself transformed by society. The Enlightenment era saw a general turn away from the dominance of the church and the supernatural, with a reduction in belief in the occult, literal interpretations of the Bible and the emergence of a largely secular public culture, and a secular â€Å"intelligentsia† able to challenge the previously dominant clergy. The Enlightenment of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries era was followed by that of a reaction, Romanticism, a turn back to the emotional instead of the rational, and a counter-Enlightenment. For a while, in the nineteenth century, it was common for the Enlightenment to be attacked as the liberal work of utopian fantasists, with critics pointing out there were plenty of good things about humanity not based on reason. Enlightenment thought was also attacked for not criticizing the emerging capitalist systems. There is now a growing trend to arguing that the results of the Enlightenment are still with us, in science, politics and increasingly in western views of religion, and that we are still in an Enlightenment, or heavily influenced post-Enlightenment, age. More on the effects of the Enlightenment. There has been a lean away from calling anything progress when it comes to history, but youll find the Enlightenment easily attracts people willing to call it a great step forward.

Organ sale Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organ sale - Essay Example It is time the government legalized the sale of organs. Legalization of organ sales will lower vital organs-related deaths boosting the supply of such organs, eliminating illicit organ markets, allowing access to cheaper organ transplant, and compensate donors, as revealed from the Iranian system of organ transplantation. The demand for organs is overwhelming, and yet the supply is far more muted. Right now, over 85,000 people in U.S. alone are on the list of those waiting for organs (Calandrillo 72). Out of these, a majority (about 60,000) requires a kidney, 17,000 are in desperate need of a liver, 4,000 are hoping for a lung while 3,500 are desperate for a heart. The organs are the most important for the survival of any human being. Any defect in them can shorten a person’s life within a short period. The patients on the waitlist thus urgently need them as they are living on borrowed time. However, the supply of these organs is shockingly far much less. Calandrillo says that the year 2003 saw organs harvest from only 13,000 individuals to facilitate the mere 25,000 transplants in the U.S. (72). It means that the many patients who were not successful to get a required organ sadly died. Ironically, the painful shortage is because a majority of the organs goes to the grave when the owners die. A lack of donation-appropriate organs is not a primary cause. A bumper sticker once read, â€Å"Please do not take your organs with you to heaven. Heaven understands that we are desperate for them here on the earth† (The Economist). Each year witnesses many Americans die in ways that would make it possible for an organ harvest. For example, some die in road accidents, others due to heart attacks and strokes, but organs come from only a few of the possible donors. In fact, about 75% of the Americans are not ready to donate organ upon their death. Hence, the remaining percentage that have opted to offer an

Skill of Narration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Skill of Narration - Essay Example Plutarch's central argument is the possibility of anybody to rise above his circumstances by the exercise of his will and hard work. He gives a detailed portrait of Coriolanus. He explores Coriolanus' family background, culture, psychology, and morality. These determinants and the historical context shaped his character. Plutarch shows us how sentiments are the humans' strongest motivating force. The passionate urge in Coriolanus, operative from child hood to reach the stature of a great soldier, drives him to work for it with determination. Plutarch thus forcibly presents the psychological reasons behind the journey from ordinary circumstances to that of a significant figure in the Roman history glorified by generations of people. Plutarch's strength as a narrator springs from his penetrating vision of the psychological side of his subject. The distinguishing feature of Corilanus' character was his detachment from personal glory usually found in most people of ambition. This trait is so very well expressed in chosen word that a flood of light is thrown on his subject as in this excerpt: And, whereas others made glory the end of their daring, the end of his glory was his mother's gladness; the delight she took to hear him praised and to see him crowned, and her weeping for joy in his embraces rendered him in his own thoughts the most honoured and most happy person in the world. The aesthetic approach of Plutarch is in stark contrast to the didacticism of Bede who writes on a saint of heroic Christian virtues. The central concern of Bede to edify his readers by the exemplary conduct of Cuthbert deflects from the purpose of providing aesthetic pleasure. While Bede reveals the character of Cuthbert conforming to the Christian ideal, the inner side of the Saint is not sufficiently looked at nor is it understood in the style of narration. Cuthbert as a saint working miracles is in the realm of supernatural, while Coriolanus performing heroic feats is in the realm of the natural. Bede's life of Cuthbert is in the form of a string of miracles. Since the aim of the biography was to instill in the reader faith in the powers of saints in the performing of miracles, the literary flourishes are somewhat rudimentary. The sentences do not have the vigour of narrative found in the style of Plutarch. However a believer by the disposition of his mind might find relish in th e style of Bede, as it elevates him to realize the power of God's saints in their miracles. The typical miracle conveys the ineffectiveness of human intervention in a crisis. Bede concludes the miraculous way in which the saint put our a fire: But it was not only in the case of an apparition of a fire that his power was shown; for he extinguished a real fire by the fervency of his tears, when many had failed in putting it out with all the water they could get. NARRATIVE IN VASARI'S LIFE OF DONATELLO AND AUBREY'S LIFE OF THOMAS HOBBES The endowments of a writer are usually reflected in his technique of narration. Vasari was a painter and an architect and in the assessment of Donatello he is able to look at him from the angle of an artist that gives the writing a quality of credibility and hence, on the part of the reader, greater willingness to accept the piece of writing. However, the endowments of Audrey was some what limited compared to the standing the Thomas Hobbes enjoyed while

Leadership Essay Example for Free

Leadership Essay Vice Principal Mr. Leonard Curry entered the main staffing office of the Academy and ordered a young teacher to get out into her class. Her quiet gentle response was, ‘I do not have a class now, sir.† â€Å"What!’ was his rebuttal insisting that the schedule had been changed and it was her period to be teaching a 10th grader’s Biology class. She replied by asking if it were ethical for her to be informed in such a manner pointing out that   a memo is the acceptable mode of transmitting such changes. This was followed by a gentle explanation she wanted to perform her duties without conflict. Further he said that it was her responsibility to check out changes on the teacher’s assignment notice board from time to time. She reiterated that that was an unconstitutional approach since it was not stated like that in the bylaws of the school. They continued to argue with the principal threatening her with suspension for insubordination had she not complied. A disciplinary report was eventually filed for insubordination and disobeying the rule of law. Impact on credibility—Principal-Mr.Cury displayed a tendency towards an autocratic leadership style. Once how to address the issue was lawful inscribed in the bylaws stipulating a particular way to inform about staffing changes it had to be adhered to. It would appear that the young teacher reminding him of it antagonized the situation. This is a challenge to his credibility. Communication-It is clear that there was a change of command in terms of communication. The principal seemed to have erred. His reaction is to blame the young teacher for his mistake by imposing a penalty on her for his mistake. This is often a management strategic adopted in a autocratic culture. Power of influence—in this situation the power of influence lay in the position or status of principal. The principal used it to make himself look respectable while casting blame onto unsuspecting immature teacher.

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution Essay -- Art Russ

The Russian Avant Garde and the Bolshevik Revolution The Russian Avant Garde began in Russia in about 1915 It was the year that Malevich revealed his Suprematist compositions that reduced painting to total abstraction. and rid the pictures of any reference whatsoever to the visual world. He is credited with being the first artist to do this; that is, forsake the visual world for a world of pure feeling and sensation. This was the first movement originated by Russians and the birth of several other Avant Garde movements. Probably the most popular piece at his 1915 exhibition was â€Å"BLACK SQUARE† (real name â€Å"suprematist composition†. It’s basically a black square on a slightly larger white square that forms a border around it. It was hung in the exhibition in the way an icon would be hung in a peasant’s home; ie top corner of the room. Malevich saw Suprematism as representing a yearning for space, an impulse to break free from the globe of the earth. It a spirit, a spirituality that went beyond anythin g before it. Among Malevich’s students and contemporaries were such names as El Lissitzsky, Alexsandr Rodchenko and Vladimir Tatlin who were, of course, to lead the Constructivist movement which started in the same year as Malevich’s exhibition. Tatlin had returned from studying art in Paris in 1913 where he had seen a series of relief constructions by Picasso. Tatlin became very interested in form and message rather than representation and so he himself made a series of constructions. They were in the same vein as Picasso, but they were framed within a space and jutted out of the picture plane into the space of the observer. They created a lot of interest and he coined the term Constructivism. Tatlin and Malevich, who had been ... ...er had a base. A few caved in and became correct thinkers. A few escaped to other countries in Europe. Some stayed in Europe and some ended up in America. They have developed and grown. Along with Gabo and Rothko and Kandinsky and numerous others, they are still having a profound influence on art. There were many parallels between the Russian Avant Garde and the two revolutions in 1915. The big difference between them in 2001, is that the art survives and grows stronger; while the other is seen for what it is, a pathetic pseudo despotism run, for a lot of years by a sociopathic mortophile. BIBLIOGRAPHY Russian Constructivism. Christina Lodder. Yale University Press. 1983. Art Spoke. Robert Atkins. Abbeville Press. 1993. Art and Revolution. John Berger. Pantheon Books. 1969. The Struggle for Utopia. Victor Margolin. University of Chicago Press. 1997.

Bhagavad Gita

Think of the phrase â€Å"finding yourself†. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, â€Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. † In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (â€Å"twin†) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in life—to be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our â€Å"desire for pleasure and power† are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. â€Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdom† (2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if it’s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes â€Å"firm wisdom† as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon â€Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mind† (6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happen—that man is a man of firm wisdom† (2. 56-57). This further explains what â€Å"firm wisdom† is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this â€Å"firm wisdom† Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, â€Å"Practice makes perfect†, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, â€Å"†¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the end† (6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an â€Å"advanced soul. † An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only â€Å"advanced† if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place. Bhagavad Gita Think of the phrase â€Å"finding yourself†. What does that truly mean? What makes it possible for a man to be able to find out who he himself is? Must we all be peaceful? Ghandi said, â€Å"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances. † In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn the lesson of finding our inner selves (â€Å"twin†) first before answering questions of others. According to the God Krishna, our desires are what cause our evil deeds, and in order for us to be free, we must control our desires. This can only be done through practice. Is peace what we all really want for ourselves in the end? First we must think of what peace is. It can be a state of harmony between people or groups or even a freedom from them, but it can also be known as freedom of the mind from annoyance, distraction, anxiety, an obsession such as a state of tranquility or serenity. Is that what we want in life—to be able to not worry about the troubles in life and just be happy? Peace gives us a calm and relaxed state of mind that helps bring about that joy and happiness. Happiness is what we are all trying to achieve in life. We fight for what will help us and our loved ones because it makes everyone happy. If you were to find yourself first, then no one would have to worry about to helping others or putting people down in order to help themselves because everyone would be taking care of themselves first. This state of comfort is an amazing state, but we as humans are driven by our desires and emotions, so can we truly have peace? One emotion can lead to another, and Lord Krishna says that it will all end in ruin because our desires are what cause the evil actions we do. Our â€Å"desire for pleasure and power† are what lure us to the evil actions (2. 43). So if our desires are what get us in trouble and make us sin, how do we stop them? The only way to stop these wrong-doings is to control our desires. â€Å"When a man gives up all desires that emerge from the mind, and rests contented the Self by the Self, he is called a man of firm wisdom† (2. 55). In other words, you have to drop your desires and not care about them in order to find yourself and be happy with how you are. Only when you get rid of all selfish thoughts will someone be able to renew themselves. He describes it almost as if it’s a rebirth. You do not think of the consequences, you just do it. If you let go of the expectations put upon us by society, there is no disappointment for yourself. Lord Krishna describes â€Å"firm wisdom† as the ultimate level of peace. He thinks that this firm wisdom is what we as humans should try to strive for. We must abandon â€Å"[A]ll desires born of [our] own selfish will, [and] a man should learn to restrain his unruly senses with his mind† (6. 24). The unruly senses he speaks of are the desires. He whose mind is untroubled by any misfortune, those craving for pleasures has disappeared, who is free from greed, fear, anger, who is unattached to all things who neither grieves nor rejoices if good or if bad things happen—that man is a man of firm wisdom† (2. 56-57). This further explains what â€Å"firm wisdom† is and makes you think of these traits as being almost God-like. Does God have this â€Å"firm wisdom† Krishna speaks of? Lord Krishna says that the mind is stronger than the senses that cause the desire, so we know that we can overcome these desires. The only question to answer now is how we can accomplish that. As the saying goes, â€Å"Practice makes perfect†, so this is the only way to control our desires. All of us think differently on the inside than the way we act on the outside. That is why we must learn to control our inner twin. Lord Krishna says, â€Å"†¦the mind is restless and hard to master; but by constant practice and detachment it can be mastered in the end† (6. 35). It is as if you have to make it a ritual and constantly do it. For example, giving up something for lent you have to control and practice your desire of not doing or eating what you gave up. If you cheat, even just once, you break the cycle and make it harder for you not to do it again. Practice gives you a routine to follow, and once you do it for so long, it almost comes natural and then you have nothing more to worry about. At this point, you are at peace not only with yourself but also with the people around you. Lord Krishna says if you accomplish this overwhelming task of self-control, you can fully surrender yourself to him in devotion, and so become an â€Å"advanced soul. † An advanced soul is he who has accomplished the steps of finding himself and has firm wisdom. On the other hand the impious souls find other objects to worship. How do we determine who are the advanced or impious among us? Are we only â€Å"advanced† if we believe in a certain god? However, we are striving to be God-like throughout our lives. Is there a point in striving for it if we know it cannot be done? In the Bhagavad Gita, we learn that in truth, finding God within us helps us find ourselves so this all helps find and keep the peace within us, which is what we want in the first place.

Internal Control Essay

The LBJ Company is currently making a decision to go public or not and with that The LBJ Company will also need to become knowledgeable about their internal controls within their systems, specifically in regards to Accounting and also Human Resources and how it will affect them and their employees and of course how they conduct business. There have been some positive and negative issues arise in regards to their internal controls. However, the LBJ Company needs to be acknowledged for what they are doing right, but will also need to address the issues that are negatively affecting them and their business and will continue to negatively affect them if they decide to go public, which will drive down the cost of their shares etc. This case study will review these items as well as make recommendations for what the LBJ Company can do to tighten up their internal controls. Part 1: Internal Controls Requirements Inform the President of any new internal control requirements if the company decides to go public. Internal controls are mechanisms, policies, and procedures used to minimize and monitor operational risks. In order to deter employees from committing a dishonest or fraudulent act the controls must be thorough and comprehensive. However, internal controls by themselves are not enough. They will be effective only if they are reinforced through culture, policies and procedures, information systems, training, and supervision of staff. * The primary objectives of internal controls are to: Internal controls help to provide reliable data by ensuring that information is recorded in a consistent way that will allow for useful financial reports * They also help prevent fraud and loss by safeguarding assets and essential records. * Internal controls promote operational efficiency by reducing unnecessary duplication of effort and guarding against misallocation of resources. * They encourage adherence to management policies and funding source requirements. Internal controls can be broke down into two categories- accounting and administrative controls, which is exactly what the issues are with the LBJ Company. (Internal Controls Checklist) According to the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, all publicly traded U.S. corporations are required to maintain an adequate system of internal control at all times. As LJB Company President, he or she should be aware that a controlled environment must be present at all times, and â€Å"that unethical activity will not be tolerated.† The LBJ Company must identify and analyze the various factors that could create risk for the business and how the team can manage those risks. The overall internal control system needs to show and communicate all appropriate information within the organization, to ensure that the communicated information has reached the organization. According to the textbook, â€Å"It is very important to have testing and auditing of controls to build a long lasting organization. (Kimmel, 2009) Part 2: What the Company is Doing Right? Advise the President of what the company is doing right (they are doing some things well) and also recommend to the President whether or not they should buy the indelible ink machine. When you advise the President, please be sure to reference the applicable internal control principle that applies. The company has been doing well by creating a balanced environment for employees, due to the long-term employees that are currently there is an excellent thing for LBJ Company. From what is being shown, the managers and employees have a great balance, which keeps good control and promotes a team oriented environment within the company. Another good thing is that the accountant is in charge of the checks and also stores them into safe in his office, but the manager should have the only key to the safe to increase the monitoring of the checks and would also create a checks and balance system. Plus if the accountant is not there for whatever reason and an employee needs their check, the manager can handle that and not violate any employment laws by not giving an employee their check in a timely manner. The President of LJB Company, has also done a good thing for wanting the employees to be aware of any new regulations required of the company if they decide to go public. It is incredibly important the President have different individuals serve as an Accountant, Treasurer and Controller which will help streamline many of their processes. This way, the Accountant will not be responsible for all financial dealings and again this will create checks and balances which are required to go public. Part 3: Advise the President of what the company is doing wrong (they are definitely doing some things poorly). Please be sure to include the internal control principle that is being violated along with a recommendation for improvement. (20 points) This situation for LBJ Company has shown that it is in clear violation of the internal control principle and is running significant risks by not including more oversight and checks and balances. First of all, that they have one accountant who plays the role of both Treasurer and Controller is an area of great risk. The Controller and Treasurer are meant to play opposite roles in which they provide oversight and checks and balances to the other. The two positions should be filled by separate employees, and this change should be implemented as soon as possible. In the current setup, the one accountant has too much power over the processes. Another issue is the cash drawer principle also leaves the company vulnerable to fraud and manipulation of funds. For example, even if a company employee were to act independently, an employee could easily remove a substantial amount of unauthorized funds, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to find who did it as any of the company employees could have been culpable. An example of the problems that arise from the anonymity that company employees have within the organization, is clearly exemplified in the case of the worker who was fired for viewing pornography on the company computer. Not only does this introduce risks of damaging corporate reputation, and download viruses, but it also highlights how the lack of individual user accounts and accountability makes it so that one employee can hide their malicious actions with anonymity. Below are some recommendations for the LBJ Company. Recommendat ions: 1) To introduce a culture of corporate responsibility, the CEO should begin to implement individual user accounts for its computers, as well as a formal cash withdrawal system, that requires that company employees register themselves with another person or a computer system. 2) The role of the one accountant who acts as Treasurer and Controller must be separated into two so as not to violate the internal control principle, and in order to minimize the likelihood of fraud. 3) The checks should not just be left at the accountant’s office, but in a safe where only two people have access such as the accountant and the manager. That way more than one person is responsible. 4) The accountant taking checks home over the weekend is a security issue as well as introduces more opportunity for fraud. This practice must be stopped and more safeguards put in place. This also is an issue regarding personal identifying information on the checks of the employees and if the checks become lost or stolen, then that information is available to the public now. 5) The accountant also being involved in the interview process for new employees is disturbing because of the level of control he has over critical aspects in the company’s day to day business. If he were to hire an accomplice, he could easily use that individual and his position in order to manipulate accounts and withdraw significant funds from the company before he is ever caught. 6) The HR Departments should also run more thorough background checks as part of their hiring processes. (Bell, 2010) Conclusion Now that the LBJ Company has received the recommendations to fix the issues with their internal controls, they will no doubt be able to go public and be successful. The LBJ Company should also re-evaluate their processes every so often to make sure that these new systems for their internal controls are successful. They should re-evaluate every so often in case they need to make changes as well.

Compare and Contrast the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia

Compare and Contrast the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia Political culture represents the multidimensional model of orientation to political activities in a certain community. 1The concept of political culture is essential in explaining political actions and behavior in different nations. This study compares and contrasts the political culture of Saudi Arabia and Australia. Saudi Arabia is the largest state in the Arabian Peninsula, and most residents are Arabs.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The country hosts Medina and Mecca, which are the holiest cities according to the IslÄ mic faith. 2On the other hand, Australia is the smallest mainland continent that lies in the southern hemisphere, and it makes up several islands in the Pacific and Indian Ocean as well as the Tasmania islands. Australia has six protectorates. Differences between the Political Culture of Aust ralia and Saudi Arabia The Australian political culture has roots in classical liberal values and British cultural traditions. Australians value the idea of rights since liberal persons believe in equality and the related aspect of limited government authority. These rights are clear in the voting process. According to the Australian political culture, voting is compulsory. The law requires all Australians to vote. The process of voter registration and turnout at polling stations is also mandatory. Australians vote by way of secret ballot and women have a right to vote. Australians have a tendency of voting for diverse political groups into authority at federal and state ranks. 3 The current leader of Australia’s federal government is John Howard. On the other hand, the political culture of Saudi Arabia has its foundations in the IslÄ mic law. This is because the modern kingdom of Saudi Arabia becomes governed by the ideals of Abdul-Aziz bin Saud. In 1902, Abdul-Aziz began efforts to capture Al-Saud and, in 1932, he succeeded. 4This led to the declaration and recognition of Saudi Arabian kingdom as an independent state. The king heads the nation and is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Besides, the king acts as the highest court of appeal because he is at the top of the legal system. The king elects a crown prince who assists him in his daily tasks. The crown must come from the royal family, and he is second to the king (Al-Rasheed, 2009). As a result, women get undermined, even in the electoral process. The electoral system of Saudi Arabia came into effect, during the 2005 election. Only men aged above 21 took part in this election, for selecting half of the municipal council members.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Australia has a constitutional monarchy while the Saudi Arabian monarchy is absolute. The six Australian prot ectorates formed a commonwealth in 1901 and became a federation. From that time, Australia has remained a commonwealth monarchy and its political structures have liberal democratic systems. Countries with constitutional monarchies usually have a queen or king as well as a constitution that limits their powers. Queen Elizabeth II acts as the head of state in Australia. Despite that the Queen also heads the United Kingdom she has different responsibilities in each case, both in constitutional processes and law. Practically, the Queen does not have any role in the Australian political system. Rather, she acts as a figurehead and she appoints a governor-general, who represents her, under the prime minister. The queen does not interfere with daily activities of the governor-general. In other words, the governor-general represents the Queen of the British administration, although, the Queen does not supervise his activities. According to the constitution the governor-general has the power to dissolve parliament, give assent to bills, appoint ministers and judges, as well as conduct summons. Nevertheless, the rule requires the governor-general to act according to the instructions of ministers in most matters. On the other hand, the Saudi Arabian monarchy has no constitution, unions, or political parties. Also, Saudi Arabia does not have power distribution among various bodies such as the legislature, executive and judiciary. This is because the Al Saud, which is the royal family, controls the government. The totalitarian regime upholds powerful public security equipment and outlaws all unions that lack official authorization. Nevertheless the 2005 elections represented a basic step away from Saudi Arabia’s supreme monarchy. There is also a difference in Australia’s legal and judicial systems and that of Saudi Arabia. The judicial branch of government in Australia creates room for the founding of law courts in the nation as well as the appointment and di smissal of judges. Australian courts interpret all laws, together with the Constitution, and this makes the rule of law absolute. The general governor appoints the chief justice and judges who serve in these courts. The High Court acts as the supreme authority on matters relating with constitutional review, and it has supreme authority on issues to do with interpretation of the constitution. Besides, the High Court handles international and interstate issues. Cases that occur for the first time get tried in local courts, childrens courts or magistrates courts, while main crimes get tried in state supreme courts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Compare and Contrast the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The federal and state courts are sovereign. The High Court requires the state to cater for the expenses involved in guiding defendants. Besides, defendants remain innocent until when they get proven guilty. Defendants who get found guilty have a right to appeal. The law requires that every person should have a fair trial. Magistrates work alone in local courts while the judge and jury conduct trials in high courts. The law forbids random interference with relatives, privacy or home. On the other hand, legal and judicial systems in Saudi Arabia follow the Sharia or IslÄ mic law. 5Since Muslims believe in the Sharia they only appoint judges who are familiar with the Sharia law, the Quran and Muslims traditions such as prophet Mohammed practices and judgments. Traditionally, qadis decisions had to undergo verification, by the ruler, who ensured that the entire IslÄ mic community followed the Sharia. In other words, the judiciary was not a sovereign body but a wing of the political regime. This conventional association between the king and Qadis prevails up to date. All Sharia courts fall under the ministry of justice. These courts include deal with appeals together with other cases that occur for the first time. Petty criminals and civil cases become settled in summary courts. A sole qadi decides on all hearings in the summary court. Some cases, which surpass the ruling of summary courts, get heard in general courts. A single judge decides all cases in general courts, although three Qadis get involved in these cases when handling serious crimes like rape, and murder. Judgments made by general and summary courts get appealed in Sharia courts. The court of appeal has three branches including personal suits, penal suits, as well as other suits. The court of appeal could be found in Mecca and Riyadh. Several Qadis accompanied by the chief justice direct all cases. The king leads the judicial system as he acts as a source of pardon in the last court of appeal. Saudi Arabia’s policies allow for the founding of local courts by royal decree in cases where some aspects do not get covered in the Sharia. Kings have made several tr ibunals handle violations of government regulations that do not get covered in the Sharia court system.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Government systems between Australia and Saudi Arabia vary. The Australian Constitution, which became established during the founding of the federation, has the outline for the system of government in Australia. The constitution carries out two main tasks. First, it forms main bodies like the Parliament, the high court, the senate and the House of Representatives. The Constitution gives power to all these bodies and defines their roles and structures. Another notable feature in the Australian constitution is that there are some powers that get vested to the commonwealth government while other powers remain among the six Australian states. States and federal governments also share some powers. The nature of the Australian federation represents another noteworthy element of the Constitution. The constitution has parliamentary elements borrowed from both the American and British systems. Since Australia belongs to the Commonwealth of Nations, it recognizes the British as its monarch an d ruler. However, Australian has a prime minister who leads the parliament. The governor-general holds the executive power in the Commonwealth federation. Besides, the governor-general acts as the representative of the British sovereign as well as the congress, which the prime minister leads. The cabinet represents the coalition or union in control of the parliament’s assembly. Entity states appoint all other authorities that get left out in the federal government. State governments also collaborate with the common wealth in several areas where territories and states have responsibility. Some of these areas include transport, education health and implementation of the law. Levying of income tax gets conducted by the federal state, and this creates the problem of access to revenue among different levels of government. On the other hand, the government systems of Saudi Arabia become centered on religion. Particularly, Saudi Arabian government executes the IslÄ mic law called Sharia and all residents in the country follow this law. While religion in Australia only influences faith and church, IslÄ mic religion in Saudi Arabia influences other aspects such as the administration, law, taxation rules and business. All Saudi citizens and visitors can behave the way they want when they are alone, but in public, they have to adhere to several religious laws. For instance, all men and women must dress conservatively and conduct daily prayers, with exceptions of some cases in women. Also, all people must follow the law on gender segregation. The Saudi government has an agency that seeks to prevent immorality and support virtue, to see that all these laws become followed. The formal enforcers of this committee become referred to as the Mutawwa’in. Mutawwa’in have the right to question and bring into law any men and women who they find socializing. These law enforcers also have the power to outlaw Western music, television shows and consumer media. In efforts to reinforce these regulations, the agency has a website that creates a platform for people to report any activities that differ from IslÄ mic standards. Those who infringe this law experience cruel reprimands such as whipping and public beating. Saudi Arabia prohibits political parties although some political segmentation exists. The royal family occupies most significant political places in the kingdom, although, the Al Saud and the King should rule by consensus. A strong group of religious leaders called the Ulama, makes sure that the king follows IslÄ mic law. The Al Saud concentrates on interests presented by religious leaders in trying to pacify the strong religious mass of Saudi public. The Saudi Arabian community gets shaped by alliances between top religious leaders and significant members of the Al Saud family. The culture of tribal organization in Saudi Arabia also plays a role in political inclinations. Heads of the main ethnic groups usually have lots of powers. Previously, tribal leaders have demonstrated their ability to mobilize martial units from among their cohorts. Merchant families also have political influence in the kingdom. Revenues from merchants act as a stable source of income for the government and the royal family occasionally asks for financial help from these merchants. Saudi Arabia does not have a legislative body while Australia has a bicameral parliament. Saudi Arabia mainly depends on decisions by the King and seeks opinions of religious leaders and does not encourage public participation through parliament. On the other hand, Australia’s parliament is bicameral because it has two chambers including the lower house and the upper house. The house of representatives represents the people, and it gets chosen from almost identical electorates. The house of Senate, however, has twelve designated senators from each one of the six states and two senators from the two federal regions. These chambers oversee nati onal laws such as law in industrial relations, foreign affairs, trade, citizenship, immigration and taxation. Any bills get approved by the two chambers before becoming law. The lower house starts most legislation. Presently, this house has 148 members and each member represents about 80,000 voters. Also, every house has a distinct role in state politics. The government gets formed by the political party with the most seats in parliament. Currently, the Howard regime most seats in both the lower house and upper house. The senate reviews all proposed laws and makes sure that all laws are fair to the state. Each state elects 12 senators together with 2 senators from the 2 Australian provinces. Australia has fair distribution of power, which lacks in the Saudi Arabian government. In Australia, the state and territory governments address issues that the commonwealth fails to address. Each territory and state government owns a constitution Act and parliament. However, both governments mu st conform to the national constitution. Common wealth law takes precedence over state laws when the law is within the constitutional authority of the common wealth. Some issues that get addressed by the state and territory governments include fire outbreaks, roads, education, land, public health, as well as ambulance services within their individual territories and states. Similarities between the Political Culture of Australia and Saudi Arabia Both Australia and Saudi Arabia have a governor-general. Australia has six provinces, and each province gets represented by the governor-general. The governor-general represents the Queen of the British administration, although, the Queen does not supervise his activities. According to the Australian constitution, the governor-general has the power to dissolve parliament, give assent to bills, appoint ministers and judges, as well as conduct summons. Nevertheless, the rule requires the governor-general to act according to the instructions of ministers in most matters. 6Similarly, Saudi Arabia adopted a system of the provincial government in 2005. The Kingdom has 13 provinces, and each province gets headed by a governor, who is normally a prince, or a member of the royal family. Every governor meets with his provincial council four times per year to check development in the province and guide the Council of Ministers about any needs in the province. 178 municipal councils became created in 2003, to guide the provincial governors. Half of the municipal council members became elected by collective suffrage while the central government elected the other half. The first structured election occurred in 2005. At this time, over 1,800 candidates vied for 592 posts amid the 178 municipal councils. More than 600 candidates vied for the 7 positions in Riyadh. Some laws in the Australia do not get described in the constitution, similar to laws in Saudi Arabia. The Constitution gives power to most government bodies and defines thei r roles and structures. However, the constitution does not define the makeup of the cabinet and the Prime Minister, but they get assumed in the practices and conventions of the government. Thus, there are some crucial bodies of the Australian political system that do not get described in writing. Similarly, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not have a written constitution. This gets attributed to several reasons. First, the Saudi Arabian political culture identifies the Sunnah and the Quran as sources of law. 7The Quran is the holy book in Islam while Sunnah is the sayings and actions of Prophet Mohammed. Up to today, Saudi Arabia uses the Sunnah and Quran as the kingdom’s constitution. 8 Second, the Saudi royal family knows that a written constitution may limit its power and thus, does not advocate for one. The royal family desires to have the last authority although the IslÄ mic culture encourages public discussions and involvement in running the government. The IslÄ mic system gives the public power to select its leaders and only recognizes the absolute power of God. However, the political system of Saudi Arabia neglects this condition. Also, the Sunnah supports public participation in electing leaders and government administration. Again, Saudi rulers take advantage of the conservative public. These rulers make religious leaders influence the public opinion through informal agreements. Such agreements assure the royal family of power and supremacy over the kingdom. Saudi rulers assert that accepting the Quran as the source of law and warranting the support of religious leaders in a conservative society contradicts the need for public participation, or a written constitution. Moreover, the rulers guarantee high standards of living to the public, and this makes Saudi Arabians lose concern in political participation. Saudi rulers use oil revenues and the wealth of the kingdom to give the public high living standards. In other words, Saudi rulers sil ence the public through giving them high standards of living so that they can switch their focus from demanding political involvement.9 Some citizens in both Australia and Saudi Arabia do not support the idea of the constitution and IslÄ mic laws that the King applies. Several, Australians usually have divergent views about the constitution. Some people despise it while others support it partially. They say that the Constitution neither symbolizes the nation nor the popular culture. Compared to neighboring countries, Australians do not respect the constitution. In fact, most Australians do not know the provisions in the constitution. Nevertheless, Australia has enjoyed democracy for a long time, and most visitors admire the country. On the other hand, some Saudi Arabians oppose how the King applies the Sharia and Sunnah laws as he disallows public participation. Lastly, both Saudi Arabians and Australians do not take part in selecting some of their top leaders. In Saudi Arabia, th e King rules with the help of a council of ministers. This king selects 29 government ministers who make up the council. 10Most of these ministers come from the royal family. Other ministers in main departments like defense and foreign affairs also come from the royal family. The Council of Ministers acts as the highest law making and administrative authority where all actions and roles get harmonized. The council of ministers formulates policies in the areas of finance, education, education, defense as well as foreign and domestic policy. The council oversees execution of all government and public affairs. Saudi Arabia has 13 provinces and the king appoints a governor and a deputy governor in each province. All the present governors belong to the royal family. The king also appoints a council of ministers in each province. 11Therefore, the Saudi Arabian central government formulates laws according to Sharia while provincial governments carry out these laws. On the other hand, the Q ueen appoints governors in Australia. The Queen appoints a governor-general, who represents her, under the instruction the prime minister. The governor-general carries out his daily activities with no interruptions from the Queen. How and why these Political Cultures have contributed to the Peculiar Characteristics in these Two Political Systems The Saudi Arabian political culture has roots in the IslÄ mic faith. As a result, the Muslim faith characterizes all political systems in the country. First, IslÄ mic political culture affects the judicial and legal systems in the country. Judges who serve in courts must prove that they are fully aware of the Sharia law and Sunnah. The basis of these laws is in the Quran, which is the Holy book for Muslims. Occasionally, decisions made by Qadi get evaluated to make sure the entire IslÄ mic community followed the Sharia. Second, IslÄ mic faith believes that the Quran has all laws and thus, there is no need for a written constitution. As a result, the political system of Saudi Arabia does not write law but follow IslÄ mic laws. Particularly, the Saudi Arabian government executes the IslÄ mic law called Sharia and all residents in the country follow this law. IslÄ mic religion in Saudi Arabia influences other aspects such as the administration, law, taxation rules and business. Third, the IslÄ mic culture, does not value women since they get considered inferior human beings. As a result, the political system of Saudi Arabia does not include women in the electoral process. Since the beginning of the electoral process in 2005, only men take part in elections that seek to choose half of the municipal council members. Fourth, the IslÄ mic culture promotes inheritance of power and existence of Kings. As a result, the Al Saud, which is the royal family, rules the Kingdom with no opposition. The king appoints all top government leaders from his family. Al Saud concentrates on interests presented by religious le aders in trying to pacify the strong religious mass of Saudi public. The Saudi Arabian community gets shaped by alliances between top religious leaders and significant members of the Al Saud family. This protects the King against any public opposition. The totalitarian regime also upholds powerful public security equipment and outlaws all unions that may cause opposition. On the other hand, the Australian political culture has roots in classical liberal values and British cultural traditions. Since liberal people believe in equality and the related aspect of limited government authority, these aspects characterize the Australian political system. First, Australia upholds a commonwealth monarchy, and its political structure has liberal democratic systems that are similar to Britain. Since Australia has a commonwealth monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II acts as the head of state. This is because countries that uphold the commonwealth monarchy culture have either a queen or a king as the head . Practically, the Queen does not have any role in the Australian political system. Rather, she acts as a figurehead and she appoints a governor-general, who represents her, under the prime minister. The appointed governor-general acts independently without direction from the Queen. The rule requires the governor-general to act according to the instructions of ministers in most matters. Second, Saudi Arabia has a governor-general who is independent as well as ministers who give counsel to the governor. This demonstrates that the Australian political structure reveres in power distribution. Besides, powers that get left out in the common wealth government get addressed in the state and territory government. Each territory and state government owns a constitution Act and parliament. These aspects of power distribution relate to the political culture of liberalism and equality. Third, Australian political system makes voting mandatory for everyone. Australia gives women a chance to vot e unlike the situation in Saudi Arabia. This demonstrates the culture of equal entitlement and participation among all citizens as any elected person can lead the nation. Fourth, Australia has a judicial system, which creates room for the founding of law courts in the nation as well as the appointment and dismissal of judges. This demonstrates the liberal culture of Australian politics. Also, the liberal culture of Australians makes the High Court act as the supreme authority on matters relating with the constitution. This is because a country like Saudi Arabia assumes that Al Saudi has supreme power over almost all institutions. In conclusion, political culture of a country has substantial influence on political systems that a country adopts. This implies that different political systems occur due to the existence of different political cultures. The political culture of Saudi Arabia has its foundations in the IslÄ mic law while the Australian political culture has roots in class ical liberal values, as well as British cultural traditions. These two distinct political cultures create differences in the political systems of the two countries. While the political system of Australia uses a written constitution as a source of law , Saudi Arabia uses the Sharia law together with actions and speeches of Prophet Mohammed as sources of law. Besides, the king of Saudi Arabia acts as the last court of appeal because he is at the top of the legal system while neither the Queen nor the governor-general has such powers in the Australian political system. Rather, the High Court acts as the last court in Australia. Another difference among the two political systems gets seen in power distribution. Australia distributes powers across different arms of the government including the judiciary, the executive and legislature. Conversely, the Saudi Arabian political system vests all powers in the king. This is so because the country does not have a parliamentary system or a writ ten constitution to guide the activities of the King. Although Saudi Arabia identifies the Quran as an adequate source of law, there are some issues that this book leaves out, and the king has absolute authority over such issues. Although similarities may occur in different political systems that have different political cultures, they seem insignificant as compared to differences. This is clear in this study as most similarities show people’s ideals about the system and not the real political systems. Lastly, political cultures affect political processes such as appointment of judges in Saudi Arabia. Bibliography Abdul, Alrashid. â€Å"Modern Judicial System,† Alsharq Alawsat. Web. Abdullah, Bassam. â€Å"Political Reform in Saudi Arabia Necessity or Luxury,† Journal of Middle East Studies 3, no.2 (2011): 175-196. Al-Rasheed, Mohammed. Kingdom without Borders: Saudi Arabias Political, Religious, and Media Frontiers. West Sussex, England: Columbia University Pre ss, 2009. Bruce, Russett. World Politics: The Menu for Choice. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010. Champion, Dominic. The Paradoxical Kingdom: Saudi Arabia and the Momentum of Reform. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1998. Galligan, Bruno and Ravenhill Justin. New Developments in Australian Politics. South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd, 1997. Long, David. Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2005. Nehme, Morris. â€Å"Political Development in Saudi Arabia: Empty Reforms From Above, â€Å"International Sociology 10, no.2 (1998): 619-645. Saha, Justin. â€Å"Prosocial Behaviour and Political Culture among Australian Secondary School Students,† International Education Journal 5, no.2 (2004):9. Whitaker, Brian. â€Å"Hello, Democracy – and Goodbye,† The Guardian. Web. Footnotes 1. Justin Saha, â€Å"Prosocial Behaviour and Political Culture among Australian Secondary School Students,† Intern ational Education Journal 5, no.2 (2004):9. 2. Russett Bruce, World Politics: The Menu for Choice (Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2010), 10. 3. Bruno Galligan and Ravenhill Justin, New Developments in Australian Politics (South Melbourne: Macmillan Education Australia Pty Ltd, 1997), 3. 4. David Long, Culture and Customs of Saudi Arabia (Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 2005), 5. 5. Morris Nehme, â€Å"Political Development in Saudi Arabia: Empty Reforms From Above, â€Å"International Sociology 10, no.2 (1998): 619. 6. Bassam Abdullah, â€Å"Political Reform in Saudi Arabia Necessity or Luxury,† Journal of Middle East Studies 3, no.2 (2011): 176. 7. Ibid. 8. Alrashid, Abdul, â€Å"Modern Judicial System,† Alsharq Alawsat. 9. Brian Whitaker, â€Å"Hello, Democracy – and Goodbye,† The Guardian, last modified February 10, 2009. 10. Dominic Champion, The Paradoxical Kingdom: Saudi Arabia and the Momentum of Reform (New York, NY: Columbia University P ress, 1998), 45. 11. Mohammed, Al-Rasheed, Kingdom without Borders: Saudi Arabias Political, Religious, and Media Frontiers (West Sussex, England: Columbia University Press, 2009), 17.