A Complete Guide on a Persuasive Essay

A Complete Guide on a Persuasive Essay A Complete Guide on a Persuasive Essay You will hardly find a more common task, which is given to students of all academic levels. A persuasive essay is by right called the quintessence of college writing and can become your strength or a terrible headache. It requires a variety of skills: lexical and grammar knowledge, critical approach, ability to gather and analyze information, and much more! However, don’t think that it is impossible to write an outstanding persuasive essay if you lack some of these skills. Just go on reading and we guarantee that you will be able to write such an essay without any efforts. So what is a persuasive essay? It is a written task, which aims to persuade the audience that the author’s point of view is the most valid and informative one. The writer needs to not only explain the matter but also provide arguments and explain every issue, backing it with credible sources. Using logic and evidence is the key to a persuasive essay, so you should always spend enough time on a proper research. How to complete a persuasive essay In most of the cases, you will be given a persuasive essay topic, so take your time to understand it and decide what side you are on. You can make notes and write down your thoughts on the subject, deciding whether you agree with the matter or not. Don’t think about your tutor’s or classmates’ opinion: this task aims to show your personal approach and critical thinking, so it is crucial to provide original thoughts on the subject. You need to be ready that in most of the cases you will be given a controversial topic, which may stir up a hot discussion. However, you don’t need to be nervous and should concentrate on your arguments to be able to protect your point of view. Get started Any written assignment should start with a research. Especially when you need to persuade the reader to take your side! Make sure you have enough time not to do anything in a hurry and collect data from multiple sources. Remember that you should use only credible articles, books or websites. Your tutor may even ask you to redo the whole essay if you use forums or social media pages as the basis for your evidence. Once you have completed the research, you need to create an outline. Many students neglect this stage, considering it not important. However, an outline helps to organize your thoughts and your writing style becomes more structured and clear. You won’t have to wander from one argument to another, and will always be able to stick to the point. An outline of the persuasive essay Your outline should consist of three main parts, each of which can have a different number of subsections: introduction, body paragraphs and conclusions. As all of you know, the main purpose of the introduction section is to grab interest of the audience and make it go on reading. The best introduction always consists of three key parts: a so-called ‘hook’, definition of the audience and a thesis statement. The ‘hook’ is the part, which contains a catchy phrase, a fact or a quote to interest the reader. Then you need to explain why the topic is important for a particular reader. You need to give the audience a clear explanation why the subject matters. Finish your introduction with a thesis statement, where you state all the matters and arguments you are going to discuss in the text; Main paragraphs. There are no clear recommendations on the quantity of arguments and paragraphs you need to include, as everything depends on the topic and the word count. However, you should always remember that one arguments equals one paragraph. If the word count allows, you can also give a description of opposing ideas to prove that they are wrong; Many students neglect this section but it is equally important and summarizes all the points you have stated before. Your conclusions should contain information on the topic, the benefits it can bring and prognosis for the future. If the topic allows, you can provide possible solutions and why they are important for the society. Finish your persuasive essay with a call to action or a ‘hook’ sentence. Format of a persuasive essay The number of words greatly depends on your tutor but usually a persuasive essay should be 500, 1  500 or 2  000 words long.   You need to use readable fonts, for example Arial or Times New Roman, in 12-points for the text and 16-points for a title. The spacing should be double if other is not indicated. Structure: Introduction (the hook, the audience and thesis); Main paragraphs (paragraphs number 1,2,3 – topic sentence and evidence); Conclusions (summary, benefits, prognosis); Call to action. Topics of a persuasive essay Here is a list of topics you may use if you are given a chance to choose: How Trump policy can influence the democratic world; Should there be different classes for male and female students? Should teachers obtain grades from students? Is it ethical to keep animals in cages? Can secure cameras protect our privacy? If you want to cure yourself, write a personal diary; Availability of social communities for teenagers; Physical activity is good not only for health but also for mental abilities; Sports should be compulsory at schools; How sexual exploitation influences the world; How can science and religion coexist? Should we invest in space exploration? Who rules social media? Should IQ testing be compulsory to have a voting right and a chance to have children? Examples of a persuasive essay One of the most popular problems of completing a persuasive essay is that we don’t always have inspiration and proper ideas to complete an outstanding paper. In such cases, we only need a push and some help to see which direction to go. The solution is simple: you can download examples of persuasive essays and use them to get fresh ideas and understand how your own work should look like. Help with a persuasive essay There are different types of solutions for those, who need help with a persuasive essay. Here are only some of them: Writing services. Even if you decide to complete an essay on your own, you may still need help with proofreading and editing. Unfortunately, not all students can provide mistakes-free essays, so it is important to use services of professional writers, editors, proofreaders and managers to provide an outstanding paper. When you contact us, you get a full package of first-class services at a reasonable price; Essay samples. It is always important to create original and plagiarism-free content. However, not everyone has enough time and imagination. In such cases, we have created a database with examples to give you inspiration and motivation. Just upload examples and get all the information on the structure or topic you may need; Generator of the topic – when you need to choose the topic on your own, you may easily get lost among thousands of hundreds of ideas. Just go to our section of topic solution, indicate the essay type and choose the best topic immediately! Paper checker. For those of you, who are not sure whether they have completed an essay properly, there is a great solution. Our software allows correcting all the mistakes, including plagiarism, structure of the sentence, lexis, grammar, readability and much more! Just upload your essay, wait a minute and get a full analysis of your work. As you see, writing a persuasive essay is quite simple if you know all the rules and tips. Follow our advice and you will surely have a positive experience dealing with an essay of any kind!

How do you Pay for Performance in a downward economy Essay

How do you Pay for Performance in a downward economy - Essay Example A stock option plan gives the employee the opportunity to buy the stock of the company they work for at a discounted price. The workers typically obtain instant capital gains when they exercise their stock options. A good attribute of stock options is that the wealth of the company is being shared with the people that create the corporate empire. The pension plans of companies should not include any investment in common stocks of the firm. One of the lessons from the demise of Enron was the necessity for diversification in employee pension plans. The shaky economy is causing a lot of problems for the workforce in America. Massive layoffs, downsizing, and divesture strategies are hurting the economy. The unemployment rate in the United States in September 2011 was 9.1% (Bls, 2011). People have become hesitant of asking for raises when employees don’t automatically give them because they fear being singled out for future downsizing initiatives. "The communication of economic challenges is an opportune time for financially stable companies to tell their employees that they are taking care of them† (Ceridian, 2011). Loyalty from both sides has decreased a lot in the 21st century. Employees are more willing than ever to quit a job in search for a better employment opportunity. An example of a current labor confrontation among a union and an ownership team is the National Basketball League labor dispute. The NBA players are in lockout because the owners want lower the salaries of its employees. The NBA owners instead of offering higher salaries are looking to decrease the total compensation of the players by a minimum of 12.28% (Myfoxboston, 2011). The entertainment sporting industry has been hit hard by the recession. Last year NBA owners lost $300 million. Employees across every industry are seeing their salaries stagnant compared to the traditional

Political economy in Guatemala Forest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Political economy in Guatemala Forest - Essay Example g political development, environmental and ecological issues challenge policy development because of their dependency on prevailing political perspectives. This has been particularly apparent in developing countries that often have substantial natural resources but lack the means to develop, monitor and manage their use. An example of such a scenario is the case of El Petà ©n or the Petà ©n region in Guatemala. The region is known for its rich forestry resources that has attracted industries and, in most recent years in particular, ecotourism (World Tourism Organization 29-32). Organization and management of the region’s area is defined by management regimes: biotopes, core habitats, private preserves, buffer zones and areas for multiple-use (see Figure 1). A substantial part of the region is not under state regularization, the majority of which are held by private parties. The reservation for ecological use or reserves was defined by research identifying key areas for species under threat and topological significance for the eco-management of the rest of the region (Schwartz). The most recent classification of environmental protection areas were modified to allow for ecotourism and long-term biological/ecosystem studies (World Tourism Organization 66-67). Property ownership can be procured outright or through lease agreements and processing or utilization of resources is generally regulated through state franchises. Development programs have also been initiated independently by private sectors and the government, with the majority of development programs financed though international funding in the form of aid and research, build operate and transfer agreements and industry-based initiatives primarily from tourism, communications and transportation interests. The foremost mandate is the protection of ecological and a heritage site, which in the case of Petà ©n encompasses also those of cultural significance. Agricultural and forestry are the main areas of

Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution Essay Example for Free

Mercedes Benzs E-Biz Solution Essay The fact that we would be one of the first car manufacturers in the United States to have a factory delivery program would be seen as a very positive thing in this regard. William Engelke, Assistant Manager, IT Systems, Mercedes Benz US International, commenting on the FDRS. Linking Customers By 2000, Mercedes Benz United States International (MBUSI), builder of the high-quality MClass sports utility vehicle (SUV), established itself as a company that also delivered superior customer services. One such service was the delivery option where by the customer could take delivery of the vehicle at the factory in Alabama, US. The program called the Factory Delivery Reservation System (FDRS), enabled MBUSI to create and validate 1800 orders per hour. FDRS also automatically generated material requirements and Bills of Material1 for 35,000 vehicles per hour. The Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solution that made FDRS possible was based on Lotus Domino2 and IBM Netfinity3 server4. Analysts felt that with its innovative use of the new program, MBUSI not only managed to improve its customer relations by providing the best service, but also demonstrated its commitment to customers by making them an integral part of the process. Customers were, in a way linked directly to the factory floor – which was a powerful sales tool. Background: Mbusi and its Business Challenges MBUSI was a wholly-owned subsidiary of DaimlerChrylser AG. 5 In 1993, Daimler Benz realized that the Benz brand could be extended to wider market segments. Traditionally, Mercedes Benz6 appealed to older and sophisticated customers only. Daimler Benz wanted to attract customers below 40 years of age, who wanted a rugged vehicle with all the safety and luxury features of a Mercedes. Daimler Benz decided to develop a SUV known as the M-Class. It expected strong demand for the new vehicle and therefore planned to build its first car-manufacturing facility – MBUSI – in the (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) US. The MBUSI facility had many advantages. First, labor costs in the US were almost half that of in Germany. Second, the US was the leading geographic market for SUVs. Third, as the vehicles were assembled in the US, they could be distributed to Canada and Mexico more efficiently. In January 1997, the factory started production at partial capacity and by the end of the year, it was producing at full capacity. By 2000, the factory was rolling out around 380 vehicles per day. The new M-Class „allactivityvehicle represented a new concept for the company. Also, mass customization required that each vehicle be treated as a separate project, with its own Bill of Material. To deal with these challenges, Daimler Benz decided to implement an enterprise wide Information Technology (IT) system, with the help of IBM Global Services7. To further strengthen the image of Mercedes Benz in the US, MBUSI planned to deliver vehicles at the factory, becoming the first international automobile manufacturer in the US to do so. MBUSI also wanted to enrich the customersexperience. Commented William Engelke, â€Å"The factory delivery option gives Mercedes-Benz customers something that they do not get from other automobile manufacturers which is why we think the program will resonate with our customers. We think that having the factory delivery program available to Mercedes customers adds to the overall experience of the customer. † The Design of FDRS The FDRS program was proposed in the first quarter of 1998. In the third quarter of 1998, MBUSI entered into a contract with IBM. A development team was constituted with IBM Global Solutions specialists and IBM e-commerce developers, who worked closely with MBUSI. The program became operational by the first quarter of 1999. The IT team at MBUSI had a clear set of functional specifications for FDRS. However, they relied on IBM to transform the concept into an e-business solution. The FDRS was designed in such a way that customers buying the M-Class SUV could specify that will take delivery of their new vehicle at the factory. They could place the order at any of the 355 Mercedes Benz dealers in the US. An authorized employee at the dealership entered the factory delivery order the web interface. Timing was the most important aspect of the FDRSfunctionality, as it was closely linked with MBUSIs vehicle production schedule. Mercedes Benz United States of America (MBUSA)8, based in Montvale, NJ, was the first link in the FDRS program. It was the point where the dealer actually placed the order. MBUSAs role was to coordinate the distribution of vehicles to dealers across the country. Later, it had to add the order to the companys Baan Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)9system, which scheduled the order for production. About three months before the production date, the dealer could schedule in a window, the date and time of arrival of the customer at the factory for delivery. The window was then automatically computed by the FDRS to give the dealer, the possible delivery dates. Apart from the delivery date, the customer could also specify the accessories for the car and also request a factory tour. FDRS was based on Lotus Domino (Refer Exhibit I), Lotus Enterprise Integrator10 and IBM Netfinity servers. It also interfaced with IBM S/390 Parallel Enterprise Server, Model 9672-R45 located in Montvale, NJ (Refer Figure I). There were two Domino servers – an IBM Netfinity 5500 and an IBM Netfinity 3000. FIGURE I SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE OF FDRS Source: MBUSI The former that acted as the „internal Domino serverwas placed behind a firewall 11. It replicated databases through the firewall to the external server. The replication, which was encrypted, represented the primary means by which the FDRS system achieved security. Netfinity 3000 acted as an „external Domino server. It had public information and was also the primary communication linkage for dealers. The ack-end of the FDRS was equipped with an Oracle database that updated the internal Domino server database with order information. The updation was done using Lotus Enterprise Integrator. The data which was replicated to the internal Domino server included lists of valid dealers and lists of order numbers. When an order was placed by the dealer on the FDRS system, the data was first stored on the external Domino server, after which it w as replicated to the internal Domino server. Then it was replicated to the back-end database via the Lotus Enterprise Integrator. Data replication between the Lotus Notes servers happened every 15 minutes and data exchange with the back-end database three times per day. There was also a link between the back end database and an IBM S/39012 mainframe based system located at MBUSA via a T113 line. MBUSA managed the flow of vehicles to Mercedes dealers across the United States. This mainframe based system, received new vehicle orders (as opposed to factory delivery reservation requests) from individual dealers. The orders were then sent to MBUSIs Baan system and also to the back-end database. The vehicle ordering and factory reservation data were coordinated with each other when the back-end database uploaded the data to the internal Domino server. This coordinated the production and delivery information. FDRS Implementation One of the most challenging aspects of the implementation seemed to be the complexity of the Lotus and Domino scripts. The development team had to group all the information from diverse systems. Commented William Engelke, â€Å"There was a substantial amount of very complex coding involved in the FDRS solution. This application involves a lot more than having our dealers fill out a form and submitting it. There are many things the servers have to do for the system to function properly, such as looking at calendars and production schedules. We built a solution with some very advanced communication linkages. † IBM faced many technical challenges during the implementation of the program. One of them was the different timing schemes of the Lotus Notes databases and backend databases (ERP). This led to discrepancies in the data. Domino server was a Near Real Time (NRT) Server14, and MBUSIs backend activities were both real time15and batch processing16. Also, to get the best results, the Domino server was an optimised subset of the ERP table set17. However, the development team achieved a balance between the two „sidesof the solution by focusing on issues of timing, error detection schemes, and alerts. Customer Satisfaction: FDRS Primary Benefit MBUSI seemed to measure FDRSsuccess in terms of increased satisfaction of its customers. The company also believed that the marketing and customer satisfaction aspects outweighed the significance of more traditional cost-based benefits. Apart from the factory delivery experience, the program also offered the customer a factory tour and ride on the off-road course at a low cost. The company also seemed to gain strategic marketing benefits from the FDRS program, as it was able to establish Mercedes-Benz as a premium brand. (Refer Table I for advantages of FDRS in different areas). Customers could also visit the various tourist spots in Alabama after picking up their M-class vehicles. TABLE I ADVANTAGES OF THE FDRS PROGRAM AREA Strategic Marketing Benefits Cost Savings ADVANTAGES FDRS was expected to improve customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, as it enriched Mercedes customers experience. The program also strengthened the brand image of Mercedes in the US. Development of a web-based solution enabled MBUSI to offer the factory delivery program at substantially lower costs, due to less reliance on administrative personnel. â€Å"Package Marketing† the FDRS program with a ride to tourist sites, enhanced the image of Alabama as a tourist destination. The creation of a similar – albeit smaller – factory delivery system to the European Customer Delivery Center in Sindelfingen, Germany, reflected favorably on the MBUSI business unit. Source: MBUSI Regional Economic Development DaimlerChrysler AG Future of FDRS In 2000, MBUSI planned to leverage FDRSplatform by adding a range of other services. MBUSI built an advanced platform to create communication links to its suppliers. Through the link, MBUSI provided them feedback on the quality of supplies it received. The dealers and suppliers had a user-ID and password, which the system recognized. It then routed them into the appropriate stage of the FDRS. The company also planned to extend the innovative system to include transactional applications such as ordering materials and checking order status on the Web. The company expected that the new system based on FDRS, would be more cost-effective than the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)18 system. ] Bill of Material keeps track of all raw materials, parts, and subassemblies used to create a finished product. 2] A product of IBM Corp. , Lotus Notes and Domino R5 are the industrys leading client/server combination for collaborative messaging and e-business solutions. 3] The IBM Netfinity server offers solutions for file-and-print and application computing needs. 4] A computer or de vice on a network that manages network resources. For example, a file server is a computer and storage device dedicated to storing files. Any user on the network can store files on the server. A print server is a computer that manages one or more printers, and a network server is a computer that manages network traffic. A database server is a computer system that processes database queries. 5] DaimlerChrysler AG was the result of a merger between two leading car manufacturers – Daimler Benz of Germany and Chrysler Corp. of the US in 1998. 6] A luxury brand of passenger cars, Sports Utility Vehicles from DaimlerChrysler. 7] IBM Global Services is the services and consultancy division of IBM Corp. that offers extensive ebusiness solutions. 8] MBUSA is the wholly owned US subsidiary of DaimlerChrylser. ] ERP attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments particular needs. 10] A server-based data distribution product that enables data exchange between Lotus Domino and a number of host and relational applications. 11] A system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or f rom a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software. Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets. All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria. 12] The IBM S/390 servers offer direct high speed access to the e-business application and are used for Enterprise Computing. 13] A dedicated phone connection supporting data rates of 1. 544 Mbits per second. A T1 Line actually consists of 24 individual channels, each of which supports 64 Kbits per second. Each 64 Kbit per second channel can be configured to voice or data traffic. 14] The NRT Server System supports real time distribution of near-real time data. 5] Real time refers to events simulated by a computer at the same speed that they would occur in real life. 16] Executing a series of noninteractive jobs all at one time. The term dates back to the days when users entered programs on punch cards. They gave a batch of these programmed cards to the system operator, who fed them into the computer. Usually, batch jo bs are stored up during working hours and then executed whenever the computer is idle. Batch processing is particularly useful for operations that require the computer or a peripheral device for an extended period of time. Once a batch job begins, it continues until it is done or until an error occurs. Note that batch processing implies that there is no interaction with the user while the program is being executed. 17] The ERP tables are the database tables, (thousands of them), on which the package is built. The programmers and end users must set these tables to match their business processes. Each table has a decision „switchthat leads the software down one decision path or another. 18] EDI connects all the suppliers in and out of the US. www. icmrindia. org/free resources/casestudies/Mercedes Benz-ITSystems-Case Studies. htm

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, a

Non-conformity in The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, Medea, and The Stranger      Ã‚  Ã‚   We are constantly being affected our surroundings. As a result, our attitudes and personalities are a product of our experiences and the various environments in which they occurred . Furthermore, the society we live in presents to us a set of standards, values, and givens that we may or may not agree with. In literature, the society plays a major role in affecting the characters' thoughts and actions. In The Sailor who Fell From Grace with the Sea, The Stranger, and "Medea", the characters are affected by their society, and their actions reflect their conformity (or non-conformity) to it. Ultimately, non-conformity in these works create the conflicts that make the plots interesting.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea , the characters are presented with the relatively modern society of post World War 2 Japan. Since the war, as Japan underwent their "second" industrial revolution, it became more permeable to western culture(since it was a major contender of international business). Since Japan has always been a nation that stressed the importance of preserving its culture(imposing isolationism at one point), these changes did not go down so smoothly. Mishima expresses this discomfort by depicting two characters with opposite grounds of non-conformity. One being Fusako; a non-conformist in a traditional perspective, and the other Noboru, a non-conformist in a contemporary perspective.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Albert Camus' The Stranger, society only affects the main character, Meursault, after he comes to a mid-story crisis. For all practical purposes, Meursault was living in a French society of the 30's, whereas Al... ...rent does not conform.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors' relations to us on the characters' places in society help us to relate to and comprehend their actions. If Meursault hadn't been so detached from society, Noboru so discontented with society, and Medea so vengeful toward society, we wouldn't have half of the justification needed to understand the murders that took place in the works. Given the presented material about conformity, I conclude that the stories' plots indeed grow around the unique attributes of the non-conformers, and as result, spark the reader's imagination to the fullest.    Works Cited    Euripedes "Medea", Greece 431 BC Camus, Albert (Translated by Matthew Ward) The Stranger , New York, Vintage International, 1988 Mishima, Yukio. (Translated by John Nathan) The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, New York, Vintage International, 1993.

Case Study Importance of Accounting Standards Essay

The importance of accounting standards A PricewaterhouseCoopers Case Study Introduction PricewaterhouseCoopers was created in July 1998 by the merger of two firms – Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand – each with historical roots going back some 150 years and originating in London. PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world’s largest professional services organization, helps its clients build value, manage risk and improve their performance. Drawing on the talents of more than 140,000 people in 152 countries, it provides a full range of business advisory services to leading global, national and local companies and to public institutions. These services include audit, accounting and tax advice; management, information technology and human resource consulting; financial advisory services including mergers & acquisitions, business recovery, project finance and litigation support; business process outsourcing services; and legal services through a global network of affiliated law firms. Five things you didn’t know about PricewaterhouseCoopers 1. To meet their growth targets they need to hire 1,000 people a week across the world. 2. They will be the largest professional services firm in critically important emerging markets: Russia and the Former Soviet Union, India, China, Singapore, Malaysia and Latin America. 3. The high technology practice will yield revenues in excess of $1 billion with over 2,500 technology clients. 4. Work with Financial Services clients will represent more than 20% of PricewaterhouseCoopers’ international revenues. 5. They are already investing $200 million a year in new technology. A global enterprise The new, combined organization is the result of the continuing growth in the international economy. Companies are seeking to re-define themselves to thrive in the market-place where mergers and acquisitions are increasingly important and many companies now operate without geographical boundaries. A large-scale global enterprise such as PricewaterhouseCoopers needs a solid infrastructure to meet its clients’ expectations. One element is a powerful  database developed by PricewaterhouseCoopers that shares ‘best practice’ information with all its offices around the world. PricewaterhouseCoopers is also harnessing all available technology to ensure any of their advisers can work with their clients anywhere in the world, allowing them to be fully effective in serving the clients’ needs immediately. They offer businesses around the world both a wider range of services and a more integrated service than has ever been possible. This service also provides a soluti on to business problems of a scale and complexity that are greater than ever before. An integrated team approach They provide a fully integrated team to tackle a company’s diverse problems. At PricewaterhouseCoopers, there are six service lines or departments which cover different areas of specialization. They are: Assurance & Business Advisory Services Management Consulting Services Tax & Legal Services Financial Advisory Services Global Human Resource Solutions Business Process Outsourcing. PricewaterhouseCoopers may work on one of these areas and find that the client requires help and solutions to issues in other areas. They are able to provide an integrated team of experts to give advice and offer a range of possible solutions. The first and largest of these service lines, the Assurance & Business Advisory Service is now considered in more depth. ABAS – Assurance & Business Advisory Services At PricewaterhouseCoopers the global practice they call ‘ABAS’ provides a broad range of services which fulfill three core business needs: 1. Assurance – They conduct audits and provide assurance to clients on the financial performance and operations of their businesses. 2. Global Risk Management Solutions – They help clients to manage their business risks and thereby improve financial performance. 3. Transaction Services – They offer advice to clients about their significant transactions such as mergers & acquisitions activity. Some of the most exciting organizations from the  world of banking, commerce and government come to them for advice. The client list is dominated by household names, with particular strengths in communications, financial services, retail, energy and manufacturing sectors. Assurance Assurance is the largest part of the UK practice for PricewaterhouseCoopers and generates income from a combination of audit and business advisory assignments. In addition to an audit, many clients require business advisory services. For example, they may provide advice on joint ventures or mergers, helping companies to ‘float’ their company on the Stock Exchange or assess whether the technology or systems in place provide an accurate means of reporting the financial data. Auditing In order that shareholders and other interested parties can make informed judgments as to the financial health of a company, it is a legal requirement that all companies have their financial facts and figures checked. This is known as an audit and must be performed by an independent registered firm of auditors. The auditors use guidance from the Accounting Standards Board to state whether in their opinion the financial information presented by the company is a ‘true and fair’ representation of that company’s financial health. The primary reporting responsibility of the auditors is, however, to the shareholders, not to the company’s directors. It is interesting to note the difference between ‘true and fair’ and 100% accurate. It is not the role of the auditors to check every individual transaction performed by a company and therefore the auditors cannot state that the figures are 100% correct, merely that, in their opinion, they are ‘true and fair’. Legislation and regulation of companies The accounts of a company are designed to show both the performance and its current financial position. All company accounts in this country need to be produced in accordance with: 1. The Companies Act, 1985 for UK, for Pakistan Companies ordinance 1984 and 2. Accounting Standards: Statement of Standard Accounting Practice (SSAPs) Financial Reporting Standards (FRSs). In essence these standards set out: What information should be included in a company’s accounts How this information should be presented. The Companies Act / Ordinance, decrees that companies must produce accounts for publication. The Accounting Standards Committee devised SSAPs. In 1991 the Committee was replaced by the Accounting Standards Board, which develops FRSs. The Board is gradually replacing SSAPs with FRSs, which are issued when the Board identifies a need. These two sets of standards encourage greater clarity so that the reader can fully understand the information represented. Accounting standards FRSs are expected as business becomes more complex. How these different standards are applied varies with the type of business conducted by a company. As for any company the shareholders’ interests must be protected. The following examples of SSAPs and FRSs demonstrate the consideration that must be given in drawing up financial accounts in order that interested individuals, such as financial analysts, can clearly judge a company’s performance and position. Key standards will be considered in this and the following section. SSAP 12 Accounting for depreciation Companies invest in assets (such as machinery) in order to produce goods or services to sell. These are known as fixed assets. In the case of the gas or oil industry, an oil rig is a fixed asset – the company must own an oil rig to supply oil or gas. All companies have some form of fixed assets although the dependence on these assets varies with the type of business. Another example could be machinery for manufacturing a car, or a building in which employees work. In this example, Global Oil has built an oil rig for  £50m. In its balance sheet, cash will be reduced by  £50m and fixed assets will increase by  £50m. In 20 years time (the ‘economic life’), the company knows that the oil rig will need to be replaced. By the 20th year, the value of the oil rig in the company’s balance sheet will be zero. Thus, the value of the oil rig will reduce each year by a set amount ( £2.5m in this example). This is known as depreciation and the annual depreciation figure is shown in the profit and loss account. SSAP 12 states that the economic life of a  fixed asset should be reviewed regularly and should be stated in the notes to the accounts, together with how the rate of depreciation was determined. FRS 11 Impairment of fixed assets and goodwill FRS 11 is a new standard and deals with any loss in value to a fixed asset, for example through damage or downturn in the economy. This is known as impairment. For example, if a pipeline from Global Oil’s oil rig is damaged, the supply of oil or gas is reduced or stopped until repairs are made. Thus the ability of the oil rig to produce oil or gas is less than expected and the fixed asset’s value is reduced. Global Oil must therefore make a general reduction in the value of the asset and charge the loss to the profit and loss account. FRS 11 states that all companies must reassess the value of their fixed assets on a regular basis to establish whether the figure in the balance sheet is a ‘fair value’. FRS 1 Cash flow statements There are three main statements in a company’s annual report and accounts – the profit and loss account, the balance sheet and the cash flow statement. For example, while Global Oil may be highly profitable, without any cash it will be unable to pay its employees or suppliers. Clearly, when Global Oil sells oil to its customers, it needs to ensure it receives prompt payment. Cash is the lifeblood of a business and it is therefore important for a company to issue a cash flow statement. FRS 1 sets out the format and contents of a company’s cash flow statement. Accounting standards continued†¦ FRS 3 Reporting financial performance This is a highly complicated standard. Essentially FRS 3 serves to make sure the information presented in a set of accounts is clear. Companies must issue a report stating the financial performance for review by its shareholders. Consistency and ease of understanding these reports allows the reader to compare the data for similar companies. This would allow a potential investor to compare competing oil or gas companies before deciding which company’s shares to buy. In this example of Global Oil, there are three subsidiaries: International Gas, International Oil and International Petrochemicals. Each of these different companies or subsidiaries must also produce their own set of accounts as should the parent company, Global Oil. FRS 3 states how a company must set out the financial reports and accounts, the type of information that should be provided and where it should be categorized in the company statement of accounts. FRS 3 Exceptional items FRS 3 consists of several other sections including a note on ‘exceptional items’. These are one-off situations and may result in either a profit or loss to the company. These are included in a separate section in the profit and loss account. The reasons for incurring an exceptional item are various. Examples include the general costs involved in splitting up or de-merging a utility company, such as telecommunications or gas, into their separate components. In this case study, Global Oil decided to move its head office to Edinburgh. As this move is not expected to happen regularly in the normal course of business, the cost is regarded as an exceptional cost. Although this cost is included in the profit and loss account, it is clearly marked as exceptional so that shareholders realize that a marginal reduction in profit is not a result of a reduction in revenues. FRS 3 also states that exceptional charges must be shown separately in the profit and loss account and detailed in the notes to financial statements. SSAP 25 Segmental reporting Segmental information gives a breakdown of the different industrial sectors in which a company is involved and allows the reader of the accounts a much better understanding of where the money is made within the different parts of the company. This information may also be provided on a geographical basis if this is relevant. This standard is mostly applicable to the biggest public limited companies or if the company has a banking or insurance division. So for Global Oil, the financial information should detail the amount of business generated in oil refining, gas and petrochemicals. It should also provide information on the different geographic areas in which it operates. SSAP 25 states that the annual report and accounts for a company needs to provide a geographical and industrial breakdown of the following information: Turnover Operating profit and loss Net assets. SSAP 9 Stocks and long-term contracts Stock is an asset on the balance sheet and is essentially the product that a company will sell. In the case of Global Oil, its stock is oil and gas. SSAP 9 deals with how to value this stock on the balance sheet. Typically the value on the balance sheet would be the cost to produce and refine the oil into a marketable state. However, if the price of oil drops to a value below these production costs, then Global Oil cannot sell the oil at a profit. In these circumstances, the value of the oil stocks on the balance sheet must be reduced to the sale price minus all transaction costs. This is known as the net realizable value. SSAP 9 states that a company must value its stock at whichever is the lower value – the cost to produce versus the net realizable value. Conclusion The example of Global Oil demonstrates the financial reporting standards that must be considered when preparing a company’s accounts. More standards are expected as the complexities of business transactions grow and accounting practice adapts to keep up with these changes. Such changes already observed in business are the use of derivatives and financial ‘instruments’. At PricewaterhouseCoopers, the ABAS teams are experts in their field of knowledge and exercise their judgment in interpreting how these standards apply to different companies. The implementation of the standards can vary according to the type of industry and even between companies in the same industrial sector. In order to ensure the best possible interpretation, the ABAS teams need to have a good understanding of the client’s business and industry sector.

Inclusion Of The Special Education Program - 1773 Words

A study revealed that learning is a process that happens under observable and ideal conditions to the extent that situations, in which students are placed purposely or otherwise, had great effects on them. There must be collaboration together between the special education program and the regular education to hand in hand assess the overall needs of students with learning problems to cooperatively make efficient educational strategies to match the needs of the students (Will, 1986). Sasartawi Abdul Jabbar (2011) stated that inclusion is defined as the process of incorporating a child into a conventional educational environment as he or she becomes sufficiently prepared both academically and emotionally. Full inclusion represents the†¦show more content†¦Though instances are rough for the Hearing Impaired in their way of communication, students with hearing impairment are mostly attending to regular schools and are being educated in general education set up. Children with hearing impairment obtain special education and related services under the federal disability category of hearing impairments (Schildroth and Hotto, 1996; Gallaudet Research Institute, 2006). The main purpose of promoting inclusion is to help individuals to be well equipped for life, gaining ideas from the norms, enjoying a typical life experiences, helping to cope up with the attitudes of individuals without disabilities, and withstand discrimination in the society independently (Bi klen et. Al.,1987). Inclusion has a great part to deaf students’ emotional growth and belongingness, embolden an admiration of variousness, and increases society’s awareness of different individual needs, and to regard the rights of various ethnicity (Majeed, 2008). In other areas in special education there has been also an increase in the placement of students with disabilities (Friend Bursuck, 1996). There are two types of inclusion: social inclusion (mainstreaming) and educational inclusion (full inclusion). Stinson and Antia (1999) compared the two concepts in terms of three dimensions. For the educational setting dimension, the practical application of full inclusion requires that Hearing