Managerial Accounting Concept Example

Essays on Managerial Accounting Concept Essay Managerial Accounting Concept Managerial Accounting Concept Managerial accounting covers a broad array of a firm’s functional spheres including finance and marketing, among other disciplines. Ultimately, managerial accounting information depends upon internal financial data specifications. Great care is required in preparation and maintenance of such internal financial specifications and reports, in order to guarantee utmost clarity and consistency. The latter are crucial aspects if resultant reports are to be adequately logical to facilitate proper decision making. Further, forecasts derived from managerial accounting are critical for organizational planning, while cost information enables managers to focus on and be held responsible for their respective business segments. The significance of proper managerial accounting is best exemplified by the recent Tesco case, in which the renowned British supermarket overstated its profits, resulting in dire consequences for its market stature and some of its executives. The article that provides insight into the importance of proper managerial accounting is titled â€Å"Tesco Suspends 3 More Executives† authored by Jenny Anderson. Just as the title of the article suggests, it focuses on Tesco, a supermarket deemed the largest in Britain. Anderson explores the aftermath of Tesco’s disclosure that there had been a 250 million pound overstatement in its earnings forecast issued earlier in the year. The author denotes that while investigation continues into the supermarket group’s accounting practices, it has suspended three additional executives bringing the number of dismissed executives to eight. Anderson points out that the company attributed the accounting discrepancy to hasty booking of promotional income from its suppliers, coupled with pushing its costs further than usual to the future. The article highlights the consequences of the accounting problem, which was brought to light by a whistle-blower from within the company. T hese costs include loss of market share, as budget-oriented shoppers shift towards supermarkets that offer significant discounts, and a significant drop in share value. Investigation by Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Deloitte, and Freshfields, is also exerting further pressure on the already negatively affected company in terms of poor reputation and subsequent loss of credibility. The article concludes by stating that interim investigation results are yet to be released, which implies that the uncertainty still remains a threat to the company’s standing. From Anderson’s article, it is apparent that Tesco’s error stemmed from failure to observe a fundamental accounting principle, which requires matching an establishment’s revenue to its costs. Matching earnings and cost constitutes a universal rule of accounting, irrespective of a company’s geographical location. Even though matching revenues with marketing promotions of multiple months is complex, it is a common practice in the retail sector and the discrepancy should have been detected early enough. The other detail that emerges from the article is the belated full disclosure of the company’s financial status. The latter is an accounting requisite, which Tesco failed to meet and one that it would have perhaps kept secret, had the whistle blower not come forth with the information. Anderson’s article provides significant insight into the consequences of improper managerial accounting. The significant loss of market share and share value shows how easily the public reacts to adverse reports of a company’s financial status. This is especially considering the fact that Tesco remained profitable even after proper earnings adjustment. The volatility of public reaction shows why proper accounting measures are crucial to promoting public confidence in a company, thus guaranteeing its financial stability. In addition to these consequences, there is also the implementation of disciplinary measures for executives found culpable with accounting discrepancies. The suspension of some executives shows Tesco’s commitment to restoring the public’s and investors’ confidence in its operations. The disciplinary measures are crucial to reconstruction of the supermarket’s reputation and consequent gradual recovery. Anderson’s article, therefore, makes significant assertions, particularly the importance of proper accounting practices, and adoption of disciplinary measures, in order to ensure accounta bility among executives entrusted with finance management responsibilities. Outlined costs of accounting discrepancies also serve as a reminder of the essence of proper accounting controls and proper administration structure. There is a wide array of lessons that can be derived from the Tesco case, as outlined by Anderson. Key among these lessons is the need for a company, whether public or private, to adopt a robust corporate administration culture, characterized by strong internal controls, meant to prevent accounting and governance problems. In addition, as a prospective leader, one must strive to uphold extant standard practices, since it is preferable to minimize and manage risk, rather than respond later to accounts and management related crises. Another primary lesson drawn from the Tesco case and would be pertinent to averting reputation and financial crises is the need to automate ordinary tasks. This is because it is clear that the suspended executives were highly qualified in finance and management issues, but were perhaps distracted by mundane managerial duties. Automation would allow executives to focus exclusively on identifying irregularities, analyzing accounting decisions, and making cred ible forecasts, as well as, logical financial reports. In addition to embracing a stringent corporate culture and automation efforts, it is important for an executive, current and prospective, to strengthen the accounts regulatory framework. This would not only aid in early identification of risks by internal auditors, but also afford the responsible finance management team and other executives enough time to address issues noted. It would also be important for the involved audit committee, the chief financial officer (CFO), and other managerial staff to sign-off on accounting decisions made within a firm, in order to prevent similar judgment related errors in future. It would also be imperative to maintain comprehensive financial records of a firm, and uphold a culture of complete financial disclosure in order to avoid accounting discrepancies like that of Tesco. The final most important lesson drawn from Tesco’s situation is the need for executives and other organizational partisans to heighten examination of a company, when bus iness conditions exhibit deterioration. When managers, directors, and other executives increase scrutiny of financial and other business results, they convey the need for a corporate culture of transparency, accuracy, discipline, and integrity in the entire organization. Combinative application of these lessons would enable one, as a high ranking future leader, to steer the organization towards financial stability through keen adherence to standard accounting practices, as well as, striking balance between strategic risk taking and financial management. Reference Anderson, J. (October 14, 2014). Tesco Suspends 3 More Executives. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/15/business/international/tesco-suspends-3-more-executives.html?_r=2

John Wesley Hardin Free Essays

Elsie Glosser Mr. Largent History 122 8 December 2010 John Wesley Hardin John Wesley Hardin, Texas’ most notorious gunfighter, was the son of a Methodist preacher that was growing up during the Reconstruction Era. But instead of saving souls he sent them on to meet their Maker, via bullet train express. We will write a custom essay sample on John Wesley Hardin or any similar topic only for you Order Now So was John Wesley Hardin a cold blooded killer or a product of the times? John Wesley Hardin, who was named after the founder of the Methodist church, was born 26th May 1853 in Bonham, Texas. He was the son of James Gibson Hardin Sr. nd Mary Elizabeth [Dixson] Hardin who were married 19th May 1847. He was the second surviving son of ten children. His father James Gibson Hardin was a Methodist preacher, circuit rider, schoolteacher and lawyer. His mother Mary Elizabeth [Dixson] Hardin was the daughter of a highly respected Indiana doctor and was described by John Wesley as being, â€Å"blond, highly cultured†¦with a charitable disposition, a model wife and helper to his father. † (Hardin) At the age of 12, he saw the Confederate soldiers returning home from the Civil War. This was also the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. During the Reconstruction period, the South lay beaten down, the people were filled with hate and vengeance, and the Negro slaves were freed. Many of the Negroes joined the Union army as soldiers or state police. It was during this time that John Wesley developed a deep hatred of the Union and the freed Negroes. â€Å"In his mind, he had seen Abraham Lincoln burned and shot to pieces. So often he thought of him as a demon that was waging a relentless war on the South to rob her of her most sacred rights. † (Hardin) John Wesley was raised with deep religious beliefs and Christian virtues. He had a fierce fire and brimstone religiosity, a strong code of family loyalty and an indelible sense of honor that was a part of the lives of all Southerners, rich or poor. An old Civil War song can be said to accurately reflect the mind of a youth like John Wesley. â€Å" Oh I’m a good ol’ rebel, now that’s just what I am, For this fair land of Freedom, I do not care a damn, I’m glad I fit against it; I only wish we’d won And I don’t want no pardon for anything I’ve done. I hates the constitution, this great Republic, too, I hates the Freedman’s Bureau and uniforms of blue, I hates the nasty eagle with all it brags and fuss, The lyin’ thievin’ Yankees I hates them worse and worse. Three hundred thousand Yankees is still in Southern dust, We got three hundred thousand before they conquered us; They died of Southern fever and Southern steel and shot, I wish there were three million instead of what we got. I don’t want no pardon for what I was and am’ I won’t be reconstructed and I don’t care a damn. † (Metz) In 1865 John Wesley and his family moved to Sumpter, Texas where his father established a school which he and his siblings attended. But it was here in 1867, at the age of 14; John Wesley would have his first encounter with the law. While preparing for a test in school, a classmate named Charles Sloter and John Wesley got in a fight over some graffiti that Charles had written on the wall about a girl in their class named Sal. Charles accused John Wesley of writing it and he denied it. Charles punched John Wesley and attacked him with his pocketknife. John Wesley drew his pocketknife and stabbed him twice, once in the chest and once in the back, almost killing him. The boys’ parents wanted John Wesley expelled from school, but after hearing the facts in the case, the trustees exonerated him and the courts acquitted him. Charles Sloter recovered from his wounds. In November of 1868, John Wesley went to visit his uncle Barnett Hardin, who lived about 4 miles away, to watch them make sugar from the sugar cane. It was during this visit that John Wesley’s’ life was about to change forever at the age of 15. When John Wesley a arrived at his uncles him and his cousin Barnett Jones got into a playful wrestling match with a former slave named Mage. Together, the boys beat him in the first round. It was during the second round that John Wesley accidentally scratched Mage and drew blood. This made Mage very upset and he threatened John Wesley saying, â€Å"He would kill him or die himself; that no white boy could draw his blood and live; that a bird never flew to high not too come to the ground. † (Hardin) John Wesley’s uncle Barnett Hardin ordered Mage off the farm. The next morning, when he was headed for home, the Negro Mage was waiting for him on the trail with a big stick. He threatened kill John Wesley with it and then throw his body into the creek. He swung at him with the stick, and John Wesley pulled out his Colt . 44 pistol and told him to stop. Mage grabbed the reins of his horse, and when he wouldn’t let go John Wesley shot him loose, but he kept coming back. He continued to shoot Mage every time he came at him, until the man collapsed. He went to another uncle’s house and brought him back to where Mage was lying. His uncle told him to go on home and tell his parents what had happened. Mage ended up dying from his wounds a few days later. His father knew that John Wesley would not receive a fair trial, because to be tried for killing a Negro at that time, meant a certain death at the hands of a court backed by Yankee bayonets. So John Wesley was sent to stay with his brother Joe, some 25 miles away, in Logallis Prairie. In December of 1868, some 6 weeks after the shooting and death of the Negro Mage, his brother told him that there were 3 Union soldiers asking questions about him. He took a shotgun and his Colt . 44 revolver and went to wait for them along the creek bed of Hickory Creek crossing, where he knew they would cross. Their e ambushed them, killing 2 white soldiers with the shotgun and the black soldier with his revolver. So, by the winter of 1868, 15 year old John Wesley Hardin had killed 4 men and was wounded for the first time. But his killings did not stop there. By February of 1871, at the age of 17, John Wesley had killed 12 men. In March of 1871, John Wesley and his cousin Jim Clements took 1600 head of cattle and headed up the Chisholm Trail toward Abilene, Kansas. Along the trail they had a problem with some Mexican vaqueros that kept mixing their cattle with John Wesley’s. A fight broke out, which ended up with John Wesley killing 5 of the Mexicans. So within a day or two of his 18th birthday John Wesley had now killed twenty men. He arrived in Abilene Kansas around June 1, 1871. It was here in Abilene, at 18 years old, that he met Wild Bill Hickok who was the Marshall at the time. John Wesley and Wild Bill met, for the first time, in a wine room where they discussed the rules of carrying firearms in Abilene. They left the meeting as friends, and John Wesley was given a privilege that no other cowboys would get to enjoy. He wore his guns for all to see. On August 6, 1871 he fled Kansas, for Texas after accidentally killing a man in the hotel room next door. On January 11, 1872, John Wesley returned to Gonzales, where he met Jane Bowen at his cousin Jim Clements wedding. They were married on February 29, 1872 by a Methodist minister and Justice of the Peace) Thomas F. Rainey. She was 14 years old and John Wesley was 18. In April 1872, two months after the wedding, John Wesley left for two weeks to head to the King Ranch in South Texas, 175 miles from Gonzales, to conduct business. Upon leaving the King Ranch, Hardin remembered he had â€Å"one of the prettiest and sweetest girls in the county as his wife. † (Metz). He arrived home around 4 am that morning. On June 5, 1872, he left again for Louisiana to sell some horses, but while in Hemphill he got into an altercation with a local law enforcement officer, so he sold the horses there and went to his uncle Barnett’s’ in Polk County. By August of 1872, at the age of 19, Hardin had killed 29 men. John Wesley and Jane’s first child, Mary Elizabeth, was born 6th February 1873, when Jane was 15 years old. Their second child, John Wesley Hardin Jr. , was born 3 August 1875, and their third child, Jane Martina, was born 15 July 1877. Whatever her faults or her degree of naivete, Jane Bowen Hardin was an articulate young lady that maintained a strong love and defense of her husband. On May 26th 1874, at 21 years of age, John Wesley Hardin arrived in Comanche Texas, where Browne County Deputy Sheriff Charles Webb had come with 15 men to kill him. He met Deputy Webb outside the saloon where he asked him if he had any papers for his arrest and Deputy Webb replied that he did not have any papers for his arrest. John Wesley invited Deputy Webb to go into the saloon with him for a drink and cigar. When John Wesley turned around to go in the door, he heard someone shout, and as he turned he saw Deputy Webb go for his gun to shoot him in the back. Hardin drew and fired his gun hitting Deputy Brown in the head killing him, but not before he got a shot off that hit Wesley and wounded him. On 23rd July 1877, he was arrested for the murder of Brown County Deputy Charles Webb, three years after it happened. John Wesley Hardin left Austin jail in September of 1877, for Comanche, Texas, which was some 160 miles away, to stand trial for murder. He was found guilty of second degree murder and was sentenced to 25 years of hard labor in the state penitentiary at Huntsville. He arrived there 5th October 1878. During his prison term, he studied law and passed the bar exam. It was also during this time that his wife Jane died, on 6th November 1892. John Wesley was released from prison 17th February 1894, and was granted a gull pardon and his citizenship restored by Governor of Texas, J. S. Hogg. After his release, he joined his children in Gonzales where he began to practice law On 8 January 1895, he married his second wife Callie Lewis, of London Texas. She was 15 ? and he was 41. Within a week of their marriage, he sent her back to be with her parents. They never divorced nor had the marriage annulled. He moved to El Paso, Texas where he opened a law practice. John Wesley got into an argument with a local lawman named John Selman Jr. , when he arrested his girlfriend for illegally carrying a pistol. Hardin in his quiet and deadly way threatened to kill him. Selman’s father new John Wesley’s reputation as a fast and lethal gunfighter, having killed over forty men. So, fearing for his sons’ life, John Selman Sr, decided to take the law into his own hands and permanently stop Hardin from carrying out his threat. So, it was on 19th August 1895, in the Acme Saloon in El Paso, Texas, somewhere between 11pm and midnight that John Wesley Hardin, Texas’ most notorious gunfighter in American history life came to an end, shot in the back of the head while his back was turned, by John Selman Sr, while he was rolling dice at the bar. He never had the slightest chance to defend himself. Do I believe John Wesley Hardin was a cold blooded killer? No I don’t. I believe he was a product of the times and was very self aware with a strong sense of survival. I also believe he only killed, in self defense, those that needed killing Rest in Peace John Wesley Hardin Works Cited Hardin, John Wesley. â€Å"The Life of John Wesley Hardin. † General Books, 2009. 3. Metz, Leon. â€Å"John Wesley Hardin: Dark Angel of Texas. † Metz, Leon. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma press, 1996. Foreward page 2. How to cite John Wesley Hardin, Papers

Understanding And Predicting The Social Behaviour †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Understanding And Predicting The Social Behaviour. Answer: Target Research Article Citation: Understanding and Predicting the social behaviour of the human has been the particular area of interest for many professors in the previous years. The main theme of the stated article is to understand and predict the human behaviour. According to the stated article, there has been assumption in humans that prediction of the social behaviour is best attained by the gratitude, salutation and capacity of intellectual variables. The notion of assertiveness is the central point in the stated article. A persons attitudes is said to be believed on the form in the response to the acquisition of some specific beliefs. Attitude can be viewed as the customary of views, and each view can be considered as the assumption of distinct attributes, as the individuals complete attitude in the direction of an object is the purpose of his or her assessments in accordance to those attributes. The study had done the examination of many current research practices that indicates that the researcher elect for a cognitive-based survey outline in order to examine what is going on exclusively in peoples minds. It has also done the comparison of the Ajzen and Fishbens attitude-based survey methodology to Labaws behavioural approach and the study found that the predictive approaches of both the studies were equivalent. The stated article outlines that the physical aspects of the peoples lives over which they have little influence but the aptitude of the persons counter in confident ways, irrespective of their outlooks. Article cited by Research Article One of the article cited by Gendall and Holdershaw 2008, is the measurement of attitudes, written by J.A. Krosnick, Charles M Judd and Bernd Wittenbrink. The article focuses on the measurement of attitudes of the human beings. According to the said article, the notion of outlook has changed from being unstated as a mental and neural state of readiness which is applying influence on the response of an individual in the direction of object or circumstances to being assumed as simply a persons assessment of an object of thought. The article states that an attitude is also a multi-dimensional in nature. The article outlines that the expectation of behaviour is best recognised by the understanding and measurement of the cognitive variables. The most fundamental assumption regarding the attitude concept is the philosophy that attitudes in some way influence, guide, predict, and shape the humans actual behaviour. A human behaviour theory attributes the great importance to the role of attitudes in predicting and explains the human behaviour. The study also outlines that people do not behave consistently in different situations with their measured attitudes. Thus, it stated that attitudes are not always consistent with the overt behaviour. An individuals attitude is believed to be developed in response in the acquisition of specific beliefs. Article cited by Research Article According to this article, the Fishbein and Ajzen models are more strongly supported in laboratories than field studies. The study reported that the main distinction between the Azjen and Fishbein approach regarding predicting behaviour lies in the nature of the questions which was used to formulate the questionnaire. It describes that the questionnaire developed by the Azjen and Fishbein includes the utilisation of numerous questions utilising the standard attitude scaling procedures and also the sematic differential. The theory of social behaviour is a theory that connects the beliefs and behaviour. According to Liska 1984, the concept of Ajzen was established to advance on the prognostic power of the theory for the coherent action by counting the apparent behavioural control. According to the study, the concept of reasoned action is a paradigm that finds its roots on the arena of social psychology. It outlines that there are links between the principles, approaches, norms, purposes and behaviours of the persons. It also affirms that the behavioural trust of an individual is the personal likelihood that the performance will produce to give an outcome. It also asserts that a person many hold many behavioural beliefs with respect to any behaviour, but only a small number could be readily manageable at a specific moment. Article citing targeted research Article The main objective of the above cited article was to recognize and designate the amount to which the theory or the theoretic frameworks learned the expansion and assessment of decision support technologies. The study was grounded on the decision technologies used in the educations convoluted in the Cochrane systematic review. The cited article done the enquiry which was based on the decision technologies involved in the review of the patient decision aids for the individuals facing health screening and treatment decisions. The articles states that the terms theory and model are often confounded and are associated with an overwhelming wide of definitions. Theories propose to elucidate the rules by which the consequences are attained. The article states that health conditions are often linked with several treatments and each of them has its own sets of harms and benefits. The decision to embark on a treatment or the screening depends on the dissimilarities among the harms and benefits of each option and how these are appraised by patients. The stated article concludes that the use of decision making theory in the DST improvement is poorly described in the previous theories. Article citing targeted research article The main motive for the preparation of the cited article is to define the level of students willpower, arrogance and introductory class attainment scores of Duzce University. The study also intended in distinguishing the variances in the students inspiration level and their annual accomplishment scores. The stated article uses a quantitative method of research. It also employs the correlational research design for the study. The study states the students of Duzce University are majorly motivated towards learning English and they dont make or take necessary steps or efforts in fulfilling their responsibilities. The study also identified that the connection between the contributory orientation and the annual accomplishment among the quantified college students are low. The giving of prominence to contributory orientation is not disturbing the proficiency of the students. The article outlines that students of the stated university must be fortified to set objectives on short-term founda tion which will allow them to operate the study in real life. References The Relationship Between Preparatory Class Students Motivation And Attitude Towards Learning English And Their Preparatory Class Achievement Scores. Http://Dx.Doi.Org/10.13140/Rg.2.2.27550.74565 Durand, M., Stiel, M., Boivin, J., Elwyn, G. (2008). Where is the theory? Evaluating the theoretical frameworks described in decision support technologies. Patient Education And Counseling, 71(1), 125-135. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2007.12.004 Liska, A. (1984). A Critical Examination of the Causal Structure of the Fishbein/Ajzen Attitude-Behavior Model. Social Psychology Quarterly, 47(1), 61. https://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3033889 Krosnick, J., Judd, C., Wittenbrink, B. (2005). The measurement of attitudes. The Handbook Of Attitudes, 21-76. Holdershaw, J., Gendall, P. (2008). Understanding and predicting human behaviour. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228475561_Understanding_and_predicting_human_behaviour

Tax Research Project Essay Example

Tax Research Project Paper Shane Fitzgerald ACC 413-0001 – Concepts and Strategies of Taxation Research Memo RE: Deductions for medical expenses September 22, 2011 Facts:Janice was injured in an accident and prescribed 6 months of physical therapy in a swimming pool. She does not live within an hour of the nearest public pool and wants to build a pool in her backyard. Janice lives alone and her annual Adjusted Gross Income is $50,000. Issue: Is the cost to build and maintain a pool for Janice in part, or completely deductible as a medical expense? Authorities: IRC Sec. 213 (a) (d) (1. ) Reg  §1. 213-1 (e) (i) (ii) (iii) Rev. Rul. 83-33, 1983-1 CB 70, IRC Sec(s). 213 HAINES v. COMMISSIONER, 71 TC 644, Code Sec(s) 213 Conclusion: Janice will be allowed to deduct the amount of cost to build her pool which exceeds both the amount it will increase the value of her property and 7. 5% of her Adjusted Gross Income. She will also be able to deduct the cost to maintain the pool for the first year for a total medical expense deduction of $4,750. Analysis: IRC Sec. 13 (a) says that medical expenses paid during the year that were not covered by insurance are deductible, â€Å"to the extent that such expenses exceed 7. 5 percent of adjusted gross income. † Janices Adjusted Gross Income is $50,000, thus she can only deduct medical expenses if they exceed $3,750. However, the cost to build her pool was a capital expenditure because it increased the value of her home. Capital expenditures are typically not deductible but in Janices ca se, Reg  §1. 213-1 (e) (iii) says: capital expenditure which is related only to the sick person and is not related to permanent improvement or betterment of property, if it otherwise qualifies as an expenditure for medical care, shall be deductible a capital expenditure for permanent improvement or betterment of property which would not ordinarily be for the purpose of medical care may, nevertheless, qualify as a medical expense to the extent that the expenditure exceeds the increase in the value of the related property, if the particular expenditure is related directly to medical care. We will write a custom essay sample on Tax Research Project specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Tax Research Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Tax Research Project specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Her pool qualifies as a medical expense because of her doctors prescription. Under this regulation, the cost of her pool ($20,000) less the value added to her home ($12,000) will be deductible as a medical expense. This amount ($8,000) less the allowance of deduction ($3,750) leaves her with a total of $4,250 she can deduct for the construction of her pool. She can also deduct $500 this year for maintenance of her pool because, â€Å"expenditures for the operation or maintenance of the capital asset would also qualify provided that the medical reason for the capital expenditure still exists. The entire amount of such operation and maintenance expenditures qualifies, even if none or only a portion of the original cost of the capital asset itself qualified† [Reg  §1. 213-1 (e) (iii)]. In subsequent years she will not be able to deduct the maintenance cost unless her doctor renews her prescription of physical therapy in a swimming pool. The example used in Rev. Rul. 83-33, 1983-1 CB 70, IRC Sec(s). 213 is nearly identical to Janices case in which a physician prescribed physical therapy treatment by swimming and the individual constructed a pool for medical use. The courts have distinguished personal expenditures that are merely beneficial to the general health of the individual from those that have as their purpose medical care, the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. † The pool Janice will construct will provide her with the best treatment for her condition. In the case of HAINES v. COMMISSIONER, 71 TC 644, Code Sec(s) 213, th e court ruled that the primary purpose of building a swimming pool was not directly related to the medical care required. The judge decided: During the period special therapy for his leg was required, it could have been secured through other far less costly means; for example, the petitioner could have secured the necessary therapy at the hospital or he could have arranged to swim at a health club which was not far from his residence. The pool cost the petitioner over $19,000, and we cannot accept his contention that such amount was spent primarily for therapy for his leg in view of the limited need for such therapy and the alternatives which were then available. The difference in Janices case is that she lives in a rural part of her state where there are no publicly available swimming pools within an hours commute and therefore building her own pool is necessary to treat her medical condition. In conclusion, Janice will be allowed to deduct the amount of cost to build her pool which exceeds both the amount it will increase the value of her property and 7. 5% of her Adjusted Gross Income. She will also be able to deduct the cost to maintain the pool for the first year for a total medical expense deduction of $4,750. Attachments:  § 213 Medical, dental, etc. , expenses. Internal Revenue Code (RIA) (a) Allowance of deduction. There shall be allowed as a deduction the expenses paid during the taxable year, not compensated for by insurance or otherwise, for medical care of the taxpayer, his spouse, or a dependent (as defined in section 152 , determined without regard to subsections (b)(1) , (b)(2), and (d)(1)(B) thereof), to the extent that such expenses exceed 7. 5 percent of adjusted gross income. Definitions. For purposes of this section — The term â€Å"medical care† means amounts paid— A) for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body, (B) for transportation primarily for and essential to medical care referred to in subparagraph (A) for qualified long-term care services (as defined in section 7702B(c) ), or for insurance (including amounts paid as premiums under part B of titl e XVIII of the Social Security Act, relating to supplementary medical insurance for the aged) covering medical care referred to in subparagraphs (A) and (B) or for any qualified long-term care insurance contract (as defined in section 7702B(b) ). In the case of a qualified long-term care insurance contract (as defined in section 7702B(b) ), only eligible long-term care premiums (as defined in paragraph (10) ) shall be taken into account under subparagraph (D) . Reg  §1. 213-1. Medical, dental, etc. , expenses. (e) Definitions. (1) General. (I) The term â€Å"medical care† includes the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. Expenses paid for â€Å"medical care† shall include those paid for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body or for transportation primarily for and essential to medical care. See subparagraph (4) of this paragraph for provisions relating to medical insurance. (ii) Amounts paid for operations or treatments affecting any portion of the body, including obstetrical expenses and expenses of therapy or X-ray treatments, are deemed to be for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body and are therefore paid for medical care. Amounts expended for illegal operations or treatments are not deductible. Deductions for expenditures for medical care allowable under section 213 will be confined strictly to expenses incurred primarily for the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. Thus, payments for the following are payments for medical care: hospital services, nursing services (including nurses board where paid by the taxpayer), medical, laboratory, surgical, dental and other diagnostic and healing services, X-rays, medicine and drugs (as defined in subparagraph (2) of this paragraph, subject to the 1-percent limitation in paragraph (b) of this section), artificial teeth or limbs, and ambulance hire. However, an expenditure which is merely beneficial to the general health of an individual, such as an expenditure for a vacation, is not an expenditure for medical care. Capital expenditures are generally not deductible for Federal income tax purposes. See section 263 and the regulations thereunder. However, an expenditure which otherwise qualifies as a medical expense under section 213 shall not be disqualified merely because it is a capital expenditure. For purposes of section 213 and this paragraph, a capital expenditure made by the taxpayer may qualify as a medical expense, if it has as its primary purpose the medical care (as defined in subdivisions (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph) of the taxpayer, his spouse, or his dependent. Thus, a capital expenditure which is related only to the sick person and is not related to permanent improvement or betterment of property, if it otherwise qualifies as an expenditure for medical care, shall be deductible; for example, an expenditure for eye glasses, a seeing eye dog, artificial teeth and limbs, a wheel chair, crutches, an inclinator or an air conditioner which is detachable from the property and purchased only for the use of a sick person, etc. Moreover, a capital expenditure for permanent improvement or betterment of property which would not ordinarily be for the purpose of medical care (within the meaning of this paragraph) may, nevertheless, qualify as a medical expense to the extent that the expenditure exceeds the increase in the value of the related property, if the particular expenditure is related directly to medical care. Such a situation could arise, for example, where a taxpayer is advised by a physician to install an elevator n his residence so that the taxpayers wife who is afflicted with heart disease will not be required to climb stairs. If the cost of installing the elevator is $1,000 and the increase in the value of the residence is determined to be only $700, the difference of $300, which is the amount in excess of the value enhancement, is deductible as a medical expense. If, however, by reason of this expenditure, it is determined that the value of the residence has not been increased, the entire cost of installing the elevator would qualify as a medical expense. Expenditures made for the operation or maintenance of a capital asset are likewise deductible medical expenses if they have as their primary purpose the medical care (as defined in subdivisions (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph) of the taxpayer, his spouse, or his dependent. Normally, if a capital expenditure qualifies as a medical expense, expenditures for the operation or maintenance of the capital asset would also qualify provided that the medical reason for the capital expenditure still exists. The entire amount of such operation and maintenance expenditures qualifies, even if none or only a portion of the original cost of the capital asset itself qualified. Rev. Rul. 83-33, 1983-1 CB 70 IRC Sec. 213 Revenue Rulings (1954 – Present) Headnote: Rev. Rul. 83-33, 1983-1 CB 70 IRC Sec. 213 Reference(s): Code Sec. 213; Reg  § 1. 213-1 Medical expenses; swimming pool; capital expenditures. Taxpayers cost of constructing a special exercise or â€Å"lap† swimming pool to treat severe osteoarthritis, to the extent the expenditure exceeds any resulting increase in the value of taxpayers related property, is deductible as a medical expense under section 213 of the Code. Rev. Ruls. 54-57 and 59-411 modified. Full Text: ISSUE Are expenditures for the costs of constructing, operating, and maintaining an exercise pool deductible as medical expenses under section 213 of the Internal Revenue Code? FACTS A, an individual, has severe osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that results in a progressive weakness and decreased use of the knees and legs. To slow the effects of this disease, As physician prescribed a treatment of swimming several times a day. A constructed an indoor â€Å"lap† pool in order to follow the prescribed, daily exercise. The pool, which is attached to As residence, is 8 feet wide by 36 feet long and varies in depth from approximately 3 feet to 5 feet. The pool does not have a diving board and is not suitable for general recreational use. The stairs for the pool are specially designed with wider steps and smaller risers to enable A to safely enter and emerge from the pool. The ;Page 71; pool also has a hydrotherapy device to aid in As treatment. LAW AND ANALYSIS Section 213(a) of the Code allows a deduction in computing taxable income for expenses paid during the taxable year, not compensated for by insurance or otherwise, for medical care of the taxpayer, the taxpayers spouse, or a dependent, subject to certain limitations. The term â€Å"medical care† is defined by section 213(e) to include amounts paid for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, for the purpose of affecting any structure or function of the body, or for transportation primarily for and essential to these purposes. Section 1. 213-1(e)(1)(ii) of the Income Tax Regulations provides, in part, that deductions for expenditures for medical care allowable under section 213 of the Code will be confined strictly to expenses incurred primarily for the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. However, an expenditure that is merely beneficial to the general health of an individual is not an expenditure for medical care. Section 1. 213-1(e)(1)(iii) of the regulations provides, in part, that capital expenditures are generally not deductible for federal income tax purposes. See section 263 of the Code and the regulations thereunder. However, an expenditure that otherwise qualifies as a medical expense under section 213 shall not be disqualified merely because it is a capital expenditure. Moreover, a capital expenditure for permanent improvement or betterment of property that would not ordinarily be for the purpose of medical care may, nevertheless, qualify as a medical expense to the extent that the expenditure exceeds the increase in the value of the related property, if the particular expenditure is related directly to medical care. The test whether a capital expenditure is deductible under section 213 of the Code as a medical expense is whether the expenditure is incurred for the primary purpose of, and is related directly to, the taxpayers medical care. The courts have distinguished personal expenditures that are merely beneficial to the general health of the individual from those that have as their purpose medical care, the prevention or alleviation of a physical or mental defect or illness. Thus, not every expenditure prescribed by a physician or for the physical comfort of the individual will be considered a medical expense. Seymour v. Commissioner, 14 T. C. 1111 (1950). For example, the costs of transportation expenses to and from a golf course where golf was recommended for a victim of pulmonary emphysema are not deductible. Altman v. Commissioner, 53 T. C. 487 (1969). The costs of vacations or athletic club fees, while beneficial to the general health of a taxpayer, are also nondeductible personal or living expenses under section 262 of the Code. Havey v. Commissioner, 12 T. C. 409 (1949). An expenditure that merely serves the convenience of the taxpayer is not considered a medical expense. Worden v. Commissioner, T. C. M. 1981-366. Deductions under section 213(e) are confined strictly to expenditures for medical care. In the present situation, As physician prescribed swimming in order to alleviate As osteoarthritis. In order to follow the prescribed treatment, A constructed a shallow â€Å"lap† pool incorporating specially designed stairs for ease of entry and exit and a hydrotherapy device. The specially designed exercise pool is not suitable for general recreational use. HAINES v. COMMISSIONER, 71 TC 644, Code Sec(s) 213. C. William Haines and Sara B. Haines, Petitionerv. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Respondent Case Information: Code Sec(s): | 213[pg. 644] | Docket: | Docket No. 8474-76. | Date Issued: | 01/25/1979 | Judge: | Opinion by SIMPSON, J. | Tax Year(s): | Year 1972. | Disposition: | Decision for Commissioner. | HEADNOTE 1. MEDICAL EXPENSES—Definition of medical care—special home improvements for disabled persons and preventive medicine—deduction denied. Medical expense deduction denied for cost of swimming pool taxpayer built in his home. Expenses incurred in building pool were not primarily related to his medical care. Need for special therapy for taxpayers leg continued for only limited period of time. Having pool at home was mere convenience, not necessity. Since pool was not enclosed, taxpayer had access to it for only 6 months out of the year and it contained no equipment to help him with his physical therapy. Reference(s): 1979 P-H Fed.  ¶16,432(10). Code Sec. 213 . OPINION Therefore, under the regulations, the test is whether the petitioners expenditures were incurred for the primary purpose of, and were related directly to, his medical care. See Ferris v. Commissioner, 582 F. 2d 1112 (7th Cir. 1978), revg. and remanding on another issue a Memorandum Opinion of this Court; Havey v. Commissioner, 12 T. C. 409, 412 (1949). In light of all the facts and circumstances of this case, we must hold that the expenses the petitioner incurred in building a swimming pool were not for the primary purpose of, and were not related directly to, his medical care. Undoubtedly, swimming was beneficial to his condition, but such evidence is insufficient to establish that the primary purpose of the building of his own pool was related directly to his medical care. Cf. Ferris v. Commissioner, supra. The need for special therapy for his leg [pg. 648]continued for only a limited period of time. Although he remains limited as to the forms of exercise in which he can engage, his present practice of swimming as a means of exercise is not significantly different than the activities of many others who prefer that form of exercise for its undoubted advantages. During the period special therapy for his leg was required, it could have been secured through other far less costly means; for example, the petitioner could have secured the necessary therapy at the hospital or he could have arranged to swim at a health club which was not far from his residence. The pool cost the petitioner over $19,000, and we cannot accept his contention that such amount was spent primarily for therapy for his leg in view of the limited need for such therapy and the alternatives which were then available. Moreover, even the testimony of the petitioners physician does not support his contention that his own swimming pool was a medical necessity for him. When asked his reason for recommending swimming to the petitioner, the doctor stated: Well, he was having to go over to the hospital daily for quite a while there to get the exercises, and then theyd put him in a whirlpool, and I felt, and had the personal reasons for—to advise him to build a pool himself so he could swim when he had occasion to swim. (Emphasis added. ) The doctors statements do not indicate a medical exigency for the petitioners nstallation of his own pool. InSeymour v. Commissioner, 14 T. C. 1111, 1117 (1950), we said: The statute deals with expenses paid for medical care of the taxpayer. Not every expenditure prescribed by a physician is to be catalogued under this term, nor is every expense that may be incurred for the physical comfort of a party a medical expense. Having a swimming pool at his home made i t more convenient for the petitioner to exercise in a pool, but an expenditure that merely serves the convenience of the taxpayer cannot be treated as a medical expense. Seymour v. Commissioner, supra at 1117. Other circumstances in this case also indicate that the petitioners swimming pool was not built for the primary purpose of his medical care. He testified that he had access to his pool only from April to October; thus, its use was not available to him for approximately one-half of each year. He also testified that he would like to have enclosed the pool, but the additional cost of doing so was too great. However, in Ferris[pg. 649] v. Commissioner, supra, where the taxpayer, a resident of Madison, Wis. was required to swim twice a day for the rest of her life, the pool was enclosed, and it was agreed that the costs of the enclosure were deductible. If swimming in his own pool was required for the treatment of the petitioners broken leg, it does seem that such treatment should have been available for more than one-half of the year, and the fact that the pool was not available for such a large portion of the time provides further evidence that it s construction was not required for medical purposes.

Comparing Nietzsche and Freud essays

Comparing Nietzsche and Freud essays Nietzsche and Freud both had the same idea that society was a major factor effecting ones behavior. However they differed in their perception of the innate qualities of humans and how human progress is best achieved. It will be shown in this paper how Nietzsche and Freud differ in their perception of the innate qualities of humans. Nietzsche believed that humans were innately good and that the essence of humans lied within their will. Freud believed that humans innate qualities were bad and it was society which was needed to suppress these qualities. Nietzsche felt that society had too much control over individuals. He states that society had adopted a type of slave morality. Nietzsche felt that if the individual wanted to succeed he or she had to break free of society to better him or herself. The basis of this idea was the theory of the will. Nietzsche believed the will was the human essence. Will is an innate quality because it is not conscience from what society says. Nietzsche believed that individuals were basically born good and it was society that made one bad. In order to avoid society corrupting an individual, one had to follow their will. He wanted the will to be unobstructed by society and in order to do this one had to do away with conscience and consciousness. Conscience is ones sense of right or wrong which comes from what society says. Nietzsche believed that ones consciousness is an illusion and it must be abandoned. By leaving behind what society said and following ones will the individual could ach ieve greatness. Success and progress is best achieved, according to Nietzsche, only when there is an infinite expression of the will present. Freud felt it was society that was beneficial to the individual. Contrary to Nietszche, Freud believed that individuals were naturally born bad and it was society which made him or her bad. Freud believed that individuals were born with an id. The id is ...

5 Ways to Deal With Difficult Students

5 Ways to Deal With Difficult Students Teaching a lesson to your class can become quite a challenge when you have to deal with the constant disruption of a difficult student. It may seem like you have tried every behavior management tip known to man, along with trying to provide an organized routine to help the student manage their responsibilities. Inevitably, when everything youve tried fails, keep your head up and try again. Effective teachers choose discipline techniques that will encourage positive behavior and motivate students to feel good about themselves and the decisions that they make. Use the following five tips to help you combat classroom disruptions, and deal with those difficult students. Define Expectations Specifically, define your expectations and help students understand there are consequences for unwanted behavior. When students break the rules they need to be ready for the consequences. Clearly write out and define each expectation you have, and post them in a visible spot in the classroom. Common Student Expectations for the Classroom: Stay seated during classroom activities and eventsRaise your hand before speakingShow respect for school property and studentsWait to be dismissedBe prepared for classBe considerate and respectful Parent-Teacher Communication Get parents involved in their childs education. A lot of the time the students that are being disruptive, may not be getting the attention that they need from home. By communicating your concerns with the parents, you may find there may be something going on in the household that is out of your control. Find a way to keep parents informed of their childs behavior at school. Communicate with Parents by: Creating an open-door policyEmail, text or instant messageWeekly or monthly newsletterProgress reportParent conference Once you find a way to communicate with the parents of the difficult child, next you must consider what words you will choose to say to the parents. Present the facts of the unwanted behavior, and be prepared to communicate with the parents how you plan to change the students behavior. Knowing how you are going to deal with the parents, will help you address the needs of the child for behavior modification. Model Expected Behavior Set a positive tone by modeling expected and appropriate behavior. When you are dealing with a difficult student, explain to them why you dont like the behavior they are displaying, and model for them the behavior you would like to see. (Example: I did not like that you yelled out in class without raising your hand. The appropriate way to talk in class is to raise your hand and wait to be called upon.) By modeling the expected behavior, you are showing them exactly what you expect of them. Children Learn From: SeeingListeningCopying what they seeActionsAttitudes Reward Acceptable Behavior Sometimes when the students that are not behaving, see the students that are behaving get rewarded for that behavior, it sets a positive example. Setting up a hands-on behavior management plan can help students physically see and track how they are behaving throughout the day. This, in turn, can make them re-think how they are behaving and get rewarded for acting appropriately. Keep Calm, Cool and Collective Naturally, when someone gets you upset it is common to react with frustration and anger. When this happens, its important to remain calm. Take a deep breath, or even walk away from the situation for a moment to clear your head. Remember, this child may not have learned the tools of how to properly communicate, and now it is your job to teach them. When you stay calm in a difficult situation, it will model for the student that this is the proper way to react. Sometimes overt behavior can be contiguous and that only leads to a classroom of unwanted chaos.

Ohio Sentate Bill Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ohio Sentate Bill - Essay Example Having said this, it is not as though the nation has no responsibilities to play in ensuring that the citizen is well protected and provided for to give back to the nation. It is for this reason that bills and laws that are made in the nation must take a human face and consider the welfare of the citizen as the most important conditions. To this effect, it is absolutely necessary, right and appropriate that citizens are airing their views on the Senate Bill 5 and how it might affect them. The debates and discussion are therefore highly encouraged and no side of the argument can immediately be judged as invalid, out of place or unnecessary. Especially as voting is yet to be done, it is important that debates continue to clarify issues so that the voting public would have better reasons why they should make a particular choice on the day of voting. The Issues No body can deny the fact that the mere mention or thought of the fact that a person’s earning would be reduced directly or indirectly is unpleasant news to hear. In fact, monies are earned through labor and labor is a difficult phenomenon. It is for this reason that everyone would want his or her earning secured. But what about cases where the deductions would bring about an eventual and long term benefit. Like in the payment of life insurances and fixed deposits, so would the long term benefit of the Senate Bill 5 be. Vardon and Siegel (2011) note that â€Å"Senate Bill 5 also would save $191 million at the state level by eliminating employee longevity and step pay increases.† In the wake of times when America is trumpeting for rapid economic take after the recession, such an amount pumped into the economy would in no small way raise the economic fortunes of the nation. Having made this point, it is important to reiterate the need to ensure accountability at the hands of higher governmental officials so that the professed economic benefits would be achieved. There is also an urgent need for c ritics’ cry on the implementation process to be considered. This is because there seem to be a kind of disparity that creates the impression that someone is robbing Peter to pay Paul. This point is strongly supported by Kasich who decries how there exists â€Å"imbalance between the costs of health insurance for the private and public sectors† such that one group wound eventually be making losses for another person’s gains. There is the much talked deprivation of employees to air their views and bargain on their entitlements. Some say that the Senate Bill 5 will be â€Å"taking away the power to negotiate deductibles and co-pays that contribute to the overall cost of health insurance† (Vardon and Siegel, 2011). However, that is not all what the Senate Bill 5 presents as far as employee bargaining power is concerned. As a matter of fact, public service workers such as teachers, firefighters and law enforcers â€Å"will be able to negotiate with local and state officials for important contract provisions including wages and some working conditions, including those related to safety† (The Intelligencer, 2011). The fears continue to rage on but citizens are encouraged to consider the full impulse of the bill deeply. If for nothing at all, it is known that the little restrictions on bargaining power would go a long way to restrict excessive spending to help Ohio maintain a balanced budget. It should however be noted with caution that this does not become an avenue for killing the

ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

ISSUES IN FINANCIAL REPORTING - Essay Example The analysis of the enterprise’s performance is critical because it helps decision makers such as the investors and managers for effective decision-making. The analysis of performance provides information about the efficiency of allocation of resources and factors causing the business not to achieve its objectives (Hargreaves 2015) The trend analysis will enable the stakeholders in making an assessment as to whether the company is improving or not improving and how competitive the company is in the industry (Alexander, Britton & Jorissen, 2011). The report provides causes for observed performance in the particular company. The report offers a recommendation on the areas that require improvement to achieve better financial performance. Corporate governance refers to a method of directing and controlling companies. It involves balancing between social and individual goals or economic and social goals to align the interests of the businesses, individuals and the society as close as is practicable (European Accounting Review, 2015). It specifies the correlation between shareholders, the board of the company and other stakeholders. Also, it provides the structure for setting up company’s objectives, approaches for attaining these goals and determines how to monitor the performance (Alexander et al., 2011). Corporate governance eases operational, innovative and sensible management that can promote continuous performance of the business. Corporate governance is reinforced by various theories such as agency theory, stakeholders’ theory, resource dependency theory and stewardship theory. The responsibility of governing corporations is bestowed upon the board of directors. Shareholders have the responsibility of appointing the board of directors to ensure to ensure effective corporate governance (European Accounting Review, 2015) On the other hand, the board of directors sets the

ICICI Prudential â€Multiple Channel Distribution Essay Example for Free

ICICI Prudential –Multiple Channel Distribution Essay In terms of the future of the Indian insurance industry, what do you think are the measures that can be taken/ have been taken by ICICI Pru to further strengthen its distribution system to meet the competition? Bring out the drawbacks of the existing channels and the need to explore new avenues. Distribution Scenario in the Indian insurance Market The major challenges to insurers and intermediaries in highly competitive Indian insurance market are: 1. To build faith about the company’s insurance services in its customer’s mind  2.  To develop relationship(in terms of credibility) between intermediaries and clients 3. To develop extensive network for providing best service and stay close to the customers Capturing larger segment –Rural India Except ICICI Prudential, all the insurance companies have traditionally tied agents that have been the primary channels for insurance distribution in the Indian market. In case of the public sector insurance companies such as LIC, SBI etc. they have used their branches in almost all parts of the country and have attracted local people to become their agents. While ICICI Pru has used multiple channels such as bancassurance, direct marketing and corporate agents for their insurance distribution and have covered 69 cities and towns in India. By the virtue of these multiple distribution channels, ICICI Pru became leader in Indian insurance sector in short span of time with maximum contribution form bancassurance channel. However, these channels were targeted mostly at urban customers while the 70-80% of the Indian population stays in Rural area. ICICI Pru has tried to cater rural customers by joining hands with BASIX, World vision, Dhan, Shepherd, Uttaranchal Co-operative Marketing Federation, nLog Communiaction, ITC’e eachaupal etc. But, to cover the maximum possible rural market and develop strong rural insurance market at optimum cost for ICICI Pru, according to me India Post is the best intermediary option. India Post is one of the oldest infrastructure developed in India and it would be the best channel to reach Indian rural customers at very low cost. The postman are the best friend and information source to the village people. Hence they are the best fellows to create awareness about the company’s services and to distribute different insurance products. Thus they are the best sales man to build credibility about the company in rural India. Also the postmen have basic education in terms of services, hence the company can train them for their services at a very low cost. Thus the overall cost for reaching rural customer would be lower compare to all other possible options.

Symbolism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essay -- Young Goodman Br

Symbolism in Young Goodman Brown  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚      Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in â€Å"Stories Derived from New England Living† state: â€Å"Hawthorne’s unique gift was for the creation of strongly symbolic stories which touch the deepest roots of man’s moral nature† (31). It is the purpose of this essay to explore the main symbolism contained within Nathaniel Hawthorne’s tale, â€Å"Young Goodman Brown.†    Stanley T. Williams in â€Å"Hawthorne’s Puritan Mind† states that the author was forever â€Å"perfecting his delicate craft of the symbol, of allegory, of the few themes and oft repeated character-types which were to haunt forever the minds of those who know New England† (42). Let us begin with the opening lines of the story: â€Å"YOUNG GOODMAN BROWN came forth at sunset, into the street of Salem village. . .† What is Goodman Brown symbolic of? 1.   According to Levy, he â€Å"is Everyman.   The bargain he has struck with Satan is the universal one . . . . Initially, he is a naive and immature young man who fails to understand the gravity of the step he has taken . . . [which is] succeeded by a presumably adult determination to resist his own evil impulses† (117).   2.   Fogle writes that he is â€Å"a naive young man who accepts both society in general and his fellow men as individuals at their own valuation, [who] is in one terrible night confronted with the vision of human evil . . . † (15). 3. Q. D. Leavis in â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet† states that â€Å"the relevant point is that Young Goodman Brown is Everyman in seventeenth century New England† (35). And what is Salem village symbolic of?   It was â€Å"th e center of the witchcraft delusion, in the witching times of 1692, and it shows the populace of Salem Village, those chief in authority, as well as obscur... ... Norman:   U of Oklahoma P, 1952.    Franklin, Benjamin V.   â€Å"Goodman Brown and the Puritan Catechism.†Ã‚   ESQ   40   (1994):   67-88.    Fuller, Edmund and B. Jo Kinnick in â€Å"Stories Derived from New England Living.† In Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne, edited by Clarice Swisher. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Hale, John K.   â€Å"The Serpentine Staff in ‘Young Goodman Brown.’†Ã‚   Nathaniel   Hawthorne Review   19   (Fall 1993):   17-18.    James, Henry. Hawthorne. http://eldred.ne.mediaone.net/nh/nhhj1.html    Leavis, Q. D. â€Å"Hawthorne as Poet.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Levy, Leo B.   â€Å"The Problem of Faith in ‘Young Goodman Brown.’† Modern Critcial   Views:   Nathaniel Hawthorne.   Ed. Harold Bloom.   New York:   Chelsea House, 1986.   115-126.

Braking History Essay

In a little over a hundred years since the automobile took hold of people’s imagination, technologies designed to make them accelerate faster and reach higher speeds have evolved with a fury. The brakes that were used to decelerate vehicles just over a hundred years ago (when cars were first invented) has evolved from plain wooden blocks to discs that are monitored by Anti-lock Brake Systems and Electronic Braking Distribution systems. The earliest braking system that used by vehicles consisted of nothing more than a block of wood and a lever system. The wood brake system worked fine in conjunction with early vehicles that were equipped with steel rimmed wheels. However, when the Michelin brothers started to replace steel rimmed wheels with rubber tires on most vehicles towards late 1890s, the wood block braking system just does not create enough friction with rubber. Since the need for a new method of braking was necessary in order to replace the old wood block braking system, inventors scrambled for new ideas. The French manufacturer Louis Renault took crude concepts of inventors before him and developed method: The drum based braking system. Basically, the system involved a single flexible stainless-steel band, wrapped around a drum on the rear axle. When the driver engaged the brake, the band would apply pressure to the drum and car to come to a stop. However, the drum braking system did have a number of problems. Since the drum brakes were external, the exposer caused a very rapid wear-out of the system and had to be replaced often. The band itself would sometimes unwrap on hills and proved to be very unsafe for the driver and passengers. Even though people came up with ideas to internally place the brakes, the era of mechanically-activated brakes was coming to an end. In 1918, A four-wheel hydraulic-brake system was invented by Malcolm Loughead. This system used fluids to transfer the force on the pressed pedal to the pistons and then to the brake shoes. In other words, it was the enhanced drum based system added with power support. The system quickly became popular due to the fact that it is much easier to operate and more effective than mechanical systems. Thus, it was adapted quickly by most of the automotive world. As the vehicles evolved to be heavier and faster, heat distribution started to become a major problem for the drum hydraulic-brake system due to increased friction. Disc brake system that was made from iron was invented to solve the problem. In order to stop the car, the brake pads are squeezed by a calliper which is pressured by the hydraulic, and then the discs are squeezed by the braking pads. Lining was placed on the braking pads to reduce the noise when the metal came in contact. This was as far as the braking system went in terms of mechanics. However, additional features such as the ABS (Anti-Lock Brakes), EBS (Electronic Braking system), and EBD (Electronic Braking Distribution) were implemented to further enhance the performance and safety of brakes. Since the industry was constantly seeking for replacements and innovations, achieving â€Å"the Minimum Winning Game† (MWG) is extremely important in not only the auto industry, but any high-technology ventures in general. By definition, the â€Å"Minimum Winning Game† is: Defining the first major market opportunity that is limited enough to provide a clear target for technology and product development efforts in the short-to-medium term, and sufficiently large that successfully pursuing it provides a foundation for long-term corporate development. Defining the â€Å"Minimum Winning Game† of any new breaking system is a difficult yet critical responsibility of management to keep the new innovation focused and able to learn from its ongoing efforts in the face of rapidly evolving technological and market uncertainties. Balancing a combination of the three drivers is essential in achieving the â€Å"Minimum Winning Game†. The drivers are: technology development, product development, and strategy development. Effectively pursuing these drivers will contribute positively, but allowing one to become the sole driver is likely to derail the venture from the path toward its Minimum Winning Game. Since braking technology is in such high-tech environments the pace of change is extreme. Instilling strategic discipline early on can prevent the new innovation of brakes to fall into the â€Å"Field of Dreams† trap: building the technology and it will become useful, while simultaneously increase the chances of its success.

Moving and Handling

Arega Arutiunian NVQ level 2 – Moving and Handling . How to Transfer a Weak Patient from Bed to Chair/Wheelchair . Lying in bed for a long period of time is generally depressing and boring for most patients. Being transferred on a chair enables the patient to execute some slight movements that is beneficial in improving circulation. As for being transferred on a wheelchair, it serves as a way to transport a weak patient on hospital areas , to the bathroom or in the lounge room . First i must inform the patient about the procedure. If the patient wants to be transferred on a chair, i will explain the details .And if there is a need for him to be transferred on a wheelchair, i need to explain the purpose and destination of the transfer. Using a nice tone of voice and right body language. Informing the patient will facilitate cooperation and will make him feel that he is being respected rather than being controlled. Position the chair or wheelchair next to the bed facing the foot of the bed. I need to bring the chair as close as possible to reduce the distance of the transfer. If a wheelchair is used, i will make sure to lock its brake and fold the foot rests, as soon as my position it near the bed.I need to adjust the height of the bed in its lowest position-this way it will be easy for the patient to step down on the floor, thus, decreasing the risk of injury from falling. I will lock the brake of the bed and then assist the patient in doing side lying position, facing the direction of the transfer. I need to lace one arm under the shoulder of the patient and the other arm supporting the patients’ thigh on the opposite side. Count to three and then carefully swing the legs of the patient over the side of the bed and assist him in lifting his trunk and shoulders until he is in sitting position.If patient is strong enough to do some movements, i can allow the patient to participate on the manoeuvre. I will ask patient to use the leg on the outer side of the bed to scoop the leg on the other side. Than carefully swing both his legs on the side of the bed and then assist him in lifting his trunk and shoulders until he is in sitting position. Place my arms around the torso of the patient for support. Put one arm of the patient over my shoulder -while his other arm is extended on the bed, to help support the position.Instruct the patient to scoot over the edge of the bed until feet is flat on the floor. Widen the distance of my feet, with right foot forward, and the left foot back for an easy shift of my weight as i lift the patient. Maintain the position above, with my arms still supporting the torso of the patient. One arm of the patient should still be on my shoulder and his other arm should still be extended on the bed (palm flat on bed). Slightly bend my knees and lean my body. Then i will instruct the patient to get ready for a push from one arm that’s extended on the bed, as i lift him up to standing position.Count to three as i assist the patient to standing position and he is pushing off from at the same time. Need to raise patient to standing position and keep my back straight. Pivot the patient so that his back is positioned in front of the chair or wheelchair- i need to instruct him to grasp on the armrest for additional support, and then slowly assist the patient as he lowers himself on the seat of the chair. Help the patient in positioning himself properly when seated. I need to make sure that his buttocks are entirely rested on the seat and his back firmly resting on the back support.When in a wheelchair, i should place his arms on the armrests and his feet on the footrests. How to Use a Hoyer Lift to Transfer a Patient A Hoyer Lift is a lifting device or hydraulic lift that is commonly used in nursing homes and other medical facilities to help transfer patients from beds to wheelchairs and back again. Special care and attention needs to be used when transferring any patient using a Hoye r Lift, as injuries and even death may result from improper techniques or use of the lift. Position the sling that comes with the Hoyer Lift beneath the patient to be transferred.In some cases, caregivers will be required to carefully roll the patient from side to side in order to position the sling properly. I need to make sure that the sling is evenly distributed, without wrinkles and is correctly positioned, the seam side of the sling away from the skin of the patient. Need to move the Hoyer Lift so that the extended legs slide under the bed. The legs of the Hoyer Lift are able to open and close to facilitate wheelchairs. I should slide the Hoyer legs under the bed until the swivel bar hook of the lift is directly over the patient's abdomen. Attach the einforced â€Å"O† rings in the sling straps that have been placed around the patient's legs first, connecting to the â€Å"S† hooks of the Hoyer Lift first. Need to make sure that the leg straps (if two are present) are positioned to prevent the patient from slipping out of the sling. Should point the tips of the â€Å"S† hooks away from the patient's face for extra safety. Need to attach the shortest web strap through the hole for the back and head support part of the sling, which will help make sure the patient will have neck and head support when lifted. Then, i must attach the web   straps to the swivel bar.Press the button that will engage the lift and slowly lift the patient, maintaining control of both the sling and the lift. The Hoyer Lift should always be used with two people. One person should be helping control movement of the patient while the other operates the lifting mechanism and opens the legs of the lift for optimal stability. One person should always maintain control of the patient in the sling while the second person operates the lift. Once the patient is centred over a wheelchair or bed, lower the lift and then reverse the process used to place the sling .

A biosensor is an analytical device Essay Example

A biosensor is an analytical device Essay Example A biosensor is an analytical device Paper A biosensor is an analytical device Paper Essay Topic: Analytical A biosensor is an analytical device which uses biologically-sensitive material to detect biological or chemical species directly without the need for complex sample processing. It is usually made by attaching a biologically-sensitive material to a suitable transducing system, which converts the biochemical response into a quantifiable and processable electrical signal (Ngweinbi Suleiman, 1990). The biologically-sensitive materials can be an enzyme, multienzyme system, organelle, membrane component, a bacterial cell or other whole cell, an antibody or an antigen, or whole slices of mammalian or plant tissues, etc. These materials are responsible for the recognition of the test species in the mixture and provide the selectivity and sensitivity of the final device. When biological molecules interact specifically and reversibly, there is a change in one or more physico-chemical parameters associated with the interaction. This change may produce ions, electrons, gases, heat, mass or light. These quantities are converted into electrical signals by the transducers, amplified, processed and displayed in a suitable form (Sethi, 1994). Biosensors are devices that combine the selectivity and specificity of a biological component with a suitable transducer. The biological sensing element, usually an enzyme or an antibody, recognizes the complementary molecule and the resulting biochemical changes are transduced into a concentration dependant proportional signal (Calvo Danilowicz, 1997). In order to measure a physical quantity, a sensor must fulfill a number of criteria which indicate its aptitude for meeting the requirement. All useful information about a physical event can be obtained if the biosensor provides a signal that has a direct relationship with the quantity under investigation. The biosensor must also meet the requirements connected with the measurement itself, which are repeatability, reproducibility, selectivity, sensitivity, a linear region of response, and a good response time (Tran, 1993, p.8). The most fundamental principles for classifying biosensors depends on the measurement of fractional occupancy of ab binding sites, as the occupancy of the ab binding sites by the analyte depends on the analyte concentration in the sample. Anayte binding by the ab does not generate a signal, which can be easily measured. Therefore, indirect immunosensors require a tracer as helper agent (Bilitewski, Turner, p.118). In a biosensor, the transducer plays a physical role, and the biorecepor has the role of molecular recognition. The information decoded by the bioreceptor is converted into an electrical signal by transducer, using measuring techniques like potentiometry, amperometry, thermometry or photometry, all of which are based on the variation of physical quantities (Trans, 1993, p.10).

A Division of Parody Productions Essay Example for Free

A Division of Parody Productions Essay ? Parody Productions, LLC is a company that sale his playing cards over the internet. The product portrays well-known players from a sports team’s history. The plaintiff in this suit, Ronald Swoboda, is included in the New York Mets Hero Deck. Swoboda claims that he has never given Parody permission to use his image. He further contends that through his attorney he sent Parody a cease and desist letter. Parody refused to stop selling cards with Swoboda’s name and images. In response, Swoboda filed the instant lawsuit to enjoin Parody from the continued use of his name and likeness and for damages for violating his right to publicity, and, alternatively, damages for unjust enrichment. The trial court sustained the exception of lack of personal jurisdiction and this appeal followed. 2. ISSUE: The issue is â€Å"Did Court of Appeal of Louisiana approve lack of personal jurisdiction of an internet merchandiser?† 3. DECISION: Affirmed Since 1945, technology has advanced to such a degree that it is possible for sellers to reach consumers in their homes worldwide. The onset of the Internet has created a lapse between the method of doing business in 1945 and the legal system’s ability to keep up with technology. The â€Å"purposeful availment† requirement for the exercise of personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant ensures that it will not be haled into a jurisdiction solely as a result of a random, fortuitous, or attenuated contact, or by the unilateral activity of another party or a third person. In Quality Design, the court ruled that Tuff Coat’s website was a passive one, whereby information about its product was provided, but actual sales were arranged via telephone or mail. A Division of Parody Productions. (2016, Sep 17).

Research report Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Report - Research Paper Example In order to identify the factors that were affecting salesperson loyalty are investigated in this study. The marketing research problem for this study is to determine which intrinsic, and extrinsic factors motivate employees to remain loyal and dedicated to the workplace for a long period. The target population for the research is employees working as salespersons in the different aircraft companies to gain their views about the factors affecting their loyalty. The use of convenience sampling is made to select research participants for the study (Ryan, William, & Theeoblad, 2009). The reason to opt for convenience sampling is because of lack of time and availability to the researcher to reach each of the salesperson working at Boeing. The sample size of 1000 male and female salespersons is selected as research participants. The researcher has selected sale-persons specifically from aircraft companies with different working experience, age, income and educational background. The researcher made use of e-mailed survey questionnaires to gather information from the participants about the factors affecting loyalty to the workplace. The questionnaires were sent to the personal email address of participants (Tuck & McKenzie, 2014). The researcher made use of close-ended questions. The questionnaire was used to gather demographic features of the sample, as well as multiple extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing employee loyalty to an organization. The responses were gathered using a Likert scale. On the basis of descriptive statistics, it can be noted that the majority of the males were working as a salesperson. There were 52.20% of male and 47.8% of female. When the respondents were asked about their highest level of education the results indicated that 31% were some college graduates, 25.3% were college graduate, 24.3% high school

Tangle wood Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Tangle wood - Case Study Example The company is a chain of retail stores that stocks various items that include home decor items, electronic appliances, and clothing. The company’s target market consists of the upper class, middle class, and even the budget customers. According to Heneman et al., the company derives its competitive advantage from its outdoor theme and the large camping section in each store, and even the design concepts of each store (34). Since 1975 up to now, the company has witnessed tremendous growth that has enabled it to operate more than 240 stores located across the United States and this growth has equally been represented by an increase in the number of employees as well as the increased profitability of the company. This present case analysis of the Tanglewood Company will analyze the turnover problem that has being experienced in the company. Secondly, it will analyze how this problem might be tackled, the necessary actions that should be taken to solve the problem, and how the av ailable options will be evaluated. Turnover at the Tanglewood stores The human resource department at an organization such as Tangelwood Company is mandated to undertake the task of workforce retention or to ensure that employee turnover is at a minimum level. According to Heneman et al., workforce retention is mainly emphasized in order to reduce cost of continually hiring new workers and to ensure there is continuity in the organization. This is to say that turnover at the Tangleowood stores was a major problem that could possibly affect the quality of service at the stores, since staff had to be hired periodically and even before, they could master their roles well and even get to know the customers, they would leave the company. This high rate of turnover of staffs at the company meant that the store managers had to regularly use financial resources and valuable time to train the new staffs (43-45). Sims was of the view that an organization, which has a high turnover of employee s, is not financially sound or the management and in particular, the human resource management is poor and lacks proficiency. Therefore, a strategic human resource management at the Tanglewood Company would implement appropriate strategies to ensure that employees are comfortable in the work place and every aspect of the stores favors them, which will make them feel encouraged to continue working for the organization (121-125). Solving the turnover problem at Tanglewood Company It has been noted above that there needs to be implementation of appropriate strategies that will ensure staffs are encouraged to work at the Tanglewood stores for a longer duration. With reference to the writings by Sims, it is noted that one of the ways through which to lower employee turnover is by ensuring that the staffs have an opportunity to grow within the company and this is achieved by reserving promotion spots for the company’s current workforce (93). This strategy will encourage the current workforce to stay in the company as they await their chance to be promoted to the next level where the salary and benefits would increase. Heneman et al. supported this strategy by stating that in most cases employees leave a company because of limited opportunities for growth and so they look for other companies that will enable them to grow in terms of their career and even enjoy better remuneration (56-58). The other related strategy is offering training programs to the staffs, which sharpen their skills as well as improve their competency level. Through human resource development, employees become more devoted to the company and they have a feeling that they owe the company, because of the training that it has been offered to them. The other strategic option for solving the turnove

Logistics and Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Logistics and Operations Management - Essay Example Aggregate planning also enables planners to effectively make decisions concerning changes in employment, output rates, and inventory levels and back orders (Stevenson, Chuong 615). It also helps in the implementation of plans and prediction of changes in demand. Aggregate planning helps an organization in the budgeting process and in the synchronization of flow throughout the supply chain (Stevenson, Chuong 617- 618). The most common decisions variables for both manufacturing and service setting are short term decisions, intermediate decisions and long term decisions (Stevenson, Chuong 615). Long term decisions include where to locate the organization, its layout and product design. Intermediate decisions involve employment issues, subcontracting, output, and back orders. Finally, the short term decisions involve job assignments, order quantities, machine loading and work schedules. There are increased inventory costs due to the added expense. The other disadvantage is that there is an increase in idle time and overtime and this becomes very costly for the organization. In addition, the utilization of resources in the organization will keep on varying with time due to the instability in workforce ((Stevenson, Chuong 622)). By maintaining a level workforce, an organization increases morale of employees and this makes them to be more dedicated in their work. The process is also less disruptive to managers since they do not keep on hiring and lying off workers ((Stevenson, Chuong 622)). The process can sometimes be very costly especially the hiring and lying off of workers. There is the risk of hiring insufficient and unskilled workers which may result to poor job performance. Lastly, the job can involve a lot of paper work in the hiring and lying off workers and maintain their file (Stevenson, Chuong 622) The process provides for stability in the use of facilities and equipments in the

Hippies in the 60s and the Media

Hippies in the 60s and the Media The Myth of the Sixties It has been said that of all the artificial concepts of the twentieth century, the sixties have the greatest hold on the imagination. The decade has come to take on mythical proportions, a time in the history of the world where â€Å"everything changed,† and whether for good or for naught depends on which side of the fence you stand on. The hippies, artists and bohemians, then and now, regard it as a magical time, while the â€Å"squares,† conservatives, members of the mainstream and the like view it as a nightmare. And whether one was too young or too old to participate, or, in fact, was not even born, holds no relevance; the legend of the sixties will never die. However, the truth is that the decade and its participants were nothing more than the embodiment of three powerful myths: the myth of the hippies as â€Å"dirty scum,† as orchestrated by the media and the politicians; the myth of the hippies as world-changing revolutionaries, as created by the hippies t hemselves; and the perpetuation and extension of this last myth by marketers and advertisers for profit. This paper will examine the sixties with these three myths in mind. Before we can fully decipher the first myth (the role the media played in the creation of the hippy counterculture), it is necessary to look at the movement’s precedents. The late 50s and early 60s saw the arrival of three â€Å"subcultures,† the Beats, the Teds and the Mods, all of which received more media attention than they deserved; that is, practically every aspect of these groups (the number of members, the extent of their activities, the duration of the movements, etc.), was exaggerated (Green, 41). For example, the early sixties were presumably host to countless â€Å"turf wars† between two of these subcultures (the Rockers and the Mods). The first of these took place in Clacton in 1964, and although the actual turnout was low, the rival groups were quickly labeled as â€Å"gangs† by the media (Green, 46). The day after the event, nearly every national newspaper ran frenzied, front-page stories on the incident, urging Home Secretary Henry Brooke to take action (ibid). A year later, similar scenes repeated themselves in Brighton, Weston-super-Mare and Great Yarmouth, and media reports were filled with â€Å"broken deckchairs, fleeing grannies, stern-faced policemen, outraged councilors, etc.,† which were largely embellished or outright fabricated (Green, 47). The reality was in fact a pale imitation of the myth. It evolved later that there were no â€Å"gangs† as such, there was little evidence of premeditated hostility (most people had come just to watch), and for all the reports of â€Å"blood and violence† there was actually very little (Cohen, 1973). But the seeds had been sown, the damage had been done, and by the time the Rocker and Mod subcultures died down, there was the need for another â€Å"public nuisance† to take their place, another â€Å"group defined as a threat to societal values and interests, its nature presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media, the moral barricades manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right-thinking people, diagnoses and solutions pronounced by accredited experts† (ibid). Enter the hippy. The term hippy, on the surface, constitutes a vast array of bohemian and student subcultures, ranging from artistic-intellectuals to dropouts and dope smokers (Brake, 92). There are those who see them as romantic, childlike and pagan; others who see them as juvenile, hedonistic and offensive. The British hippie underground grew out of the â€Å"beatnik literary-artistic scene,† the peace movement and the corresponding American faction, spurred on by such pseudo-political groups as The Yippies, the Diggers and the Merry Pranksters, as well as various individuals including Ken Kesey (author of The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test), LSD guru Timothy Leary, and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, who appeared at the Albert Hall International Poetry Incarnation in 1965 (Brake, 102). However, while there were certainly symbolic precedents as mentioned above, and without a doubt small segments of the population were â€Å"tuned in† to a new way of thinking and acting, the fact was that an actual, pervasive, unifying movement didn’t really exist: â€Å"We’ve all gone along with the illusion that Ginsberg and Dylan and Baez and the Beatles and the Stones were all part of the same thing. Well, they are part of one thing, in the sense that we’re all human beings and we are all part of the word and each other. So is Lyndon Johnson, so it the mafia head of Chicago, so are the Hell’s Angels. We’ve tended to make the distinction between Us and Them. Now if we’ve got to recognise anything, there’s not much difference between the Angles beating that kid over the head with a pool cue, and the Chicago cops beating you over the head because you’ve got long hair† (Gleason, 219). It could be argued that if there were any changes taking place, they weren’t so much cultural as economic and social, which pegged young people against their parents, and led to vastly different worldviews and lifestyle choices (Brake, 93). While the hippies were loosely grouped around the concept of social and political change (which, in America, largely meant protestation of the Vietnam War), in Britain, there was never any corresponding social impetus. If anything, their behaviour was nothing more than a purposeful attempt to exhibit distinctly oppositional beliefs than those condoned by society, favouring â€Å"immediacy, spontaneity and hedonism† (Weider and Zimmerman, 1977). And it is these tendencies that the media jumped on. British newspapers reported hippies as being â€Å"dirty, idle, promiscuous and drug-users† (Brake, 96). A typical report showed a nude, bearded, long-haired man with the caption: â€Å"The hippy cult is degrading, decadent and plain daft† (ibid). A story about the London Street Commune who decided to squat in an abandoned Georgian mansion in 144 Piccadilly described their home as: â€Å"lit only by the dim light of their drugged cigarettes,† complete with â€Å"drug taking†¦couples making love while others look on†¦a heavy mob armed with iron bars, filth and stench, foul language†¦these are not rumours but facts, sordid facts which will shock ordinary decent living people† (News of the World, 1969). A similar report appeared in The Daily Mail on 2 August, 1969: â€Å"It makes me ashamed to be British. They [the hippies] live around in filthy clothes, mauling in each other in the streets. No wonder our country has gone to the dogs.† The hippies acted as convenient scapegoats, and the Tories eagerly jumped on the bandwagon in portraying them as moral degenerates who needed to be squelched so as to save the world from its baser instincts (Green, 448). The truth is that most of these hippies were not degenerates and criminals but students and ex-students, who were able to engage in a lifestyle filled with LSD, rock music and â€Å"free love† because of student grants and welfare payments (Brake, 95). Not only did the media paint an inaccurate picture of them, but the hippies believed their own hype and bought into their own myth. For while they railed against materialism, their lifestyle was only supported because of the benefits they received from living in a welfare system; while they were â€Å"anti-technology,† they had access to hi-tech stereo systems and complex light shows; in short, they â€Å"felt freedom was an individual element yet were controlled by a powerful state† (Brake, 97). The movement was short-lived because a â€Å"full-time leisure expressive subculture can only develop in an economy with sufficient surplus and employment† (Brake, 99). When the economy plummeted, so did the membership of the subculture; the hippies faded away in the wake of unemployment and economic crisis (ibid). However, even describing the hippies as an actual â€Å"movement† is questionable. One problem is that in looking at subcultures, it needs to be taken into account that they are actually a minority, who, because of their dramatic style, are given vast media coverage (Green, 158). Many hippies were latchers-on at best. Those who joined may have been rebellious, they may have adopted specific styles and values, but their rebellion did not embody genuine opposition (Green, 159). For many involved, it was not about social or political change at all; it was merely about fashion. As Angela Carter wrote in her Notes for a theory of sixties style: â€Å"The nature of our apparel is very complex. Clothes are so many things at once. Our social shells, the system of signals with which we broadcast our intentions, are often the projections of our fantasy selves†¦clothes are our weapons, our challenges, our visual insults† (Carter, 1967). Murdock and McCron, in a vast-raging counter-cultural study, found that most of the people they surveyed were not actually involved in local subcultures, but had adopted the styles because of the teenage entertainment industry (Murdock and McCron, 1976). The respondents â€Å"were expression and extension of the dominant meaning system, rather than deviation from or in opposition to it† (ibid). The truth is that most people are not seduced by subcultures, and only dress or act in similar stylistic ways when they have become acceptable by the mainstream. Much of the hippie culture was deliberately manufactured for marketing consumption, and much of the art and music of the sixties was commercialized and transformed into a commodity for the larger society (Brake, 99). Some of the decade’s premier acts the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, etc. – and rock ‘n roll in general, which had once been so threatening, had become as safe as the blue-chip companies that spo nsored and sold it (Green, 446). While the decade spawned a number of unconventional institutions, such as the underground press, it also launched substantial fortunes for such figures as Richard Branson and Tony Elliot (Green, 445). Smart, â€Å"alternative† capitalists took advantage of the period, and â€Å"transmogrified† the decade’s slogans into designer labels (Rowbotham, xiv). Furthermore: â€Å"The ‘underground culture,’ considered so radical and pervasive at the time, shifted just as radically. The progressive and loud rock of the 60s turned into the heavy metal of the 80s, with mysticism giving way to pulp science fiction, sexual freedom to braggadocio, liberation to repression. The nudity of the underground was packaged and mass-marketed by Rupert Murdoch. In the 1960s the young dropped out; in the 1980s they are dropped out. Drugs were considered a tool to heighten reality, and became an escape from the present† (Fountain, 215). The transformation of the hippie movement from extreme to mainstream, particularly in terms of merchandising, illustrated how well people had mastered the game, and were able to manipulate it according to their own agenda: hip consumerism had become mass consumerism (Frank, 1997). Current reactions to the sixties are mixed. While some regard it as a â€Å"golden age,† all â€Å"dope, revolution and fucking in the streets,† others, particularly the younger generation of today, see it as â€Å"a period smacking of weakness, of airy-fairy wishy-washiness, of an ascendancy of the cranks† (Green, 449). Everyone’s youth is of course a golden age, and part of the reason for the enduring myth of the sixties is that there are so many baby boomers today. Normal Mailer has noted how often the â€Å"reverberations that follow are out of all proportion to the presumed smallness of the original event† (ibid). Perhaps no better description could apply to the sixties. The decade is cloaked in myth, and there are no signs of this changing anytime soon. Today there is a thriving 1960s nostalgia industry, which is all about the clothes and the music, and has nothing do with politics or cultural change. This â€Å"sanitized† version of the era, safe for mass consumption, is just as much a myth as the sixties being a virtual â€Å"hell on earth.† However, whichever one you choose to subscribe to, one thing is probably certain: it didn’t actually happen that way. Bibliography Brake, Mike. The sociology of youth culture and youth subcultures. Sex and drugs and rock ‘n’ roll? London: Routledge Kegan Paul Ltd, 1980. Carter, A. â€Å"Notes for a theory of sixties style.† New Society. 14 December, 1967. Cohen, Stanley. Folk Devils and Moral Panics. Albans: Palladin, 1973. Fountain, Nigel. Underground, the London Alternative Press, 1966-74. London: Routledge, 1988. Frank, Thomas. The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counter Culture and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1997. Gleason, R. â€Å"Rock for sale,† in Eisen, J. (ed.) The Age of Rock 2. Sights and Sounds of the American Cultural Revolution. New York: Vintage Books, 1970. Green, Jonathan. All dressed up: The sixties and the counterculture. London: Random House, 1998. Murdock, G. and McCron, R. â€Å"Consciousness of class and consciousness of generation† in S. Hall and T. Jefferson (eds.) Resistance Through Rituals: Youth subcultures in post-war Britain. Hutchinson: London, 1976. News of the World. â€Å"Hippies, drugs and the sordid truth.† 21 September, 1969. Rowbotham, Sheila. Promise of a dream: Remembering the sixties. London: Penguin Books, 2000. Weider, L. and Zimmerman, S. Understanding Social Problems. New York: Praeger Press, 1977.