Audit Firm Culture

A company's culture has a large impact on the ethical behavior of employee's and an employee's ethical behavior plays an Important role In the quality of the audit. Now, there are several factors that affect the quality of an audit but the one that will be focused on In this paper Is the effect the audit firm culture has on the audit quality.Audit firm culture effects so many different things at a firm Including the kind of behavior that Is rewarded and determining how Important ethics are In the workplace. The audit firm culture has the largest Impact on the quality of an audit ND can either negatively or positively affect the audit outcome. Over the next few pages you will read and see Just why that Is. The kind of leadership that you have wealth a company sets the tone for the way the company holds Its standards.In a paper prepared for Ernst & Young it states that, â€Å"One fundamental driver of audit quality, agreed by all taking part in the discussion, was the need for the peo ple at the top of audit firm to set an appropriate tone and culture, to ensure that the work was carried out conscientiously, ethically, and in line with all appropriate standards and guidelines. Bender)† The management needs to be strong examples to their subordinates of how one should ethically behave and perform a quality audit. Management sets the tone and the employees will follow suit.If management does not reward or support positive ethical behavior then neither will the employees. An article called,† The Negative Affects of Corporate Culture,† (Mack) states that, â€Å"When managers are unethical, employees will emulate the bad behavior. † Employees look to management to show them how they should behave and they will copy what they see, even if it is negative or unethical. If they see managers cutting corners to get wings done faster or to save money, then employees will do the same which can cause the audit to be insufficient or poorly done.Managers should make sure they are always being strong examples of how everyone should behave, even when they think no one is looking, as they set the bar for how employees should behave. Another big building block in the positive firm culture is ethics training and enforcement. Teaching new employees during their nonbinding process the Importance of ethics within the workplace and teaching them about ethics will help to foster a trustworthy work environment. Even though most people know right from ring It Is Important to instill what Is ethically right as well.An article about ethics training In the workplace discusses how having a code of ethics typed out for employees to see helps them to see and understand what ethics are and how Important they are In the workplace. Also, showing them that there Is open honest communication and letting them know they can come to management with concerns will help employees feel empowered to work ethically (Lollipops). The article also states that, †Å"The expense of comprehensive ethics trailing carries the potential to more than pay for itself over the long term.Aside from potentially costly lawsuits, (Lollipops). † Teaching ethics will only enforce honesty and integrity, which will ultimately help teams to perform quality audits. Having strong ethics in your workplace can also allow employees to work with a clear conscience and be more productive, which makes for a better quality audit. An article that talks about how ethics makes you a better person in the workplace states that, â€Å"Ethical employees build trust in their workplace relationships†¦Gaining the trust of your co-workers can enhance your productivity by making it easier for you to communicate and work with there in the workplace (Ingram). † Having teammates who all trust one another due to strong ethics makes for a more cohesive team allowing them to work more productively together and helping them to create a quality audit. Another activity th at causes poor firm culture and effects audit quality is hyper competitiveness. In a firm people work together as a team to perform audits, they have to feel comfortable going to colleagues and upper management with questions.They need to feel supported by there team and feel the rewards of working as a team. If a company rewards a person's behavior to work towards their own personal goals to get ahead ether than contributing to the work of the entire team, employees may start cutting corners or doing things unethically to get ahead. As an article by Jarred Lewis states, â€Å"Fierce competition may also result in a â€Å"win at all costs† attitude that may even bring out the worst in some workers (Lewis). † This is not good for the quality of the audit.We want everyone on the team to be working together towards the same goal, a quality audit. That is the kind of behavior that should be rewarded. Encouraging competition within the audit workplace can also cause individ uals or teams to build rivalries against one another. Having any form of rivalry can cause the, â€Å"win at all costs† attitude but it can also cause people to start hating their Job or feeling stressed on the Job. When people are getting stressed at work or start disliking their job then usually their work will start suffering as well.According to an article called, â€Å"Stress Affects Work Performance of Nearly Half of Employees,† it states that, â€Å"It [stress] most often leads to difficulty concentrating, absenteeism and poor work quality (Apse, 2013). † Having employees that are working on an audit struggle to concentrating and are producing poor work is not in any way going to help with reforming a quality audit, it will do the opposite of that, it will hinder the audit. Poor discipline has another negative effect on audit firm culture, which also affects the quality of an audit.If employees are caught taking short cuts or cutting corners on audits and are not reprimanded or punished for it then it is only encouraging unethical behavior to continue. â€Å"If organizations did not have discipline and rules about the way their employees should behave, then quite simply they would be free to do anything they wanted and be able to get away with it – targets would not be et, work would not be completed, the workplace would be more like a zoo than a productive environment (Shipwright). It is important that employees not only understand corporate rules and ethics codes but that they are enforced as well and that those that break the codes are disciplined accordingly. If employees are not disciplined then it will only show employees that behaving unethically when performing an audit is k, which would then ruin the quality of the audit. Lack of open communication or employees feeling like they cannot go and talk to corporate culture and conducting a quality audit.According to Gaffing, featured in he Daily Reporter, he states that, â€Å"The rewards of honest communication in the workplace are not Just esoteric. Honesty can actually help reduce work-related stress (BROWN, 2005). † We already spoke about how beneficial unstressed employees are in the workplace but think about the amount of unethical situations that can be stopped when employees feel safe going to management and discussing such issues. Having open and honest communication in the workplace will help to stop unethical behavior in their tracks, which will also increase the quality of the audit.Arthur Anderson is a great example of how corporate culture can cause a firm to not reform quality audits, which also led to their demise. One of the problems with Arthur Andersen's culture was the, â€Å"Inability to question superior's practices and incapability to suggest new ways of doing things in all areas of the firm (mapped). † Just like we were talking about in the previous paragraph, the firm lacked open and honest communication allow ing unethical behavior to fester and flourish. This hindered the firm's ability to perform quality audits.They also lacked an ethically strong management to be an example to employees. â€Å"The root of the problem was top management figures who exemplified poor ethical practices (mapped). Clearly Arthur Anderson lacked a strong ethical and honest firm culture and it started at the top with its management. This enabled them from being able to perform quality audits, Enron was a shining example of how their audits were unsatisfactory, and most definitely lost the publics trust in them. Audit firm culture is very important in performing a quality audit.As small business chronicle states, â€Å"Companies with cultures valuing the highest standards create an atmosphere for workers to deliver products that meet those high standards (Cleaner). † When it comes to management, Ewing a good example, setting the appropriate tone, and ethical standards expected, is important. From ethic s training, to teaching the importance of ethics to employees, along with proper discipline, and open and honest communication, all of these things are important in creating a strong and positive corporate culture.

Macroeconomics Unit 8 Assignment Essay

Question: 1. Using aggregate demand, short-run aggregate supply, and long-run aggregate supply curves, explain the process and causes by which each of the following economic events will move the economy from one long-run macroeconomic equilibrium to another. In each case, explain the short-run and long-run effects on the aggregate price level and aggregate output. a. There is a decrease in households’ wealth due to a decline in the stock market. A decrease in household wealth means lower purchasing power. The consumer reduces their consumption leading to a decline in the demand which shifts to the left from D1 to D2. As a result, in the short run both the output and aggregate price level fall as depicted by S1. A continued shift in the demand curve to the left, from D1 to D2, leads to reducing price and increasing supply which causes the supply curve to shift from S1 to S2. The long run equilibrium aggregate output and prices will remain constant. In the long run aggregate supply curve shifts to the right from S1 to S2 and the aggregate demand curve also shifts to the right from D1 to D2. The equilibrium aggregate output remains constant while the aggregate prices fall. The long equilibrium aggregate remains constant. b. The government lowers taxes, leaving households with more disposable income, with no corresponding reduction in government purchases. With the taxes lowered and the income still maintained, the consumers have more purchasing power. The demand for goods and services will therefore increase and shift from D1 to D2 resulting in an increase in aggregate prices and real GDP. In the long run real GDP is constant. In the short run the aggregate supply will shift to the left as aggregate demand increases and shifts to the right. In the long run aggregate prices will shift upwards while real GDP remains constant. In the long run both the demand and supply curves get new slopes. The aggregate demand curve shifts to the right while the supply curve shift to the left. Aggregate prices rise and real GDP remains constant. 2. An economy in a hypothetical country is in long-run macroeconomic equilibrium when each of the following aggregate demand shocks occurs. What kind of gap—inflationary or recessionary—will the economy face after the shock, and what type of fiscal policies, giving specific examples, would help move the economy back to potential output? a. A stock market boom increases the value of stocks held by households. The short run aggregate supply curve shifts to the right from SRAD1 to SRAD2. Aggregate prices and real GDP increases and equilibrium shifts from E1 to E2. This will lead to inflationary gap. In the long run supply is fixed which leads to an increase in aggregate prices causing the inflationary gap. The government can control this by contractionary policies such as borrowing from the public. This inflationary gap can be solved by inflationary control such as discretionary or countercyclical fiscal policy which changes the federal government spending or taxes. b. Anticipating the possibility of war, the government increases its purchases of military equipment. The increase in purchases of the military equipment means an increase in demand. With the increase in demand in the short run, the demand curve will shift from SRAD1 to SRAD2 with an alternative increase in price. The price level increase leads to the demand reducing in the long run from SRAD2 to SRAD3. This causes cost-pull inflation whose remedy is inflationary policies. The economy will face an inflationary gap. Policy makers could use contractionary fiscal policies to move the economy back to potential output. The government would need to reduce its purchases of nondefense good and services, increase taxes or reduce transfers. c. The quantity of money in the economy declines and interest rates increase. As quantity of money rises in the economy and interest rates increase, the demand for goods and services declines as shown by the shift from SRAD1 to SRAD2. This happens as consumers can afford to buy more expensive items. The priority changes as customers try to save more money. In the long run, everyone has more money and demand rises again as shown by the shift in the curve from SRAD2 to SRAD3. This leads to a demand-pull inflation which can be solved by inflationary policies. The economy will face a recessionary gap. Policy makers could use expansionary fiscal policies to move the economy back to potential output.

The history of the first crusade Research Paper

The history of the first crusade - Research Paper Example hy the crusades were started is that the Muslims had taken the holy land and this was causing problems for the Christian pilgrims who were trying to visit the holy land. The same article above stated that Pope Urban called the crusade â€Å"God’s will† to take the holy land back, and this inspired many to take up arms and go to the holy land for God, but long before the first sword was sharpened for this purpose, the Christian pilgrims were able to visit the holy land without problems despite it being occupied by the Muslims. Since there seemed to be no conflict, then why did the Pope order the crusade and name it â€Å"God’s Will†? The reason for this goes deeper than the Muslims occupying Jerusalem. Many reasons combined in order to prompt the calling of the crusade. According to the-orb.net, during this time, Alexius Comnenus, the eastern emperor noticed an advancing treat on his kingdom, the Seljuk Turks. This threat came after Europe’s survival of many other attackers such as the Magyars, Vikings, and Saracens. Fearing that the new threat would take over his City of Constantinople, the emperor sought allies to aid him in driving these Turks away. The ally that decided to help him was Pope Urban II. He had good reason to support the eastern emperor’s need of an army. One of these reasons is that at the time, according to the article, the eastern and western churches were split and Pope Urban needed to find a way to bring the two churches together. He was also please that the eastern Emperor chose him as an ally because, according to the article, the Holy Roman Emperor had set up a â€Å"rival† pope to manage in another issue, but he was chosen to aid the eastern Emperor. He gave the speech and promised remission of sins, the support of God and the church as... It is evident from the study that religion and conflict have gone hand in hand through out man’s history. People have been defending and fighting for what they believe for as long as records have been written, and these conflicts come in all sizes and forms, from the smallest and most peaceful arguments, to full-blown wars with fighting and bloodshed. Some have even speculated that most of the world’s major wars would not have happened if not for religion. This is very ironic since most, if not all religions teach their followers about peace and kindness towards their fellow man, but make no mistake about it, countless people have fought and died over their religious beliefs. This makes these kinds of struggles a very important and pivotal part of mankind’s history and can also be considered major contributors that shaped our civilization. This crusade is one of the most pivotal and discussed points of history. Not only did it begin the series of crusades that ch anged the face of Christianity, it also marked one of the most fervent defenses of religion in history. The resources that this paper has used present the reader with 3 different approaches to the story of the first crusade. On the one hand, we have an approach that creates a picture of a self-serving pope with political intentions, on the other hand, there is a picture of a pop and emperor attempting to defend their subservient people from an aggressive force, and the last approach shows us a more neutral side.

Organised Crime and Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organised Crime and Terrorism - Essay Example It was not long ago that airliners were not allowing people on board who carried toothpaste with them because of the fear that some explosive elements might be contained therein. The same case applies to other ordinary things like clothing. Today there are mandatory strip searches at airports to sniff out even the most hidden explosive or weapon before it gets into the plane. Even shoes and other ordinary things, considering the Reid case, have been used in an attempt to cause terror. Of course in this case it was a shoe bomb. As the terrorists have become adept with their clandestine activities, so have countries and especially security agencies. They have introduced sweeping measures like surveillance on suspicious targets, wiretapping of mobile phones belonging to suspects among other measures. In general, the focus of governments has moved from its previous reactive state to a more pro-active state where the gathering of intelligence is the new battleground between these two foes . These and many others shall be the focus of this paper. There shall be a special focus on the U.K and the legislative options that have been introduced to sniff out this new threat (Campbell 2013). There has been wide ranging legislation that has been introduced in the United kingdom to curb terrorism and organized crime, both of which are very much evolving situations. The rate at which such legislation has been introduced, not only tells of the severity of these crimes but also the extent to which the government is ready to go to ensure that the citizens are safe. Since the Blair premiership the laws that have been introduced include the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005, the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Counter- Terrorism Act 2008. This flood of legislation is a reflection of the speed at which this threat is evolving (Hanman 2013). Governments have had to put in place, at times controversial measures to ensure that no terrorist slips through the dragnet. One of these controversial measures is wiretapping. Basically, the police are allowed to listen in on conversations of people that they suspect to have intentions of causing ter ror or any other harm on great scale (Barrett 2013). There has been an assessment of the role and effectiveness of wiretapping in the wake of several terror related activities. This form of intelligence gathering has been found to be very effective. There are several ‘wanna-be’ terrorists in the U.K. Most of them are Muslims of Pakistani origin. Several of them make multiple trips to their native countries to receive training mostly offered by Al-Qaeda, the Taliban among other groups. The credentials of wiretapping therefore are not what is under debate here. There are much more serious issues (The Guardian 19th march 2009). As a case officer, I would recommend wiretapping so as to obtain even more information about these terrorist sympathizers and their intentions. We already have the mobile number (07097911156) of Hector from the from Tinkers mobile phone. Wiretapping is allowed under the anti-terrorism laws as a last ditch measure to ensure national security. The onl y grey area as pertains its use is the fact that until very recently, information obtained thus was not admissible in court (The Guardian 6th February 2008). By listening in on conversations by Hector there is a great likelihood that we shall get even

Ethics of Public Health Policies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics of Public Health Policies - Essay Example According Resnik (2015), ethical principles include but are not limited to the following: human subjects protection, integrity, fairness, non discrimination as well as honesty among others. Thus a public health policy should be designed to fulfill the abovementioned ethical principles. A public health policy should be non discriminatory so that it can fulfill the needs of all employees in particular regardless of their race, color or creed. In public health policies, efforts should be made to ensure that least harm is caused to other people. The deontology theory states that people should adhere to their obligations and duties when analyzing dilemma (Rainbow, 2002). In as far as public health policy is concerned, it can be seen that the state should adhere to its duties and obligations to ensure that the employees are not harmed at work. This theory also proposes that measures should be implemented in order to minimize the chances of incidents at workplaces. On the other hand, the utilitarian theory posits to the effect that â€Å"the choice that yields the greatest benefit to the most people is the choice that is ethically correct,† (Rainbow, 2002). In this particular case, it seems that the promulgation of a public health policy will benefit the majority of the people hence it is ethically correct to implement it within the workplace. The other theory that is applicable to the above mentioned case is the rights theory. According to Rainbow (2002), the rights set by a society are protected and given priority and this is considered ethically correct with regard to implementation of a public health policy since it is every person’s health to be protected within the workplace. By using both ethical principles and theories, it can be seen that one is in a better position to analyse the situation so as to be able to reach the most correct ethical decision. The decisions

The Impact of Sustainable Development Is Negligible Because It Is Essay

The Impact of Sustainable Development Is Negligible Because It Is Impossible to Translate Into Legal And Binding Obligations - Essay Example This article stresses that the presentation and the examination of the issues involved with the sustainable development as it can be observed in most human activities lead to the assumption that the creation of a ‘legal net’ that could provide an effective protection regarding all aspects of the above activity, should be regarded as a very difficult task. Moreover, although a lot of efforts have been made towards this direction, the relevant national and international legal texts have been proved in many cases inadequate to cover the demands of the relevant area. Violations of the law related with the sustainable development are a characteristic part of human activities around the world. The case of Baltic States and the violations of the laws referring to the forestry regulation is an example of current practice in the area of sustainable development. This paper makes a conclusion that most issues related with the above activity are covered at a primary or even secondary level (low to mid level protection), a fact that should be considered as a significant achievement given the complexity and the extension of sustainable development. In any case, the regulation of all the aspects of a specific human activity is a target that has not been achieved in any social or scientific area so the efforts made up to this point regarding the specific subject have to be evaluated as an important achievement comparing to all other areas of human activity.

Exploring for Oil and Natural Gas Research Paper

Exploring for Oil and Natural Gas - Research Paper Example The company's seismic services can be an asset to the firms that receive the services of the firm. As drilling oil is a high risk and pay off proposition. This requires expertise in finding the oil and thus can reduce the problems regarding unnecessary extra spending on drilling and exploration. The company is expert in analyzing the oil, gas and water. This gives good idea about drilling. The information and analysis of the data of a particular place will decide the company to drill or not for fuel. The services of the company will be good for the oil firms that use the seismic services and the analysis of the oil and gas. The company's analysis include the combining of geologic information and flow simulation techniques with advanced computing. This will increase oil recovery in mature oil fields. The three resources; mature or partially depleted reservoirs, geologically complex formations and ultra deep water reservioirs are the sources of the oil at present. The engineers of C2C can identify the location and distribution of the un swept or bypassed oil and untapped compartments. High resolution fluid flow modeling and seismic imaging techniques will be used by the company for data assimilation and can determine the place of drill and finding out unswept oil. (Gene Charleton et al, 2007)1 WBS: work of Alexir can mainly divide into three parts; Explaining... May 21st: Arrival of the Chevron team May 22nd: Meeting external affairs director Alexir and his staff to discuss the visit and the agenda of the vist. May 22nd after lunch: Preparation of the list of the customers to visit and the reasons to visit them. The schedule to meet the experts in the company to know about the service they offer. May23rd before lunch: Meeting the customer service staff and asking about the customer care methods they are following and extra care they offer if the chevron outsource work for C2C. May 23rd after lunch: Meeting the administrative staff working under Lee. The administration of the company is crucial for any customer who offers work on a large scale. The administration will stream line the whole processes and is responsible for the timely delivery of the assignments. May24th before lunch: meeting the accounting staff to know about the accounting standards of the company. As from 2005 many global companies are adopting international standards of accounting for more transparency, the meeting with the accounting department is also needed. May 24th after lunch: Meeting the staff in the department of integrated PVT Field studies. May 25th to end of the visit: meeting any three customers of the company and deciding about the work that can be entitled to the company. 3. Current Situation of Chevron and C2C can Offer Chevron is a global enterprise that offers competitive products across all energy sectors. The company brings together the values, talent and commitment in developing energy sources world wide. The C2C can help the company in exploring new sources of oil and gas with relatively less expenditure than in the past due to the exact analysis and detection of the fuel sources underground. As the Chevron

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus - Essay Example (Condition: Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus, 2008) Specifically, in type 1 diabetes, the beta cells of the pancreas produce little or no insulin, the hormone that allows glucose to enter body cells. This glucose serves as the source of energy in the body, when this hormone is not produced the cells does not gets adequate energy to perform the activities. When enough insulin is not present, the body is not able to use glucose as source of energy. The body is unable to use this glucose for energy despite high levels in the bloodstream, leading to increased hunger. (Condition: Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus, 2008) Moreover, the high levels of glucose in the blood lead to more urination in the patient and further also lead to excessive thirst. Not more, within 5-10 years most of the beta cells are destroyed and the body no more produces insulin. (Diabetes, 2005) Type 1 diabetes can occur at any age, but it usually starts in people younger than 30. Symptoms are usually severe and occur rapidly. The cause of the insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is unknown, but some research shows a viral infection may play a positive role where is causes destruction of f the insulin secreting tissues that often lead to inflammation of the pancreas. It is also reported that there are some genes responsible for causing this disease, but the pattern of inheritance is complicated. The child of a person who has insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is at a greater risk of developing the same type of the disease. But, most of the children affected with IDDM have parents who are not already affected with IDDM. Dietary measures can be used to help control the disease, but it also must be treated with insulin injections. (Condition: Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus, 2008) The symptoms leading to IDDM develop quickly and very severe. Some of the symptoms are listed below: 1. Frequent Urination; 2. Unusual Thirst; 3. Extreme hunger; 4. Usual weight loss; 5. Extreme fatigue; 6. Irritability; 7. Nausea; 8. Vomiting; 9. Confusion; 10. The smell of the breadth is like acetone. (Condition: Insulin dependent Diabetes mellitus, 2008). If the patients encounter symptoms above then he or she should consult a doctor. The diagnosis that the doctor will perform will be doing a physical exam and some laboratory blood tests. The doctor will also work upon the optimum insulin dosage to treat hyperglycemia (high blood pressure). The dose of the insulin depends on person to person and will vary with period of time. The calorie intake will also be discussed and the amount of insulin will be panned with physical activity that will be required to reduce the blood glucose level and the thus the need of the insulin. (INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS (IDDM). Other tests like urinalnyis, glucose tolerance test, Fasting blood glucose and Glycosylated hemoglobin AIC level can also be performed. If the patient is suffering from any eye problems or any problems that involves problem with vision than operation will also be performed. Other complications might include gangrene and coronary heart disease. (INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS (IDDM). A vitamin D dose of 2000 IU per day is given during the first year of a child's life in Northern Finland because it is believed that there is a reduction of getting Type 1 diabetes latter in life, and the

CASE STUDIES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CASE STUDIES - Essay Example gement and the board of directors is 100% male, since Panera is offering a healthier option for food, they could be helped by having female and minority members of the board as well as in the management team to provide a better corporate image. 3. Opening restaurants in other countries with an aggressive growth strategy would require a flood of marketing both in terms of awareness of healthy food (where such awareness is not already present) and establishing their brand identity. 4. The restaurant I went to seemed too dark and gloomy. Even though there were colorful signs at plenty of places, the lack of light made an overall depressing setting. I would suggest that they make use of natural light in the interior and bring the interiors with their unique selling point of healthy food and healthy lifestyles. 1. From the case, it seems obvious that the key competency required would be excellent communications skills which can get the point across the table as well as across the border. Secondly, cultural competency and an ability to work with peoples of different cultures are also important. Finally, since a culture may not be as socially advanced, it could be towards the benefit of the company to use a male representative instead of a female if both of them are equally suited for the job at hand. 2. The only cost of not understanding diversity is profit, which is something no company can afford to lose. If the plant had been developed and run with an understanding of diversity, the communication problems and the cultural clashes could certainly be minimized and the lost production time could have been turned into profitable output. 3. The first problem she faced was stereotyping, just because she was Mexican American; it was assumed that she could work with Mexicans better than anyone else. The second problem was the cultural gap with the Mexicans and communication issues with the Americans. She also faced problems with Mexican men accepting her as the

The outbreak of the cold war between the years of 1945-49 Essay Example for Free

The outbreak of the cold war between the years of 1945-49 Essay Question: Using sources A,B,C,D,E and F your own knowledge, who do you think was to blame for the outbreak of the cold war between the years of 1945-49? There is numerous numbers of arguments that blame the Russians for the Cold war this was by people with clear orthodox views. This is shown in sources A, B, C and D. But however many revisionists have also argued that USA was at fault, this can be seen in source E. However post revisionist argues that cold war was both Russias and the USAs fault this can be seen in source F. Source A is from a historian who talks about the need for American self interest. The importance of the American economy. I think that this source shows that Americas was not at fault for the Cold war and that they were only trying to stabilise their economy and avoid another depression. The source is clearly written by a person with orthodox views as it also say that post-war period was a perfect way of America spreading its idea of peace and prosperity. This source I feel clearly shows that Russia was to blame as it shows that America was only interested in self interest. Furthermore Source B highlights the point the point that Russia was to blame for the cold war this is because source B is a picture of a traditional Russian Bear smothering the world and crawling all over it. This shows that the Russians intended to spread their word of communism all over the world. The source is clearly drawn by a person with orthodox views and who believes that Russia was trying to bring the whole world under its sphere of influence. This again shows that Russia was to blame for the cold war. In addition Source D which was written by Arthur Schlesinger who was a key orthodox writer? Source D shows that after the war Stalin had a lingering hunger for world domination which was driven by his paranoia and also says that the cold war was a response by America which was trying to liberate the communist aggression. This clearly shows that the Russia was to blame for the Cold war this is because of when Schlesinger stated that Stalin wanted world domination this shows that America only countered to stop the world from falling into the hands of Stalin. Furthermore in Source C it firstly says that America provoked Russia but however it quickly moves to establish the point that the USA was responding to a range of dangers from the Soviets for e.g. the Iron Curtain which Churchill spoke about. Source C is also a clear orthodox view as it shows that USA only reacted to Russia initial actions. It also say that the USAs reaction was also a response to the results of the Second World War. Furthermore other facts that can be said that shows that Russia started the Cold war was the fact of its Salami Tactics and how it brought down many eastern European countries also the Czechoslovakian coup and the infamous death of Czech Patriot Jan Masuryk and also The Berlin Blockade. However Source E contradicts the fact that Russia was at fault for the Cold war this source shows that the Soviets only desired security in the form of friendly states and not in the form of invasion. But however instead of Russia paranoia the Americans paranoia that the soviets were planning to take over the world provoked them in taking an aggressive get tough with Russia policy. This is a revisionist view as it points the blame to the USA for the cold war. Furthermore during 1945-49 there was many things in which the Americans done to provoke the Russians such as in the infamous Iron curtain speech by Churchill also the Kennan Long telegram these are signs that America had started the Cold war because they started to provoke Russia first. However Source F contradicts both the Orthodox and the Revisionist view as its is a picture which shows that the Americans and the Russians trying to split the world in half. This post revisionist picture indicates that may be both the superpowers were at fault because they both seemed to want to bring counties into its sphere of influence the post revisionist view is what most neutral see as the correct view this is because if you weigh up all the actions between 1945-49 such as The Marshall plan, Truman doctrine and Berlin airlift vs. the Salami Tactics, Soviet pressure on Iran and the Berlin blockade then you can see that they just provoked each other. In conclusion I feel that the orthodox and revisionist view both highlight key points and show faults of the other sides but I feel that the post revisionist is the most accurate as it shows that both camps were at fault for the Cold war. This is because both the USA and the Russians had done things to accredit them with the blame of the cold war. Finally I believe that the cold war was a bilateral thing and only lasted so long because of both of the camps lack of negotiation.

Understanding Cultural and Ethnic Identities

Understanding Cultural and Ethnic Identities Language is an important part of being humans. Being able to communicate with each other and not other animals differentiates us from other animals. This unique characteristic of being humans also is a cause of diversity in our cultural and ethnic identity. From birth we are trained to learn a basic language but as we grow older we pick up languages from our environment in our quest to become accepted by the dominant population. At least that is how I see it. To have an in-depth view of this research paper, we have to define what language, cultural and ethnic identities are. According to Merriam-Webster, language is defined as a systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings and the combination of methods to be understood by a community (2011). On the other hand cultural identity is the influence of ones culture on the development of identity. Individualist cultures stress the importance of personal achievement and independence. For example, although many Americans, identify with their Irish, West African, Chinese, or Mexican roots (among many others), they still call themselves Americans. Ethnic identity is the extent to which one identifies with a particular ethnic group(s). it refers to ones sense of belonging to an ethnic group and the part of ones thinking, perceptions, feelings, and behavior that is due to an ethnic group membership. The next ten pages will see me go through how language marks our cultural and ethnic identity using my own experience as an African. I was born in Ibadan, Nigeria. Ibadan was the capital of the Oyo Empire and still is the capital of the modern Oyo state. I identity myself first as a Nigerian, and a Yoruba, but that isnt how it was about some 200 years ago. Before the nineteenth century no one was called a Yoruba. The peoples of southwestern Nigeria, the Benin Republic, and Togo who are today referred to by scholars as the Yoruba were, until the late 19th century, organized into a series of some 15 to 20 independent states. (Christopher) These political entities were similar but different. The Oyo Empire oversaw all the political entities and therefore the culture of this people were similar they spoke in a similar language but in different dialect. North-West Yoruba is historically a part of the à ¡Ã‚ »Ã…’yà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  Empire. In NWY dialects, Proto-Yoruba /gh/ (the velar fricative [É £]) and /gw/ have merged into /w/; the upper vowels /i ÃÅ' £/ and /à ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥/ were raised and merged with /i/ and /u /, just as their nasal counterparts, resulting in a vowel system with seven oral and three nasal vowels. Ethnographically, traditional government is based on a division of power between civil and war chiefs; lineage and descent are unilineal and agnatic. South-East Yoruba was probably associated with the expansion of the Benin Empire after c. 1450 AD. In contrast to NWY, lineage and descent are largely multilineal and cognatic, and the division of titles into war and civil is unknown. Linguistically, SEY has retained the /gh/ and /gw/ contrast, while it has lowered the nasal vowels /à ¡Ã‚ »Ã¢â‚¬ ¹n/ and /à ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ¥n/ to /à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹n/ and /à ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ n/, respectively. SEY has collapsed the second and third person plural pronominal forms; thus, à  n à ¡n wà ¡ can mean either you (pl.) came or they came in SEY dialects, whereas NWY for example has à ¡Ã‚ ºÃ‚ ¹ wà ¡ you (pl.) came and wà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚ ÃƒÅ' n wà ¡ they came, respectively. The emergence of a plural of respect may have prevented coalescence of the two in NWY dialects. Central Yoruba forms a transitional area in that the lexicon has much in common with NWY, whereas it shares many ethnographical features with SEY. Its vowel system is the least innovating (most stable) of the three dialect groups, having retained nine oral-vowel contrasts and six or seven nasal vowels, and an extensive vowel harmony system. (Adetugbà ¡Ã‚ »Ã‚  1973) the term Yoruba is said to be given to Oyo Empire by the Hausas who originally called us yariba But as the Yoruba people changed from one political power to another, their identity became stronger. The Oyo themselves had adopted the designation Yoruba as a mode of self-reference by the early 19th century, a process probably encouraged by the high status associations of Hausa regal culture and Islam. (Christopher) and with the existence of colonialism and World War II the Yoruba ethnic group solidified to become what it is today. Yoruba give up from what was a group of political entities with different dialect to uniform tribe with a language Yorubas call Yoruba adugbo. The 15 20 dialects which were employed a long time ago became one language. Despite the fact that I come from two royal families of two different independent states with different dialects, I can only speak the common Yoruba language even my parent have had hard times trying to remember the individual dialects. As a Yoruba we have certain Norms which most of us are accustomed to for example when must prostrate when greeting elders, we must respect elders in every way possible. Also we are also known to be people who are well educated and successful for example, M.K.O. Abiola, Obafemi Awolowo and Wole Soyinka. This specific qualities gives Yorubas certain privileges with which being able to speak the language comes to an advantage. While I was still living in Nigeria, I discovered that people who could speak the Yoruba language were immediately considered as Yoruba and would receive any treatment that is due to a Yoruba. Even when I came to the United States, I went for a college interview and when she my saw my last name she just smiled and started speaking Yoruba to an already nervous me and the interview was a success as I felt comfortable in my native language. What I am trying to say is that when she saw my last name, her knowledge of the language helps her to identify me as someone of the same the tribe as herself and further more from my last name she was able to deduce what state I was from and communicate with me in an appropriate way. A similar case happened to me when I went to the beach last summer while walking I heard man speaking it was a man whom I didnt know from Adam but when he spoke Yoruba I could identify to be a Yoruba man and began to talk like we have known each other for a long time. Research has pointed to an interesting ethnic paradox in the United States. Despite many indications of weakening ethnic boundaries in the white American population (due to intermarriage, language loss, religious conversion or declining participation), a number of studies have shown a maintenance or increase in ethnic identification among whites This contradictory dualism is partly due to what Gans terms symbolic ethnicity, which is characterized by a nostalgic allegiance to the culture of the immigrant generation, or that of the old country; a love for and pride in a tradition that can be felt without having to be incorporated in everyday behavior (Joane). Bakalian provides the example of Armenian Americans: For American-born generations, Armenian identity is a preference and being Armenian is a state of mind.One can say he or she is an Armenian without speaking Armenian, marrying an Armenian, doing business with Armenians, belonging to an Armenian church, joining Armenian voluntary associations, or participating in the events and activities sponsored by such organizations.(Joane ) While ethnicity is commonly viewed as biological in the United States (with its history of an obdurate ethnic boundary based on color), research has shown peoples conception of themselves along ethnic lines, especially their ethnic identity, to be situational and change- able. Barth (1969) first convincingly articulated the notion of ethnicity as mutable, arguing that ethnicity is the product of social ascriptions, a kind of labeling process engaged in by oneself and others. (Joane) As one language changes the their notion of ethnicity change a s we further learn According to Joane Nagel that with this perspective in mind, ones ethnic identity is a composite of the view one has of oneself as well as the views held by others about ones ethnic identity. As the individual (or group) moves through daily life, ethnicity can change according to variations in the situations and audiences encountered. Ethnic identity, then, is the result of a dialectical process involving internal and external opinions and processes, as well as the individuals self-identification and outsiders ethnic designations-i.e., what you think your ethnicity is, versus what they think your ethnicity is. Since ethnicity changes situationally, the individual carries a portfolio of ethnic identities that are more or less salient in various situations and with reference to various audiences. As audiences change, the socially-defined array of ethnic choices opens to the individual changes. This produces a layering of ethnic identities which combines with the ascriptive character of ethnicity to reveal the negotiated, problematic nature of ethnic identity. Ethnic Constructing Ethnicity 155 boundaries, and thus identities, are constructed by both the individual and group as well as by outside agents and organizations. Examples can be found in patterns of ethnic identification in many U.S. ethnic communities. For instance, Cornell (1988) and McBeth (1989) discuss various levels of identity available to Native Americans: sub tribal (clan, lineage, traditional), tribal (ethnographic or linguistic, reservation-based, official), regional (Oklahoma, California, Alaska, Plains), supra- tribal or pan-Indian (Native American, Indian, American Indian). Which of these identities a native individual employs in social interaction depends partly on where and with whom the interaction occurs. Thus, an American Indian might be a mixed-blood on the reservation, from Pine Ridge when speaking to someone from another reservation, a Sioux or Lakota when responding to the U.S. census, and Native American when interacting with non-Indians. Joane Nagel noted a similar layering of Latino or Hispanic ethnic identity, again reflecting both internal and external defining processes. An individual of Cuban ancestry may be a Latino in relation to non-Spanish-speaking ethnic groups, a Cuban-American with reference to o ther Spanish-speaking groups, a Marielito in relation to other Cubans, and white in relation to African Americans. The chosen ethnic identity is determined by the individuals perception of its meaning to different audiences, its salience in different social contexts, and its utility in different settings. For instance, intra- Cuban distinctions of class and immigration cohort may not be widely understood outside of the Cuban community since a Marielito is a Cuban or Hispanic to most Anglo-Americans. To a Cuban, however, immigration cohorts represent important political vintages, distinguishing those whose lives have been shaped by decades of Cuban revolutionary social changes from those whose life experiences have been as exiles in the United States. Others lack of appreciation for such ethnic differences tends to make certain ethnic identity choices useless and socially meaningless except in very specific situations. It underlines the importance of external validation of individual or group ethnic boundaries. An ethnic groups cultural identity involves a shared sense of the cultural features that help to define and to characterize the group. These group attributes are important not just for their functional value, but also as symbols. For example, for many Puerto Ricans in the United States, the Spanish language is not just a means of communication; it also represents their identification as Latinos and their difference from the majority culture. Even if Spanish reading and writing ability is absent, the desire to conserve some degree of Spanish speaking ability may reflect a desire to maintain distinctiveness from the surrounding society Take me for example; I didnt learn my native language until I was about eleven years old. I went to a very expansive school where everything around was English. Therefore, the only my society needed from me at that point in time was English. It was not until I went to live with my grand mom that I started to pick up my native language. My grandma lived in a more or less rural part of Nigeria were most people spoke Yoruba and as began to mingle with other kids I fortuitously began to pick up the language as the need for communication was apparent in other to be part of the community. At the individual level, cultural identity has to do with the persons sense of what constitutes membership in an ethnic group to which he or she belongs. Each person will have a particular image of the behaviors and values that characterize the groups culture. In my case Yorubas are known to be able insult people especially people from the Oyo empire they are popularly categorized with the term agboku dide meaning someone who can insult the dead to come back to live. While staying with my grandma I was not look at to be a foreigner and precaution was taken when I come to play with other children. When I was in a fight I didnt get support because I did not belong, making my whole group triumph at insulting me. But as I started to learn the language I began to gain respect amongst my pairs and felt part of the community. People think twice before coming to insult me and the sense of belonging came to me. The term cultural identity is distinguished here from the related and broader social psychological concept of social identity, as well as from ethnic identity. Tajfel and Turner (1986) define social identity as consisting of those aspects of an individuals self-image that derive from the social categories to which he perceives himself as belonging. Their notion of social categories is quite broad, encompassing any type of group to which people perceive themselves as belonging. Such categories of course include ethnicity, but can range from school sports teams to professional identifications, from social club memberships to gender or race classifications, and from nationality groups to psychological groups (for example, jocks, yuppies, nerds). Social identity incorporates both the persons knowledge of membership in particular social categories and the value and feelings attached to those memberships. Ethnic identity can be defined as the portion of an individuals social identity that is associated with membership in an ethnic group (Joane). Cultural identity, while linked closely to both ethnic and social identity, is neither equivalent to them nor coterminous. While both ethnic and cultural identity help the individual to answer the question, Who am I? cultural identity is the component that associates particular cultural features with group membership. Social identity and ethnic identity deal with the symbolic aspects of social categorization the boundary between the in-group and the out-group and the associated affect. A particular individual, for example, may base his/her social identity primarily on gender, while his /her younger siblings may focus more sharply on her Polish background. Thus, the former individuals ethnic identity as a Polish-American would be somewhat less strong than that of the latter individual (Joane). Using the example Joanne Nagel gave, an ethnic identity is only made possible by our language. As one can only know more of one culture by speaking its language. No wonder when ever scientist want to explore a certain ethnic group they start by first learning the ethnics group language. After that, the scientist and people from the ethnic group feel as one and as if they can relate without any barriers. In conclusion, I would like to attest to the fact that that our language marks our identity. the way one speaks directly refers to where one comes from, for example if one speaks French, the person is from either France or French speaking country but the way the person speaks French is always different and from this one is able to deduce if the person is an Ivorian, Senegalese, a French Canadian or proper French. The same is English we have the American English which differ for instance we have a southern way of speaking and the northern way of speaking. This systematic means of communicating ideas or feelings by the use of conventionalized signs, sounds, gestures, or marks having understood meanings and the combination of methods to be understood by a community can differentiate us totally like I am always asked if English was my first language because of my accent and no matter how times I tell them that English is my first language, I keep hearing the same question.

The Effects of Alcohol Essay -- Papers Alcohol Drinking Liquor Essays

The Effects of Alcohol Works Cited Not Included Alcohol is a substance that has numerous diverse affects on the body-both positive and negative. Alcohol not only kills brain cells, but when taken in profusion it has almost no constructive affects. Sure it can make one overlook his/her problems, but the consequences of drinking in excess far outweigh the benefits. It is not a crime to get drunk, however alcohol will almost always cause one to conduct them self in a way he or she would not normally behave. For instance, a sober man will not usually drive ninety-five mph down I-95, however, after consuming a good amount of alcohol, his eyesight, judgement, reflexes and abilities are hindered to the point that he feels indestructible. Alcohol is a drug, and when abused it has almost no positive affects. It is the most widely used and socially acceptable drug in the world. (Taylor, 6-7) Alcohol abuse is more physically destructive than the abuse of any other popular drug. When much is consumed in a short period of time, alcohol (ethanol) causes immediate changes in the body. First it slows down the workings of the brain. The drinker?s speech may become slurred and his steps staggered. The body?s reflexes become dulled as the nervous system slows down. (Taylor, 14) The drinker does not always realize this and may feel as if he is perfectly capable of normal functioning, but this is not always so. His abilities are impaired and he should not be given responsibility. Alcohol is often incorporated in many different aspects in our society. It is drunk as part of social celebrations such as birthdays, weddings, and parties. It is also drunk as a salve for the emotional pain of rejection and heartache. Alcoholi... ...teens are purchasing alcoholic beverages from irresponsible storeowners. In 1997, it was recorded that 56% of eighth graders have tried alcohol, as well as 71% of tenth graders, 80% of twelfth graders, rising to 88% in college students. These are large numbers when stated that the legal drinking age in almost all fifty states is twenty-one. In conclusion, the public as a whole needs to learn when enough is enough. It is fine to drink, but the key is to drink in moderation. People should not allow themselves to get ?totally trashed? or ?ridiculously wasted?, but drink with maturity. It is not a crime to get drunk, it is the things one does when he/she becomes intoxicated that will get them incarcerated. People will always drink, but there need to be strict laws enforced for the punishment of those who choose not to be responsible while under the influence.

A.M.Holmes Music For Torching, Seth MacFarlanes Family Guy, and Tony

A.M.Holmes' Music For Torching, Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy, and Tony Kushner's Angels in America The social progression of America in the 20th and 21st centuries has been arguably advantageous. In the years following the feminist and civil rights movements, the United States has undeniably developed into the world’s leading democratic system. Women and minorities have equal citizenship status under the law. There are more females in the workforce than ever before, and formerly guarded issues such as homosexuality and domestic problems can now be addressed openly in social and political forums. However, the question remains as to whether or not such progression has benefited American culture and its population as a whole. Perhaps we have become too liberal, too timorous at addressing one another’s differences, resulting in the perpetual fear of coming across as too politically incorrect when expressing one’s opinions. Perhaps our social order has become excessively inverted; women are born intended to slave over the hot stove, and only males and females are b iologically prearranged to copulate. Perhaps we are still not tolerant enough, as many minorities still suffer quietly under a largely heterosexual-Caucasian-male-dominated regime. What we have gained from free thinking and global assimilation, we have also lost in traditional principles. Despite the cultural uncertainties that have risen from national change, it is evident that the â€Å"American dream† is no longer the embodiment of attaining the white picket fence and happy home that it once was. Postmodern texts seek to examine this social revolution by examining and questioning our social evolution. Three examples of such texts, A.M. Homes’ Music For Torching, Seth... ...ent of theories and doctrines? Have the values of America diminished because of such progression? Or has our nation not progressed at all, and remained stagnant because, as Kushner would contend, we have repeatedly committed the same societal mistakes throughout history? Though we have solved certain dilemmas, new ones have arisen. Americans cherish free enterprise, yet we have come to recognize that money cannot buy happiness. Women may now enter the workforce, but are forced to arbitrate between a career and children. Husbands face mid-life crises about the issue of their masculinity. In general, the simple idealism of the rags-to-riches success story is no longer the dream of the postmodern American. Our ambition has instead become a fixation with establishing and accepting one’s own identity and the identities of others despite continuing social uncertainties.

Finnegans Wake :: essays research papers

Finnegan's Wake is an old Irish tune, but these words were added later for music-hall use during the Victorian era. Some Irish people have objected to them as an English inspired stereotype, but I first heard this song sung by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, at the Gate of Horn in Chicago, in the late 50s. To me, no one was more Irish than they were. Here it is in honor of Saint Patrick's Day. [C] Tim Finnegan lived on [Am] Walker Street And a [F] gentle, Irishman, [G] mighty odd; [C] He'd a beautiful brogue [Am] so rich and sweet And to [F] rise in the world he [G] carried a [C] hod. You see he'd a sort o' the [Am] tipplin' way With a [C] love of the liquor poor [Am] Tim was born And to [C] help him on with his [Am] work each day He'd a [F] "drop of the cray-thur" [G] every [C] morn. Chorus: [C] Whack fol the die do, [Am] dance to your partner [F] Welt the floor, your [G] trotters shake; [C] Wasn't it the [Am] truth I told you [F] Lots of fun at [G] Finnegan's [C] wake! 2. One mornin' Tim was rather full His head felt heavy which made him shake; He fell from the ladder and broke his skull And they carried him home his corpse to wake. They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet And laid him out upon the bed, With a gallon of whiskey at his feet And a barrel of porter at his head. Chorus: 3. His friends assembled at the wake And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch, First they brought in tea and cake Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch. Biddy O'Brien began to cry "Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see? "Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?" "Arragh, hold your gob" said Paddy McGee! Chorus: 4. Then Maggie O'Connor took up the job "O Biddy," says she, "You're wrong, I'm sure" Biddy gave her a belt in the gob And left her sprawlin' on the floor. Finnegan's Wake :: essays research papers Finnegan's Wake is an old Irish tune, but these words were added later for music-hall use during the Victorian era. Some Irish people have objected to them as an English inspired stereotype, but I first heard this song sung by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, at the Gate of Horn in Chicago, in the late 50s. To me, no one was more Irish than they were. Here it is in honor of Saint Patrick's Day. [C] Tim Finnegan lived on [Am] Walker Street And a [F] gentle, Irishman, [G] mighty odd; [C] He'd a beautiful brogue [Am] so rich and sweet And to [F] rise in the world he [G] carried a [C] hod. You see he'd a sort o' the [Am] tipplin' way With a [C] love of the liquor poor [Am] Tim was born And to [C] help him on with his [Am] work each day He'd a [F] "drop of the cray-thur" [G] every [C] morn. Chorus: [C] Whack fol the die do, [Am] dance to your partner [F] Welt the floor, your [G] trotters shake; [C] Wasn't it the [Am] truth I told you [F] Lots of fun at [G] Finnegan's [C] wake! 2. One mornin' Tim was rather full His head felt heavy which made him shake; He fell from the ladder and broke his skull And they carried him home his corpse to wake. They rolled him up in a nice clean sheet And laid him out upon the bed, With a gallon of whiskey at his feet And a barrel of porter at his head. Chorus: 3. His friends assembled at the wake And Mrs. Finnegan called for lunch, First they brought in tea and cake Then pipes, tobacco and whiskey punch. Biddy O'Brien began to cry "Such a nice clean corpse, did you ever see? "Tim, mavourneen, why did you die?" "Arragh, hold your gob" said Paddy McGee! Chorus: 4. Then Maggie O'Connor took up the job "O Biddy," says she, "You're wrong, I'm sure" Biddy gave her a belt in the gob And left her sprawlin' on the floor.

Challenges Ahead for Venture Capital Financing in India

Venture Capital is money provided by professionals who invest and manage young rapidly growing companies that have the potential to develop into significant economic contributors. According to SEBI regulations, venture capital fund means a fund established in the form of a company or trust, which raises money through loans, donations, issue of securities or units and makes or proposes, to make investments in accordance with these regulations. The funds so collected are available for investment in potentially highly profitable enterprises at a high risk of loss. A Venture Capitalist is an individual or a company who provides. Investment Capital, Management Expertise, Networking & marketing support while funding and running highly innovative & prospective areas of products as well as services. Thus, the investments made by Venture Capitalists generally involves – – Financing new and rapidly growing companies. – Purchasing equity securities. – Taking higher risk in expectation of higher rewards. – Having a long frame of time period, generally of more than 5 – 6 years. – Actively working with the company's management to devise strategies pertaining to the overall functioning of the project. – Networking and marketing of the product /service being offered. In an attempt to bring together highly influential Indians living across the United States, a networking society named IND US Entrepreneurs or TiE was set up in 1992. The aim was to get the Indian community together and to foster entrepreneurs for wealth creation. A core group of 10 – 15 individuals worked hard to establish the organisation. The group (TiE) has now over 600 members with 20 offices spread across the United States. Some of the famous personalities belonging to this group are Vinod Dham (father of the Pentium Chip), Prabhu Goel, K.B. Chandrashekhar (Head of $ 200 mn. Exodus Communications, a fibre optic network carrying 30% of all Internet content traffic hosting websites like Yahoo, Hotmail and Amazon.) Venture Capital Financing : It generally involves start up financing to help technically sound, globally competitive and potential projects to compete in the international markets with the high quality and reasonable cost aspects. The growth of South East Asian economies especially Hongkong, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia along with India has been due to the large pool of Venture Capital funds from domestic / offshore arenas. Venture Capitalists draw their investment funds from a pool of money raised from public and private investors. These funds are deployed generally as equity capital (ordinary and preference shares) and some times as subordinated debt which is a semi secured investment in the company (through debenture) ranking below the secured lenders that often requires periodic repayment. Today, a VC deal can involve common equity, convertible preferred equity and subordinated debt in different proportions. The Venture Capital funding varies across the different stages of growth of a firm. The various stages are : 1. Pre seed Stage : Here, a relatively small amount of capital is provided to an entrepreneur to conceive and market a potential idea having good future prospects. The funded work also involves product development to some extent. 2. Seed Stage : Financing is provided to complete product development and commence initial marketing formalities. 3. Early Stage / First Stage : Finance is provided to companies to initiate commercial manufacturing and sales. 4. Second Stage : In the Second Stage of Financing working capital is provided for the expansion of the company in terms of growing accounts receivable and inventory. 5. Third Stage : Funds provided for major expansion of a company having increasing sales volume. This stage is met when the firm crosses the break even point. 6. Bridge / Mezzanine Financing or Later Stage Financing : Bridge / Mezzanine Financing or Later Stage Financing is financing a company just before its IPO (Initial Public Offer). Often, bridge finance is structured so that it can be repaid, from the proceeds of a public offering. There are basically four key elements in financing of ventures which are studied in depth by the venture capitalists. These are : 1. Management : The strength, expertise & unity of the key people on the board brings significant credibility to the company. The members are to be mature, experienced possessing working knowledge of business and capable of taking potentially high risks. 2. Potential for Capital Gain : An above average rate of return of about 30 – 40% is required by venture capitalists. The rate of return also depends upon the stage of the business cycle where funds are being deployed. Earlier the stage, higher is the risk and hence the return. 3. Realistic Financial Requirement and Projections : The venture capitalist requires a realistic view about the present health of the organisation as well as future projections regarding scope, nature and performance of the company in terms of scale of operations, operating profit and further costs related to product development through Research & Development. 4. Owner's Financial Stake : The financial resources owned & committed by the entrepreneur/ owner in the business including the funds invested by family, friends and relatives, play a very important role in increasing the viability of the business. It is an important avenue where the venture capitalist keeps an open eye. Problems of Venture Capital Financing : VCF is in its nascent stages in India. The emerging scenario of global competitiveness has put an immense pressure on the industrial sector to improve the quality level with minimisation of cost of products by making use of latest technological skills. The implication is to obtain adequate financing along with the necessary hi-tech equipments to produce an innovative product which can succeed and grow in the present market condition. Unfortunately, our country lacks on both fronts. The necessary capital can be obtained from the venture capital firms who expect an above average rate of return on the investment. The financing firms expect a sound, experienced, mature and capable management team of the company being financed. Since the innovative project involves a higher risk, there is an expectation of higher returns from the project. The payback period is also generally high (5 – 7 years).

Avoiding Cross-Cultural Miscommunication Essay

In the current era of globalization, national boundaries are losing meaning and more and more companies now have their operations spread across various countries of the globe. Multi national companies now operate across different continents and it is typical of a company to have head quarters in one country but be present in multiple counties at the same time. This means that these multi national companies have to adapt to the culture of the company they are operating in. Also, the work force of such companies is an amalgamation of the local people along with some foreign workers and managers so effective communication and smooth operations are only possible if culture is well understood. However, this is not as simple as it seems and cross cultural miscommunications are harmful. Cross cultural miscommunication is not only detrimental to the working environment of the organization but it can also lead to a failure of the company as a whole in the society. To avoid any miscommunication, we first need to examine what culture is made up of. Artifacts, rituals, Stories, histories, myths, legends, jokes, and ceremonies are cultural symbols. By noticing these things and people’s reactions to them we can figure out the cultural norms and values and can avoid transgressing any boundaries. Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s own race, culture or ethnic group is superior to the rest and the tendency to think like this is greater in MNCs. Many foreign managers or workers think in this manner and antagonize their co workers. This can be over come by encouraging inter cultural communication so that any misunderstandings or predetermined notions or stereo types may be removed. Also, if a cooperative culture is promoted at work and people taught to appreciate/criticize ideas rather than people, this problem may be solved. We also need to examine the interrelationship between attitudes, values, customs and beliefs and culture. A culture shapes the attitudes, values and beliefs of a person and the actions and preferences of the society (that are directly dependant upon the belief) make up the culture. Hence, this shows that there is a two relationship. For instance, the Japanese have a very serious attitude about work and they believe in hard work so working meticulously is a part of their culture. Similarly, the Muslim culture is conservative so they have a negative attitude towards men and women shaking hands and the believe it to be immoral. Global companies need to adopt a ‘glocal strategy’ meaning that they need to amend their global strategy according to the local culture and norms. Before a company enters a new country, formal market research should be conducted in order to make a customer profile according to which the product and promotion strategies will then be designed. International companies should be flexible to minor changes in the product so as to meet the local demands. Pizza hut has been successful all over the world for they have catered to the local taste in every country. For instance, it is spicier in the subcontinent and in countries such as India where people avoid meat; there is large vegetarian and cheese variety. The promotion strategies should also be according to the native culture. Companies should keep in mind that International brand cannot have the same advertising everywhere due to different cultures. When companies are entering a foreign culture, they should be aware of customs, traditions in general and in particular they should know about the psychology of the people. Companies should be aware of the attitude of the people towards work and the products/service the company has to offer. Understanding the local workforce is important for a company because an effective workforce is integral for success and it is crucial to design jobs, compensation packages and motivators that appeal to them. Attitudes toward work, leisure, time, change, family, social mobility and religion play a vital role in shaping the culture. In a collectivist culture, family is the top priority and the much of the leisure time is spent with family. In a society where family ties are weak, work and friends have a greater importance so the culture is an individualist one. In some cultures, there is greater emphasis on work and such people are hard workers by nature and their work is meticulous. The Chinese culture is a classical example of how hard work is an element of the national culture. The physical environment of a place influences the culture of that place as physical conditions such as the weather affect the life style of the people. The architecture of a place also reflects the culture. Moreover, it is important to understand the verbal and non verbal elements of a culture. For instance, the Arabs like to kiss on the cheeks when they meet even during formal meetings but in a British culture, this would be highly inappropriate. Similarly, maintaining eye contact is a non verbal cue, in some cultures it would be a symbol of courage while in others it will be considered insolent. Moreover education and technology are linked to the culture and this is evident by the fact that some cultures such as the Japanese lay stress on innovating and developing technology where as some have a laid back attitude. Some cultures lay stress on education and that is evident by the high literacy levels there. Lastly, media has a two way relationship with culture: mass media not only depicts the culture but it also leads to cultural change in the society. The success of any company also depends on the political and legal system of that country. In countries where there is political turbulence or the policies do not support foreign investment, survival becomes tough for the company as is the case in third world countries like Bangladesh where there is a frequent change in governments that leads to changes in policies too. References Brown, A. (1995). Organizational Culture. Pitman, London. Charles M. and Yongsun, P. (2006). Managing a Global Workforce: Challenges and Opportunities in International Human Resource Management. M. E . Sharpe Dong, Q. , Day, K. D. (2001). Overcoming Ethnocentrism through Developing Intercultural communication sensitivity and Multi culturism. Retrieved on January 16,2009 from http://www. allacademic. com David Straker. Elements of Culture. Retrieved on January 15, 2009 From www. changingminds. org Kwintessential Cross Cultural Solutions. Cross Cultural Communications. Retrieved on January 15, 2009 from http://www. kwintessential. co. uk

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 18

Caleb's hand was hot and heavy against her lips, and Elena scrabbled against it with her nails. He gripped her tightly with his other hand, holding her stil , his fingers digging into her shoulder. Elena struggled fiercely, flailing her arms and landing a firm blow in Caleb's stomach. She bit down hard on the hand he had over her mouth. Caleb jerked backward, quickly letting go of her and pul ing his bitten hand to his chest. As soon as her mouth was uncovered, Elena screamed. Caleb stepped away from her, holding his hands up in surrender. â€Å"Elena!† he said. â€Å"Elena, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't want you to scream.† Elena eyed him warily, breathing hard. â€Å"What are you doing here?† she asked. â€Å"Why were you sneaking up behind me if you didn't want to scare me?† Caleb shrugged and looked a little embarrassed. â€Å"I was worried about you,† he confessed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and hanging his head. â€Å"I was hiking up by Hot Springs earlier and I saw you and your friends. They were pul ing you out of the water, and it looked like you weren't breathing.† He peeked up at her through his long golden lashes. â€Å"You were so worried about me you decided to grab me and cover my mouth to keep me from screaming?† Elena asked. Caleb ducked his head further and scrubbed at the back of his neck in an embarrassed way. â€Å"I wasn't thinking.† Caleb nodded solemnly. â€Å"You looked so pale,† he said. â€Å"But you opened your eyes and sat up. I was going to come down and see if you were okay, but your friend saw me and started running up the path toward me like he was going to jump me, and I guess I just freaked out.† He grinned suddenly. â€Å"I'm not usual y such a wuss,† he said. â€Å"But he looked mad.† Elena found herself feeling unexpectedly disarmed. Her shoulder stil ached where Caleb had grabbed her. But he seemed so sincere, and so apologetic. â€Å"Anyway,† Caleb continued, gazing at her out of candid light blue eyes, â€Å"I was driving back to my aunt and uncle's place, and I recognized your car in the cemetery parking lot. I just came in because I wanted to talk to you and make sure you were okay. And then, when I got close to you, you were sitting down and talking, and I guess I was embarrassed. I didn't want to interrupt you, and I didn't want to barge in on something personal, so I just waited.† He ducked his head sheepishly again. â€Å"And instead I ended up assaulting you and scaring you to death, which sure wasn't the better way to go. I'm real y sorry, Elena.† Elena's heartbeat was returning to normal. Whatever Caleb's intentions, he obviously wasn't going to attack her again now. â€Å"It's al right,† she said. â€Å"I hit my head on an underwater rock. I'm fine now, though. It must have looked pretty weird to see me just sitting here and muttering. Sometimes I come here to talk to my parents, that's al . This is where they're buried.† â€Å"It's not weird,† he said quietly. â€Å"I find myself talking to my parents sometimes, too. When something happens and I wish they were with me, I start tel ing them about it and it makes me feel like they're there.† He swal owed hard. â€Å"It's been a few years, but you never stop missing them, do you?† The last bits of anger and fear drained out of Elena when she saw the sadness in Caleb's face. â€Å"Oh, Caleb,† she said, reaching out to touch his arm. She caught a sudden motion out of the corner of her eye and then, seemingly out of nowhere, Stefan appeared, running incredibly fast, straight toward them. â€Å"Caleb,† he growled, grabbing him by the shirt and throwing him to the ground. Caleb let out a grunt of surprise and pain. â€Å"Stefan, no!† shouted Elena. Stefan spun to look at her. His eyes were hard and his fangs were ful y extended. â€Å"He's not what he says he is, Elena,† he said in an eerily calm voice. â€Å"He's dangerous.† Caleb slowly pul ed himself to his feet, using a gravestone as a support. He was staring at Stefan's fangs. â€Å"What's going on?† he asked. â€Å"What are you?† Stefan turned toward him and, almost casual y, slapped him back down. â€Å"Stefan, stop it!† Elena yel ed, unable to contain the note of hysteria in her voice. She reached out for his arm, but missed. â€Å"You're going to hurt him!† â€Å"He wants you, Elena,† Stefan growled. â€Å"Do you understand that? You can't trust him.† â€Å"Stefan,† Elena pleaded. â€Å"Listen to me. He wasn't doing anything wrong. You know that. He's a human.† She could feel hot tears gathering in her eyes and she blinked them away. Now was not the time to weep and wail. Now was the time to be cool and rational and to keep Stefan from losing control. Caleb staggered to his feet, grimacing with pain, and this time charged clumsily at Stefan, his face flushed. He got one arm around Stefan's neck and yanked him to the side, but then Stefan, with an easy strength, tossed Caleb to the ground once more. Stefan loomed over him threateningly as he stared up at him from the grass. â€Å"You can't fight me,† Stefan growled. â€Å"I'm stronger than you. I can drive you out of this town, or kil you just as easily. And I wil do either if you make me think it's necessary. I won't hesitate.† Elena grabbed Stefan's arm. â€Å"Stop it! Stop it!† she shouted. She pul ed him toward her, trying to turn him so she could look into his eyes, so she could get through to him. Breathe, she thought desperately. She had to calm things down here, and she tried to steady her voice, to sound logical. â€Å"Stefan, I don't know what you think is going on with Caleb, but just stop for a minute and think.† â€Å"Elena, look at me,† Stefan said. His eyes were dark with emotion. â€Å"I know, I'm absolutely sure, that Caleb is evil. He's dangerous to us. We have to get rid of him before he gets a chance to destroy us. We can't give him the opportunity to get the better of us by waiting for him to make his move.† â€Å"Stefan†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Elena said. Her voice was shaking, and an oddly rational, detached part of her noted that this must be what it felt like when the person you loved most lost his mind. She didn't know what she was going to say next, but before she could even open her mouth, Caleb had risen again. There was a long scratch down the side of his face, and his blond hair was tangled and ful of dirt. â€Å"Back off,† Caleb said grimly, coming toward Stefan. He was limping a little bit, and clutched a fist-size rock in his right hand. â€Å"You can't just†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He raised the rock threateningly. â€Å"Stop it, both of you,† Elena yel ed, trying for a fierce general's voice that would command their attention. But Caleb just hoisted the rock and threw it straight at Stefan's face. Stefan dodged the rock, moving almost too quickly for Elena to see, grabbed Caleb by the waist, and, in one graceful motion, flung him into the air. For a moment, Caleb was suspended, seemingly as light and boneless as a scarecrow tossed from the back of a pickup truck, and then he hit the side of the marble Civil War monument with a sickening crunch. With a thud, he fel to the ground at the foot of the statue and was stil . â€Å"Caleb!† Elena screamed in horror. She ran toward him, shoving her way between the bushes and clumps of grass that encircled the monument. His eyes were closed and his face was pale. Elena could see the light blue veins in his eyelids. There was a spreading pool of blood on the ground beneath his head. A streak of dirt ran across his face, and that dirt and the long red scratch on his cheek suddenly seemed like some of the most heartbreaking things she had ever seen. He wasn't moving. She couldn't tel whether he was breathing. Elena dropped to her knees and felt for Caleb's pulse, fumbling at his neck. As she found the steady thrum of a heartbeat beneath her fingers, she gasped in relief. â€Å"Elena.† Stefan had fol owed her to Caleb's side. He put his hand on her shoulder. â€Å"Please, Elena.† Elena shook her head, refusing to look at him, and shrugged his hand away. She felt in her pocket for her phone. â€Å"My god, Stefan,† she said, her words clipped and tight, â€Å"you could have kil ed him. You have to get out of here. I can tel the police I found him like this, but if they see you, they're going to know you two were fighting.† She swal owed hard as she realized the streak of dirt staining Caleb's shirt was Stefan's handprint. â€Å"Elena,† Stefan pleaded. At the anguish in his tone, she final y turned toward him. â€Å"Elena, you don't understand. I had to stop him. He was a threat to you.† Stefan's leaf green eyes beseeched her, and Elena had to steel herself to keep from crying. â€Å"You have to leave,† she said. â€Å"Go home. I'l talk to you later.† Don't hurt anyone else, she thought, and bit her lip. Stefan stared at her for a long moment, then final y backed away. â€Å"I love you, Elena.† He turned and disappeared into the trees, through the older and wilder part of the cemetery. Elena took a steadying breath, wiped her eyes, and dialed 911. â€Å"There's been an accident,† she said, her voice panicky, when the operator picked up. â€Å"I'm in the Fel ‘s Church Cemetery off Route Twenty-three, over by the Civil War monument near the edge of the newer section. I've found someone†¦ It looks like he was knocked unconscious somehow†¦Ã¢â‚¬ 

Politics

Nowadays mass media plays significant role within the society structure and has grand influence on its development. Media already is tightly intervened with all the spheres of our everyday life. It is generally accepted that the press form public opinion and understanding. Media also has the power to shape even the country’s policy. Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman examine all these burning questions and give even more information in their book â€Å"The Press Effect: Politicians, Journalists and the Stories that Shape the Political World†. Their central thesis is that the stories the press tells are shaped not by a â€Å"liberal agenda† or a â€Å"right wing conspiracy† but rather by the desire, even pressure, to cast the news in a dramatic, easily packaged form.Jamieson and Waldman produce an incisive analysis of political media coverage, and how the press and the people both fail to think critically about one of the most important components of o ur political process – politicized media. â€Å"The Press Effect† makes a nonpartisan, well-documented, and very persuasive case that the mainstream media doesn’t so much report the news as create it. Focusing mostly on the 2000 presidential campaign and its aftermath, and on coverage of 9/11, the book also touches on historical issues and their presentation as well.Wide-ranging and accessible, â€Å"The Press Effect† is a must for news junkies and political buffs, and an excellent addition to any journalism, social studies, or government classroom. To illustrate more vividly the events the authors represent numerous recent examples, from media participation in spreading fabrications during the election campaign to the weight of journalists on the outcome of the 2000 presidential election in the United States.Too often, authors argue, reporters merely analyze the strategies used by the opposing instead of sorting out the facts behind the issues. While ack nowledging that the truth can be indefinable and very subtle, the authors cite a few exemplary cases of journalistic truthfulness and reliability and fact-finding. This important book, makes obvious the fact that media misrepresentation is far too complex and subtle to be explained by mere liberal or conservative bias, belongs in all journalism collections.The authors of â€Å"The Press Effect† suggests that the media frames issues and political figures in a way that their future stories on the matters or subjects will tend to fit neatly inside the predetermined scene. In view of the fact that the media is a follow-the-leader game, once a frame takes hold it doesn't let go very easily. Jamieson and Waldman utilize this speculation mainly to explore the 2000 Election between Gore and Bush.Unfortunately, there are simply no trustworthy ways of establishing definite effects of media products on public, opinions, attitudes or behavior. There are few credible analyses of how diffe rent media events, or the outcomes of particular media organizations, produced particular perceptions in media audiences. Taking into consideration the conformity between media representations and public opinion considered within the work â€Å"The Press Effect† puts an interesting question and not an answer.All in all, the title of the work is rather bold, for it speaks for itself and highlights how important the press is in shaping not only politics but also the society structure. But, apteral, it is not very understandable who is telling these â€Å"stories† that actually shape the political world and who in point of fact are the authors of them, or where they come from. Authors of this work also represent a critique of the media’s deep inclination for close psychological examination of foremost celebrities. In addition they review in brief some techniques of media effects research that are being used throughout the media world, at the same time emphasizing t heir confines and flaws.They pay attention to the fact what qualities a story should possess to influence strongly the public opinion. But what they are describing is better viewed as connections, mediated in both directions through political characters, representatives of press and public, rather than as direct causal effects. Yet Jamieson and Waldman do try to build up a more detailed approach. They combine critiques of media content with analysis of political rhetorical strategies, including opinion and survey data, thus the authors build up a persuasive and disturbing illustration of media unfairness and of  failure to tell the full story. In other words they what to communicate to the reader that not always the media is a liable source of getting true information.Nevertheless, throughout the book the authors make references to praiseworthy exceptions and admit that there are still many professionals  whose commitment to truth is undisputable. But we should mark that the pre vailing idea of Jamieson and Waldman’s study is to raise deep concern about the state of health of American journalism.Jamieson and Waldman outline six critical and very essential functions that the media and the press in particular perform in American society: storyteller, amateur psychologist, soothsayer, and shaper of events, patriot, and custodian of fact.In a function of a storyteller driving by the natural desire to tell a consistent story, journalists have a natural inclination to omit information that is somehow at odds with the general scene. For example, social scientists tell that the media circles create a particular outline or a frame for an event or a person, and all the data that does not comply with this frame is very often tends to be neglected. As an example we make take the following fact from the analyzed book. During the 2000 election course Gore was represented, as a liar so any report he made that could not be verified at once was believed to be a misre presentation.Bush on the other hand appeared as an intellectually challenged person with a lack of knowledge. Consequently, we seethe confirmation to the statements relayed within the â€Å"Press Effect† the media can easily shape the character either true or misinterpreted but it is immediately is believed by the public and it is very difficult to change that formed image. Here we may firmly assert that the media failed to serve the public in way of representing vital and burning information.As the Amateur Psychologist the media makes sometimes a monkey business. Rather than examining essential facts and characters the press instead analyzes the motives and strategies of moves made by a political figure sometimes irrelevant to the moment. The result is that an emphasis is made not on issues of importance, but on questions of technique and strategy. Very often the media seizes such facts as what one particular figure is wearing and how it moves rather than the aim he is tryin g to achieve.Even today, if one political figure announces a new program or political agenda, the mass media is inclined to focus its attention on analyzing why he chooses this particular moment to make the announcement rather than to analyze the suggestion itself. Again we wee that the authors try to communicate to us that the media fails to serve the public especially when it attempts to attribute motives to politicians instead of analyzing their proceedings and their policies.Taking into consideration the function of a custodian of fact imputed to the media it is important to say that it is a natural task of the mass media to explain or even uncover the data, hypothesis, and calculations behind declarations made by political figures in an election or officials in their offices. The media again fails to serve in relaying information to the public when it accepts the basically prejudiced accounts of a political actor and transfers them to the public without challenge.The authors pu t the question whether it is a fault of media in its unsuccessfulness. In fact, it is the blunder of all three participants within the structure of political system: politicians, mass media, and the electorate. Jamieson and Waldman conclude by stating, â€Å"We believe that if democracy is to thrive, holding journalists to the highest standards is not only reasonable but essential†. It has been observed on many occasions that we â€Å"get the government we deserve†, Jamieson and Waldman make a strong statement that we â€Å"get the media we deserve† as well.The key concept within the work is â€Å"framing,† which seeks to define what aspects of particular stories are given weight in their telling in the media. Analyzing print and broadcast media on a series of  issues over elections 2000, the authors reveal how story may shape the whole attitude of the public. Media coverage of the 2000 presidential election campaign is often said to have assumed the ou tline of Gore-as-liar and Bush-as-stupid. In part, it is attributed to the media’s need for personality profiling. In describing how the media treated recent political chapters, Jamieson and Waldman are being neither exceptional nor exceptionable.Jamieson and Waldman observe, reasonably, that the press highlights political strategy over policy and also how and why, rather than the what and who. But they are on icy ground when they claim that the responsibility of the press is to determine whose claims were correct. Policies, and any judgments on them, are matters of interpretation rather than statements of fact. The authors are definitely correct to say that media representatives play an essential role in serving the public make sense of policy choices, but that may as often involve judgments on motivation as arbitrations on fact.Telling stories is a bulky part of how we cooperate and how we make sense of things. It is rather significant to take into consideration the specifi c role of the press and to measure its performance against stated standards. It is a different thing to dispute that the press is the strongest linkage in the story-generating chain or to argue that it is deviating from its primary responsibility in telling stories or to argue that it accommodates too comfortably to the politically dominant story-frames. Jamieson and Waldman are ambitious and daring in seeking to argue all of these schemes, and even more. In addition, they offer much helpful evidence that others will want to scrutinize too. But, on balance, their case is unproven.As to investigate the issue further we should say that one of the most troublesome things about journalism nowadays is how normally and regularly lies and misrepresentations broadcasted on all sides of the political scale. To a great extent, this is the fault of journalists, whose primary job is or has to be to find out and report the truth about the most important issues of the day. Democracy is not suppos ed to function in well-organized manner if the public is constantly misinformed.Simply giving account of few opposing views also does not help the public find out the truth. There is general tendency that truth telling has to be rewarded and deception has to be punished. Unfortunately, this is not happening now, it is just the goal we are trying to achieve. The task of a real journalist is not to repeat the â€Å"spin† but to find the truth of the particular event and communicate it to public.Here we are bound to cite the authors of the â€Å"Press Effect† â€Å"Reporters should help the public make sense of competing political arguments by defining terms, filling in needed information, assessing the accuracy of the evidence being offered, and relating the claims and counterclaims to the probable impact of the proposed policies on citizens and the country†. Undoubtedly this is the hard work to do. It is much easier to make emphasis on the horse race and characte rs than to give a definite account and analytical information on the subject.Concluding we may say that this book can be of use not only for amateur readers but also for all journalists and concerned citizens. It gives an interesting and new approach to the problem of mass media truthfulness. It makes one think it over again about the facts we see on the TV, read in newspapers and listen over the radio. It gives the food for meditation over the fact whether we should rely completely on the media sources. â€Å"Press Effect† is the right book for those readers who are just entering the subject of media and are freshmen to the topic.In â€Å"The Press Effect†, Jamieson and Waldman carefully document the interaction between politicians or other political actors, such as press secretaries or campaign consultants and the media in the process of building up an overall message that is supposed to be communicated to the public. From the first sight it may probably come to one' s surprise that the media have actually failed in their task to both politicians and the public. But why and how it is still for us to decide.In this scrupulously researched and documented work Jamieson and Waldman have represented a chain of problems that come about when the media let down the public. The most noticeable and evident effects of this malfunction embrace cynicism about political figures in general, distrust of the government, doubt in the objectivity of journalists, and actually overall voter indifference. In about 200 pages of prose Jamieson and Waldman describe the causes, history, and consequences of the mass media's failures, including well-documented and unbiased examples.Jamieson and Waldman show that when political campaigns evade or reject to engage the facts of the opposing side, the press often fails to step into the void with the information citizens require to make sense of. â€Å"The Press Effect† is, ultimately, a wide-ranging critique of the pres s's role in mediating between politicians and the citizens they are supposed to serve.Reference:1.Brian Trench, reviewed. The Press Effect: Politicians, Journalists, and the Stories That Shape the Political World by Kathleen Hall Jamieson and Paul Waldman. Logos. Spring 20032.Eytan, Gilboa. Media and Conflict: Framing Issues, Making Policy, Shaping Opinions. Ardsley, NY: Transnational Pub Inc: 2002.3. World In Crisis, Media In Conflict. Database on www.mediachannel.org.   (last accessed February 13, 2006)