Management & Organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Management & Organisation - Essay Example The desire to function is motivation. Motivation refers to psychological aspects that have the ability to arouse in an individual the literal desire to achieve set goals besides sustaining, controlling, and eliciting specific goal-oriented behaviors (Kleinbeck, et. al., 2013). According to Miner (2012), Motivation plays three significant functions; assisting employees to understand their behavior, assisting managers to build and manage an effective motivation system, and provides conceptual tools for identification and analysis of various motivation problems. The following are some of the aspects of motivation within an organization. Discussions Needs Theories Indisputably, motivation revolves around behaviors and needs. Since motivation aims at the needs of the employees, various need theories towards motivation have been proposed. Examples of such needs theories include Murray’s theory of Human Personality, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, McClelland’s Achievement Motivation theory, and Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene theories. Kleinbeck, et. al. (2013) add that within the contemporary environment there have been classifications that include cognitive and behavioral theories. Theories in these categories include expectancy, equity, goal setting, and behavior modification theories. Murray’s theory of human personality focuses on two forms of needs; physical and psychological. In this theory, both physical and psychological needs are a link connecting stimulus and employee’s reaction to the same (Kunitz, 2011). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory on the other hand focuses on five basic groups of necessities or basic needs. Maslow believes that these needs are so basic that every employee is motivated to achieve them (Kunitz, 2011). The needs include physiological, safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization. E.R.G. theory focuses on three groups of needs; existence, relatedness, and growth. The need for achievement, p ower, and affiliation form the epicenter of McClelland’s achievement motivation theory (Kunitz, 2011). Lastly, Herzberg’s Motivator-Hygiene theory focuses on the satisfiers and dissatisfies. In this theory the motivators include achievement, recognition, and specific work (Miner, 2012). Hygiene factors play a significant role in motivating employees. Expectancy/Goals Theories Expectancy or goal theories define how to motivate the employees. However, it is important to note that expectancy/goals theories are more sophisticated (Kunitz, 2011). Evidently employees are motivated if they expect they can achieve their goals that attract both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.

Effects of Computerized Cognitive Training

Effects of Computerized Cognitive Training CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION This chapter will discuss†¦ it will also discuss its public health significance†¦ and also report strengths and limitations of the review. 5.1  Summary and discussion of the evidence: 5.1.1  To what extent was the intervention effective? The overall aim of this study was to investigate the effects of computerized cognitive training aimed at improving cognitive function in individuals at a high risk of developing dementia. The ten trials that have been included in this study are spread widely across different countries. They vary enormously even within each subdomain analysed in terms of sample size, intervention characteristics (overall length of duration, number of training sessions and their frequency) and outcome measures used. Participants were assessed on a number of cognitive outcome measures that were unrelated to the trained tasks, this was necessary to show that cognitive improvement was not task specific as suggested by previous studies (Ball et al. 2002). The results from these ten studies suggest that computerized cognitive training is a promising approach for improving cognitive performance in persons with mild cognitive impairment. Participants showed improvements over a wide variety of neurocognitive o utcome measures, such as memory, attention, executive function, working memory, visuospatial ability, general cognition and speed of processing. Among these cognitive domains the most consistent improvements across all studies were observed in visual and verbal memory, attention, and executive function. Improvements in cognitive outcome measures suggests that individuals with MCI, despite cognitive deficit retain significant amount of neuroplasticity (Rosen et al. 2011) which makes them responsive to cognitive training. These findings are consistent with previous studies that demonstrate positive effects of cognitive training on cognitive performance in individuals with MCI (Brum et al. 2009; Ball et al. 2002; Rapp et al. 2002). Previously it has been suggested that training gains are influenced by the frequency and duration of the intervention (Gates et al. 2011), however, findings show no difference in training effects among studies with longer duration of intervention and those with smaller duration (Rozzini et al. 2007). The inability to conduct a meta-analysis due to heterogeneity of diagnostic criteria, intervention characteristics and outcomes measured made it difficult to precisely identify which cognitive domains benefited the most from the training. It has been pointed out several times over the years that unless accompanied by behavioural, psychological or other changes, changes in cognition let alone are not sufficient to justify a cognitive intervention (Woods, 2006). Out of the ten studies included, five studies assessed behavioural, psychological and everyday functional symptoms apart from neurocognitive outcome measures (Gaitan et al. 2013; Gagnon and Belleville, 2012; Finn and McDonald, 2011; Rozzini et al. 2007; Galante et al. 2007). The findings revealed positive effect of the intervention on some aspects of subjective measures of memory. Depressive symptom scores decreased most consistently. This was followed by reduction in anxiety levels. However, no significant improvements were observed in self-reported activities of daily living or everyday functioning memory. This could be explained by the fact that as individuals were carefully screened out in order to meet criteria for MCI, the participants were not impaired in everyday functional abilities and hence, it was difficult to assess the effect of training in terms of transferability to real world outcomes. No changes in well-being were reported. This is in contrast to the findings by Belleville et al. (2006) which reported positive impact of computerized cognitive training on the participant’s feelings of well-being. This can perhaps be explained by the inclusion of pre-training sessions on stress, self-esteem and imagery that were part of the intervention in their study. Despite the importance of quality of life to patients and caregivers, none of the studies measured quality of life. According to Rozzini et al. (2007) although use of cholinesterase inhibitors has also been associated with reduced depressive symptoms, but computerized cognitive training supersedes pharmacological therapy as no negative or adverse effects of training have been found in participants, contrary to adverse effects and high dropout rates reported in drug tri als in MCI (Clare et al. 2003). 5.1.2  To what extent were the effects maintained after the intervention? Four studies included a follow up assessment ranging between 3 months to a period of 12 months (Gaitan et al. 2013; Herrera et al. 2012; Galante et al. 2007; Rozzini et al. 2007) and one study used a longitudinal design (Valdes et al. 2012) to ascertain if the training gains lasted longer, showed stability over time and hence, could possibly contribute to preventing future cognitive decline. General cognitive function remained stable up to 9 months post training (Galante et al. 2007); recognition, attention and recall improvements were maintained at 6 months (Herrera et al. 2012); executive function (Gaitan et al. 2013), episodic memory and abstract reasoning (Rozzini et al. 2007) showed improvement trends at 12 month follow up; and effects on speed of processing were maintained at 5 years after the end of the training programme (Valdes et al. 2012). Two studies showed reduction in behavioural disturbances such as depression and anxiety (Gaitan et al. 2013; Rozzini et al. 2007) at a 12 month follow up. Evidence suggests that computerized cognitive training is at least effective in slowing or delaying the progression of cognitive decline and onset of dementia. Moreover, it also suggests that if computerized cognitive training show cognitive gains, these improvements are likely to be preserved at follow up. In summary, computerized cognitive training justifies Swaab’s (1991) phrase â€Å"use it or lose it† used to explain the relationship between declining neuronal activity and neurodegeneration. Overall, these results show findings similar to a recent meta-analysis by Li et al. (2011) that showed improved overall cognition, domain specific cognitive improvements and positive training effects on follow up in the intervention group after receiving traditional cognitive training. According to literature, computerized cognitive training has shown to be more effective than traditional cognitive training (Kueider et al. 2012), the results from this study suggest that structured computerized cognitive training produce significantly greater benefits in individuals with MCI as compared to those engaged in cognitively stimulating activities only. Evidence reveals that individuals with MCI that were randomized to intervention group showed larger cognitive gains as compared to active control groups. 5.2  Public health Significance: With the elderly population of the world increasing rapidly, the numbers of older adults suffering from dementia are bound to rise. With 1 in 3 people above 65 years developing dementia, the number of individuals with dementia are projected to be as high as 135.46 million in 2050 (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2013). Dementia has several devastating consequences. The economic impact of dementia globally is quite alarming. This has diverted attention not only towards the treatment of dementia itself but also towards preventive therapies specifically aimed at individuals with MCI. In 2007, the average cost of care for a patient with Alzheimer’s disease in the United Kingdom was estimated to be around  £29,746 (Alzheimer’s Society, 2008). This makes the principles of disease prevention and health promotion particularly relevant to dementia (Geda, Negash and Petersen, 2011). The prevention of a disease involves the identification of groups that are at high ris k; MCI indeed, is a high risk state for dementia particularly of the Alzheimer’s type (Alzheimer’s Disease International, 2013). Individuals with MCI are identified as high risk groups as they are 3 to 5 times more at risk of developing dementia than those without MCI (Alzheimer’s Society, 2014). As findings from this study reveal that many of the cognitive domains retain effects from as low as 6 months up to 5 years post computerized cognitive training and demonstrate delay in the progression of cognitive impairment. This can have positive implications for public health. This is because according to the Alzheimer’s Society (2007) delaying the progression of cognitive decline and hence onset of dementia merely by 5 years would halve the number of deaths that are directly attributable to dementia. It would also reduce the huge economic costs associated with dementia care borne by the carers and the government. In addition, it would also cut down the costs borne by individuals or their carers as computerized approach itself is a cost effective approach as explained earlier. Growing evidence on the positive effects of computerized cognitive makes it a strong candidate to be on the priority agenda for policy making on tackling dementia in coming years. As demonstrated, much evidence in literature exists highlighting the positive impact of cognitive training on cognitive performance. NICE guidelines (2011) recommend the use of structured cognitively stimulating programmes for individuals with mild to moderate dementia irrespective of the drugs prescribed for the treatment of cognitive symptoms of dementia. Results from this study indicating the potential of computerized cognitive training and other relevant evidence in literature advocates that the use of computerised cognitive training for MCI patients can be included in the clinical practice guidelines. However, for that to be practically useful, there needs to be developed a structured computerised cognitive training service which can be commissioned when needed. Such service should identify in particul ar the software to be used, the duration and frequency of training sessions and sequencing of training sessions. Kueider et al. (2012) highlighted that older adults did not need to be tech savvy in order to complete and benefit from the intervention. Moreover, these findings could have positive implications as contrary to the old belief that older adults may not welcome the idea of using technology; research suggests that older adults in many cases are the fastest growing users of computer and internet technology (Wagner et al. 2010). Moreover, as mentioned earlier, computerized cognitive training offer flexible and personalized approach as the difficulty level can be adjusted according to the user’s performance, hence, keeping it engaging and enjoyable for users. 5.3  Strengths and limitations of the study: The review was undertaken after a thorough search of literature available around the research question. To the author’s knowledge this is the only systematic review to-date that has been conducted on this topic and includes up to date evidence. Another strength of this study is the strict inclusion criteria in terms of study design. Only randomised controlled trials were included in the review. Although there were other relevant studies available having other study designs but according to the Cochrane review guidelines (Higgins and Green, 2011), the author decided to limit the final studies to randomised controlled trials. This helped to decrease bias and increase the methodological quality of the overall review. The author intended to synthesize the results from best available evidence. Although efforts were made to ensure a transparent and reproducible review, a number of caveats need to be mentioned that might have influenced the results. 5.3.1  Time frame: The time frame to conduct a systematic review was extremely limited keeping in view that there was only one researcher carrying out the entire procedure. Maximum time was spent searching through different electronic databases and other sources and reading the abstracts of different articles in an attempt to identify relevant studies. There may be a possibility of selection bias as the selection and screening of studies was done solely by one reviewer. However, in order to minimise such bias, the search and screening of articles was done twice. 5.3.2  Methodological limitations: Across the literature on computerised cognitive training common but notable methodological limitations emerge. One of the general limitations of this systematic review was small sample sizes used in majority of the studies. The small sample sizes led to reduced statistical power which may have obscured the detection of potential differences between the groups. Larger groups could have allowed detecting smaller gains in performance. A second limitation was that several studies lacked an adequate active or placebo control group. Failure to include a proper control group may not only have had an impact on the results but also made interpretation of results difficult as attribution of cognitive benefits could have originated from other sources besides computerized cognitive training. These issues impact on the main aim of the study which was assessing how computerized approaches compare with traditional approaches. Only two studies used an active control group indulged in activities similar to traditional cognitive training (Gaitan et al. 2012; Herrera et al. 2012) making it difficult to directly compare both the approaches. The review supports findings from previous studies (Sitzer et al. 2006) that intervention groups show larger effect sizes when compared to waitlist instead of active control conditions. Several studies reported inclusion of participants receiving pharmacological therapy (Cholinesterase Inhibito rs) raising the possibility that the cognitive gains were not because of the training solely but were a result of the synergistic effect between pharmacological therapy and training. An important limitation of this study was the scarce availability of data for individuals with mild cognitive impairment despite the relatively large time span covered. Furthermore, although most studies used the Petersen’s criteria to diagnose and assess individuals with MCI but modifications in the exact application of this definition existed e.g. the use of MMSE- scores one of the included studies used MMSE scores > 24 () while one study used MMSE scores of 23 (). Additionally the heterogeneity of the outcomes measured across studies made cross-comparison difficult but at the same time highlighted the need of developing robust research designs for cognitive training intervention studies. According to the inclusion criteria, only studies that were randomised controlled trials were to be included. This led to the exclusion of many quasi-experimental studies that were related to the research question and that could have contributed to the results (Talassi et al. 2007; Belleville et al. 2006; Cipriani et al. 2006; Tarraga et al. 2006; Schreiber et al. 1999). 5.3.3 Dual vs Single person data extraction: The Cochrane Collaboration (Higgins and Green, 2011) expects each study included in the review to be data extracted by at least two independent researchers who are blind to the study authors and institution from which the study has been published. This however, was not possible owing to the time limitations and practicality of an MSc degree and therefore, data extraction was carried out by a single reviewer. According to Edwards et al. (2002) study screening and data extraction by two or more researchers increases the reliability and accuracy of the systematic review. 5.3.4  Language limitation: The requirement of studies being published in English language led to the exclusion of two studies deemed relevant by their abstract as the body of text was published in German and Spanish (Ott-Chervet et al. 1998; Fernà ¡ndez-Calvo et al. 2011). Summary: This chapter discussed on the results that were generated in the previous chapter. Computerized cognitive training had positive impact on multiple aspects of cognition, including behavioural and psychological symptoms. The effects of training on multiple outcome measures were retained for as less as 6 months to 5 years after the end of the training programme. This showed that the effects of training were not only immediate but also halted cognitive decline. These findings were extremely important from the public health.

The Truth About The War In Iraq :: Film Movie Iraq War

The Whole Truth about the Iraq War For my first peace paper I went to the Ritz East movie theater on September 30th to watch the movie "Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War." This is a movie whose mission was to reveal the lies that have been told to the American people by the Bush Administration. The majority of the audience seemed to me to be democrats or at least people who opposed the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration. There were a lot of people who are antiwar and they were easy to pick out. On the other hand, there were a few strays thrown in who seemed to be pro-war and a Bush backer. Most of these people ended up leaving the theater in hatred and claiming that it is all lies and speculation, and even some left the theater before the movie was finished. I continually saw and heard people becoming uneasy and shaking their heads in disgust. Their was a wide variety of people there. The ages ranged from about late teens to about late sixties or early seventies. I would say that there was p retty much of an even split between male and female, but the majority of the people look to be middle aged and middle class people. The Truth About The War In Iraq :: Film Movie Iraq War The Whole Truth about the Iraq War For my first peace paper I went to the Ritz East movie theater on September 30th to watch the movie "Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War." This is a movie whose mission was to reveal the lies that have been told to the American people by the Bush Administration. The majority of the audience seemed to me to be democrats or at least people who opposed the war in Iraq and the Bush Administration. There were a lot of people who are antiwar and they were easy to pick out. On the other hand, there were a few strays thrown in who seemed to be pro-war and a Bush backer. Most of these people ended up leaving the theater in hatred and claiming that it is all lies and speculation, and even some left the theater before the movie was finished. I continually saw and heard people becoming uneasy and shaking their heads in disgust. Their was a wide variety of people there. The ages ranged from about late teens to about late sixties or early seventies. I would say that there was p retty much of an even split between male and female, but the majority of the people look to be middle aged and middle class people.

Case Study DGL International Essay

When DGL International, a manufacturer of refinery equipment, brought in John Terrill tomanage its Sales Engineering division, company executives informed him of the urgentsituation. Sale Engineering, with 20 engineers, was the highest-paid, best-educated, andleast-productive division in the company. The instruction to Terrill: Turn it around. Terrillcalled a meeting of engineers. He showed great concern for their personal welfare andasked point blank: â€Å"What’s the problem? Why can’t we produce? Why does this divisionhave such turnover?Without hesitation, employees launched a hail of complaints. â€Å"I was hired as an engineer,not a pencil pusher.† â€Å"We spend over half of our time writing asinine reports in triplicatefor top management, and no one reads the reports.† We have to account for every penny,which doesn’t give us time to work with customers or new developments.†After a two-hour discussion, Terrill began to envision a future in which engineers were freeto work with customers and join self-directed teams for product development. Terrillconcluded he had to get top management off the engineers’ back. He promised theengineers, â€Å"My job is to stay out of your way so you ca do your work, and I’ll try to keeptop management off your backs, too.† He called for the day’s reports and issued an order effective immediately that the originals be turned in daily to his office rather than mailed toheadquarters. For three weeks, technical reports piled up on his desk. By month’s end, thestack was nearly three feet high. During that time no one called for the reports. When other managers entered his office and saw the stacks, they usually asked, â€Å"What’s all this?†Terrill answered, â€Å"Technical reports, No one asked to read them.Finally, at month’s end, a secretary from finance called and asked for the monthly traveland expenses report. Terrill responde d, â€Å"Meet me at the president’s office tomorrowmorning.†

American International Competitiveness

Since the beginning of the 1970s, the United States has experienced a virtual trade revolution. Trade has increased much faster than the economy as a whole. Both imports and exports expanded during the past 15 years. In the late 1970s, imports started outstripping exports by historically large margins. A merchandise trade deficit has been present every year since 1976. Moreover, this deficit has increased dramatically in the 1980s. What economic changes underlie the shift in U. S. competitiveness evidenced by the recent trade deficits?While economists who have addressed this question have employed different approaches, most have examined changes in macroeconomic variables to see if they generated the economic pressures that led to the recent trade deficits. Economists who have employed this approach have generally concluded that macroeconomic changes probably are the cause of the recent deficits. Although macroeconomic theory suggests that trade deficits may be associated with a wide variety of factors, two events in the late 1970s and early 1980s have received particular attention: the rise in U. S.aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand and the increase in U. S. interest rates relative to foreign interest rates. Both may have been spurred by the U. S. government's budget deficit. The excess of spending over income provided a powerful expansionary fiscal policy while higher interest rates had to be used to attract foreign and domestic investors to finance the growth in debt. A relative increase in aggregate demand, whatever its source, is expected to lead to a trade deficit because a country's demand for imports is positively associated with the level of its aggregate demand.In this instance, the theory predicts that U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S. exports as U. S. aggregate demand grows relative to foreign aggregate demand. A relative increase in U. S. interest rates can also lead to trade deficits by incr easing foreign demand for U. S. financial assets. The link between financial flows that respond to interest rate changes and trade deficits is evident in standard balance of payments accounting relationships.The accounting relationships used in defining trade deficits require that a nation's current account (comprised of the merchandise trade balance, the balance of trade on services, and net unilateral transfers) equals in size, but with opposite sign, the capital account. In other words, if there are capital inflows, then there must be a trade deficit. Given this accounting relationship, the inflow of foreign capital that is attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates must lead to a trade deficit to satisfy the fundamental accounting identities that underlie balance of payments accounting (McCulloch, 1978).While explanations of recent trade deficits that are based on fundamental macroeconomic relationships are attractive to economists, many commentators have advanced alterna tive explanations that are rooted in microeconomic relationships. These commentators believe that the microeconomic characteristics have changed in ways that explain the relatively sudden substantial increases in imports and net imports. In addition, public opinion, for one reason or another, has not fully accepted the power of the macroeconomic explanations for the trade deficits.We shall therefore investigate these explanations that have been offered by various sources. The logical connections between these microeconomic changes and trade deficits have not been clearly drawn. In particular, supporters of these microeconomic-based hypotheses have ignored the fact that (absent macroeconomic adjustments) changes in the exchange rate could compensate for shifts in microeconomic relationships, leaving trade flows in balance (Tarr, 1985). While the link between alleged microeconomic changes and trade deficits is unclear, empirical analysis of the microeconomic explanations can still be very useful.Specifically, if we find that the alleged microeconomic changes in the structure of trade have not occurred, then we will be in a position to reject the microeconomic explanations directly. For advocates of the microeconomic explanations, this approach may be more convincing than one that evaluates the microeconomic explanations indirectly through the use of general equilibrium or macroeconomic models. The microeconomic explanations have focused on identifying three types of microeconomic changes. First, there may be technological changes that alter trade flows.For example, changes in an industry's technology may alter factor intensities so that particular inputs are less important to successful international competition. Second, policy changes may alter trade flows through their effect on the openness of U. S. or other economies or through their effect on the relative cost structure of U. S. manufacturers. Changes in tariff, quotas, or government subsidies clearly can h ave this effect, but other government policies may also be important. Third, the availability of needed inputs may change so that the competitive position of U.S. firms is altered. For example, when abundant mineral resources continue to be key for production, the U. S. position will change as the United States exhausts its relative supply of these needed resources. According to some commentators, any or all of these types of microeconomic changes might lead to growth in the manufacturing trade deficit. As a result, they have received substantial public attention. If changes in microeconomic factors are the source of recent trade deficits, we should observe a recent and major shift in the pattern of U. S.trade, since some industries will be more sensitive to changes in particular microeconomic factors than other industries or experience bigger changes in these factors. For instance, if relative U. S. wage rates have become more important in international competition, we should obser ve a particularly large rise in net imports in industries that employ relatively large amounts of high-cost labor or have experienced particularly large increases in labor costs. In contrast, if macroeconomic variables underlie the recent deficits, this type of structural shift in trade flows is less likely to be present (Drucker, 1985).As a result, we can reject many of the microeconomic explanations of recent trade deficits that have been advanced if we observe that economic relationships that traditionally have advantaged some industries over others in international trade have been stable and that key industry characteristics, such as labor intensity, have also been stable. In the case of U. S. wage rates, if the relationship between wage rates and imports has not changed over time, and U. S. wage rates relative to those in other countries have not changed significantly, then wage rates are unlikely to have contributed to the increased trade deficit.Of course, if we do find that the alleged microeconomic changes have occurred, the growth in the trade deficit can not be attributed to them unless logical causal relationships can be identified that are consistent with international trade accounting identities. Factors associated with U. S. competitiveness in trade appear to have been relatively stable throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. Manufacturing operations located in the States retain their traditional competitive advantage in production that requires sophisticated know-how and continue to experience a competitive disadvantage in production that uses unskilled labour intensively.Moreover, it appears that, to the extent change has occurred, these relationships have strengthened over time (Marston 1986). Yet, as others have pointed out, the competitive performance of many U. S. industries appears to have declined (Landau and Rosenberg, 1986). Can these two observations be consistent? The competitive performance of U. S. industries can decline because of c hanges that do not affect the relationships between trade flows and the industry characteristics. First, the characteristics of particular industries, such as their factor intensities, may have changed so that net imports increased.The higher unionization is associated with more imports, thus if unionization increased and this relationship remained stable, then unionization could be one cause of increased imports. Shifts in the relative competitiveness of an individual industry may reflect adjustments in the characteristics of the industry, within the context of stable comparative advantage relationships. For example, if strong R&D efforts are associated with strong exports, but industries reduce their R&D expenditures, export performance would be expected to decline even though the relationship between exports and R&D was stable.Put slightly differently, when relative factor abundancies are stable, changes in industrial input requirements will be reflected in shifts in the trade ba lance of particular U. S. industries. The rankings of industries with respect to their trade flows have been quite stable. While there have been some shifts in position during the last decade, statistical tests indicate that the shifting has not been substantial. The rank order of manufacturing industries by the level of net imports in 1975 is highly correlated with the rank order that existed in 1984.Industry characteristics available in time series have also been quite stable. The values for industry characteristics in 1975 are highly correlated with their values in 1981. Moreover, the changes in mean values for these variables are relatively small, especially for the variables that are most directly related to the seven proposed explanations of the trade deficits that we analyze. The variables available in time series include the primary variables used in traditional trade models. Simple macroeconomic relationships suggest that the rise in the trade deficit is likely to be associ ated with changes in macroeconomic variables.If this is true, then one would expect that many industries experienced a rise in their trade deficits (Benvignati, 1985). Consistent with this prediction, nearly all U. S. industries experienced declining international competitiveness to some degree between 1981 and 1984. In addition to this general confirmation of the macroeconomic explanations for trade deficits, there is direct support for the view that recent inflows of foreign capital, attracted by relatively high U. S. interest rates, and increases in U. S.aggregate demand relative to foreign aggregate demand are responsible for recent trade deficits. Specifically, exchange rates rose during the period studied and this led to an increase in net imports, as the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows predicts. Also there appears to be a positive association between recent increases in relative U. S. aggregate demand and net imports, as the aggregate demand theory sugge sts. According to the macroeconomic theory of international financial flows, higher U. S. interest rates will attract foreign capital. Since U. S.financial assets are denominated in dollars, this will lead to an increase in the demand for dollars. Because increases in the value of the dollar make U. S. goods more expensive relative to foreign goods, there will be a reduction in the international competitiveness of U. S. manufacturers. This decrease in competitiveness is expected to be reflected in higher net imports, causing the trade deficit to equal the surplus on the capital account. There is empirical support for this argument. U. S. industries appear to have been under severe competitive pressure because of the relatively high value of the dollar.For example, in the automobile industry, it has been argued that about $700 of the roughly $2,000 cost disadvantage of U. S. automobile manufacturers in 1983 was due to the unusually high exchange rate (Detroit Battle, 1983). Similarly , in steel, machine tools, textiles, and many other industries, analysts have pointed to exchange rates as an important source of the U. S. competitive disadvantage. As a result, it is not too surprising that the increase in the value of the dollar between 1980 and 1985 was associated with a decline in the U. S. trade balance.While the adverse effect of the increased value of the dollar on the competitive position of U. S. industries seems to have been quite widespread, the effect has been larger in some industries than others. In particular, it appears likely that the effect will be largest for products where the demand for U. S. exports and imports was quite elastic, since these products are most sensitive to changes in relative prices. For example, estimates of price elasticities by Baldwin (1976) indicate that these elasticities are particularly large (between 3. 20 and 4.4) in the case of metal working machinery and office/computing machines. According to macroeconomic theory, imports are likely to vary positively with the level of aggregate demand, other things being equal. Specifically, as U. S. incomes rise, the U. S. demand for imports is likely to rise. Moreover, if U. S. incomes rise relative to foreign incomes, the U. S. demand for imports should rise relative to the foreign demand for U. S. exports. As a result, macroeconomic theory predicts that, during these periods, U. S. demand for imports will rise relative to foreign demand for U. S.exports and growing trade deficits are more likely. At the end of 1982, the U. S. balance of payments deficit appears to have been reduced by aggregate demand effects, since the U. S. demand was falling relative to foreign demand. However, in 1983 and 1984 the U. S. economy grew relative to the economies of its trading partners (Economic Report of the President 1986). The relatively strong U. S. recovery and the general worldwide recession were associated with a sharp rise in the U. S. trade deficit (Economic Rep ort of the President 1985). There is no conflict between the observation that U.S. trade deficits have risen and the finding that U. S. comparative advantage relationships have been relatively stable over the last decade. Evidently, there have been shifts in macroeconomic variables that have increased the level of imports in most industries, without shifting trade patterns across industries significantly. While other types of changes, such as shifts in omitted microeconomic variables or changes in the magnitudes of included variables, would also make the two observations consistent, these alternative explanations are not nearly as important.Moreover, simple macroeconomic theories and available empirical evidence suggest strongly that macroeconomic forces underlie the growth of recent trade deficits. Changes in most microeconomic variables have either been gradual or narrowly focused. As a result, they are unlikely to generate the large trade deficits that are observed. Only the chan ges in international capital flows (with associated changes in exchange rates) and, for part of the period, changes in the relative levels of aggregate demand, have been large enough and sharp enough to explain the sudden rise in net imports. The growth of direct foreign investment by U.S. firms during the last decade reflects, in part, the exploitation of their advanced technological and organizational know-how. This stability in the fundamental comparative advantage relationships is inconsistent with widely held views linking microeconomic changes to the growth in the trade deficit during the 1980s. Macroeconomic models provide explanations that are much more consistent with empirical observations. We conclude, as have macroeconomists, that changes in macroeconomic factors, rather than any of the many microeconomic explanations that have been advanced, underlie recent U.S. trade deficits. The comparative advantage structure that determines a country's trade patterns changes only s lowly. For the United States, comparative advantage forces have meant, and still mean, that the country is a net importer of commodities that are efficiently produced with relatively large amounts of unskilled labour and a net exporter of commodities that require the relatively intensive use of skilled labour. These basic relationships have not changed significantly during the 1970s or early 1980s.Similarly, the United States continues to be disadvantaged in industries that are energy-intensive, use depleting natural resources, or are heavily unionized. Higher minimum efficient scale requirements and higher R&D intensity continue to be associated with both higher imports and higher exports. Only weak relationships exist between capital intensity or industry concentration and the strength of the U. S. trade position. The relationships between industry characteristics and trade flows are evident despite the presence of tariff and nontariff barriers and other government trade policies. Moreover, the effects of trade policies appear to be weak relative to the economic forces that result from differences in comparative advantage. Nonetheless, trade policies do have identifiable effects. As one would expect, U. S. tariff and nontariff barriers are associated with lower net import levels. However, the statistical findings for foreign trade barriers are less clear. We attribute this to the fact that U. S. exporters face different trade barriers in different countries. It may be the case that strong U. S.exports continue in many countries although these exports face substantial barriers in other countries. In addition, foreign trade barriers and industrial targeting efforts may arise as a reaction to U. S. export successes, yet not be strong enough to make a substantial reduction in U. S. exports in foreign markets generally. Analyses of U. S. imports and exports test the competitiveness of the States as a geographical unit. However, these analyses do not capture fully the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, since many U. S.firms are multinationals. To measure the competitiveness of U. S. -controlled firms, output manufactured abroad using U. S. know-how must be considered (Marston, 1986). Similarly, U. S. output must be adjusted for output produced by foreign-controlled multinationals in the United States. To a large extent, the additional perspective offered by the analysis of the adjusted trade flow data simply confirms the findings based on the unadjusted data. The United States remains relatively strong in the same industries where it was strong in the previous decade.However, when the trade flow data are adjusted to reflect the presence of multinational corporations, some structural changes in trade patterns become evident. Basically, these changes evidence a strengthening of the relationships that have traditionally shaped U. S. trade flows. Apparently U. S. firms have increasingly exploited their more mobile competitive strengths b y investing abroad. There is some evidence that this effort has been undertaken to overcome historical comparative disadvantages associated with producing in the States.Most notably, there is some evidence that this foreign investment is increasingly prominent in industries that are heavily unionized. Together, the analyses of adjusted and unadjusted trade flow data indicate that U. S. firms are not losing their relative competitive strengths. The adjusted data suggest that some changes are occurring in international direct investment, but these changes have not been echoed in changes in the composition of U. S. net imports. The gradual nature of any changes that are occurring highlights the basic stability of the structure of U. S. trade flows.The structural stability that we observe is consistent with the view that shifts in microeconomic relationships are not an important source of recent trade deficits. Absent evidence of changes, there is no reason to believe that these potenti al microeconomic issues contend with macroeconomic factors as the real explanations for the large observed increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Turning to the first two microeconomic explanations (high labor cost explanation and union work rule explanation), traditional relationships between labor market variables and trade patterns still hold.The United States continues to be at a comparative disadvantage in labor-intensive industries. To the extent there has been change, it has been gradual and statistically insignificant. Moreover, the United States appears to be doing well, and has slightly improved its performance, in high-wage industries. Evidently, the advantage continues in industries where human capital is important. While union activities have affected the structure of U. S. manufacturing industries, this impact has been different from that suggested in the second explanation.No change in the relationship between unionization and U. S. trade flows has taken place. However , various studies do suggest that multinational corporations in unionized industries have shifted larger and larger shares of their output overseas. Apparently, this direct investment has added to U. S. -controlled output, rather than entirely substituting for exports from unionized industries located in the States. The third and fourth explanations (foreign government trade practices explanation and OPEC cartel explanation) involve actions taken by foreign governments.Foreign governments do not appear to have uniformly targeted â€Å"U. S. industries†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat is, industries where the United States has had a competitive advantage. While foreign government interventions are evident, these efforts vary from country to country and do not appear to have a significant effect on overall U. S. trade patterns. This does not mean that particular foreign tariffs, nontariff barriers, or targeting subsidies could not disrupt natural trade flows. However, it does mean that currently t hese effects are limited among our major trading partners (Maskus 1981).Actions by foreign governments that may have supported OPEC's efforts to raise energy prices did not significantly alter the structure of U. S. manufacturing trade, as the fourth proposition contends. The increases in world energy prices during the 1970s were dramatic and clearly had a significant effect on the overall balance of payments. However, only when trade flows are adjusted to recognize the presence of multinationals is there a significant change in the comparative advantage structure across manufacturing industries. Turning to the fifth microeconomic explanation (declining R&D explanation), U. S.firms have not lost their comparative advantage in R&D-intensive products. While U. S. imports of high-technology products have increased over time, so have exports. Moreover, the overall structural relationships that determine U. S. comparative advantages with respect to R&D do not appear to have changed signi ficantly. To the extent change is evident; it appears that the growth of U. S. multinational firms has allowed them to exploit their comparative advantages in high technology through their foreign affiliates. The remaining explanations (inadequate investment explanation and antitrust explanation) involve policies of the U.S. government. According to these two explanations, high taxes on capital formation and overly aggressive antitrust enforcement efforts have undermined the competitiveness of U. S. firms. The notion that relatively high taxes on capital, and resulting lower U. S. investment rates, have led to a growing U. S. disadvantage in capital-intensive industries is not confirmed by the statistical tests. While some earlier studies using 1958 to 1976 data found that the United States had a growing comparative disadvantage in capital-intensive industries, this trend did not continue in the late 1970s and early 1980s (Maskus 1981).The United States was a strong exporter in indu stries where economies of scale (MES) are important. Moreover, we did not find substantial advantages of concentration beyond the levels associated with these plant- level scale economies. There also was no sign of significant changes in the comparative advantage relationships with respect to scalerelated or concentration-related variables. Conclusion Given the stability of U. S. comparative advantage relationships over time, why has the U. S. trade deficit increased by so much?For some industries, the rise in net imports may simply reflect the fact that the characteristics of the industry have changed, so U. S. firms no longer have a comparative advantage. In particular, when the know-how needed to produce a commodity becomes standardized and cheap labour becomes a relatively more important input, we should expect that U. S. manufacturers will lose share to foreign manufacturers. As is suggested by simple macroeconomic models, much of the rise in net imports appears to be attributa ble to macroeconomic forces that have more than offset the advantages that U.S. firms have traditionally had in some industries. In fact, most industries have experienced increased levels of imports, suggesting that economy-wide changes underlie the problem. Examination of macroeconomic variables that could produce this type of shift in trade flows confirms that the rise in interest rates with the associated increase in the value of the dollar and, during some recent periods, the relatively rapid growth of U. S. aggregate demand appear to have stimulated net imports generally.Generally, there has been relatively little shifting in either comparative advantage relationships or in industry characteristics that affect imports and exports. Indeed, the growth in direct foreign investment, which appears to support the most dramatic changes that have occurred, has been associated with the exploitation of traditional U. S. advantages. Moreover, the shift in the overall position of the Unite d States relative to its trading partners has been fairly general, which is consistent with the argument that individual microeconomic explanations are unlikely to explain much of the recent rise in U.S. trade deficits. Given this finding, it is probable that the U. S. recent loss in competitive position is largely attributable to macroeconomic forces. In particular, it appears likely that changes in relative interest rates and levels of aggregate demand best explain most of the recent increases in the U. S. trade deficit. Both of these may be related to large increases in the government's budget deficit. The rise in trade deficits during the 1970s and 1980s led to substantial concern about the competitiveness of U. S. firms.Many of the microeconomic explanations that have been advanced to explain the recent deficits do not appear to be supported by available empirical evidence. Because these microeconomic explanations do not explain the recent trade deficits, policy prescriptions b ased on shifting microeconomic variables are a poor bet to change trade flows fundamentally. In particular, wage restrictions, trade restrictions, subsidization programs, and policies that promote market concentration are unlikely to alter the trade deficit substantially. Indeed, efforts to implement these policies are likely to hurt U. S.competitiveness, as interest groups attach riders to legislation that promotes their special interests at the expense of the broader economy. Focusing the public debate on microeconomic factors rather than macroeconomic factors seems to be, at best, ill-advised. It tends to distract the public from the real, difficult issues of government deficits, international investment, and economic growth. More likely, it provides a convenient cloak in which to wrap the costly protections so fervently sought by special interest groups that ultimately increase costs, retard productivity growth, and harm consumers.Since the strategic use of trade policies can di sadvantage one country at the expense of another, it is better to view findings as indicating that care must be taken in responding to recent trade deficits. Specifically, policy makers must be careful that they are not so caught up in the dramatic deficits that they accede to special interest groups that have inappropriately linked their troubles to those of the economy as a whole (Krugman, 1986). History provides very little reason to believe that such objectivity is possible in trade policy. Failure to exercise caution has its risks.Not only can the improper protectionist policies cause sizeable immediate losses, but they may also lead to longer term losses as well. For example, it may be short-sighted to impose import restraints on products that are key inputs into subsequent production activities, since this can have adverse effects on domestic producers that use these inputs. Indeed, protectionist policies of this type may have long-run adverse effects on the protected industr y, since potential customers may choose to locate abroad and, as a result, not be well-positioned to purchase the input from U. S.suppliers even after protection is no longer necessary. In addition, poorly designed protectionist efforts can trigger trade wars, as foreign governments retaliate to unjustifiable U. S. trade restraints. Indeed, the threat of spiraling beggar-thy-neighbor policies continues to be a key reason for supporting free trade, even in a world that offers strategic opportunities. Reference: â€Å"Detroit Battle: The Cost Gap,† New York Times, May 28, 1983, pp. 35, 37. Baldwin R. , U. S. Tariff Policy: Formation and Effects,† study prepared for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U. S.Department of Labor, June 1976. Benvignati A. , â€Å"The Commodity Composition of U. S. Intra-firm Exports,† FTC, unpublished, 1985. Drucker P. , â€Å"Where Union Flexibility's Now a Must,† Wall Street Journal, September 23, 1985, p. 30. Economic R eport of the President, U. S. Council of Economic Advisers. Washington, D. C. : U. S. Government Printing Office, annual editions from 1972 to 1987. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D. C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Landau R. , and N. Rosenberg (eds. ), The Positive Sum Strategy, Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1986. Marston R. , â€Å"Assessing Japanese Competitiveness,† NBER Reporter, Winter 1986/ 1987, pp. 12-16. Maskus K. , The Changing Structure of Comparative Advantage in American Manufacturing, Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Research Press, 1981. McCulloch R. , â€Å"Research and Development as a Determinant of U. S. International Competitiveness,† Harvard Economic Research Discussion Paper 609, March 1978. Tarr D. , â€Å"Trade Deficits, Trade Policy and the Value of the Dollar,† paper for conference, Trade Policy: Free or Fair? , November 19, 1985.

Is it Right to Categorize The Past as Valid (but, as a whole essays

Is it Right to Categorize The Past as Valid (but, as a whole essays This is an extremely controversial question, however, I believe that it is correct to say that the past is valid. In contrast it is probably unknowable because we are forced to believe the documentation, which people have recorded in the past if we want to learn about history. This documentation may not be completely correct in any case, it may be biased, or it may be impartial. Pictures may be taken out of context and people may be misquoted. I believe what I generally hear about the past, but only if I think it is an objective view, from a textbook. I would debate something that Hitler said about foreign affairs because I would think he is being biased, but only because I am able to see with hindsight that he has lied about things in the past. I would categorize history as invalid because the evidence we are proposed with may not always be correct or applicable. In respect to this, history is a form of knowledge because we are constantly learning about it and any information we acc umulate in our minds becomes knowledge. Historical knowledge and historical truth are two completely different things. I do not generally believe in historical truth, however, there are two truths. For example, it is historical truth that world war two existed; however, it may not be historical truth why. Documents and evidence may be incorrect and so you cannot know what the truth is. However, historical knowledge is not like historical truth at all, it is knowledge you have accumulated about the past. ...

Indiscreet and Indiscrete - Commonly Confused Words

Indiscreet and Indiscrete - Commonly Confused Words The homophones indiscreet and indiscrete are not synonyms. Indiscreet is the more common word. Indiscrete is a technical term primarily used in scientific writing. The adjective indiscreet means imprudent, lacking good judgment, or carelessly talkative. The noun forms of indiscreet  are  indiscreetness  and  indiscretion. The adjective indiscrete means not separated into distinct parts. The noun form of indiscrete is indiscreteness. See also: Discreet and Discrete Examples The lawyers indiscreet remarks to the media provoked an angry response from the judge. Dr. John Watson: One word, Sherlock! That is all I would have needed! One word to let me know that you were alive!Sherlock Holmes: Ive nearly been in contact so many times, but I worried that, you know, you might say something indiscreet.Dr. John Watson: What?Sherlock Holmes: Oh, you know, let the cat out of the bag.(Martin Freeman and  Benedict Cumberbatch in The Empty Hearse. Sherlock, 2014) The indiscrete nucleus does not have a nuclear membrane and is therefore not separate from the cytoplasm. Practice(a) Questions are never _____; answers sometimes are.(Oscar Wilde, An  Ideal Husband)(b) Topology aims to formalize some continuous, _____ features of space. Answers to Practice Exercises Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs Answers to Practice Exercises: Indiscreet and Indiscrete (a) Questions are never indiscreet; answers sometimes are.(Oscar Wilde,  An  Ideal Husband)  (b) Topology aims to formalize some continuous, indiscrete features of space. Glossary of Usage: Index of Commonly Confused Words

How to Use Italian Adjectives

How to Use Italian Adjectives The big piazza, the clear sky, and the  handsome Italian man are all examples with an adjective, or something that gives more information about a noun. Oftentimes this is a description. In Italian an adjective agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies, and there are two groups of adjectives: those ending in -o and those ending in -e. Adjectives ending in -o in the masculine have four forms: Maschile Femminile Singolare -o -a Plurale -i -e Singolare il libro italiano la signora italiana Plurale i libri italiani le signore italiane Singolare il primo giorno la mesa universitaria Plurale i primi giorni le mense universitarie COMMON ITALIAN ADJECTIVES ENDING IN -O allegro cheerful, happy buono good, kind cattivo bad, wicked freddo cold grasso fat leggero light nuovo new pieno full stretto narrow timido timid, shy Adjectives ending in -o have four forms: masculine singular, masculine plural, feminine singular, and feminine plural. Observe how the adjectives nero and cattivo change to agree with nouns they modify. Note that when an adjective modifies  two nouns of different gender, it keeps its masculine ending. For example: i padri e le madre italiani (Italian fathers and mothers). If an adjectives ends in -io, like vecchio - old, the  o is dropped to form the plural. labito vecchio - the old suitgli abiti vecchi - the old suitsil ragazzo serio - the serious boyi ragazzi seri - the serious boysUli à ¨ tedesco. - Uli is German.Adriana à ¨ italiana. - Adriana is Italian.Roberto e Daniele sono americani. - Robert and Daniel are American.Svetlana e Natalia sono russe. - Svetlana and Natalia are Russian. Adjectives ending in -e are the same for the masculine and the feminine singular. In the plural, the -e changes to an -i, whether the noun is masculine or feminine. il ragazzo inglese - the English boyla ragazza inglese - the English girli ragazzi inglesi - the English boysle ragazze inglesi - the English girls ENDINGS OF -E  ADJECTIVES SINGULAR PLURAL il ragazzo triste - the sad boy i ragazzi tristi - the sad boys la ragazza triste - the sad girl le ragazze tristi - the sad girls ITALIAN ADJECTIVES ENDING IN  -E abile able difficile difficult felice happy forte strong grande big, large, great importante important intelligente intelligent interessante interesting triste sad veloce fast, speedy There are quite a few other exceptions for forming plural adjectives. For instance, adjectives that end in -io (with the stress falling on that ) form the plural with the ending -ii: addio/addii; leggio/leggii; zio/zii. The table below contains a chart of other irregular adjective endings you should know. FORMING PLURAL ADJECTIVES SINGULAR ENDING PLURAL ENDING -ca -che -cia -ce -cio -ci -co -chi -ga -ghe -gia -ge -gio -gi -glia -glie -glio -gli -go -ghi -scia -sce -scio -sci Where do the adjectives go? Unlike in English, descriptive adjectives in Italian are usually placed after the noun they modify, and with which they agree in gender and number. 1. Adjectives generally follow the noun. È una lingua difficile. - It is a difficult language.Marina à ¨ una ragazza generosa. - Marina is a generous girl.Non trovo il maglione rosa. - I cant find the pink sweater. TIP: Note that adjectives of colors that derive from nouns, like â€Å"rosa†, â€Å"viola†, or â€Å"blu† are invariable. 2. Certain common adjectives, however, generally come before the noun. Here are the most common: bello - beautifulbravo - good, ablebrutto - uglybuono - goodcaro - dearcattivo - badgiovane - younggrande - large; great TIP: When you place â€Å"grande† before a noun, it means â€Å"great†, like â€Å"una grande piazza†, but if you place it after, it means â€Å"big†, like â€Å"una piazza grande†. lungo - longnuovo - newpiccolo - small, littlestesso - samevecchio - oldvero - true Here are some examples: Anna à ¨ una cara amica. - Anna is a dear friend.Gino à ¨ un bravissimo dottore. - Gino is a really good doctor.È un brutto affare. - Its a bad situation. But even these adjectives must follow the noun to emphasize or contrast something, and when modified by an adverb. Oggi non porta labito vecchio, porta un abito nuovo. - Today he is not wearing the old suit, he is wearing a new suit.Abitano in una casa molto piccola. - They live in a very small house. Click here, here and here  to get practice with adjectives.

Accounting principles utilized in UAE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting principles utilized in UAE - Essay Example Accounting without doubt plays a critical role in the modern world.Accounting rules are prevalent and vary from region to region.In the modern commerce work, financial reporting has become the focal point has growth in commerce continues to skyrocket internationally One cannot ignore the fact that numerous factors such as social, economic and legal differences account for different standards that are vary across nations. However, there is a strong push towards a uniformed system of accounting methods in order to facilitate transactions and comparability of financial statement. A uniform system of accounting strives to harmonize and enhance comparability of accounting principles (Lin, Z.J. and Liyan, W). International Accounting Standards is a set of accounting methods that contains numerous governing sectors. The main body is known as IASB, which puts down the guidelines for the regulations that are enforced through the IAS. While the United States operates under the GAAP, UAE choose s to follow a different path relating to accounting methods (Epstein, B.J. and Mirza). GAAP is comprised of set of rules that accountants create and vary from nation to nation (Epstein, B.J. and Mirza). On the other hand, The Central Bank of UAE chooses to follow the International Accounting standards or (IAS) to accommodate its needs for finances. The economic model of UAE greatly differs from the US system; therefore, it is essential that UAE utilize a system that accommodates their need in commerce, trade, and revenue. The IAS is not only used in UAE but is also widespread in other Middle Eastern countries. In fact, the Arab Society of Certified Accountants, which is composed of 22 nations, signed a petition which made IAS as the uniform method of standard for all the member countries. This point could be further elaborated as the head chairman of the counsel stated â€Å"We are confident, that IASC standards will enhance the economic strength of a region that has significant co mmercial and industrial sectors† (Sale 29). Surprisingly enough, the popularity of IAS extends far beyond Arab countries as even Australia has begun to implement the IAS regulations. Canada, is also considering adopting the IAS standards along with former Soviet Union countries such as Moldova and Kazakhstan. In essence, the influence of IAS is reaching nationwide as London, Frankfurt, Zurich, Luxembourg, Thailand, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Rome, and Malaysia are all considering implementing the IAS standards in their everyday accounting. Without a doubt, the IAS seems to be a better fit for UAE for several reasons. One of the key elements that UAE should continue to practice IAS standards is due to fact that IAS is a uniform standard that strives to harmonize accounting methods. Clearly, UAE is becoming a â€Å"Makkah† for commerce and investors should be able to compare financial statements without the hassle of acknowledging which standards each nation is using (Kit 33). As corporations benefit from this uniform method of not having to create different financial statements for different standards, they can divert their attention to more important aspects such as reducing costs and being innovative in their business. As mentioned above, many other nations are following the IAS standards; so why choose a different type of method when other nations are implementing the same standards? The main goal of the IAS is to formulate a standard that is globalized and to propagate their acceptance throughout the globe. Furthermore, the IAS is more diverse and better organized than any other international organizations. The IAS continues to enforce strict regulation as it sets statutory guidelines on framework for preparation and presentation. Moreover, the IASC has guidelines for issues that dominate the commerce world such as inventory, depreciations, earning per share, reporting loss and revenue, interest expense, consolidation, intangible assets, and other f inancial instruments. Undeniably,

Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Information Technology - Essay Example A major application of information technology is however in business industry in which it has diversified applications such as visual monitoring of people, and processes in a manufacturing enterprise, and online research for customer relations management. One of the most recent technologies in business applications is the Oracle’s Exadata x3-2 that I wish to discuss in this paper. I explore the technology’s technical description and its business impacts. Exadata x3-2 is one of the recently developed Information Technology applications for managing online transactions. It was developed as an improvement to available data analysis and administration applications, and some of its major characteristics include advanced scope of information processing, and security of databases. Its features identify the technology’s technical description from three perspectives; how it works, what it does, and why it does the tasks (Oracle, 1). The technology works through an integrated system of software and hardware that processes, and communicates data. Like other analytical applications, stores and evaluates data to responds to prompted queries. (Oracle, 1). The technology offers a high-level security, â€Å"high availability, and scalability† of data and offers more opportunities for deriving benefits from Oracle system (Oracle, 1). It also responds to prompted query in its information extraction and processing. The technology’s efficiency also ensures faster response to prompts. It further compresses data and therefore economizes storage space and cost besides facilitating data backup. Lastly, the technology facilitates linkage of databases (Oracle, 1). Exadata x3-2 has been successful because of its features that meet technological demand in the market, and which establishes it among alternative technologies. This has led to its successful launch and

Viral Marketing Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11250 words

Viral Marketing - Thesis Example This essay discusses how this kind of marketing is theorised and viewed. It considers various components of this marketing practice that organisations use, citing thriving e-commerce companies, like Amazon, while the opportunities and threats are also examined. The essay concludes that virtually all organisations, even in tradition-oriented marketing companies in the Czech Republic, can employ viral marketing as a productive organisational tool. This essay discusses the various components of viral marketing, such as buzz advertising, word-of-mouth, e-communications, and others, in order to show how viral marketing really works. This essay examines the appeal of viral marketing and the problems linked to viral marketing efforts. With a consideration of how the opportunities and threats of a viral marketing vary from those of a traditional method, the essay discusses why viral marketing is an appropriate tool for organisations in the Czech Republic. This essay reviews viral marketing a nd argues that it is created so that promotional materials and messages will be spread quickly in a cost-effective way. It thoroughly described different major components for a productive viral marketing technique. *images taken from Google pictures Thesis Statement: Because of the remarkable growth in e-communications, such as mobile phones and the Internet, viral marketing have become an important component of the marketing communications strategy in numerous organisations. Buzz advertising, word-of-mouth, e-mail direct marketing, wireless or mobile advertising, and online advertising and promotions are useful strategies to strengthen and improve viral marketing communications instruments. Viral marketing can improve awareness, enhance customer response, motivate product trial, and build brand equities. The natural interactivity of viral marketing grants them a powerful position in marketing communications strategy. Undoubtedly, in the future the role of viral marketing will becom e increasingly essential, and new media and technologies will come out. Yet, marketers should always bear in mind that a new media and technology can only be effective when potential customers are capable of and eager to use, accept, and understand it in their buying preferences. Indeed, viral marketing is just beginning to be recognised in the Czech Republic, although it is certainly the suggested and chosen standard in current marketing practice and communications. Understanding of the theory and discipline of viral marketing is now a matter of rigorous and wide-ranging research as there is a great deal of information about it. I. Introduction This dissertation will discuss the theoretical and practical features of viral marketing and review several of the methods and successful campaigns that have sped up the recognition of connected marketing. A brief discussion on the development of viral marketing in Czech Republic will be presented in the concluding part of the paper. Viral m arketing, particularly when applied in an integrated manner, can both enhance brand awareness and develop brand support (Arndt, 1967). And it is a quite cost-effective way of marketing, even for product, brand, or service that has no ‘memorable’ or ‘buzz’ (Brown, Barry, Dacin & Gunst, 2005) features. There are some people, when reflecting on marketing research, tend to visualise research instead of marketing itself. In fact, marketing research is officially identified as locating and

Comparison with Genesis 2-3; distinctive elements in Islam Essay

Comparison with Genesis 2-3; distinctive elements in Islam - Essay Example The Quran talks about how evil Satan’s intention was as the verses are explicit, â€Å"But Satan whispered evil to him. He said: â€Å"0 Adam! Shall I lead thee to the Tree of Eternity and to a kingdom that never decays?† It is clear to understand that Satan was always deceitful in his practices straying humanity from the good. As soon as Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree, they were expelled from the heavens. This in fact was how humanity was initiated as Adam and Eve were naked. The Genesis again discusses this as it states, â€Å"Now the serpent  was more crafty than any of the wild animals the  Lord  God had made. He said to the woman, â€Å"Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?† Whoever falls into the trap of Satan will always regret it because Satan is always keen in his motives to trick humanity into bad deeds. The Genesis just like the Quran foreshadows this as Genesis 2 states, the woman said, â₠¬Å"The serpent deceived me,  and I ate.† Notice how the Genesis refers to Eve as the woman, whereas the Quran refers to her as the Eve. Both the Genesis and the Quran draw similar parallel to what happened to Adam and

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Essay

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Experiences - Essay Example James defines religious experiences as feelings and acts of men that are dependent on what is considered to be divine. His method of studying religious experiences is based on the definition. He relies on four forms of experiences (Totor2u, 2009). The first form explains that experiences are unique to an individual and can only be explained by the person who goes through them. The second form gives an insight to the truth while the third one is short lived. Finally, the last experience is supernatural in nature, and it takes over the human body (Totor2u, 2009). His study on varieties of religious experiences addresses the usefulness of religion in human experiences. Given the fact that he does not dismiss the important role played by science in people’s lives, he tries to create a science of religion with the aim of authenticating religion. For James, it is through varieties that unscientific phenomena can be addressed (Pomerleau, 2002). According to his explanation, science cannot be sure whether religious phenomena are genuine or fraudulent. As such, means of dealing with such discrepancies must be developed. However, he agrees that religious accounts may not always be reliable because people tend to profile their experiences around that which they consider most significant (Cho, 1996). James notes that there is a gap between scientific explanation of phenomena and religious reasons that is hard to understand. The level from which situations can be explained through philosophy is different from religious understanding. He acquires evidence from people believe in supernatural forces to control events. The occurrence of unexplainable events is enough evidence to prove that these forces are real. Since it is what an individual believes in, it is perceived to be the truth (Boston, 2000). The point at which things happen without explanation takes the form

Interest Rates Swa[s Require Markets to be Inefficient Essay

Interest Rates Swa[s Require Markets to be Inefficient - Essay Example Currency exchange tailors international exchange transactions. Interest rates are characteristic of risks that result from the various key constituents of the foreign exchange market. One of these constituents is the interest rate swaps. Foreign exchange and interest rate operations provide opportunities for hedging in the foreign exchange market. Interest rate swaps in this context can be considered to be unique financing arrangements that allow corporations to significantly cut on their credit costs while improving their control on risks that accrue from interest rates and exposure to foreign exchange transactions. Market for currencies has considerably grown across the entire globe, and so has the interest rate swaps total outstanding amounts in the world (Lowenstein, 2000, pg. 148). The contributing currencies to this fast growth include but not limited to the US dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen and British Pound. Cash flow exchanges in an interest rate swap are undertaken by two parti es, who are bound to the interest rate swap agreement. Both parties have high expectations of benefiting from the interest rate swap. Where only one currency is involved, the resultant swap is called an interest rate swap. On the other hand, where multiple currencies are involved, a currency swap prevails. Corporations engage interest rate swaps in their operations for the purpose of achieving well defined goals. Interest rate swaps are said to be fully operational and beneficial in inefficient markets. There are certain components of the markets without which realization of swaps is rendered void. First, there must be two parties bound to the interest rate swap agreement. Second, the transactions are undertaken in the context of foreign exchange, where interest rates play a fundamental role in unifying the various currencies. Argument of whether or not interest rate swaps require markets to be inefficient can be evaluated based on the aiding tools of this foreign market constituent . Credit and debt evaluations in the interest rate swaps market can be used to define effectiveness of markets based on interest rate swaps. Quality Spread Differential is an integral component of foreign exchange markets, which is specifically designed for interest rate swaps. Efficient markets consider that debt instruments carry default risk premiums (De Jong, 2008, pg. 168). In these markets, risk premiums associated with interest rate swaps are mispriced, which is an implication of Quality Spread Differential. In an efficient market, it is expected that swap markets would be alleviated in the long run. However, this is not the case observed around the world. Now and then explosions have characterized the interest rate swap markets. Over time, instead of the markets disappearing, they have increased their operations and the effect there in have taken a maximum notion. In this regard, the entire market cannot be considered to be efficient. Inefficiency in these markets has increa sing interest rate swaps more and more. An efficient market considers facing out swap markets through arbitraging activities. This has not been realized, and it is still far from it because arbitraging has taken centre stage in the foreign market. Interest rates are not stable over time due to the disturbances caused by cyclic business movements to the economy. As a result, arbitrage opportunities emerge from interest rate discrepancies, and all economic components seek to exploit these

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Essay

A Critcal Analysis of W. James Work on Varieties of Religious Experiences - Essay Example James defines religious experiences as feelings and acts of men that are dependent on what is considered to be divine. His method of studying religious experiences is based on the definition. He relies on four forms of experiences (Totor2u, 2009). The first form explains that experiences are unique to an individual and can only be explained by the person who goes through them. The second form gives an insight to the truth while the third one is short lived. Finally, the last experience is supernatural in nature, and it takes over the human body (Totor2u, 2009). His study on varieties of religious experiences addresses the usefulness of religion in human experiences. Given the fact that he does not dismiss the important role played by science in people’s lives, he tries to create a science of religion with the aim of authenticating religion. For James, it is through varieties that unscientific phenomena can be addressed (Pomerleau, 2002). According to his explanation, science cannot be sure whether religious phenomena are genuine or fraudulent. As such, means of dealing with such discrepancies must be developed. However, he agrees that religious accounts may not always be reliable because people tend to profile their experiences around that which they consider most significant (Cho, 1996). James notes that there is a gap between scientific explanation of phenomena and religious reasons that is hard to understand. The level from which situations can be explained through philosophy is different from religious understanding. He acquires evidence from people believe in supernatural forces to control events. The occurrence of unexplainable events is enough evidence to prove that these forces are real. Since it is what an individual believes in, it is perceived to be the truth (Boston, 2000). The point at which things happen without explanation takes the form

Discuss the role of ideology in American-Russian relations between Essay - 1

Discuss the role of ideology in American-Russian relations between 1881 and 1920 - Essay Example The Americans viewed this act as exploratory, especially to their interests. The United States responded in a manner that was interpreted as interference by many players. This is the case when some countries in Asia and parts of Europe engaged in political revolutions as a way of solving some of their political problems. A variety of actors led to different ideologies concerning the American-Russian conflicts. Persons who ideologically believed that their differences formed the building blocks for cold war were orthodox, post-revisionist or revisionist.2 According to the orthodox view, the ideologies perpetuated by the Soviets were solely to blame for the initiation of cold war. These were specifically the Stalin and Lenin paranoia. In their view, the post revisionists felt that all these claims were entirely misconceptions and not true. Nonetheless, the Revisionist, better known as the ‘New Left’ held the view that the root cause of cold war was the United States’ hatred of communism.3 An additional important role arising from ideology informed the views of the U.S on the foreign revolutions. Initially, several countries where revolutions were taking place leaned towards communism. This made the US perceive such actions as instigated by Russia. Apparently, Russia had spread its influence to the Latin America, Austria-Hungary, Germany and France.4 Additionally, the Americans were not at peace because the Russians were emulating their actions by embracing similar strategies. These cycles of patterns that included the radical revolutions disillusioned the United Sates. The ideology also played a role in increasing fears in the United States over radicalism during the 1870s. The US felt that the urban working classes were increasingly becoming radicalized based on rapid industrialization. Other sources of fear were the coming into power of socialist and populist parties and unions across the globe.5 Ideology also pitted communism against capitalism in

Family communication | The Glass Castle

Family communication | The Glass Castle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In The Glass Castle Jeanette tells us about the story of her life as she had lived it. She and her siblings had lived a life that she describes as having a lot of stressors. Her story has memoir in which she proves to the reader that living with bad parents and poverty do not really determine that the kids will lead a miserable future just as their parents. In this book, Walls reveals her life as difficult during her bringing up but yet love existed within the family. In this paper, we are therefore going to look at those stressors that the family went through;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jeanette sees her mother coming out of a dumpster with some lagged clothes tied around her neck. Her mother lucks a home to live in and this lives her with no choice but to look for any place that she can lay her head and also find something that can fill her stomach. It is very sad for Jeanette to see her mother this way as it would feel for anyone to watch their mothers go through this type of embarrassments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Back in her childhood life, Jeanette suffers some serious burns as she boils hotdogs and her dress catches fire from the stove she is using. This lives her to spend many days in a local hospital near her home area in Arizona. Her parents prove to be so irresponsible as they dont take as much care as it would be imagined even by the hospital staff. The rumor goes throughout the hospital but Jeanette does not discuss this issue with the parents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her father takes the risk of grabbing and sneaking his little daughter out of the hospital escaping all the bills that he was intended to pay for the hospital to release the daughter. This happens even before she heals completely. The escape lives the family with no choice but running away from their hometown for they would highly deal with the low. They have to travel long distance and through hot deserts. They later settle in several towns in which the father is unable to pay house rent and this makes them keep on vacating.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The father becomes a drunkard and cannot hold onto his job despite his intelligence and talent on mechanical background. This makes the families life a living hell full of poverty and problems that never come to an end. His promise to his children to build a good house for the family fails as he cannot raise the amount to put up such a house. The fathers behavior and failure lives the children helpless and end up begging their mother to work and bring food to the table.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Luckily, the mother holds a degree in teaching but cannot get herself a job for she is lazy and the children have to drag her out of bed. This behavior has severally made her loose her job despite the fact that her residential area lucks qualified teachers. She later secures a job but her salary does not fully help the family. The father demands for her paycheck and spends the money on his drink and his own benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This miserable state keeps on taking place for a long time living the children to go on sleeping on uncomfortable hard boxes and watching their parents fight in daily bases. The childrens bellies rumble every time due to hanger. They feed on anything that would fill their bellies and not for the sake of having a balanced diet meal like in other families. For this case, the mother has to teach them how to take rotten food down their throat while they hold the noses.The family went through these stressors and it affects their relationship since the kids see the father as irresponsible and harsh as they fear him. It also affects the husband-wife relationship since the mother has to fight her husband daily. The communication is on its negative side for the mother does not hold any ability to fight for her right to manage the salary she earns. The children also suffer silently as they have to spend their nights on hard boxes but cannot communicate to the fa ther and express their grievances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite all poverty and stressors that they experience, the family has a genuine and strong love towards each other. They remain loyal and the familys father Rex is very encouraging, tender and wise when handling his children and wife whenever he is sober. As Jeanette gives the reader her memoir, she explains her life so well to ensure that she gives the real story that has experienced in her growing up.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jeanette and her siblings grow in the worst conditions that no one can ever deserve or think of but it does not change their feelings towards their parents. They continue loving them without realizing how cruel they have been until when they grow up and mature (Jeannette, p134). Jeanette spends her teenage life in the west side of Virginia where the father is forced to retreat to their home area after experiencing a miserable life in Arizona.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Here, the life of this family does not get better but continues to hit its worst points as they live under a roof that leaks. Rex tries to mend the roof but it does not do them any good either. In fact, they also have to face challenges as they have nowhere to dispose their rubbish and waste. The family is forced to put up with a smelly condition as they dispose the wastes in small holes that they dig.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Food also continues to be another problem for they cannot afford to buy any and they almost go without it. Jean is forced to go to high school and dig leftovers from the garbage as her father continues to drink irresponsibly as usual. As their lives get worse and miserable, Jeanettes mother ends up doing the most awful things one can ever imagine. Jeanette and her siblings find a ring made of diamond and decide to sell it so that they could buy food. The mother does not agree with this idea since she wants to maintain her dignity. This action lives the family in the some state of lacking food and starving.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Jeanette or her siblings go out playing with other kids, they are mocked and addressed as kids who are health epidemic for they live in garbage places. Her family and their neighbors always fight for they keep on picking on their perverted situation. Hours spent in school are also not favoring to her either; she has to steal other kids food or hide in the bathroom at lunch hours while the others take their food. After lunch, she comes out and collects the leftovers and eats them for she has no choice over it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She later gets tired of this life and decides to go to New York where she gets further studies. She lives her family with the aim of getting knowledge that will secure her a good job and enable her to take care of her family. While she is in New York, her father gets ill and is admitted to the hospital suffering from Tuberculosis. She visits him and pleads with him not to leave the hospital before he fully recovers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later, she receives a call from her parents that they were homeless and had no place to go. She decides to move in with them for she still has great love for them despite the life they had offered in during her child life (Jeannette, p100). People around Jeanette discourage her about this idea saying that it was not good to give the homeless a place to stay for it makes them lazy and reluctant on finding their own home; his pisses her off but she does not show it to them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jeanette is forced to change the idea of attending a private school while her parents have no home. Instead, she opts to stay and take care of them but her brothers go against her decision telling her that her mother owned a whole lot of jewelry she could sell and that she has a land in Texas where her husband and her could go and live. Her husband behavior does not change and she is forced to live him. She has although kept a secret land away from her family and when Jeanette discovers this; she is really annoyed with her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After her brothers death, Mary then goes to live in his land her in which her life does not change. She continues living miserably especially now that her communication with her children and husband had been disturbed. It is true to say that the love of the daughter towards the mother by now has changed unlike before when she was still a young girl and innocent to place judgment on her parents treatment towards them.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jeanette later marries Eric whom she has dated for five years. She moves in with him to a better house since Eric came from a rich family. She tries her best to take care of her younger sister who tends to take the wrong direction in her life. Jeanettes life has changed and she feels that her siblings should follow her steps for they have faced the same miserable lives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her mother cannot hold on the problems she is facing and goes ahead to borrow money from Jeanettes husband a step that annoys her to a great extent. What annoys her most is the fact that she has kept the land that she owns away from the family despite all the poverty and problems that they went through during their earlier life. As if this is not enough, she goes ahead to borrow money from Jeanettes new husband so that she could purchase the other half of the land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Later, Jeanette visits her father who tells her that she is suffering from a disease that he contracted while fighting with a Nigerian who happened to be a drug dealer. He later suffers from a hurt attach and is placed in a machine that supports his life. He spends his last moments with Jeanette who holds his arm recalling of how he had told them that he would prefer his body placed on a mountain when he dies- he later dies after an hour and the machine turned off. Jeanette grieves her fathers death and in one year, she lives her husband as she saw him as not the right man for her. Work cited Jeannette Walls. The Glass Castle: A Memoir. Scribner, 2006: 45-250

The Development of Behavioral Psychology Essay -- science, J.R. Angell

The human mind and the way humans behave have been primary topics of study amongst historians for many years. Studies have been conducted in different professional areas to gain knowledge and understanding of humans, in an attempt to control behavior. The study of human behavior is known as behavioral psychology or behaviorism. The goal of early behaviorists and functionalists was to bring about a more reliable psychology. The behaviorists believed they would achieve this goal by excluding introspection and focus on the study of behaviorism. This evolution was achieved with help from the zeitgeist, behaviorist, and organizational psychology. This paper will discuss J.R. Angell and his prediction of the shift in psychology from introspection to behaviorism, the persons and idea’s helped to carry out the shift, how the zeitgeist supported the shift, and how the development of industrial psychology played its part in the shift. On what did Angell base his opinion? J. R. Angell was a psychologist and educator, who studied under John Dewey and William James. Angell worked as a psychology instructor at the University of Minnesota. It was at this university that Angell formed a psychology department in 1905 (Schultz and Schultz, 2012, p.294). Schultz and Schultz (2008) wrote: J.R. Angell at the University of Chicago, perhaps the most progressive of the functional psychologists, predicted that American psychology was ready for greater objectivity. In 1910, he commented that it seemed possible that the term consciousness would disappear from psychology, much as the term soul had disappeared. (p. 293) Behaviorism, which contended to end structuralism without compromise, was underway when Angell made his 2008 statement. J.R. Angell is su... ...or individuals. Conclusion Psychology has grown from the founding of behaviorism. Many individuals and ideas played a big part in setting the atmosphere for behaviorism to be widely accepted. Zeitgeist of that time period had also contributed to the acceptance of behaviorism. Therefore, when Watson came on the scene, it was not difficult for his ideas to be accepted. Even organizational psychology had its role by showing one can apply techniques in every aspect to bring change. Works Cited Buckley, K. W. (1989). Mechanical Man: John Broadus Watson and the Beginnings of Behaviorism. New York: The Guilford press Goss, A. E. (1961). Early behaviorism and verbal mediating responses. American psychologist, 16(6), 285-298. Schultz, D.P. & Schultz, S. E. (2012). A history of modern psychology, (10th Ed.) Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

The Links Between Environmental Ethics and Sciences :: Nature Society Living Papers

The Links Between Environmental Ethics and Sciences Ecologists formulate their scientific theories influenced by ethical values, and in turn, environmental ethicists value nature based on scientific theories. Darwinian evolutionary theory provides clear examples of these complex links, illustrating how these reciprocal relationships do not constitute a closed system, but are undetermined and open to the influences of two broader worlds: the sociocultural and the natural environment. On the one hand, the Darwinian conception of a common evolutionary origin and ecological connectedness has promoted a respect for all forms of life. On the other hand, the metaphors of struggle for existence and natural selection appear as problematic because they foist onto nature the Hobbesian model of a liberal state, a Malthusian model of the economy, and the productive practice of artificial selection, all of which reaffirm modern individualism and the profit motive that are at the roots of our current environmental crisis. These metaphors were includ ed in the original definitions of ecology and environmental ethics by Haeckel and Leopold respectively, and are still pervasive among both ecologists and ethicists. To suppose that these Darwinian notions, derived from a modern-liberal worldview, are a fact of nature constitutes a misleading interpretation. Such supposition represents a serious impediment to our aim of transforming our relationship with the natural world in order to overcome the environmental crisis. To achieve a radical transformation in environmental ethics, we need a new vision of nature. Ecological theories and environmental ethics are reciprocally and dynamically linked. Inquiry into this thesis can provide epistemological and ethical insights for ecologists and environmental philosophers. First, for ecologists it clarifies that environmental ethics is not purely a normative corpus that we should adopt under the pressure of an environmental crisis. Ethical conceptions participate in the genesis and evaluation of ecological theories. Second, environmental philosophers have tended to focus on how ecological sciences could inform environmental ethics. I emphasize, in turn, that it is valuable to analyze and to discuss how ethical conceptions can and do inform ecological sciences. Introduction Ecologists approach nature with the aim of understanding it. Environmental ethicists approach nature asking how we should relate to it, or live in and with it. Two disciplines: ecology looking for the is of nature, environmental ethics seeking for an ought in respect to it. How to bridge these discrete, but parallel courses? How to link the is of ecologists and the ought of eco-philosophers? I propose a circle of continuous reciprocal influences between ecological theories and ethical norms respecting nature.