Philosophy the Meaning of Life Essay

There are many different views as to what makes life meaningful. Philosopher, Thomas Nagel, presents a good argument as to why a â€Å"Sisyphisian† existence is meaningless. This does not necessarily mean that all lives are meaningless, because Richard Taylor and Raymond Martin provide strong evidence that prove otherwise. According to Greek mythology, â€Å"The Myth of Sisyphus†, by Albert Camus, condemns Sisyphus to forever roll the same rock up a hill; only to see it roll back down once he reached the top. Sisyphus’ â€Å"scorn of the gods, his hatred of death, and his passion for life† was the reason for his punishment and endless turmoil in accomplishing nothing (Camus 775). In Nagel’s essay â€Å"The Absurd†, his views on the meaninglessness of life and the absurdity of it, provide evidence that Sisyphus leads a meaningless life and how all people are condemned to lead this life. He points out that the absurd comes about by â€Å"the collision between the seriousness with which we take our lives and the perpetual possibility of regarding everything about which we are serious as arbitrary, or open to doubt†(Nagel 769). In other words, the things people take seriously in their lives are always open to doubt. Nagel believes that human life becomes absurd when the realization of living an unreasonable life becomes known. â€Å"Once the fundamental doubt has begun, it cannot be laid to rest†(771). When people begin to doubt their existence, they search for answers that cannot be justified. Humans are capable of being self-conscious and self-inspiring which gives them the ability to step back and observe themselves from an outside point of view. This allows them to see the reality and pointlessness of their goals. Some people try to escape the absurd and try to add meaning to their lives by giving themselves a role in something bigger. When Nagel says, â€Å"a role in some larger enterprise cannot confer significance unless that enterprise is itself significant†, he means that the larger enterprise cannot have meaning, unless the enterprise as a whole has meaning (770). According to Nagel, for something to be meaningful it must be objectively meaningful. For example, Sisyphus leads an objectively meaningless life because he is condemned to roll the stone up the hill forever and achieving nothing. Nagel says that the life of a mouse is not absurd because the mouse is not aware that it is only a mouse; it does not have the ability to perceive its life like humans can. â€Å"Absurdity is one of the most human things about us: a manifestation of our most advanced and interesting characteristics†(774). The absurdity shows people that their lives are meaningless; and when this is recognized, the logical conclusion is suicide. This solution to absurdity is not accepted; instead it is suggested to keep on living in spite of the absurdity of life. â€Å"If we relied hard on reason our life would have collapsed† because relying only on reason would leave people with many philosophical questions, leaving them to dwell on the doubts of life (773). One way to achieve some concept of the meaning of life is to consider the meaninglessness of it as Richard Taylor has done. Like Nagel, Taylor views the endless cycle of Sisyphus pushing the stone up the hill over and over again as a perfect example of a meaningless existence. Taylor proves that a life is meaningless if it is spent in pointless and repetitive toil. Sisyphus’s repetitive act of rolling a stone up a hill never gets him anywhere nor does anything come from it, and therefore his life is meaningless. However, Taylor came up with concepts that could provide some meaning and hope to Sisyphus’s life. First, if Sisyphus were still condemned to endlessly rolling stones up a hill, but instead of the stones rolling back down, they would â€Å"become the foundation for a vast and beautiful indestructible temple†¦with this construction going on and on, endlessly, and the temple gradually becoming ever more beautiful and inspiring and capable of enduring to the end of time† (Taylor 788). With these conditions, Sisyphus’s actions now have a purpose because something results from his efforts and creates lasting significance; but his efforts are still endless and therefore still have no meaning. He is still doing the same repetitive routine, and if the temple were to be finished, what then? Taylor believes that â€Å"the greatest evil that can be inflicted upon anyone is unrelieved boredom†, which means that if Sisyphus were to ever complete his task he would become engulfed in boredom until he finds another task. Mankind continues the daily routine to escape this evil; without projects and activities man would be bored. Taylor concludes that human life from an objective viewpoint is â€Å"described as a clockworklike thing, without purpose or meaning† because it will always consist of a routine that will never end (790). Another case in which Sisyphus’ life can become meaningful is if his strongest desire was to push stones up a hill, for this is what makes him happiest. This makes his life subjectively meaningful; it is meaningful to him because it is fulfilling his desire. Taylor states â€Å"Sisyphus, will view his life, not as one of hard labor, certainly not one of meaninglessness, buts as good† because he is sentenced to forever doing something that he enjoys (791). This case still does not show a completely meaningful life because it is not whether he enjoys his existence; it is if his existence has meaning, which is still spent in routine. Taylor concludes, â€Å"the only genuinely meaningful existence is one that is creative†(792). For instance, if Sisyphus was willing to roll the stones up the mountain to build an everlasting temple that is not only â€Å"beautiful to his eyes, but truly beautiful, in the eyes of every future generation†¦we have, finally, the perfect image of meaningfulness†(792). Taylor says that one can make anything meaningful by making it creative; not only in the sense of creating physical objects, but also that creativity is a state of mind. â€Å"Some can – live meaningfully, by creating our own meanings, whether great or small, and then literally glorying in them, caring not in the least what we â€Å"get† from it all†(793). Having this creative sense leaves people able to find meaning everywhere. Finding out the meaninglessness of life helped Taylor find concepts that could make life meaningful. Martin’s essay, â€Å"A Fast Car and a Good Woman†, addresses the problems of both Nagel and Taylor by depicting his own meaning of life. He describes the difference between the problems of the meaning of life and the problems of life itself. Martin says that the problem of the meaning of life is the philosophical question of whether or not life can be worth living. Instead of focusing on this subject, Martin discuses how the problem of life, â€Å"is a practical question of how to live our lives so that they are as worth living as they can be†(Martin 1). Since there is no objective meaning in life as Nagel says, Martin does not try and find it, but tries to see what would make life meaningful in the psychological sense. Martin believes in practical wisdom, â€Å"if we take proper care of our lives, questions of meaning will take care of themselves†, that way people are not worried about the meaning of life. If someone worries about the meaning of life, like Nagel said, and tries to give it reason, it will result in madness. There are those people who cannot set questions of meaning aside; Leo Tolstoy is a prime example of this kind of person. When Tolstoy says, â€Å"†¦And I was absolutely unable to make any reply. The questions were not waiting and I had to answer them at once: if I did not answer them, I could not live†, he means that he needs to be able to understand the questions of meaning before he can move on with his life (1). Martin says that philosophical questions bring about existent anguish, for instance, when one’s sense of security is lost because it was built on a foundation of unquestioned beliefs. For example, a person whose sense of security that rests on religious beliefs suddenly become subject to doubt, results in such suffering that calls into question the meaning of life. Philosophical questions normally only challenge the beliefs we depend on for security and not necessarily the meaning of life. Martin says that the suffering is not because of the philosophical problem of the meaning of life, but the sudden realization that our personal beliefs rest on uncertain assumptions. Nagel and Tolstoy both believe that â€Å"philosophical challenges to the meaning of life are an important source of psychological problems†(3). With this belief, Martin’s view of practical meaning is wrong. Not being able to overlook the philosophical questions of meaning will ultimately bring you down because of the realizations it brings. Nagel claims that there is not solution to this, because the absurd cannot be avoided. Martin believes that when life is at its subjective best, that questions of the meaning of life do not arise. At this moment one has temporarily solved the problem of life because the thought of meaning did not arise. This statement makes practical wisdom valid because, â€Å"when we are happy, questions about the meaning of our lives rarely ever become problems†(3). To become happy one must take chances, and if one goes down the wrong path to happiness, it could lead to philosophical problems about the meaning of life. Taylor, like Nagel, uses philosophical questions differ between objective meaninglessness and subjective meaning. He views that life is objectively meaningless, but not completely meaningless. According to Martin, Taylor finds meaning everywhere and Nagel finds is nowhere. However, neither one is psychologically valid because they both rely on philosophical questions for their meaning. Martin says that Taylor’s view is too romantic and makes meaning too easy and Nagel is the opposite with an intellectual view, which makes meaning too hard. Martin agrees with a view suggested by Taylor’s discussion, â€Å"that people have meaningful lives not when they are doing what they will to do but when they are doing what they love to do†(4). Martin believes that life is not essentially meaningful but that it can become meaningful if one does something they love to do. When at one’s subjective best, when not disturbed by questions about the meaning of life, are you also completely satisfied at this moment? According to Martin, it is close enough to being completely satisfied, but it does not last long. â€Å"Since satisfaction doesn’t last, then either we have to continually resatisfy ourselves or successfully and pleasantly distract ourselves from the fact that we haven’t†(5). This is our fate, but it does not completely provide a solution to the problem of life. Therefore, Martin suggests that everyone is chronically unsatisfied. This repetitiveness is one of Taylor’s reasoning’s to the meaninglessness of life, which is reason to why life is not essentially meaningful. To solve the problems of life one does what makes them happy, for Martin this consists of a fast car and a good woman. Happiness is different for everyone. Martin’s view on life seems to be the most reasonable and ultimately provides happiness for people. He avoids suffering by completely ignoring the philosophical question of the meaning of life. Nagel and Taylor both concentrate on this meaning of life, which lead to no happy results. At least Martin lives a subjectively happy life by not being troubled by the meanings of it. However, Nagel’s argument completely rejects Martin’s because according to Nagel, the absurd cannot be ignored once it is recognized. Martin clearly recognizes but puts it aside to make him believe that there is meaning. If someone lives a life believing that it is meaningless, then what is the point of living? For the reason of trying to perceive any sort of meaning for human life is so that humans do not always live in doubt. Overall, life objectively has no meaning but that does not leave human existence in utter turmoil. The evidence that Taylor provides, gives us a sense of how there is hope for a meaning in life. Eventually concluding that life would need to be given meaning, purpose, variety, and the sense of creativity to become meaningful, â€Å"the only meaningful existence is a creative existence†(Taylor 792). This is the only meaning for the philosophical meaning of life. Taking Martin’s view, and putting aside philosophical meaning and taking the psychological meaning, gives humans a positive outlook on life by letting subjective happiness be the basis to the solution to the problem of life. All views of life are all based on the struggle to overcome doubt, so ultimately â€Å"the itch of desire returns†¦until death ends the struggle – perhaps forever†(Martin 6).

Comparing the US Constitution to the 1918

In 1918, while the rest of Europe was still engaged in World War I, a newly formed communist government was developing in Russia. Much like 18th century Americans, they had just managed to overthrow what was viewed as a tyrannical government and hoped to form a new nation free of the injustices of the previous rule. Both countries wrote a new constitution as well as a declaration of rights to facilitate this, but their respective documents had vast differences. These disparities stemmed from differences in the ideologies of the new governments. The primary objectives of the Russian Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People and the later constitution were the â€Å"abolition of all exploitation of man by man, complete elimination of the division of society into classes, merciless suppression of the exploiters, socialist organization of society, and victory of socialism in all countries. † Americans wanted equality of opportunity and personal freedom instead of the social equality desired by the Russians. The American constitution and Bill of Rights were created to protect personal liberties and individual freedom while the Russians were more concerned with the welfare and equality of the population as a whole. This difference is partially due to the differences in the conditions leading to revolution in each country. The American Revolution was initiated by the wealthy in response to what they considered unfair treatment by a foreign ruler while the Russian revolution was instigated by the poor in reaction to centuries of oppression and exploitation by the wealthy within their own country. In the years leading up to World War I, social unrest among the Russian people was spreading rapidly. There was a huge social gulf between the peasants who were former serfs and the landowners. The peasants regarded anyone who did not work as a parasite. They had always regarded as all land belonging to them. They regarded any land retained by the landowners at the time serfs were freed as stolen and only force could prevent them from taking it back. By the time Russia entered the war, one peasant rebellion had already been suppressed and several socialist revolutionary movements were developing. In February of 1917 a group of female factory workers and led a revolt in which the Tsar was dethroned, only to be replaced by a provisionary government composed of the Russian elite. When this government did not live up to its promises of an end to Russian involvement in World War I, the Bolsheviks (â€Å"majority†), a revolutionary movement led by Vladimir Lenin, overthrew the provisionary government in what bacame known as the October revolution. Upon seizing control, they immediately withdrew from the war and began constructing the world†s first ever communist government. One of the new government†s first acts was to write the Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People. On July 10, 1918 the 5th Soviet Congress approved a constitution that, together with the Declaration of Rights, formed â€Å"the single fundamental law of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic†. Unlike the American Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Rights of the Working and Exploited People seems to have been meant to apply to all of mankind eventually, as is shown in Article 4: Expressing firm determination to wrest mankind from the clutches of finance capital and imperialism, which have in this most criminal of wars drenched the world in blood, the Third Congress of Soviets unreservedly endorses Soviet policy of denouncing the secret treaties, organizing most extensive fraternization with the workers and peasants of the combatant armies and achieving at all costs by revolutionary means a democratic peace for the working people, without annexations of indemnities, on the basis of free self-determination of nations. Their commitment to self-determination of nations was at least partially valid in that they gave Finland complete autonomy and withdrew their troops from Persia, but this may have resulted more from a lack of resources than altruism. Limited self-determination for the nations within the R. S. F. S. R. was also provided for in that the federal government was to be confined to â€Å"promulgating the fundamental principles of a federation of Soviet republics of Russia† while leaving the citizens of each region free to decide â€Å"whether they wish to participate in the federal government†¦ nd on what terms. † Several other liberties were provided for in the Russian constitution, many of which appear remarkably similar to freedoms provided for in the American Bill of Rights. Article 14 provided for freedom of expression, while Article 15 ensured â€Å"genuine freedom of assembly† and Article 13 guaranteed a separation of church and state as well as freedom of religious and anti-religious propaganda. All of these seem similar to the First Amendment of the U. S. onstitution, but they even went farther. Article 14 not only provided for freedom of press, but even promised every citizen access to â€Å"all the technical and material requisites for the publication of newspapers, pamphlets, books and all other printed material† as well as promising â€Å"their unhindered circulation throughout the country. † Article 15, besides guarantying freedom of assembly, promised to provide heated, lighted and furnished buildings for their gatherings. All things come at a price however, and all of these gifts from the government came at the price of true freedom of expression and assembly, as illustrated by Article 23: â€Å"Guided by the interests of the working class as a whole, the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic deprives individuals and groups of rights which they utilize to the detriment of the socialist revolution. † In America, where distrust of the government is common, this passage would have been viewed as tyrannical and would not have been allowed in the constitution. The legislative powers of both the United States and Russia were given to a congress of elected officials. In the United States this is further divided into two houses of more or less equal power. In Russia, the All-Russia Congress of Soviets met only twice a year except in emergencies. During the rest of the year a smaller group called the All-Russia Executive Committee took on the responsibilities of the All-Russia Congress of Soviets. This group was chosen from the congress and remained accountable to it for all its actions. For decisions of major political importance they were required to check with the Congress before taking action. Unlike the United States congress however, both of the Russian bodies also had some degree of executive power, though most executive power was relegated to the Council of People†s Commissars. This council was created to exercise â€Å"general management of the affairs of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. † This branch is given slightly more power than its American equivalent. In order to fulfill its responsibilities, the Council is given the freedom to take â€Å"what measures are necessary to ensure the proper course of life of the State. This may seem like limitless power, but they were also required to immediately notify the All-Russia Central Executive Committee of any orders or decisions it made. The Council of People†s Commissars was divided into 18 Commissariats: Foreign Affairs, Military Affairs, Maritime Affairs, Interior, Justice, Labor, Social Security, Public Education, Post and Telegraph, Nationalities Affairs, Finance, Transport, Agriculture, Trade and Industry, Food Supply, State Control, the Supreme Economic Council, and Public Health. Each division consisted of the Commissar and a small number of advisors. The All-Russia Executive Committee appointed the Commissars who then appoint advisors to their board. The appointments then had to be approved by the Executive Committee. In this way a system of checks and balances somewhat similar to the American system was put into effect.

Free Movement of Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Free Movement of Goods - Essay Example (a) Under Portuguese law the Company has to pay a small fee to the Portuguese government agency when it exports goods to Portugal. In order to answer this is question it needs to discuss Article 23-25. For trade between Member States of the EU, the basic rule is laid down in Article 25(12) EC. 'Customs duties on imports and exports and charges having equivalent effect shall be prohibited between Member States. This prohibition shall also apply to customs duties of a fiscal nature.' It was held that Article 25 (then Article 12) could be relied on by individuals in the national courts in Case 26/62 Van Gend en Loos2. This was the first case in which the ECJ held that a Treaty article could have 'direct effect' Customs duties as such were successfully abolished early in the history of the Community (July 1968). However, it was not originally clear what was covered by the concept of 'a charge having equivalent effect' (CEE). The Commission brought a number of cases against Member States in the 1960s and the ECJ took the opportunity to give a very wide meaning to this phrase. One such Case 24/68 Commission v Italy ('Statistical Levy')3, involved an Italian levy on imports and exports across its borders. ... The ECJ emphasised that it is the effect, not the purpose, of the levy that matters: extra fees and charges are likely to put imported goods at a disadvantage compared with domestically produced goods. It also dismissed the Italian Government's argument that the statistical data was a 'service' to traders, which they should pay for. The ECJ ruled: 'Any pecuniary charge, however small and whatever its designation and mode of application, which is imposed unilaterally on domestic or foreign goods by reason of the fact that they cross a frontier constitutes a charge having equivalent effect'. The key part of this definition or test is whether the sum of money has become payable because goods have crossed a frontier within the EU. If it can be shown that the sum is payable for some other reason - for example as payment for a specific service carried out for the trader, such as provision of storage facilities, then it follows that it is not payable because goods have crossed a frontier, and so does not fulfil the Court's definition of an illegal charge. The ECJ has held that the prohibition on 'charges of equivalent effect' also applies to goods imported directly from third countries: see Case 37, 38/73 Diamantarbeiders v Indiamex,4. This means that the CCT duty can be levied on such goods, but no other charges can be added by the Member States. The EC Treaty does not contain any exceptions or defences to Article 25 (the prohibition is strict and absolute) but there are some situations that fall outside the prohibition because they do not fulfil the above test. The money raised by those fees is to pay for a data information service in respect of goods imported into and exported from Portugal. In Case 63/74 W. Cadsky SpA v Instituto nazionale

E-Commerce Amazon Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

E-Commerce Amazon Company - Research Paper Example Some of the resources that are available for e-business are technology and Internet. This paper will therefore analyze how Amazon Company has used these resources in order to become one of the leading online companies. It will also analyze the products and services that the company produce or transact in order to earn its revenue. In addition it will analyze how the company reach and maintain a close relationship with its customers. Introduction With increased level of globalization, the world has experienced a great change in advertising and marketing sector. Globalization has enabled multinationals to open different branches in various parts of the world. They have also targeted different markets in the world due to efficient flow of information and opening up of trade boundaries by the countries. As a result e-commerce has become well established in order to fill the gap between the producer and customer. Companies have taken this opportunity and become successful. One of these co mpanies is Amazon Company. Literature review Amazon Company is an American company, which specializes with electronic commerce. It has its headquarters in Seattle, Washington. It was started in 1994 by Jeff Bezos. At first, they started as an online Bookshop but later, they diversified their operations to other items. These included VHS tapes and software, furniture, etc. currently the company has grown to employ approximately 14500 employees worldwide all of those who have specialized in different sectors of online marketing. The company has different websites for different countries such as, United States, Germany, Spain, Japan, etc. In 2011, the company partnered with DC comics. The main aim of the partnership was to get more digital rights to many comics (Amazon, 2012). The company has diversified its operation in order to reduce risks that are associated with online marketing. Some of the functions of Amazon Company include software development, warehousing, and retailing of go ods. Some of retail goods that Amazon deal with include books, music CDs, electronics garden items sporting equipments, jewellery, scientific supplies, etc. in 2007, Amazon went ahead to offer services that dealt with both perishable and non perishable foods. Customers needed to order and the products will be delivered in their homes either in the morning or at any specified time. In addition, Amazon provides a service referred to as Amazon prime. This is a service that involves two-day shipping on all purchases that are eligible, for a constant fee as well as shipping rates that are discounted. It also provides its customers with instant videos i.e. steaming movies and even TV shows at no extra cost. The company also develops and sell its software to different customers who are widespread in different parts of the world. It also acts as a distributer of different products by different companies at a low cost. This is made possible by different links that the company have overseas ( Amazon, 2012). Information technology and management had played a great role in helping Amazon Company to succeed. One of the greatest technologies that keep the company running is Linux-based. This technology enables Amazon Company to handle millions of back-end operations each day and about one million queries from third party sellers. In addition, the company uses information technology to record data on consumer behaviour which enable them to analyze and

Adjusting to Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Adjusting to Terrorism - Essay Example The U.S Department of Defense defines terrorism as the â€Å"unlawful use of force or violence against person or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives† (Levine, 2001). In the context, it is suggestive that the goal of terrorism may vary, including the possible take over of the terrorists in the administration. The September 11 attack dubbed for serious threat in humanity of the harm those terrorists able to do. Bush administration proposed doctrines in the U.S. Foreign Policy. However, the continuous social mishaps brought by terrorists in certain parts of neighboring countries deny the effectiveness of the policy, which also raised serious questions of its reliance (Eitzen and Zinn, 2004). Proposals to Combat Terrorism Through numerous filed case of terrorists’ attacks, in addressing this issue, could already lead the intellects to come up with the possible strategies and proposal for its combat. Islamic extremists is one of the many possible sources of terrorism, it is suggestive to concentrate on this substance, as to neutralize its current threat. In this type of cold war, military strength and missile shield are not the answer. Overwhelming military and economic dominance did not guarantee protection from nineteen men who hijacked four planes with plastic knives, and turned them into guided missiles (Eitezen and Zinn, 2004). Responding to the similar violent attacks would not benefit any of the fighting forces, but most like likely it will just resume to never-ending violence. In a strict strategic of terrorists, the savage response could be their anticipation to win sympathy and converts to their cause (Lewis, 2001). The most effective way to deal with terrorism is to address its root causes. Social scholars like Stanley Eitzenn and Maxine Baca Zinn, through their work Social Problems, Ninth Edition, (2004) suggested that it’s about time for

Integration of reality into the works of william hogarth in the Research Paper

Integration of reality into the works of william hogarth in the eighteenth century - Research Paper Example This brief essay will work to analyze the ways in which William Hogarth’s works during eighteenth century Europe engendered many such forms of tacit transmission as well as seeking to incorporate elements of political, fictional and religious motifs. It should be noted that although this analysis will look at many of Hogarth’s works, it will not be specific to pointing out every layer of double entendre that might exist; rather, the research will be concentric on understanding and grappling with the major trends that Hogarth worked to enumerate upon within each of the pieces which will be analyzed. As such, the following research will be divided into sections which work to analyze the different means of conveyance that Hogarth employed as well as seeking to detail the specific motifs and themes that these means of conveyance sought to impress upon the viewer. The first of these paintings which will be analyzed was painted in 1754 and entitled, â€Å"An Election: Chairi ng Member†. This painting is extraordinarily unique due to the fact that it incorporates a host of both political, cultural, and religious motifs that bear discussion as a means of understanding some of the diverse themes and emotions that the artist was attempting to convey. The first of these themes is the pied piper that can be seen in front of the gathering of rowdy townspeople. In this way, all of the action and movement is behind this piper. Such a prominent exhibition in the foreground of the photo evokes the strong sense that Hogarth is attempting to convey to the reader. This strong sense is concentric around the fact that even though elections can be understood as an expressions of a participatory nature, the fact of the matter is that people still behave as if in a group and in a senseless manner. This cultural theme of the pied piper is further illustrated in a religious context by the inclusion of a small group of swine directly in the process of running off the s ide of the bridge that is pictured. This of course is reminiscent of the unclean spirits that Christ cast into the group of swine in Samaria that subsequently threw themselves into the Sea of Galilee. As such, the artist makes a firm connection between the religious imagery depicted and the cultural imagery of the pied piper. By presenting high levels of nuanced detail, Hogarth was able to evoke imagery that sought to express various elements within current society as well as to impress upon the reader a host of ideas and correlations that other artists did not. Furthermore, the artist seeks to convey an image that depicts the ridiculous nature of democracy in the form that it existed during his time. In this way, the artist seeks to represent the citizens in the foreground and the background as zealots that feverishly push and pull for the given belief system of their choice and fight against those that defy such a belief system. However, what is most interesting and almost unnotic eable is the fact that the aristocrats within the society look out from their second story windows onto the raucous below with amusement. In this way, the artist seeks to represent a face of politics that has continued to haunt our system until the current time; the fact that the ultra rich are often times directing the fate of politics unbeknownst to the workers who fight and die for the values that the super-rich espouse. The second painting of Hogarth’

PR Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

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Entrepreneurship and new business ventures Essay

Entrepreneurship and new business ventures - Essay Example Andrew Bengry-Howell from the University of Bath, stated that the people he interviewed at 4 of the largest music festivals were there to escape their daily routines (Tickle, 2011). These people view these festivals as havens where they could experience that sense of release. Some people said that they deliberately left their cellphones at home and tried to drift aimlessly inside the festival and disappear. The music festival kit will targeted towards these consumers who frequently spend 2-4 days at music festivals, depending on the length of the festival, and require materials for overnight stays. The attendance at these music festivals can give us an idea of the target market. Below is a list of the biggest festivals around the globe and their attendance numbers (MTV Contributer , 2013). It is important to note the attendance figures as it gives us an idea of the potential market size: These numbers show that the size of the target market is relatively large. What is interesting to note is that these festivals comprise of a sizable chunk of foreign participants. The SZSW festival held in Austin comprised of registrants from 64 foreign countries (SXSW, 2013). So it is worthwhile to note the global hubs of music festivals since the participants of the music festivals do not restrict themselves to their localities. They regularly visit other cities and even countries hunting for the best and biggest music festivals to attend and hence are a part of the potential market. In Australia, attendance at such festivals went up by 0.6% since ticket prices fell by 0.7%. Revenue from this sector averaged around $1.3 billion, which shows the growth potential of this market (AlNewstead, 2012). Contemporary music was the biggest drawcard and hence contributed $539.2 million in revenue which is 41.3% of the total share. Ticket sales from this sector amounted to 5.9 million tickets. Australia is considered to be the strongest market in the world right now for music

Color and Congenital Blindness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Color and Congenital Blindness - Essay Example It is a very shoddy fallacy to suggest that one who is blind is unable to see anything at all as blindness has various segregated levels, each of which is measurable and each of which highlight the fact that there are various discrepancies in blindness itself. The group of people who are totally blind and cannot visualize and state such as those of darkness and light are called "NLPS". Then there are people who can partially identify illuminations of black and white (dark or bright) and finally there are people who not only identify but can also point out toward the direction of the lighting source. This further advocates the fact discussed above that blind people too have a partial sense of visualization. Color blindness is another abnormal condition which is misunderstood. It is characterized by the incapability to evidently differentiate dissimilar colors of the band. The difficulties can range from mild to severe and generally color blind people do have partial vision. It is an ambiguous phrase since people with color sightlessness are not blind, while they generally visualize colors in a restricted variety of shades. Generally color blind people do have partial vision and it is very rare that those who are color blind may not see any colors at all. a) The majority of the visual impairments are caused either by illness or by undernourishment. Both of them either affect the brain or straightforwardly harm the eye. There is a growing threat of congenital blindness in the countries that are facing a food scarcity and have not been able to overcome it. b) The next factor that mostly influences the occurrence of blindness or color blindness is injury to the eye. Even though they are accidental in nature, such injuries can fully take away a human being's sight or the ability to distinguish between colors. Hence it is very important, that these injuries are treated as soon as possible to avoid complexities and further harmful implications. c) Genes also have a major role to play in finding out whether a person is blind or not. On a general note, individuals with albinism experience from visual mutilation to the scope that majority are declared blind legally, despite the fact that only some of them are unable to see. d) A minute bit of all cases of sightlessness is by means of the ingestion of some chemicals. A common example is a chemical known as methanol that is considered a cheaper and regular alternate for alcoholic beverages. Now that we have discussed the various types and factors behind blindness it is necessary to observe how an eye works and consequently have a glance at the various reasons behind color blindness. The usual retina of a human being has a couple of types of light sensitive cells: the rod cells, which are vigorous in low light and the cone cells, which are lively in normal daylight. Generally, there are three kinds of cones, each containing a different pigment and in effect covering the entire gamut of colors. An irregularity in any one of theses comes is the reason for a human being to be color blind. The main types of color blindness are stated as under: a) Dichromatic: This case takes place when one of the cone pigments is absent and color is condensed to a couple of dimensions. The people affected by this try to use the remaining two cones to

Research current regulations concerning head injuries Essay

Research current regulations concerning head injuries - Essay Example The football associations are holding discussions to allow players to be putting on helmets during the game. The regulation concerning the helmet prohibits an opponent from holding a players helmet and pulling the head around. This rule is meant to protect the players from neck injuries and possible impairment. Another rule concerning the head injury is the rule that prohibits an opponent player blind block on a challenger’s head. The head is a delicate part of the body hence the rule that protects the receiver of the ball from being tackled by the head. The tackle to the head may be head to head, hand to head incident, or foot to head incident. All these tackles result in head injuries and sometimes lead to concussions. Head injuries may lead to concussions or damages to the brain and even deaths. The regulations governing head injuries in football are being developed because of the consequences of the injuries (Nelson, 354-401). Players who get head injuries suffer at a later date from dementia, short term memory, and brain diseases. Another rule governing the head injury requires a player who shows signs of concussion like dizziness to remain out of the field that day. After a concussion, there are regulations which are followed before a player is allowed to play again. A player who is unconscious must be evaluated by the doctor before he is allowed back to the field. The players are kept off the field until they show no symptoms of concussion. In addition to that the regulations require an independent neurologist to examine the player instead of the team doctor. The regulations also require that a player who has suffered concussion cannot return to the field until after one day. The rules also require all the players to have a full awareness of the severity of concussions. The rules do not prescribe the maximum number of concussions, but that depends on the coach and player. Every

Community Assessment Essay Example for Free

Community Assessment Essay The name of my community is Buchanan County, Va. The total size of the area is approximately 504 square meters. (County Date, â€Å"n.d.†) The county was named after James Buchanan the 15th President of the United States. The approximate number of families in the community according to the U.S. Census is 6,866. (Population, 2010,) Buchanan County is a residential type of community. Buchanan County is a community with people who have been here from generation to generation. The community is a very family oriented community. Families are very close and always lived here all their life in this part of Virginia in this small pleasant community. The majority of houses in Buchanan County, VA are privately owned. Rental houses are of plenty in Buchanan. They are more trailers parks that are occupied and rented than rental houses. Most of the trailer parks and rental houses are in poor condition a lot of privately owned houses are in good condition. There’s maybe approximately 200ft in some areas between neighbors. The typical age of homes is 10-30 yr. old homes. Buchanan County has no subdivisions per driving thru the community. The population of the community is as follows: Infants as of 2007 where 203(Public records infants, 2007). The number of preschoolers are 149 which is 3%, Kindergarten 174 and 3.5%, grades 1-8 which is 2,089 and is 42.3%, grades 9-12 which is 1,132 and is 22.9%.(county assessment, 2011). Fifteen years and over marital status is as follows total is 22,457 (100%) of this age population, never married 4,069 (18.1%), now married 14,265 (63.5%), separated 641 (2.9%), , divorced 1,595 (7.1%), ages 30-34 is 1,418 (5.9%), ages 50-54 is 2,086 (8.7%), ages 85 and over is 308 (1.3%), and widowed 1,887 (8.4%).(census 2010, 2010) There are 10 public schools and 1 private in the county which are as follows Twin Valley Elementary/Middle School which is located in the Oakwood, VA area which is from PK-7 grade and has approximately 417 children receiving an education, Twin Valley High School which is located in the Pilgrims Knob, VA area which is from 8-12 grade and has approximately 286 children receiving an education, Grundy High School which is located in Grundy, VA which is from 9-12 grade and has approximately 472 children receiving an education, Hurley High School which is located in Hurley, VA which is from 8-12 grade and has approximately 257 children receiving an education, Haysi High School which is located in Haysi, VA which is from 9-12 grade and has approximately 284 children receiving an education, Hurley Middle School which is located in Hurley, VA which is from PK-7 grade and has approximately 419 children receiving an education. Council Elementary/Middle School which is located in Council, VA which is from PK-7 grade and has approximately 217 children receiving an education, Russell Prater Elementary School which is located in Vansant, VA which is from PK-5 grade and has approximately 116 children receiving an education, Riverview Elementary School which is located in Grundy, VA which is from PK-8 grade and has approximately 921 children receiving an education, JM Bevin’s which is located in Grundy, VA which is from K-5 grade and has approximately 132 children receiving an education, and Mountain mission is a private school located in Grundy, VA which is from PK-12 grade and has approximately 259 children receiving an education.(Schools, 2011) To the best of my knowledge I don’t believe we have any type of daycare facilities. Buchanan County has a head start program in the community. Almost every school has a Pre-k program. There is a public Library located in Grundy, Va. There is a vocational center at Grundy, VA as well. There are several forms of higher education, Southwest Virginia Community College at Richland’s, VA, Appalachian College of Pharmacy in Oakwood, VA, and Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Va. As of 2007 there were 125 voters in Buchanan County, Va. (census 2010, 2010) There are several voting locations throughout the community. Most of the voting booths are located at most of the surrounding area schools. Most individuals may travel up to 10miles or more to get to a voting location depending on what area in the county you live in. Air pollution is of plenty in Buchanan County, Va. The Coke ovens of Jewel Smokeless Mines pollute the air with lots of smoke. The coke ovens are located at Dismal Road at Patterson, Va. U.S. route 460 is a very busy highway for all due to much travel from Richland’s, VA and Kentucky to Grundy, VA either to work or to get home. There are several bodies of water throughout the county. The most famous are the Levisa River and Dismal River both located throughout the county. The water source is county water from PSA which our major water source comes from John Flanagan Dam. The sanitation department is located in Grundy, Va. The noise in the county is not bad, but CNX has many ventilation fans that you can hear sometimes running circulating air throughout the underground mining systems. The only crimes I can find that are bad is substance abuse which the county had 991 total drug violations in 2000. (Buchanan County, 2000) The unemployment rate for the county is 7.30% which is high and the average household income is $29, 712. (Income, â€Å"n.d.†) The best occupations for men are to work for CNX in the mines or the gas well occupation. The best occupation for women is the healthcare occupation. The only new jobs in the county were with the coalfield express to make the highway better through the surrounding areas in Buchanan. The Health Department in Grundy, VA offers WIC for low income families and also several other government funds such as Tanf. There’s a food pantry in Grundy, VA. There’s a service called people incorporated that offer assistance such as shelter to children and mothers who have been abused. There’s a free clinic for surrounding areas for Buchanan, Tazewell, and Russell is the Reddy Tri County Health Clinic which is in Richland’s, VA. The stores in Buchanan County are Food city in Vansant, VA, Save a lot in Oakwood, VA, and Wal-Mart in Grundy, VA. All of these stores have healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables and other healthy products. The public transportation is as follows: There’s the County transit bus for all ages and incomes serving the Buchanan County, VA and surrounding areas, and the children have public school buses available for school transportation. There’s about an average of 7-8 red lights throughout the community. The average number of cars per each house as per driving and my observations in the community are about 2 per household. Most of the cars are in good shape. The recreational activities are of plenty in Buchanan. We offer many parks. Each area in the county has some form of recreation. The most famous of parks serving the Buchanan county areas and surrounding areas is the Breaks Interstate Park. The Breaks offers a new Water Park, hiking and biking trails, paddle boats, and Lovers Leap. There’s a park in each community most has a ball field with a track around it. There’s several public pools in the community they are at Twin Valley Elementary School in Oakwood, VA which also has a track and tennis court , the YMCA in Grundy, VA which also has exercise equipment, William P. Harris Park in Council, VA it also has a tennis and volley ball court with a ball field and several picnic shelters. These area parks are for all ages. The area has several churches and religions. The percent of religious people are 24.67%. The Non-religious percent of people are 8.1 %.(religion, â€Å"n.d.†) There are several churches in the community: Baptist churches, Church of Christ, Jehovah Witness, Presbyterian, Methodist, and Pentecostal. The percent’s are as follows: Baptist is 11.30%, Jewish is 0%, Methodist is 1.92%, Pentecostal 0.46%, Presbyterian 1.02%, and other is 9.81%.(religion, â€Å"n.d.†) The cultures in Buchanan are mainly white people (dominant culture) which accounts for 96.3%, black people are 2.8%, American Indian and Alaska Native people are 0.1%, Asian are 0.3%, People reporting two or more races are 0.5%, Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin are 0.4%, and White not Hispanic 96%. (Culture, 2011) The distance of most relatives in Buchanan County would probably be no more than 10-20 minutes away. The countys public water system was designed with the regulations and guidelines of the Virg inia Department of Health. The size of each fire hydrant and water line allow for 250 gallons of water to safely flow from the hydrant each minute. (Wampler, May 11, 2006) The closest police station is in Grundy, VA on Walnut drive, the sheriff’s office is in the same location as the police station. There is also the 29th circuit task force which is on Almarine Dr, in Grundy, VA. There are about 12 fires stations. The most used in the community is Grundy Volunteer Fire Department in Grundy, VA. Most families have locks and gates on their houses for safety. Maybe an average of 20 homes has alarm systems in this area. The numbers of clinics in the community are 10 and are community health clinics. There’s only one hospital in the community and that is Buchanan General Hospital. The only long term care facility is Heritage Hall on Slate Creek Rd. in Grundy, VA. The psychiatric facilities in the community are the Cumberland Mountain House in Keen Mountain, VA and the Baxter House at Oakwood, VA which educate and rehabilitate with group therapy. Patient education is provided by the clinics throughout the area, but mainly at Buchanan General Hospital in Grundy, VA. They are approximately about 15 or more ambulance services in the community. 911 is available in the community. They are several Home health agencies to help with families with disabilities. They are many pharmacies available in the community. A big shortage of Doctors and Dentists in the community. The community only has 69 doctors in the community and six dentists, but on the other hand nursing is of plenty 111.8 per person in Buchanan County, VA. ((Healthy people, 2009) Media Sources in Buchanan are newspapers Virginia Mountaineer and The Voice. Local TV is available our news stations are WCYB and WVVA. Cable is available from Time Warner. Cable and high speed internet are available from time warner and Verizon. Local radio stations are WMJD FM and WNRG AM. The main nursing diagnoses that stand out are: Actual problems with substance abuse, Risk for relocation as evidenced by a shortage of jobs, and Risk for poor health as evidenced by a shortage of healthcare workers. References Buchanan County. (2000). Retrieved July 5, 2012, from www.fedstats.gov/mapstats/arrests/county Census 2010. (2010). Retrieved July 5, 2012, from www.u.s.census.com County Data for Buchanan County, Virginia. (â€Å"n.d.†). Retrieved July 04, 2012, from http://www.landsofvirginia.com/county/detail/?id=5040 County assessment. (2011). Retrieved July 5, 2012, from www.buchanancountyonline.com/communityassessment2011.pdf Profile of general population and housing characteristics: 2010. (2010). Retrieved July 04, 2012, from http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk Public records infants. (2007). Retrieved July 5, 2012, from www.openpublic-records.com/virginia/buchanan_county_public_records Schools. (2011). Retrieved July 5, 2012, from www.localschooldirectory.com/publicschool/88240/VA Wampler, J. (May 11, 2006, May). PSA Cracks Down on Water Thieves. Virginia Mountaineer, pp. 3. Retrieved from www.virginiamountaineer.com Culture. (2011). R etrieved July 6, 2012, from www.quickfacts.census.gov Healthy people of Appalachia. (2009). Retrieved July 6, 2012, from www.healthyappalachia.org/files/docs/word/BuchananDraft%5B1%5D.pdf Income.

Public Health And Health Promotion

Public Health And Health Promotion In this research paper I discussed the role of Public Relations in communicating health and delivering healthy messages to the public or community. It is more or less the same working with other ministries but Ministry of Health (MOH) are more focused on educating and promoting healthy lifestyle. There are five strategic SMART objectives that as a PR need to be focused and improved on:- Strategic Objective: Establish Strengthen Health in All Policies (HiAP) Strategic Objective: Develop Effective, Quality And Innovative Health Promotion Programmes to reduce Obesity, Unhealthy Diet, Physical Inactivity And Tobacco Use Strategic Objective: Enhance Inter-Sectoral Collaboration And Partnership Strategic Objective: Develop Health Promotion Skills Competencies Strategic Objective: Strengthen Health Promotion Centre Infrastructure and resources The challenges and constraints of Health Promotion Centre (HPC) are to be discussed further more in this research paper. As a conclusion of this paper, I also includes the benefits and expected outcomes for the strategies. Role of Public Relation in Health Communication in Brunei Darussalam INTRODUCTION Brunei Darussalam is a moderate Islamic country with multi ethnic racial where understanding diversity management and cultural values may increase the productivity of an organisation and also create harmonization among the three main races in Brunei; Malay, Chinese and Indian (Brunei Tourism website, 2010). Diversity management is unique in Brunei Darussalam through symmetrical approaches to public relations. Understanding cultural diversity and multiculturalism is very important to articulate a sensitive and multi aspect approach to excellent public relations, especially in rapidly developing country like Brunei Darussalam. There is need for professional aid to understand the dominant religious such as Islam, and minority of Christianity and Hinduism as they want to invest to the country. In fact cultural diversity seen as universal concept, as every country has a different religious and tribal groups. Globalisation has given new meaning that should be practiced according to various ethnic groups with different religion and backgrounds. Public Relation is about maintaining a good relationship between an organization and public through communications in order to pursue its goals and objectives. The role of public relations can influence the main structure of an organization have practiced. The main responsibility for public relations is to gain publicity from the public using media releases such as newspaper, magazines and sometimes appears as spokesperson for that company or organization. The other responsibility for public relations is to find solutions for supplementary problems as well as a decision makers and policy formation. There are theoretical approaches in public relations. Theories applied in different ways because different theories, different assumptions due to different backgrounds such as culture and influence. According to Grunig and Hunt (1984) the best theory of public relation is the four model which explain the development of public relations. The first model is press agency. This is the easiest way to spread propaganda in other to get public attention for their events or products. It is a one way flow of info. Second model is Public information which runs by the government to inform the public on behalf of the organization about its development. Third model is the two ways asymmetric which by all means the power in organization and not to public. Forth model is two ways symmetric where the organizations events or products get feedback from the public. Nevertheless Grunig and White(1984) agreed that public relation is best described in asymmetric ways rather than symmetric ways. Somecritics of symmetrical worldview- both practitioners and theorists- claimed that the approach is unrealistic or idealistic. They argue that organizations hire public relations people as advocates to advance their interests and not as do-gooders who give in to outsiders with an agenda different from that of the organization. In short organizations would not hire a public relations person which not practices asymmetrically. (Grunig and White 1992:46) LEtang(1996) also argues that symmetry in public relations is inconsistent. He argued: There isà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦a problem in the attempt which some make to maintain the idea of symmetry alongside the role of public relations as advocate. Surely symmetry and advocacy are in opposition. The only way round this tension is to argue that public relations ensure that all world views are held, i.e that the playing field is level. Whether this sort of pandering to the liberal conscience and justifiable is a matter for debate: a debate which has yet to take place within public relations. (LEtang 1996:96-97) The theories then divided into two parts; Rhetorical Theory and Critical Theory. Rhetorical theory is a convincing dialogue about public relations role. It is suggested as dialogue relationship which allows deliberation of written text or language use and their ethics. According to Heath, Rhetoric is symmetrical because each idea placed in the marketplace or public policy arena stands on its own merit. (Heath 2001:49) Critical theory is the power which influences communication. It is about social critiques, political and corporate structures as well as institutional. The theory tries to search for social changes-postmodernism which includes political, cultural, social and economic views. According to Holtzh` ausen, she revisits the concept of the public relation practitioner as keeper of the corporate conscience. She argues that the responsibility for keeping organization abreast of postmodern thinking importantly resides in public relations department. She stated that: Postmodern theories urge public relations practitioners to acknowledgeable the political nature of their activities and to be aware of the power relations inherent in everyday practice. Public relations is about to change or resistance to change, these political acts are manifest in the everyday use of organizational language and symbolism and are influenced by the organizations cultural and social environment. This redefines the boundary spanning role. Instead of claiming objectivity, practitioners are forced to choose which side they are on. (Holtzhausen 2000:110) Public relations required skillful practitioners. Certain skills that needed in these areas are strong analytical skills and communication skills in other to catch the attention of public. Great interpersonal skills, self confidence, self and priority management skills, knowledgeable in financial industry and update with current issues will complete the criteria to be a Public relation practitioners. Integrity and commitment to ethical practice, equity and diversity will also help to gain public attention and expectations on the benefits from the products or events that we are promoting. In communicating health messages to the public is very hard because, we need to do survey about the community at first rather than approaching them directly. Most medical officers do not have the skills or knowledge on how to approach the community creatively. This is when Public Relations practitioners came forward to help them communicating with the public from explaining medical matter great in de tails and too wordy transformed into simple and creative which is easy to understand by the public. WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH AND HEALTH PROMOTION? Public Health is a science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and research for disease and injury prevention (www.whatispublichealth.org). Public health or societal health refers to the link between health and the way a society structured which includes the basic infrastructure necessary or health- shelter, peace, food and income; and the degree of integration or division within society( Naidoo J. Willis J, 2000,p.7). Not only that, in public health it also includes Environmental Health referring to the physical environment in which people live. Health promotion was defined in the Ottawa charter (WHO 1986) as being centrally concernedwith empowering people to take greater control over their health and thus includesa range of strategies to strengthen communities, develop supportive environments and inform and educate about health issues.Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion (WHO 1986) can be defined into 5 action areas, namely: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Building healthy public policies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Creating supportive environments à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strengthening community action à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Developing personal skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Reorienting health services towards prevention 1.2 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC HEALTH, HEALTH PROMOTION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS. Public Health and Health promotion professions embody and tolerate conflicting ideas of why and how health should and could be approved. The meaning of public health and health promotion are contested and open to misunderstandings such as the explaining the methods for reducing health and promoting well being and fundamentally in the motivation for such interventions. Whereas Public Relations is a person who represent the agency as a spokesperson or a guide on how to communicate health messages to the public or target audience by implementing tactics and strategies as well as evaluating the success of the program. RESEARCH 2.1 HEALTH PROMOTION CENTRE (HPC). Health Promotion Centre (HPC) is a centre that serves the needs of public by providing health information, camps and other recreational developmental activities for the public. HPC also supports and encourages the growth and development of healthy lifestyles among the community through their health messages, gallery, workshop, youth camps and health screening. The roles of HPC:- Educational role: Impart Knowledge and increase awareness of public on various aspects of health Change agent: facilitate behaviour change amongst clients/target groups through the empowerment (knowledge and skills) and advocacy. Instill value: inculcate the practice of healthy lifestyle in the population and also caring attitude towards health among children and youth. Attraction site: a place to visit for a family outing and for tourists. Its main objective is to develop and focus on national health promotion programmes in the country and to ensure that health promotion and chronic disease prevention activities are carried out systematically and effectively. The vision is to realize Ministry of Health (MOH) vision 2035  ´Together Towards a Healthy Nation. The mission statement is Empowering People towards Healthy Living through Effective Health Promotion. (Personal Interview with Senior Medical Officer, 2010) 2.2 ROLES OF PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MEDIA AT HPC The role of Public Relations practitioner in this centre is to communicate health messages or practicing health communication. Health communication is a notion of awareness raising and education about risk and protective factors linked to chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The use of mass and multimedia and other technological innovations to disseminate useful health information to the public, increase awareness of specific aspects of individual and collective health as well as importance of health in development (WHO, 1996). Health promoters need communication skills and strategies to inform, educate, enable, mediate, advocate, persuade, negotiate and facilitate. In order to have this health promoters need a range of functional communication skills in their professional toolkit (Murphy B, 2006). Functional communication skill sets tend to be anchored now, while strategic communication is more future focused. It also a process of hitting right target with the right level of information that suits and resonates with the market as well as engaging the participants in a process so that it is shared activity rather than one-way sharing information. In order to strengthen the links within and beyond the health sector, health promoters must develop and practise ways to strategically communicate our ideas in a language that the intended audience can understand and embrace for example using common language that understood by others (Murphy B, 2006). For example the use of Facebook and Twitter. These two social networking are the best way to commuincate and ideas with the intended audience nowadays. Facebook is a social networking site that enables users to share photos and videos. It also has a status update tab where people can post information (Facebook, 2010). Facebook is available for both personal and business use. Businesses can set up a Facebook fan page so Facebook users can become a fan and follow the organisations updates. Faceboo k is efficient for businesses as it enables users to send invitations virtually and those who have been invited can chose to send a RSVP or decline the invitation on the spot. Whereas Twitter is a real-time information network powered by people all around the world, which lets you, share and discover whats happening now.Twitter asks, Whats happening? and spreads the answer across the globe to millions, immediately (Twitter, 2010).Twitter is a social networking site that uses a system similar to the short messages system or SMS, where people can share information from all over the world. The SMS has a 140-character limit, and the messages sent through are called Tweets. Other people can forward these Tweets; this is called Retweets. People who follow other peoples tweets are called Followers. Twitter is not only limited to personal use. Businesses can also sign up to this networking site to start networking with other Twitter users that might be interested in their business. HPC curr ently has a Twitter account . Facebook and Twitter are FREE communication tools which allow two-way interaction between interested parties and the communicator, a beneficial addition to an organisations website which is mostly one-way communication. Fans and followers are made from a pre-qualified audience who have already identified that they are interested in a concept, and therefore are more likely to react to promotions and positive communication. Facebook and Twitter also act as a platform to answer questions and launch promotions instantaneously with nil or limited material cost. Another example of effective way of communicating and sharing information with the audience is via A strong and informative website and regular e-newsletter communication are beneficial assets for any organisation, as they represent a cost-effective, fast method for one-way communication with current and potential members.The target audience is pre-qualified, having made a choice to visit the HPCs website, or sign up for the e-news letter. Health promotion is directed towards improving the health status of individuals and population. During this modern era, it was transmitted by the mass and multimedia which has positive and negative implications for health. Communication underpins virtually all health promotion action. With this in mind, a broad range of functional communication skills need to be developed and practised by those seeking to work in the health promotion field. Good communicators have the ability to convey complex concepts in a language that speaks to the intended audience. They use metaphors and analogies to make sense of the ideas. As health promotion seeks to strengthen its links within and beyond the health sector, we must develop and practise ways to strategically communicate our ideas in a language our audience understands and embraces. Theres a needs to understand the social model of health as well as the determinants of health and their impacts on population. It also includes planning and evaluat ing strategies on approaching a diverse group with multicultural background with respects. Appropriate health promotion strategies are especially effective to combat the current rapid rise of chronic diseases which represents a major challenge to global development. Chronic diseases include heart disease and stroke (cardiovascular disease), cancer, diabetes and chronic respiratory diseases which claim 35 million lives every year. Together they are the leading cause of death worldwide and have overtaken the number of deaths due to infectious diseases. This represents 60% of all deaths globally, with 80% of deaths due to NCDs occurring in low- and middle-income countries, and about 16 million deaths involving people under 70 years of age. These diseases also undermine the economic development in many countries leading to a worsening of poverty and illnesses. The global burden of these non-communicable diseases (NCDs) continues to grow. Tackling it is one of the major challenges for development in the 21st century. Unless addressed, the mortality and disease burden from these health problems will continue to increase. WHO estimated that without action, total deaths from chronic diseases will increase by 17% between 2005 and 2015. For those with chronic disease, it can affect every aspects of their life and over time can cause further complications that can further lead to deterioration of their quality of life, participation in activities and even their work performance. There will also be the increasing burden to the costs of health care as well as the psychological and socio-economic impacts to the families and carers. However proven cost-effective strategies exist to prevent and control this growing burden. The causes (risk factors) of chronic diseases are well established and well known, ie, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and tobacco use. These risk factors, which are the same for males and females are largely modifiable. If uncontrolled, they will lead to intermediate risk factors such as raised blood pressure, raised blood sugar levels, abnor mal blood lipids, overweight and obesity. The major modifiable risk factors, in conjunction with the non-modifiable risk factors of age and heredity, explain the majority of new events of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and some important cancers. The relationship between the major modifiable risk factors and the main chronic diseases is similar in all regions of the world. There are also other risk factors for chronic diseases but they account for a smaller proportion of these diseases. These include harmful alcohol use and some infectious agents that are responsible for cervical and liver cancers. Preventing or delaying illness and death from chronic diseases is possible. At least 80% of all cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes and over 40% of cancers could be avoided through healthy diet, regular physical activity and avoidance of tobacco use. Although death is inevitable, it does not need to be slow, painful or premature. Most chronic diseases cause the sufferers to become progressively ill and debilitated, especially if their illness is not managed correctly. Chronic disease prevention and control helps people to live longer and healthier lives. In addition, due to public health successes, populations are aging and increasingly, people are living with one or more chronic conditions for decades, thus worsening the burden of chronic diseases. This places new, long-term demands on health care systems. Not only are chronic conditions projected to be the leading cause of disability throughout the world by the year 2020 but if not successfully prevented and managed, they w ill become the most expensive problems face by our health care systems. In Brunei Darussalam, the situation of chronic diseases is following the global trend. The Ministry of Health reported in 2009 that cancer is the top leading cause of death with 24.6 deaths per 100,000 population whereas heart disease and diabetes mellitus comes second and third accounting for 23.9 and 18.4 deaths per 100,000 population respectively. In addition, this data is further supported by the preliminary findings of the Ministry of Healths Integrated Health Screening and Health Promotion Programme for Civil Servants which was launched in 2007. Early findings showed that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 64.3% of the subjects screened were either overweight or obese à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 55.2% has high blood cholesterol à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 14.7% has hypertensio à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 14.2% has high blood sugar. The above data shows an increase in the proportion of subjects with are overweight or obese when compared to the data obtained by the National Nutritional Status Survey 1997 which showed only 44.5% of the subjects then were either overweight or obese. Therefore, preventive strategies in Brunei Darussalam need to focus on comprehensive, integrated,multi-level, multi-intervention approaches aimed at reducing the negative impact and consequences of chronic non-communicable diseases. Simultaneously, the management of NCDs requires well-coordinated and integrated services at primary, secondary and tertiary levels which focus on curative, preventive, promotive and rehabilitative aspects holistically. Therefore,there are five strategic SMART objectives that as a PR need to be focused and improved on:- Strategic Objective 1: Establish Strengthen Health in All Policies (HiAP) Strategic Objective 2: Develop Effective, Quality And Innovative Health Promotion Programmes to reduce Obesity, Unhealthy Diet, Physical Inactivity And Tobacco Use Strategic Objective 3: Enhance Inter-Sectoral Collaboration And Partnership Strategic Objective 4: Develop Health Promotion Skills Competencies Strategic Objective 5: Strengthen Health Promotion Centre Infrastructure and resources 2.3 CHALLENGES CONSTRAINTS OF THE HEALTH PROMOTION CENTRE (SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS) One of the biggest challenges faced by HPC is the lack of awareness amongst the general and target public as well as lack of media promotions on spreading health messages which includes misunderstanding about the concept of health promotion, competing priority areas, manpower, budget, unconducive environment, behaviour and others. This has proven to be the main hindrance for the centre in reaching their target audience. SWOT Analysis Strengths Financial support from government (MOH) Social network such as facebook and twitter containing information about their organisation. Access to MOH supports, financial and activities. Weaknesses Lack of financial resources to invest in media activities and others Need more sponsorship General public unaware of HPCs existence No official website Private partners Building maintenance Opportunities International presence Government collaboration Increasing the skill set of staff to other field such as communication-media, public relations and etc. Threats Lack of support Lack of workforce Unconducive environment Misunderstanding about the concept of health promotion Competing priority areas Culture. Local evidence has shown that, there is a huge burden of NCDs especially cancer,cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, in Brunei Darussalam. Without definitive action to address these diseases, they will continue to grow exponentially and lead to more people living with poor quality of life and dying prematurely. This, in turn, will have a negative social and economic impact on families, communities and the country as a whole. Being the lead organization that has been entrusted to initiate and coordinate the actions, HPC, from the very start, has several challengesand constraints to deal with. To be able to manage the situation effectively and efficiently, HPC has to convince all relevant stakeholders and partners that only a comprehensive, integrated approach has the best chance of success in the prevention and control of these NCDs. Comprehensive action requires combining population-wide approaches that seek toreduce the risks throughout the entire population with strategies that target individuals at high risk or with established disease and also addressing the social and economic determinants that would affect their health directly or indirectly. The National Health Promotion Blueprint 2011-2015 will be launched on March 2011 aims to use such an approach. Before adopting such a strategy, many factors that will affect the outcome of this approach have to be considered. Some of these factors are: The needs of the target population and individuals as well as the requirements ofthe stakeholders and partners. The resources e.g. human capital, financial, technical, physical and other infrastructure etc, and their management, that are needed for HPC to carry out their tasks effectively. The process of planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the initiatives and programmes. However to ardently follow the strategic framework, HPC will encounter many challenges and constraints. Strategies need to be developed to overcome or reduce these barriers which may impede the successful implementation of this Action Plan. These include: 1. Misconception about health promotion Health promotion is defined as the process of enabling people to increase controlover and improve their health and is also defined as any combination of educationaland environmental supports for actions and conditions of living conducive to healthwhere these processes have been clearly explained in several key health promotion documents. As such health promotion is not just educational and provision of information. It is a continuing process that involves action at every level of society andnot just a series of ad hoc educational activities. One of the challenges is to change the mindset of all stakeholders to convince them that everyone has an important role to play in promoting health from policy-makers and leaders, in Government, organized medical and health services, non-government and private organizations and communities, to individuals. This role will not only be educational in nature but also supportive and enabling for people to practice healthy lifestyles. HPCs role is to l ead, support, facilitate and empower communities and individuals to practise healthy living but it cannot do it alone. All stakeholders have a shared responsibility for health. Hence for HPC to fulfill its role effectively, it must be given a clear mandate and extent of authority from the rele- vant authorities to expediently carry out its designated functions in health promotion in general and particularly in the execution of this strategy. 2. Low priority towards the role of health promotion in the management of NCDs Traditionally organized medical and health services have implemented a range of services to tackle NCDs e.g. Hospital- or clinic-based nutritional programmes, tobacco control programmes etc. However due to diverse needs and priorities, most of the resources for these interventions are directed towards attending to acute problems and urgent needs of patients with NCDs. Less priority is given to the incorporation of preventive health care into the overall management of these patients. As pointed out earlier, a collaborative management approach, with preventivecomponents in the care of the patients with NCDs that involves the patients, their families and health care partners, is more cost-effective than the traditional approach and achieves better health outcomes.Therefore, one of HPCs functions here is to help facilitate the routine incorporation of preventive and promotive care into curative services especially in the management of chronic diseases. This strategic framework includes the reorientation of the health care services for a more holistic approach in the effective prevention and management of chronic conditions. It calls for a partnership among patients and families, health care teams and community supporters. This approach will work best if each patient is informed, motivated and prepared to manage their health and able to work with the other partners. This partnership should be influenced and supported by the Ministry of Health and other health organizations, the broader community and the policy environment to ensure a sustainable positive health outcome. 3. Lack of skilled manpower There is a lack of human capital in HPC, both in numbers and skills. This willundoubtedly impact the performance of HPC with its many roles and functions to fulfill. Besides the current health professionals to carry out the day-to-day operations of HPC, there is a dire need for more specialized personnel who have the professional and technical skills and expertise to enable HPC to perform its many functions including overseeing and coordinating health promotion programmes and activities in general and in particular, initiatives identified. These personnel include: I. Public Health Professionals and / or Allied Health Professionals who are trained in Health Promotion, Programme Management, Epidemiology, Biostatistics including Research Methodology and other similar fields. Such human capital are needed to ensure a more effective and efficient planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all relevant health promotion programmes and initiatives in the country. They will also form the core group will drive the development of a supportive surveillance system and promote a research culture in HPC as part of its strategies to produce scientific evidence to support and rationalise policies, strategies and approaches relating to healthy lifestyle and particularly, NCD prevention and control II. Sociologists and Psychologists As health promotion, in a large part, deals with individuals and their families and the larger communities, HPC needs personnel who are well trained in the principles of Social Science. Social determinants have a great impact on health in any society including the creation of inequities in health. This type of expertise is essential to assist HPC in advocating and framing evidence-based policies and programmes, across the whole of society, that can influence the social determinants of health and improve health equity. On the other end of the scale is the understanding and influencing of human behavior.Psychologists are needed in the formulation of programmes which directly impacts on human behavior such as healthy eating, increasing physical activity and losing weight. They are critical in motivating individuals to change for better health outcomes. III. Public Relation / Communication / Media personnel To carry out effective health promotion, information must be effectively disseminated through traditional and new media. Social marketing is a recognized strategy to educate the public generally. Personnel who are trained to deal with and communicate with individuals, communities and the media, are definitely an asset to this type of work. IV. IT and technical personnel An important part of HPCs function is the creation, production, dissemination and display of various health-related information using different formats, styles and materials, in an interesting and appealing manner that would capture the attention of the audience. HPC needs innovative, artistic and creative personnel who are skilled in IT and the use of pertinent software. 4. Training and capacity building for HPC staff At present, there are less than 50 staff members who are as

The definition, history and importance of environmental auditing

The definition, history and importance of environmental auditing Introduction Environmental auditing is defined by the international chamber of commerce as the systematic examination of the interactions between any business operation and its surroundings. This includes all emissions to air, land, and water; legal constraints; the effects on the neighbouring community, landscape and ecology; and the publics perception of the operating company in the local area. An environmental audit does not stop at compliance with legislation. Nor is it a green-washing public relations exercise. Rather it is a total strategic approach to the organisations activities (International chamber of commerce, 1991). All businesses use resources and produce waste; as such they have an effect be it direct or indirect on the environment. Thus, environmental auditing is in place to monitor and regulate an organisations impact on the environment. This element of corporate social responsibility has attracted the most attention in recent years (Clarke, 1998) and this is a reflection of the growing importance society place on environmental issues. This essay will introduce environmental auditing in further detail before moving on to discuss the key trends and the key stages which took place in the development of external auditing. Furthermore, Tesco and Shell will be used to highlight how environmental auditing has affected these organisations strategies and business models before finally drawing conclusions as to the future of the issue. Before discussing the development of environmental auditing since the 1970s, it is first important to clarify what is meant by environmental auditing. The term auditing is one which is used far more widely than just the verification of accounts, and therefore it is important to determine what is meant by auditing in the specific case of environmental auditing (Gray, 2000). An environmental audit report will identify the forms and classes of waste produced by an organisation. This may be completed privately by an external auditor, or may be the result of pressure from activist groups in which such an audit is demanded. Either way, often the result is a self reporting by the organisation detailing their waste disposal and future goals regarding environmental issues. The objectives of this report are focused on trace the development of environment auditing over last several years. In chapter two, I will analyze the history of environmental auditing, changes, trends and developments. And then chapter three and chapter four will move on to discuss how environmental auditing has affected the practices of two large multinationals: Shell and Tesco. The case studies will cover the adoption process of environmental auditing, how companies have had to change their practices to meet changes in legislation over time, and, a review of any action which has been taken against companies, due to the neglect of environmental practices. Finally, chapter five will synthesise the ideas of this paper to draw conclusions as to the likely direction environmental auditing will take in the future. CHAPTER TWO The history of environmental auditing, changes, trends and developments This essay will now discuss the history of environmental auditing since the 1970s. This period of time has been covered because it contains some of the most prominent events that have been fundamental in the determination of more current trends that can be observed within the last ten years. Although environmental auditing is not a recent phenomenon, and is one which can be traced back to the beginning of the twentieth century, it was in the 1970s in which the situation gained prominence (Owen, 2003 p.6) when the clean air act was first legislated. The clean air act can be seen as the birth of environmental awareness, in which the US government took action to reduce air pollution in order to enhance air quality. Businesses in the US were made to comply with the legislation, and this could often involve the implementation of costly preventative measures in order to reduce pollution, especially for those organisations involved in high waste sectors (Hess, 2000). This legislation reflec ted a growing concern throughout developed nations in the 1970s regarding environmental quality, which was seen at the time as a pressing political concern. Earth day, a momentous event in 1970 acted as a national catharsis in which society pushed for change regarding environmental issues. Great pressure was put on manufacturing industries and, increasing media attention was given to those firms which were seen to be having a detrimental effect on the environment (Environmental protection agency, 2010). The clean air act of 1970 was followed by the clean water act in 1972. The development of acts relating to environmental issues was slowly picking up pace which was causing increasing concern to firms, which were largely the only opposition to such acts. Perhaps the most salient development in this period was the event which saw Allied Chemical indicted on account of 1094 pollution violations and forced to set up a system which monitored environmental risk (Groves and Pearce, 2005). The move to punish companies for bad environmental practice was a key development in environmental auditing and saw the beginning of a series of fines for those companies failing to comply with safe environmental practices. This is something which has become commonplace over the last ten years with a trend of increasing stringency regarding the governmental measurement of a firms environmental impact and, the appropriate measures of control. During the 1980s there was an increasing awareness of environmental issues politically, which led to the organisation of a professional auditing team to discuss environmental auditing in 1981. This was the first time in which environmental auditing had been discussed by an accountancy team, and by 1983, firms were already beginning to implement environmental audits. By 1986 the EPA had published an official policy report regarding environmental auditing; this could be seen as a call out to all other firms to follow safe environmental practices. The particular focus on this initial report being, that environmental auditing would help health and safety around the workplace. Meanwhile, in academic literature, the concept of environmental auditing was beginning to receive attention. This led to an increase in academic awareness of the subject which resulted in the conceptualisation and clarification of the topic (Cahill and Kane, 1984). During the last decade, there has been an increasin g amount of publications surrounding the topic of environmental auditing, and this has led to a greater understanding of what it constitutes. Furthermore, there have been an increasing number of regulatory bodies ensuring that strict regulations are in place and that firms activities are closely monitored (Porter Linde, 1999). It can also be noted that, since this period, where accountants were first consulted on the matter, there has been a recent trend within the last ten years whereby more and more intangible activities have been allocated quantifiable tangible costs, such that firms can be taxed and charged (Bovenberg Mooji, 1997). It is noted that throughout history, environmental auditing has been driven by catastrophic events that have caused significant environmental damage. It has been events such as these that have created pressure, which has been put on companies such as Shell, to implement preventative measures rather than measures which are responsive. The Union Carbide incident in India in 1984 caused many companies to sit up and pay attention to environmental concerns. The pesticide factory had failed to take appropriate actions to safeguard the disposal of waste gas and, during an evening in 1984, 3400 people were killed and 50,000 were made invalid due to a poisonous gas leak. The report that followed the incident highlighted how the company had known there were problems with the pipe and that this could cause such an event, however, the company had chosen to ignore it as a way of cutting (short term) costs (Long, 2008). Other major events during the 1980s included the Exon Valdez oil spill (Maki, 1991) and the Chernobyl nuclear leak. During the last ten years there has been a notable reduction in the amount of environmental disasters caused by neglect or incompetence on the part of firms. This is due to the influence of modern day environmental auditing which has caused companies to direct their focus towards tighter preventative measures rather than face potentially substantial costs. The 1990s saw the development of legislation regarding environmental concerns. Furthermore, companies began to introduce more sophisticated environmental auditing systems (Siniscalco et al, 2000). In the last decade, there has been a remarkable growth in the number of companies that report on various aspects of both their environmental and social policy (Owen, 2003). Such a rise in environmental auditing has continued consistently and remains to do so. Presently there has been a growth in the amount of companies focused on environmental auditing. Furthermore, in the last ten years there has been a rise in the amount of self auditing which is occurring within companies. The EPA has introduced a scheme in which companies can audit their own practices. This involves, the company in question, being able to report problems and even criminal violations without punishment, the caveat being that such problems are fixed. This therefore reflects a development from environmental auditing being viewed as merely the checklist of the 1980s and 1990s to one which is more focused on managerial processes (Hiemstra, 2007). CHAPTER THREE Shell and environmental auditing The Shell Oil Corporation is no stranger to environmental fines. Most recently, the company were forced to pay $19.5million in environmental fines due to violations at gas stations in the state of California (ABC news, 2009). The company have a long history of environmental fines, and, most noticeable is the $1.5 billion dollars the company had to pay due to oil spills in Nigeria (Baker, 2006). Increasingly stringent legislation has caused the firm to face up to their actions, with negative effects on the companys bottom line profits. No longer can the company get away with negative environmental actions and both governments and regulatory bodies will continue to punish the corporation until preventative measures are taken. Thus, it could be argued that the development of environmental auditing has had a negative effect on the firm. In response to such changes in environmental auditing, the company are taking increasing preventative measures in order to avoid the burden of large fine s, and, to promote a greener image to clients. This is reflected through the companys website in which a section highlights their commitment to the environment (Shell, 2010). Over the last ten years Shell have put an increasing amount of public prevention plans into place, thus highlighting how the company have responded to changes in environmental auditing by taking preventative rather than responsive measures. However, despite greater reporting of their environmental practices, the company have come under scrutiny regarding their independent environmental audits. In 2008, the company were accused of manipulating an environmental audit report so as to gain financial support for a new oil and gas project. It was shown through various reports that the company were attempting to downplay and edit environmental criticism (Environmental Leader, 2008 p.1) . This therefore presents an inherent problem with environmental auditing, that those firms with something to hide will often try to cover up reports of damages by manipulating external auditors. It can therefore be observed that, despite attempts to appear greener and offer preventative methods, Shell Oil Corporation still have a long way to go before they comply with all EPA regulations, and, until then, the company will continue to be fined for activities causing damage to the surrounding environment. CHAPTER FOUR Tescos and environmental auditing Tescos provide a prime example of the recent changes and trends that have occurred and developed over the last ten years, particularly the increasing trend of companies using environmental auditing as a marketing tool and as a means of competing with rivalling supermarkets such as Morrisons, MS, Sainsburys and Waitrose. In 2006, Sainsburys announced the launch of its ethical business drive in order to win back the green moral high ground from Tesco (Mesure, 2006). This followed Tescos high profile green initiatives whereby less plastic bags were used and carbon emissions were decreased. Sainsburys had in fact implement green stores 7 years previous to this, however, due to Tescos actions being more visible to the public through superior marketing, this was not sufficiently effective on a competitive level. This perfectly encapsulates the current trends by which companies have moved from preventative measures of environmental problems, as a result of environmental auditing, towards th e use of environmental auditing for the purpose of marketing the business and increasing its popularity among potential consumers within the market. This, however, potentially raises the presently salient issue of green washing, something that Tesco, in particular, have come under criticism for in recent years (Pierce, 2009). This usually involves the production and marketing of misleading reports regarding green standards, which raises issues of ethics in advertising. This has resulted in increasingly stringent environmental audits and more demanding standards that mean that it is becoming all the more difficult for companies such as Tesco to evade the associated penalties (Maltby, 1995). With this considered, and due to the often beneficial nature of sustainable practices on efficiency and popularity and, therefore, shareholder wealth, it would seem reasonable to predict that in the future, we will see less need for stringent external environmental auditing, as more companies will realise the long term financial and competitive benefits that are associated with lofty efficiency goals (Porter Linde, 1999). CHAPTER FIVE The future of environmental auditing From the above analyse conclusions can be drawn as to the future of environmental auditing. Firstly, there appears to be a current trend in the actions of companies moving from correction to preventative measures (Hiemstra, 2007). The Environmental protection agency, as mentioned, is encouraging a process of self auditing and this is likely to be an increasing trend for the future in which more and more firms become pro active towards such issues. Furthermore, in the future, there is likely to be a greater agreement that an emphasis on environmental practices can enhance bottom line profits. Such a trend is apparent now as firms such as Morrisons use environmental audits to promote a green image to their consumers which in turn could be said to be contributing to the company being voted retailer of the year. Another trend, as reflected in the example of Morrisons, is the increasing reporting of a companys carbon footprint. As evidence of the global climate crisis increases, more emphasis of such issues will be included in environmental audits, with the likelihood that this area will become a central project for many companies (Hiemstra, 2007). It can be concluded that the development of environmental auditing will increase, and it will develop into something which is no longer having to be imposed on firms, as firms begin to realise the benefits of good environmental practice and thus begin to self regulate. However, as shown in the cases of both Tescos and the Shell Oil Corporation, there are examples where such companies are shown to manipulate environmental audits, and thus, this calls for more stringent, stricter processes in the future in which firms truly do undertake independent audits which continue to be regulated to a high standard.