adam and eve not adam and stev essays

adam and eve not adam and stev essays Men and women have married one another for centuries, nobody thought any different of it. Until one day two men or two women wanted to wed; that is when the controversy begins. Gay and Lesbian relationships are becoming more widely accepted over the past few years, but still many people cringe at the idea of two people of the same gender being together. Now that it is possible for gay marriages to have and raise a family of their own through adoption it is becoming easier to make your own decisions and wedding whomever you feel worthy. In my opinion same sex marriages are wrong in the fact that it is not a normal thing to do which may lead to making a child confused by having two mothers or two fathers. It is not the traditional American family. According to Larry King A child learns most of the things they will use in life from their parents. Having same sex parents will only lead up to a child raised to be a male who finds other males attractive or a female which finds other females attractive. Also there is no substitute for a father or a mother. We need both parents to get through life. Children need both a masculine and a feminine role in their lives to guide them. Looking at this issue through spiritual eyes it seems as if God would have put two males or two females instead of one and one if that is what he wanted. He put a male and a female to seed the earth. The only way man can reproduce is through intercourse between one male and one female , not two male or two female. It does not seem right for a couple to get married if they cannot reproduce. Marrying someone of your own sex shows what type of moral values you were raised with and can make you seem worthless in Gods eyes , and that is scary. President George W. Bush stated , I think it is very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a we ...

Washington Irving, Father of the American Short Story

Washington Irving, Father of the American Short Story Washington Irving (April 3, 1783–November 28, 1859) was a writer, essayist, historian, biographer, and diplomat most famous for the short stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. These works were both a part of The Sketch Book, the collection of short stories that won him international recognition. Washington Irving has been called the father of the American short story because of his early and unique contributions to the form. Fast Facts: Washington Irving Known For:  Father of the American short story, biographer, historian, diplomatAlso Known As:  Dietrich Knickerbocker, Jonathan Oldstyle, and Geoffrey CrayonBorn:  April 3, 1783 in New York CityParents: William Irving and Sarah SandersDied:  November 28, 1859 in Tarrytown, New YorkEducation: Elementary school, law schoolPublished Works:  A History of New York, The Sketch Book (including the stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Bracebridge Hall, The Alhambra, The Life of George WashingtonFiancà ©e: Matilda HoffmannNotable Quote: There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I have found in travelling in a stage-coach, that it is often a comfort to shift ones position and be bruised in a new place. Early Life and Education Washington Irving was born on April 3, 1783, in New York City. His father William was a Scottish-American merchant, and his mother Sarah Sanders was the daughter of an English clergyman. At the time of his birth, the American Revolution was just ending. His parents were patriotic. His mother said upon the birth of her 11th child,[General] Washingtons work is ended and the child shall be named after him. According to Irving biographer Mary Weatherspoon Bowden, Irving maintained close ties with his family his entire life. Washington Irving read a great deal as a boy, including  Robinson Crusoe, Sinbad the Sailor, and The World Displayed. His formal education consisted of elementary school until he was 16, where he performed without distinction. Early Writing Career Irving began writing when he was 19 as a journalist using the pseudonym Jonathan Oldstyle.  As a reporter for his brother Peter’s newspaper The Morning Chronicle, he covered Aaron Burr’s treason trial. Irving traveled widely in Europe from 1804 to 1806 on a grand tour, paid for by his family. After returning, using the pseudonym Dietrich Knickerbocker, Irving published the 1809 comic history of Dutch life in New York, A History of New York. Some literary scholars consider this work of burlesque fiction to be his greatest book. He then studied law and he passed the bar in 1807. Engagement Washington Irving was engaged to marry Matilda Hoffmann, the daughter of a prominent local family. She died of consumption on April 26, 1809, at the age of 17. Irving never became engaged or married anyone after the tragedy. This loss indeed scarred his life. In response to an inquiry about why he had never married, Irving wrote in a letter, saying: For years I could not talk on the subject of this hopeless regret; I could not even mention her name, but her image was continually before me, and I dreamt of her incessantly. Europe and Literary Acclaim Irving returned to Europe in 1815 and lived there for 17 years. In 1820, he published  The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent, a collection of stories including his best-known works,  Rip Van Winkle  and  The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. These stories are thought to be the first examples of the genre of the short story, and they are both gothic and humorous. The Sketch-Book was a milestone in American literary history because it was the first piece of American writing to garner European recognition. James Fenimore Cooper was the only other contemporary American writer to receive international acclaim. Later in his life, Irving would encourage the careers of great American authors Nathaniel Hawthorne,  Edgar Allen Poe,  and  Herman Melville. In 1832 while living in Spain, Irving published Alhambra, which described the history and stories of Moorish Spain. After a few years back in the United States, Irving returned to Spain, serving as the U.S. minister to Spain from 1842–1845 under President John Tyler. Other Writing Irving returned to the United States in 1846 and moved back to his home of Sunnyside in Tarrytown, New York.  In his later years, he wrote less fiction. His works include essays, poetry, travel writing, and biography. Over his lifetime, he published biographies of poet Oliver Goldsmith, the prophet Muhammad, and Christopher Columbus. Irvings contributions to the American idiom include coining the word â€Å"Gotham† as a nickname for New York City. Irving was also the first to use the phrase â€Å"the almighty dollar.†Ã‚   Later Years and Death With his popularity high, Irving kept up with work and correspondence into his 70s. He completed his five-volume biography of his namesake George Washington only eight months before his death. Washington Irving died of a heart attack in Tarrytown, New York on November 28, 1859. He seemed to foretell his death, as he said before going to bed: Well, I must arrange my pillows for another weary night! If this could only end! Irving was, fittingly, buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Legacy American literary scholar Fred Lewis Pattee summarized Irvings contributions as follows: He made short fiction popular; stripped the prose tale of its didactic elements and made it a literary form solely for entertainment; added richness of atmosphere and unity of tone; added definite locality and actual American scenery and people; brought a peculiar nicety of execution and patient workmanship; added humor and lightness of touch; was original; created characters who are always definite individuals; and endowed the short story with a style that is finished and beautiful. In 1940, Irving was the first author to be featured on the â€Å"Famous Americans† series stamps.   Sources â€Å"Concerning Washington Irving.†Ã‚  The Washington Irving Inn, 9 May 2019.Gallagher, Edward J.  Background: Irving the Historian.â€Å"Washington Irving.†Ã‚  Short Stories and Classic Literature.Weatherspoon Bowden, Mary. Washington Irving. Macmillan Publishing Company, Incorporated, 1981.

Letter and Memo paper Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Letter and Memo paper - Assignment Example Media print, while still a viable and relevant source, cannot keep up with the pace of this world. Keefe's cartoon doesn't only criticize the congressman's glib remarks, but also calls for bloggers to be responsible for the information they are presenting. As a student and aspiring writer, I am all too aware of the importance of sources and presenting the correct information. The death of the Rocky Mountain News also signifies the dawning of an era that may run rampant with incorrect information and stolen material. Keefe's cartoon emphasizes the importance in maintaining journalistic standards as we move away from print media. The congressman was a bit over zealous in his congratulations for the takeover and should have also taken the opportunity to warn bloggers and citizen journalists about checking their sources and giving credit where it is due. Keefe did an excellent job of scolding Congressman Polis' thoughtless remarks while still calling attention to the larger problem at hand. As you have requested, I have outlined the purpose of my letter to the editor at the Denver Post. I took into account the audience that I will be addressing and the important factors that shape my letter.

Software Engineering CW4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Software Engineering CW4 - Essay Example In the engineering sector, fire safety has remained a highly critical undertaking regarding any project initiated in the contemporary world. According to Casey and Grant (2008), the risks posed by fires in the current times, continues to cause a serious challenge to engineers across the entire profession. The requirement of control measures to fire outbreaks becomes an imperative undertaking in the construction of buildings. Therefore, Fire and Security Alarm Monitoring (FASAM) has a greater role in the engineering projects. Fire safety, remains a key concern for many engineers and leads to the initiation of fire safety elements in the projects forming a core part in their implementation (Garis and Clare 2012). This is dictated by diverse challenges emanating from the fire concerns. The requirements for fire fighting equipments like fire extinguishers comes in handy and are highly critical in this context. Further, the installation of an automated fire safety remains essential in ens uring fire safety within expansive buildings. According to NICET (2010), the understanding of various types of fire alarms system forms a basic concept in the fire control. The construction and development of fire safety reporting software could be termed as the beginning of developing a Fire and Security Alarm Monitoring (FASAM) system. The development of automated system could essentially provide immense assistance to the security of fire within buildings or industrial premises. This paper aims at looking at the goals and principles underpinning the FASAM in software engineering as well as the achievements realised. 2.0. Goals and Principles of Software Engineering in regard to FASAM 2.1. Goals The automated Fire and Security Alarm Monitoring system ought to achieve several organisational goals in dealing with the threats posed by fire, and other security concerns within large buildings. The main operational goals of developing the automated system revolve around ensuring that the security threats become handled in a timely and efficient manner (Schwalbe 2005). Among the fundamental concerns that might ensure timely response, include ensuring the involved individuals remain prepared for unexpected occurrences. Preparedness of the involved individuals shall be ensured through the information gathered from the system on a daily basis. The main goals which the FASAM system should achieve include: Providing detailed information concerning the security of the building to the relevant authorities involved in security management. Activating security and fire alarms, in the event of a safety threat, occurring within the concerned building. Storing the information regarding daily occurrences within the building that might assist involved individuals in improving the security within the building. 2.2. Basic Principles According to Pressman (2005), the software development process follows the specified basic principles utilized in development of software within the sof tware engineering profession. The utilized principles govern the profession where development of new programs involves coming up with systems aimed at performing duties previously performed manually. The development of this FASAM system shall inherently involve the conversion of the

Knowledge Worker Paper-Sheila Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Knowledge Worker Paper-Sheila - Essay Example ry assets of organizations in recent decades, more so, because of the highly competitive nature of the business environment which constantly pushes businesses to engage in the development of strategies, tools and techniques to maximize efficiency. This paper addresses the key questions regarding the concept of knowledge workers and traces their development from a historical context. Moreover, the analysis also examines the functions of knowledge workers as a part of the wider organizational framework through the application of a comparison matrix. For the purposes of understanding why organizational needs and requirements have been shaped in such a manner where the need to recruit knowledge workers has become so indispensible, it is important to identify a simultaneous rise in the significance of knowledge creation and accumulation in the organization. In current circumstances where competitive standings have prompted organizations to secure technologies and techniques to contribute towards the enhancement of their operations, the acquisition of knowledge remains a top priority. As noted by Lewis (2004), organizational needs to advance the establishment of knowledge systems can be identified in the development of models and frameworks which support this need. For example, models such as transactive memory systems or TMS contribute towards the knowledge worker spectrum and represent the progress which has been achieved in this regard from the starting point. Additionally, the realm of knowledge acquisition and creation has thus far developed into a system whereby individuals do not essentially comprise of the system but in fact, ‘knowledge worker teams’ are being formed to cope with the rising demand for knowledge acquisition and creation across firms. Moreover, it also important to identify how the development of the knowledge worker concept has began to integrate itself within the scope of human resource practices. This aspect coincides with the

Key Challenges And Risks Of Erp Systems Information Technology Essay

Key Challenges And Risks Of Erp Systems Information Technology Essay Historically ERP systems evolved form system integration. It is a system which is designed to mange production, inventory, and finance and order facility.ERP system integrate inventory data with finance, sells and hr data to give it a seamless integration (Stephen Harwood,2003). It allows the organization to price their products, manage the resources, people, material and money(Jatinder N. D. Gupta, Sushil K. Sharma, Mohammad Abdur Rashid Computers 2008 ). Implementation of ERP system is quite straightforward when it is implemented in a small size company which not diverse geographically and physically, but the real challenge of ERP systems come when it is being implemented in global basis where the company is spread in different part of the globe with different time business process, regulations and different business interests ( M. lyne Markus,Cornelis Tanis,Paul C .van Fenma april,2000).According to oKane (2004) attention of ERP researchers should shift from hard elements to sof t elements. Soft elements mean addressing the organizational and the cultural problem. More over an appropriate ERP implementation requires good management intervention as part of the implementation process. Key challenges and risks: With success full implementation of ERP an organization can reap many benefits. But first we are going to analyse what are the potential challenges involved in a global implementation of ERP. As many IS research explanation tells that the Go live or roll out of the project does not mean that the project is successfully implemented. We have to think beyond this part and also take into account the part of Post implementation risks. A risk can be defined as the occurrence of an event that has consequences for, or impacts on a particular project (Kleim and Ludin, 2000, p. 3). risk: Owing to the size and complexity of an ERP system, identification of risk in ERP post-adoption is a very time-consuming and complicated task. There are four kind or post implementation risk as defined by (Guo Chao Peng and Miguel Baptista Nunes,2009). (1) Operational risk (OR). Operational staffs are daily users of ERP systems. OR refer to risks that may occur from operational staffs. (2) Analytical risk (AR). Front-line managers use ERP systems to generate plans and forecasts (e.g. production plan, sales forecast, etc.) to predict and better manage the uncertain future. ARs refer to risks that may occur as managers use ERPs to carry out analytical tasks. (3) Organisation-wide risk (OWR). When using and maintaining ERPs in the post-implementation stage, companies may encounter a set of risk events in relation to various internal (e.g. system users and in-house IT experts) and external factors (e.g. system vendor and system consultants). Such risks may have impacts on the entire company and therefore are referred to as OWRs. (4) Technical risk (TR). A set of system and technical factors may result in risk events that can hinder the ERP system from meeting its intended functions and performance requirements. These risk events are identified as TRs. To elaborate it further if operational staffs are reluctant to use the new ERP system then that causes a major risks towards the success factor of the implementation.ERP system are mainly used to automate the transactional process. As a result the operational staffs are the most frequent user of the system as a result their involvement and adoption of the project are important in terms of the success of the project (Scapens and Jazayeri, 2003). This risks can be multiplied by many other actors like psychological anxiety of the staffs (e.g. unwilling to change and fear of loss of job), initial failures in system implementation (e.g. insufficient training), system pitfalls (e.g. poor user interface and system design) and lack of confidence in the system.ERP system is involved with the transaction of high volume of data and most of the time the data that is been put into the database of the system should be very accurate. All preliminary data of ERP is inputted by operational staff. It is observed that the integrated data flowed so quickly through the system that there was little opportunity to track down mistakes before they showed up on everybodys screens (Scapens and Jazayeri, 2003). To elaborate further if one input is been given wrong by any operational staffs they impact on the system can so huge that it may disturb the correct functioning of the whole organization. This happens due to insufficient training given to the staffs, lack of experience, demotivation or tiredness. Analytical Risks:Apart for the operational staffs front line managers are also key users of the ERP systems (Shang and Seddon, 2002) therefore are crucial factor for ERP success. This can happen due to insufficient training, reluctance to change .As a result managers cannot take appropriate decisions regarding foresting and taking analytical decision thus under utilizing the full potential of ERP system. Managers needs different kind of data to suit their needs .When the laid system is a part of a global implementation it becomes even more difficult for the managers to get the actual data that they want ,as it is sometimes very hard to customize the system according to the need of the manager. (Sage, 2005). Organization wide risk: Top managers are neither IT experts nor they use IT system very much. Therefore they lack the operational expertise and technical knowledge to take important decision regarding IT implementation. Hence, decision being made by top managers without the involvement of users and IT managers is a risk that may occur in IT projects (Lientz and Larssen, 2006, p. 116).This risks occurs for global implementation as top management are not very enthusiastic about the post implementation maintenance and up gradation. Top management support is therefore frequently regarded as a crucial factor affecting the success of ERP implementation (Gargeya and Brady, 2005; Loh and Koh, 2004). High skilled labours are very important for the system maintenance and enhancement. (Ifinedo and Nahar, 2009). It is very important for the company to hold their key resources. As ERP professionals are in high demand it is very important for the organization to hold their key knowledge workers. However, as widely acknowledged, due to high market demand for this type of professional, Companies sometimes may find it difficult to retain their highly qualified ERP experts (Sumner, 2000). Confidential data of company must be stored in secure place carefully, if important and confidential data is accessed by unauthorised users that my cause potential lead to information leakage and business crisis. (Yosha, 1995). Technical risk:-Different modules of ERP systems are to be seamlessly integrated. It becomes particularly a very challenging thing when the implementation is very huge and there are different legacy systems required for different country or different sister concerns. Therefore, it is not uncommon for modern companies to procure suitable software modules from different system vendors to form their own unique ERP system (Currie, 2003). System is not properly modified to meet the business system needs. The business environment and business needs change according to situation and as a result the ERP site should be constantly modified .The implemented system should be constantly reviewed in post implementation state After looking into the potential challenges of ERP implementation we are going analyse the challenges with a theoretical lenses and view the issues with a proper example and contextual background. Critical success factor framework: We are going to analyse the issues with the theoretical framework and address the risk factors. As potential risks and challenges are already explained we are going to see a risk mitigation frame work and analyse how to set the frame work to maximise the performance of the company. According to Scott and Walker performance in general can be determined by three factors ability, motivation and working environment. Further it can be derived with the equation Performance=ability ÃÆ'- motivation ÃÆ'- environment Uden, 2005 demonstrated that there are nine identifying factors which influence any organization in achieving high performance. They are leadership, people, policy and strategy, partnership and resource, Process, People Result, and Customer result, Society Result, Key performance result. It is the people who are main factors ,so it is necessary that the working environment are congenial and the people who are being managed give their best in the environment (Mintzberg,2004),thus improving the morale and commitment while encouraging them to manage the organization s process I a way will increase the level of performance and achievement. According to (Castka, 2001) the precondition of high performance depends on the creativity, decision making, interpersonal skills, participation, decision making. Arnett et al (2002) says that emotion and pride goes for high performance it goes beyond the barrier and makes the employee work for the organization to achieve high performance. To address the soft factors there are numerous cited in the literature. These soft factors are often referred as critical successes factors (CSF) are as Rockhart (1979) explained are areas of activity that should receive constant and careful attention from the management .These is classified in to three management grouping. Soft Factor (strategy) Top management Commitment, ERP strategy, Clear goal focus and scope, Legacy systems management. Soft Factors (People) Training and education, Employee attitude, Empowerment, Project Team, User involvement and satisfaction. Soft Factors (Organizational ) Organizational Culture, Effective Communication ,Computer Culture, Effective Project Management, Change Management strategy, Process management. Example and implementation of framework: Now we are going to look into a famous The FoxMeyer Drugs Bankruptcy case of ERP Implementation.( Judy E. Scott, 2009). FoxMeyer Drugs was a $5 billion company and the nations fourth largest distributor of pharmaceuticals before the fiasco. FoxMeyer conducted market research and product evaluation and purchased an ERP package in December of that year. FoxMeyer also purchased warehouse-automation from a vendor, and chose a Consulting company to integrate and implement the two systems Implementation of the project took place during 1994 and 1995. The project at FoxMeyer Drugs was at risk for several reasons. Using a framework developed for identifying software project risks (Keil, Cule, Lyytinen and Schmidt 1998),(1) customer mandate, (2) scope and requirements, (3) execution and (4) environment. Customer mandate relies on the commitment of the manager and the end user. At FoxMeyer though the management was committed towards the project the end users were not very confident about the project. In fact due to warehouse automation there was a definite moral problem among the workers as due to the automation there were a fear of job security. This we can relate to the Operational risk (OR risk) as explained above. As for OR as the end users were the most extensive user of the ERP application this was a crucial factor towards the success and failure of the project. According to Scott Walker performance equation as the moral were down the performance of the organization also was not up to the mark. Secondly the scope of the project was risky as the FoxMeyer signed with new deals with the University Health System Consortium (UHC) after the announced the project as a result the data transaction that was pre estimated changed rapidly. Thirdly the execution of the project was in trouble as there were not enough knowledge workers. The individual expertise of the organization was very and they were dependent on the expertise of the consulting organization as a result there were greater dependency. Although FoxMeyer must have realized the project was in trouble, its perceived dependence on consultants and vendors prevented it from seeing how it could gain control. We are going to analyze how we are going to analyse the soft organizational factor played its part in the implementation. The change management and process management were not in place as .The consulting company that were hired by the FoxMeyer were not putting enough expertise in project. The vendor company were also treating the entire process as a experimental background. There were no mutual trust among the entire stakeholders involved in the project as a result the project management team were not confident .As there were no trust in the process the indi vidual stake holders were working like silo as a result there not proper communication .As explained earlier critical successes factors (CSF) (Rockhart, 1979) in terms of soft organizational factors were in trouble .As a result the project ran into trouble. FoxMeyer CIO Robert Brown felt a high degree of personal responsibility saying, We are betting our company on this. (Cafasso 1994) Moreover, he expressed his emotional attachment to the project when he boasted about how an integrated multi million computer systems built on ERP would radically improve the companys critical operations. However FoxMeyer were over budget for the project. In spite of running over budget FoxMeyer CIO was too much confident about the consultancy company and he was over whelmed about the success story of the particular system. As a result the project ran in to problem. To conclude about the fact that there are high risks involved when adopting new technologies, especially in a unique situation where the vendor cannot identify the exact organizational culture. FoxMeyer should have realized the risk in adopting new ERP system in its early years and negotiated with the consultants to share the project risks by tying their compensation to project results. They should have gone for more knowledge workers and expertise. The top management thought that just by applying sophisticated software system into the organization will solve their problem, which was not right. As ERP projects are not for business process reengineering, it is neither only to enhance the business process nor to change it. The company should have gone for business process change before applying the software into the organization. As explained by Rockhardt the failure was due to the soft factor starting from strategy, people to organization. ERP in present situation and future:-ERP in future is going to change with the new technology like virtualization, cloud computing, SOA service oriented architecture, SA AS software as a service. Some expects web services to to play a prominent role in future ERP (OBrien,2002,ACW TEAM 2004 ,Abbound and vera ,2007).The capability of web services in integrating data ,application and processes across the internet (OBrien 2002) may result in ERP systems heavily on Service oriented architecture (SOA) .However as the open source community gains more strength the popularity of open source ERP system like sugar CRM will increase more and more. This may not happen in one or two years or in a decade but as and when the service ine managers will understand the need of new technology and enhancement the ERP as it is today will change .Cloud concept and software as a service will evolve to take the place of ERP system. Conclusions: The study has led to several important conclusions. Specifically, the results confirmed that successful implementation of the system is not an on step solution . In truth, a wide range of risks may occur in diverse business and system-related areas during ERP post-adoption. More importantly, the findings also show that an ERP risk may often be the cause or consequence of other risks. Because these identified risk events seem to be interwoven and related with each other, they may be very difficult to manage, mitigate and contain. As a consequence, in order to ensure long-term ERP success, IS managers must become aware of these risks and take proper risk mitigation actions as early as possible. If ERP implementation is not done with soft factors and organization keeping in to mind then it may cause drift. Particularly in organization which is diverse and located in various part of the globe, successful ERP implementation has many risk and success factors to take into account. Acknowledgement:- There are several references in the study which is left unexplored fully. Future research will see the full exploration and will also explore the practitioners view on this.

Activity Based Costing Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction Activity Based Costing (ABC) addresses internal operating concerns and is an augmentation to the traditional cost management system. It is not a replacement for traditional accounting, but makes use of the source documents provided from standard job costing systems. ABC looks at a business unità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s events as cost drivers and assigns all company resources and accumulated costs against those events in a time-phased sequence. Revenue tracking provides management with a different point of view on the profitability of products and services, providing insight into pricing. Middle management and technical performing organizations are involved in the line item reporting provided within the ABC system, enabling management to achieve more responsibility of reported information throughout all levels of the organization. ABC is being ostensible by the accounting industry as the wave of the future and is gaining broad acceptance within larger organizations. This system is intended to provide performing entities and management alike. History of ABC Activity Based Costing (ABC) is an approach to costing that considers the resources consumed by activities in order to create and deliver a product or service. It evolved in the mid-1980s to improve the allocation of manufacturing overhead costs to products, but it soon became apparent that activity-based costing systems could be expanded to include non-manufacturing costs (Langfield-Smith, Thorne & Hilton, 2004). Review of ABC Whereas the underlying assumption of a conventional costing system is simply that products cause costs, an activity based costing system assumes that cost objects (e.g. juice) creates the demand for activities (e.g. manufacturing), which in turn causes resources to be consumed (e.g. manufacturing time, outlet space, etc.) and causes costs. Cost objects are the reason for performing activities, and activities are the processes or procedures that cause work and create costs. ABC analyses costs from the perception of the how much a particular activity costs, and the amount of resources consumed by the end product of the activity. Using activity based costing differs from traditional cost accounting in that the focus is on the activities that are required to produce an end product, rather than assuming that the volume of the end product is the only driver of costs. A cost driver is ... ... operations Problems with ABC While activity-based costing may yield more detailed product cost estimates, it must pass a cost benefit test before being implemented. Activity-based costing requires a much more detailed breakdown of costs into activities that cause costs. This can be a complex task involving the teamwork of management, production, accounting, purchasing, marketing and many others. A company should implement ABC only if it thinks the benefit from improved management decisions will outweigh the cost of establishing and maintaining the new cost system. Furthermore, there might be underestimation of the task of collecting activity driver data, and the implementation of this system may be considered a financial management which might cause insufficient commitment from operational managers. We should use activity-based costing if we find the benefits from the new system exceed its costs. REFERENCE 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Innes, J & Mitchell, F. (1991), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Activity Based Cost Managementà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, CIMA 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Smith, K.L., Thorne, H., Hilton, R.W., (2004), à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Management Accounting à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" an Australian perspectiveà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill

Langston Hughes and Leonardo Da Vinci Essay

My paper is about Langston Hughes and Leonardo Da Vinci and how they have an effect on their readers and their positive aspects on life. Leonardo Da Vinci was born in 1452 in a town named Vinci in Italy. He was a renaissance painter and he painted realistically, he used light and dark colors in his paintings. In his paintings he painted figures without outlining them. He used a style called â€Å"chiaroscuro† and he used light and shadow to give his pictures a 3-D effect. He painted different types of moods in his paintings. Leonardo Da Vinci most famous painting was the Mona Lisa painting. He started the painting in the year 1503. The painting was thought to be a woman name Lisa Gherardini, wife of a Florentine cloth merchant name Francesco Del Giocondo. They also said the reason for her smile was because she was pregnant. During the 1485 to 1490 Leonardo da Vinci was a renaissance painter. The duke from his time kept him busy painting pictures and sculpting and designing elaborate court festivals. He started to study things like nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, etc. In this time period most of his studies contained advanced weapons such as a tank and other war vehicles. Between 1490 and 1495 he developed a study in meticulously illustrated notebooks. His worked covered four main themes such as paintings, architecture, the elements of mechanics, and human anatomy. There was an invasion by French and Ludovico Sforza and that left Leonardo to search for a new patron. For the next 16 years Leonardo worked and traveled through Italy for a number of employers. Leonardo was important because he came up with ideas of inventions like flying machines and underwater breathing devices. He also was specialized in fields like arts math science. He was an inventor, artist, and scientist who studied nature of the renaissance. His most famous painting the Mona Lisa made him very famous and it was one of the best paintings in his time. His geographical background didn’t really influence his work. It was mostly nature, flying machines, geometry, mechanics, municipal construction, and etc. He used nature in his art and things that he found interesting to him he would use it and put it in his paintings. For example his Mona Lisa painting was inspired by a female that he knew. One of his famous paintings was â€Å"The Last Supper†. The painting was started on 1508 and was done in the year 1549. This painting got a lot of recognition when it was painted. It was a picture of Jesus with his twelve apostles eating. This is a very famous painting it is used throughout the world and it is held in churches which symbolizes â€Å"The Last Supper.† The last painting I’m going to talk about is â€Å"the Virgin of the Rocks†. This painting was also recognized as a very famous painting. It was started in 1483 and finished in 1486. The painting shows a picture of angels playing a musical instrument which is believed to have been part of the composition that was set into altarpieces. Langston Hughes was an African American poet during the Harlem Renaissance. He was born February 1, 1902 in Joplin, Missouri and died on May 22, 1967. He was one of the creators of the new literary art form called Jazz poetry. His poetry and books showed the lives of the working class blacks in America and there struggles. One of his main points was Race, Hughes tried to get across to the people and show them that Black is beautiful, fearless, and strong. He was a black writer during the time blackness wasn’t accepted. In his work he confronted racial stereotypes through poetry and his books. All Hughes wanted was for his readers to read his work and start to feel good about themselves and the color of their skin and to know that they are strong and full with courage. I think the main part about race Hughes wanted to get across in his work is that Black Is Beautiful. Another point he was trying to get across in his work is Social Class. Social Class meaning the way blacks were living compared to the way Caucasians were living during the Harlem renaissance. In Hughes’s books he wanted to show or get across the real lives of blacks in the lower class. Most of his poetry and stories showed the lives of the working class blacks in America, and there struggle. Hughes his self-protested with blacks of the lower class social conditions to show that he to understand the struggle and hard times they are going through. They began to call Hughes a people’s poet, because how he helped the people through his writers work and hands on work in the community. The last point his work was based upon was equality. He always felt that no matter what race you are that we all should be treated equal. He believed that chances that a Caucasian person should get another ethnicity should get the same opportunity. He feels if everyone is treated equal that the world would be a better place. These are the three points that Langston was trying to get across in his readings. He talked about race, social class and, equality. He mainly focused on them three points in his writings so he could send his message to his readers who read his poems. Both Langston Hughes and Leonardo da Vinci were renaissance men. They both were very famous poets during their time and still are being talked about throughout the world. They both gave a good aspect on life and both of their work was positive towards their readers. Langston Hughes talked about how all people should be treated the same no matter what race you are. Leonardo Da Vinci drew painting such as the â€Å"The Last Supper† which is a painting of when Jesus had the last supper with his twelve disciples and he announces that one of them betrayed him. References Biography Leonardo Da Vinci. (1996). Bio True story .Retrieved from www.biography .com Biography Langston Hughes. (1996). Bio True story. Retrieved from www.biography.com

An Analysis of Accountability in Traditional, New and Networked Public Management

An Analysis of Accountability in Traditional, New and Networked Public Management Introduction Articles such as Considine (2002) and Kluvers Tippett (2011) detail the importance of accountability in governance and how it is an integral aspect in establishing proper public management and policy networks. It is quite interesting to note though that traditional public management as well as new public management have different views and criticisms on how accountability should be applied in the field of governance.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Accountability in Traditional, New and Networked Public Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For example, in traditional public management accountability is thought of as a type of formal and hierarchical framework from which managers within their respective departments comply with a set format of rules, regulations and standards of conduct. However, as described by Wood (2004) in his examination of accountability in traditional public m anagement, this type of accountability often results in slow systems wherein in their desire to comply with set standards of accountability managers actually fail to implement discretionary measures to get the job done so to speak which results in an unwieldy system of governance (Wood, 2004: 1-30). Researchers such as Considine (2002) who examined accountability in public management even point out that too much of it can clog up the works, diverting resources and opening organizations to perverse pressures (Considine, 2002: 21-40). It is based on these different accounts of what accountability consists of that it is necessary to determine how accountability is applied differently in different methods of public management. The purpose of this essay to is to analyze the various changes that occur in public accountability. This ranges from examining traditional public administration, to going over network governance and finally to briefly elaborating on new public management. This ess ay is divided into four main sections: an initial section that will examine the theoretical aspects of public accountability, after which it will delve into the 3 models of public administration in which the differences in the three models in terms of accountability will be explained and lastly this paper will attempt to demonstrate public accountability in network governance. This paper will help to reveal how too much accountability in traditional public management and policy networks can clog the works as stated by Considine (2002) and to what extent should accountability be applied to avoid stagnation due to fear and hesitance or to prevent abuse as a direct result of too much freedom.Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More What are the theoretical aspects of public accountability? It is interesting to note that the concept of accountability is considered an importa nt aspect of any government entity. The reason behind this is quite simple; it acts as an integral facilitator of the relationship between the government and ordinary citizens since it holds public officials accountable for their actions (Alford Hughes, 2008). Studies such as those by Martin Halachmi (2012) explain that public accountability should be considered a hallmark of effective governance since without it, it is likely that government bureaucracy could fall into a state where it becomes omnipotent and innately corrupt (Martin Halachmi, 2012: 189-23). According to studies such as those by Kluvers Tippett (2011), the concept of accountability should not be interchanged with that of responsibility (Kluvers Tippett, 2011: 3-9). Responsibility is considered the manner in which a manager or department head is responsible for the actions of their employees to a certain degree. This does not mean that they are liable for all errors committed; rather, they are responsible for ac tions committed which are done in the line of duty. In the case of accountability this takes the form of being accountable for the success or failure of particular programs based on their performance (Koliba et al., 2011: 210-220). A manager cannot simply offset the blame towards his/her subordinates; rather, regardless of errors committed that manager/official was still liable for the aftereffects of the program and should face the consequences of such actions (Koliba et al., 2011: 210-220). A working culture is defined as the set of organization traits and practices that employees follow within a given business environment. As such their actions, practices and goals are all determined by the working culture by which they adhere their actions to. What must be understood is that different working cultures promote various types of behaviors within their employees one of them is the idea that they are accountable for their actions (Pennington, 2009: 146-150). As stated by Samaratunge, Alam Teicher (2008), public accountability it is meant to invoke a sense of reliability, loyalty, justice and trust between the public and the official in charge (Samaratunge, Alam Teicher, 2008: 101-126). By being accountable for ones actions, this ensures the public that those in charge of the public good are doing so based on the awareness that their actions will be judged with the official being liable for the end result, whether good or bad.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on An Analysis of Accountability in Traditional, New and Networked Public Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In order to understand more about this concept, it is necessary to understand how accountability is divided in the present Samaratunge, Alam Teicher (2008). Through the study of Chan Rosenbloom (2010), accountability is divided into 4 distinct types, namely: hierarchical legal political professional In the case of politica l and professional accountability, it is important to note that these grant a greater degree of autonomy wherein public officials are allowed more leeway in terms of discretionary measures that can be utilized in order to pursue particular tasks (Chan Rosenbloom, 2010: 21-33). This is particularly important to take into consideration since studies such as Kluvers Tippett (2011) explain that when it came to public management overly strict accountability checks on governments often led to a degree of hesitance in developing new policies and public management strategies which resulted in a complacent or even stagnant form of governance (Kluvers Tippett, 2011: 519-527). In such cases, officials were often too hesitant or fearful in performing particular duties or establishing particular reforms due to the burden of accountability. This was noted when it came to hierarchical and legal accountability wherein there were more â€Å"checks† when it came to performing particular act ions which resulted in an active discouragement of discretionary measures in public management. In the case of new public management such limitations were apparently addressed by freeing officials within the government to a certain extent to allow them the freedom to better manage policies, strategies and employees to make their system of public management more effective (Alford Hughes, 2008:148. One iteration of this came in the form of privatization of functions that were originally within the domain of government departments (Kluvers Tippett, 2012: 519-527).  Other forms of accountability as expressed by Burns Zhou (2010) include organizational accountability, individual accountability, collective accountability and corporate accountability (Burns Zhou, 2010: 7-34). Basically, what these forms of accountability emphasized when it came to public management was that as a result of various government officials and employees being entrusted with tax payer money in order to prov ide particular services, they in turn have the obligation to utilize these funds in a proper manner and in effect be accountable for doing so.Advertising Looking for essay on public administration? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is based on this that when officials and employees violate the sanctity of this trust that they should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.  Another aspect of accountability that should be taken into consideration is the concept of an organizations accountability to perform. As stated by Demirag Khadaroo (2011) government institutions are accountable to the general public in being able to provision the benefits and services that they are being paid to accomplish (Demirag Khadaroo, 2011: 271-296). This creates the needs to establish particular objectives, goals, metrics and bench-marks that are needed in order to ensure that governments are well aware of the necessity of reaching these particular goals in order to stay true to their accountability to the general public (Demirag Khadaroo, 2011: 271-296 ). Clear evidence of a violation of government accountability to performance was noted in the case of the political culture within the U.S. involving the tempestuous re lationship between Republicans and Democrats. During the decision to raise the debt ceiling (2011 2012), it was the adversarial political culture between the two parties that stalled the necessary decision to raise the debt ceiling to such an extent that Standard and Poor actually downgraded the investment grade status of the U.S. as a result. By the beginning of 2012 public perception regarding the continued effectiveness of the U.S. government significantly waned given that the sheer lack of accountability to perform that was displayed. Examining Accountability in Traditional Public Administration As explained earlier, accountability in traditional public administration is seen through the lens of political and democratic accountability. In such cases government officials and employees are held accountable to the general population by way of the popular vote. This means that those in the civil service are accountable to the countrys citizens by way of the politicians that they se rve. It should be noted though that there are distinct problems with the TPA model involving accountability (Heinrich, 2002: 712-725). First and foremost, while politicians are held accountable by the general public for the failure of particular projects or policies, the administrators of such projects are at times not held liable for failure despite their intimate role in the projects/policys inception and execution. Another problem with the TPA model of accountability comes in the form of its emphasis on capturing mistakes rather than showing achievements. In such cases, politicians and administrators often to follow the past of least resistance in enacting certain projects or policies. In this regard the hesitance seen among the members reveals the unwillingness to commit mistakes since it is often the mistakes rather than the achievements that are the primary focus of the TPA accountability model. This results in the same problems described by Considine (2002) who examined accou ntability in public management wherein he stated that too much accountability can clog up the works, diverting resources and opening organizations to perverse pressures (Considine, 2002: 21-40). The TPA model involving accountability helps to reduce the amount of mistakes made through greater supervision of actions due to the liability of politicians towards the actions of their subordinates, the fact remains that this results in a slower form of public management. In the examination of Humphrey Miller (2012) on accountability practices, Humphrey and Miller attempted to determine the impact of accountability on public management, they were able to reveal that less accountability resulted in a more efficient system of governance since this allowed officials to pursue results rather than specifically focus on the procedures involving the financial and legal aspects of public management (Humphrey Miller, 2012: 295-327). Examining Accountability in New Public Management Based on the w ork of Wimbush (2011) which examine the new public management model of accountability, citizens are viewed as customers with public officials being the managers ensuring that these customers are satisfied with the services that they are being given (Wimbush, 2011: 211-218). In the case of the NPM model of accountability, managers (i.e. public officials) shifted the focus more towards improving the relationship between the government and the citizenry as compared to the previous model which focused more on developing a more hierarchical process of accountability (Ospina, Grau Zaltsman, 2004: 229-251). In this case the bureaucracy of accountability was shifted towards the side of the citizens wherein they, as consumers of the services of the government, are better positioned to be evaluators of public agencies.  The main different between the NPM model and the TPA model of accountability is that the latter is actually considered inefficiently due to the way in which it focuses on t he control of expenditure rather than the actual outcome of a policy or project. As explained by Zapico-Goà ±i (2007) such a form of governance rarely achieved sufficient results given the level of stagnation brought about by hesitance to operate beyond indicated guidelines as a direct result of accountability (Zapico-Goà ±i, 2007: 421-438). One of the most notable differences between the accountability models is the fact that the NPM model focuses on performance accountability wherein the measurement of performance involving the implementation of policies and the use of resources is the focus rather than accountability for mistakes made found in the TPA model. It is actually due to this focus on performance rather than the avoidance of mistakes that makes the NPM model superior to a certain extent as compared to the TPA model since it encourages action rather than complacency. Studies such as those by Hildebrand McDavid (2011) have even stated that through the NPM model, public management improved significantly as a result of a greater government predilection towards creating and establishing new projects and policies meant to assist the general public (Hildebrand McDavid, 2011: 41-72). The last difference between the two models comes in the form of a shift towards allocating accountability towards the private sector when it is utilized in government projects and public services (Narayanan et al., 2007: 37-65). However, despite the apparent effectiveness of accountability due to the shift to new public management, there are still issues that need to be addressed such as whether the current form of accountability within new public management is actually more effective than traditional public management or if the freedoms found in the new system cause more problems than they actually solve. This is not to say that accountability should be removed from the formula of governance, far from it, accountability to ones superiors and ultimately to the general publ ic is an essential aspect for governance for without it the likelihood for abuse or mismanagement exists. Accountability in Network Governance In the network governance model, accountability becomes more horizontal rather than vertical wherein the utilization of various public agencies to help the government better understand the needs of the people resulted in the creation of public value wherein the government attempted to develop an effective and active relationship with the local citizenry (Brodkin, 2008: 317-336). As a result, the NG model combines the cooperation and combination of the public and private sectors in order to achieve the results the government desires.  A better way of seeing the impact of accountability in the network governance model is to look at it from the point of view of its decentralized nature. With various sectors and component agencies constituting this particular model, there is no centralized structure that dictates actions wherein each agency or sector is able to act based on what they perceive to be the most appropriate form of action at the time. This is considerably different to the hierarchical model seen in traditional public management wherein its top down structure ensured that those at the top found themselves accountable and liable for the actions of those at the bottom thereby resulted in an increased level of supervision and limitation on individual initiatives. The end result is that the network governance model of accountability, just like the new public management model of accountability, allows government officials to better respond to the needs of the general public without letting the intricacies of accountability mixed with bureaucracy impede their actions. Conclusion Based on the various facts and arguments that have been presented in this paper so far, I have come to the conclusion that there is an insufficient degree of independent checks and balances system in the current accountability frameworks of g overnance that have been talked about. The basis behind a check and balances process is to ensure that one facet of an organization does not become supreme in that based on a system of regulation one branch of a particular organization can regulate the other. The concept of accountability is actually the basis of this particular process since without a system of regulation where one branch limits the other the possibility of actions without regard to possible accountability is a definite danger that could happen. In the case of a successful organization a proper checks and balances process will be composed of several departments being limited in their action by other department with each aspect of the process having a certain degree of accountability. For example in the case of the healthcare industry doctors are held in check by healthcare providers by ensuring that only necessary tests are done to the patient in order to minimize the possibility of extra expenditure. It is true th at government officials should be held accountable to their actions, however, the fact remains that with the earlier example of the U.S. and its debt ceiling shown, in the current system, despite the fact that it has been greatly improved since its previous iteration is is still lacking in sufficient checks and balances to ensure that public management is done based on a solid belief in accountability for actions that are done or not accomplished at all. Reference List Alford, J., Hughes, O. (2008). Public value pragmatism as the next phase of public  management. The American Review of Public Administration, 38(2), 130-148. Brodkin, E. Z. (2008). Accountability in Street-Level Organizations. International Journal  Of Public Administration, 31(3), 317-336 Burns, J. P., Zhou, Z. (2010). Performance Management in the Government of the  Peoples Republic of China: Accountability and Control in the Implementation of  Public Policy. OECD Journal On Budgeting, 2010(2), 7-34. Chan, H. S., Rosenbloom, D. H. (2010). Four Challenges to Accountability in  Contemporary Public Administration: Lessons From the United States and China.  Administration Society, 4211S-33S. Considine, M. (2002). The end of the line. International Journal of Policy, 15(1), 21-40. Demirag, I., Khadaroo, I. (2011). Accountability and value for money: a theoretical  framework for the relationship in public-private partnerships. Journal Of  Management Governance, 15(2), 271-296. Heinrich, C. J. (2002). Outcomes-Based Performance Management in the Public  Sector: Implications for Government Accountability and Effectiveness. Public  Administration Review, 62(6), 712-725. Hildebrand, R., McDavid, J. C. (2011). Joining public accountability and performance management: A case study of Lethbridge, Alberta. Canadian Public  Administration, 54(1), 41-72. Humphrey, C., Miller, P. (2012). Rethinking impact and redefining responsibility the  parameters and coordinates of accountin g and public management reforms.  Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal, 25(2), 295-327. Kluvers, R., Tippett, J. (2011). The Views of Councillors and Managers on  Accountability in Local Government: An Empirical Study in Australia. International  Journal Of Management, 28(2), 519-527. Kluvers, R., Tippett, J. (2012). The NPM: The Trojan Horse in Accountability.  International Journal Of Business Management, 7(3), 3-9 Koliba, C. J., Mills, R. M., Zia, A. (2011). Accountability in Governance Networks: An  Assessment of Public, Private, and Nonprofit Emergency Management Practices  Following Hurricane Katrina. Public Administration Review, 71(2), 210-220. Martin, M. H., Halachmi, A. (2012). Public-private partnerships in global  health: addressing issues of public accountability, risk  management and governance. Public Administration Quarterly, 36(2),  189-23 Narayanan, V., Schocht, H. P., Harrison, G. L. (2007). The interplay between  accountability a nd management control patterns in public sector outsourcing.  International Journal Of Business Studies, 15(2), 37-65. Ospina, S., Grau, N., Zaltsman, A. (2004). Performance evaluation, public  management improvement and democratic accountability. Public Management  Review, 6(2), 229-251 Pennington, R. G. (2009). Yes, but how? Nine tips for building a culture focused on  results, relationships, and accountability. Industrial Commercial Training, 41(3),  146-150. Samaratunge, R., Alam, Q., Teicher, J. (2008). Public sector reforms and  accountability: The case of south and Southeast Asia. Public Management  Review, 10(1), 101-126 Wimbush, E. (2011). Implementing an outcomes approach to public management and  accountability in the UK-are we learning the lessons?. Public Money   Management, 31(3), 211-218 Wood, R. S. (2004). The New Public Dilemma: Supervision vs. Empowerment on the  Front Lines of Government. Conference Papers Midwestern Political Science  As sociation, 1-30. Zapico-Goà ±i, E. (2007). Matching Public Management, Accountability and Evaluation in  Uncertain Contexts. Evaluation, 13(4), 421-438

The Existence of Audit Expectation Gap Essays

The Existence of Audit Expectation Gap Essays The Existence of Audit Expectation Gap Essay The Existence of Audit Expectation Gap Essay The study investigates the existence of audit expectation gap in relation to society’s unreasonable expectations out of auditing in Bangladesh. This also identified the effects of auditing knowledge on the gap. Among all the classes of our society the accounting graduates are expected to have more knowledge on auditing, who represented 60% proxy of the users.For the purpose of the study, the four groups who are chosen as sample users are: (1) General investors (naive) (2) Students not completing any audit course (3) Students completing two (2) courses (Audits III) (IV) Articled students either level I or level II. The questionnaire comprised of two parts, were sent regarding three aspects: audit liability, audit reliability and materiality of audit opinion. It is found that the respondent who are closer to auditing concepts expect reasonably out of the auditors than the others. The knowledge in the respective fields affected the expectations both positi vely and negatively.Keywords: Expectation gap; audit liability; audit reliability; materiality of audit opinion; audit knowledge. Introduction: â€Å"Auditing is the accumulation and evaluation of evidence about information to determine and report on the degree of correspondence between the information and established criteria: Auditing should be done by a competent and independent third person† (Arens and Loebbecke 1988). The auditor in an audit opinion, certifies that the financial statements represent a true and fair view and are prepared in accordance with GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principle) followed by the industry.The collapse of Lehman Brothers, an American bank with $691 billion in 15th September of 2008 along with subsequent bankruptcy of Washington Mutual Bank [$327. 9 billion] in September 26, 2008; General Motor [$91 billion] and CIT Group [$71 billion] in 2009 put the auditing profession and auditing itself into a severe challenge. Auditors’ pru dent person concept or underperformance of the auditors and society’s over expectation individually or simultaneously result into audit expectation gap. Objectives of the Study Regarding Perpetual Expectation Gap: Expectation Gap was termed by Liggio in 1974 for the first time.Since then it is the significant differences regarding perceived materiality level between auditors and users of financial statements. The AICPA acknowledged the fact that -‘after considerable study of available evidence’ that ‘such a gap does exist’ (Cohen commission Report, AICPA 1978). From the subsequent definition provided by Arrington et al (1983), Monroe and Woodcliff 1993, the two major component was identified by Porter (1983 and 1993): (i)’reasonableness gap’ and (ii)’performance gap’.Reasonableness gap is the difference between what the society does expect the auditors to achieve and what they can reasonably expect to accomplish. Thus poin t of unreasonable expectation comes. Performance gap is the difference between the responsibilities society reasonably expects out of audit and auditors’ performance. These gap widens as the role of audit increases. Now this study proceeds to answer the questions- who are the users feeling their expectations are not met and are those expectations reasonable in Bangladesh perspective? The study further tended to discover the impact of audit knowledge in reducing or increasing the gap.It is evident that more knowledgeable the users the closer gap. Reasonably naive investors are expected to seek more from audit report. Literature Review: From the birth of expectation gap, several studies have been conducted by the concerned specialists around the world. The findings were also centered to perpetual expectation gap however this was wider in some cases. In 1977, Baron et al investigated the differences in perceptions between auditors users of financial statement regarding auditorà ¢â‚¬â„¢s fraud detection duties revealed significant differences.In 1988, low et al conducted a study on audit expectation gap found difference in the area of fraud prevention, guaranteeing the accuracy of the financial statements, effective use of government funds management efficiency. In1992 1993, Humphery et al conducted a study regarding auditors’ role through a series of unstructured interviews, questionnaires mini case studies revealed insignificant differences audit functions but significant differences in regard to role of auditors.In June 2004, Javed Siddiqui Taslima Nasreen conducted a study â€Å"Audit expectation gap in Bangladesh: Perceptual differences between Accounting professionals students† and found a significant audit expectation gap. (Journal of Business Studies, University of Dhaka) In December 2004 the above specialist along with Al-amin conducted another study named â€Å"The Presence of a Reasonableness Gap? Students’ Perceptio ns Regarding Audit and the Role of Audit Education in Bangladesh† (Journal of Business Studies,Vol. xxv, No. 2, December2004) and concluded somehow differently like –Knowledgeable students expected more unreasonably out of auditing.Methodology of the study: For the purpose of the study, the questionnaire method was applied . The questionnaire method despite its inherent shortcomings chosen appropriate for this study. Here four groups were selected. 20 questionnaires were sent to investors who are in general naive. Similar questionnaires were sent to 10 professionals who are under knowledge or Application level, to 10 students of Dept. of Accounting Information Systems (AIS), University of Dhaka (DU) who have just completed two Audit courses and another 10 questionnaires were sent to students who have no idea under same discipline.The issue of perceptions regarding audit is about measuring attitudes. For the purpose of this study, the seven-point Likert scale was used. P rior studies have used the Likert scale for measuring the audit expectation gap in different countries (for example Schelluch 1996; Best et al 2001 etc. ) The response scale used for this study was- 1. Strongly agree 2. Moderately agree 3. Slightly agree 4. No opinion 5. Slightly disagree 6. Moderately disagree 7. Strongly disagree Strongly agree Strongly disagree 1. An auditor is a watchdog, not a bloodhound. 1234567 2.Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 1234567 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. 1234567 4. Auditing exists only because of legal binding. 1234567 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control1234567 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. 1234567 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 1234567 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. 1234567 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 234567 10. The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 1234567 Analysis and Findings: Survey Analysis: Assessment Point-1: â€Å"The auditor is a watchdog, not a bloodhound† ‘Watchdog means a person or a group of people whose job is to check that companies are not doing anything illegal or ignoring people’s rights’ (www. oup. com) Bloodhound means person or group of people who find any inconsistency regarding the concerned areas. The BSAs contain objectives, requirements application and other explanatory material that are designed to support the auditor in obtaining reasonable assurance.The BSAs require that the auditor exercise professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism throughout the planning and performance of the audit among other things: ? Identify and assess risks of material misstatement, whether due to fraud error, based on an understanding of the entity its environment, including the entity’s internal control. ?Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence about whether material misstatement exists, through designing and implementing appropriate responses to the assessed risks. From an opinion on the financial statements based on conclusions drawn from the audit evidence obtained. (BSA 200; Para-7) Therefore it is evident that this statement contributes to gap between auditors users of financial statement. Assessment Point-2: The Auditors are responsible for Audit failure, not for audit risk. Audit failure occurs when the auditor issues an erroneous audit opinion as the result of an underlying failure to comply with the requirements of generally accepted auditing standards (GAAS).Audit risk represents the risk that the auditor will conclude that the financial statements are fairly stated and an unqualified opinion can be issued when, in fact, they are materially misstated. Because auditors are able to gather evidence only on a test basis detecting well-concealed frauds can be ex tremely difficult, there is always some risk that the auditor will not uncover a uncover a material fraud even though the auditor complied with GAAS. (Arens Loebbecke) So, the statement affects audit expectations gap. Assessment Point-3: ‘The auditor is responsible for detecting all the fraud’.BSA 200, â€Å"Objective and General Principles Governing and Audit of Financial Statements,† clearly states the objectives of an audit- The objective of an audit of financial statements is to enable the auditor to express an opinion whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with an identified financial reporting framework. An audit conducted in accordance with BSAs is designed to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements taken as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether caused by fraud or error. (Paragraph 2, BSA 200)Assessment Point-4: â€Å"Audit exists only because of legal bindings†. Sect ion 210 of the Company Act, 1994 describes- ‘Every company shall, at each annual general meeting appoint an auditor or auditors to hold office from the conclusion of that meeting until the next annual general meeting and shall within seven days of the appointment, give intimation thereof to every auditor so appointed: Provided that, no person can be appointed auditor of any company unless his written consent has been obtained prior to such appointment or re-appointment. ’ The section seeks for statutory audit that must be complied.A twenty four (24) years study of Wanda A. Wallace on â€Å"The economic role of the Audit in free regulated market: A look back A look forward†, revealed that beyond legal requirement, the audit is very much significant. She clarified her argument from three (3) points of view- i) Stewardship hypothesis or Agency theory ii) Information Hypothesis iii) Insurance Hypothesis. Still 77% of the companies audit their financial statements. So it is expected to audit financial statements beyond legal bindings. Assessment Point-5: ‘The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control structure of the entity. â€Å"Internal control system† means all the policies and procedures (internal controls) adopted by the management of an entity to assist in achieving management’s objective of ensuring, as far as practicable, the orderly and efficient conduct of its business, including adherence to management policies, the safeguarding of asset , the prevention and detection of fraud and error ,the accuracy and completeness of the accounting records, and the timely preparation of reliable financial information (BSA 400). However, during the course of the audit, the auditor has to assess the entity’s internal control system in order to identify audit risk.Assessment Point-6: ‘The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. ’ It has been made clear that it is not the responsi bility of the auditor to prepare or to maintain the clients’ accounts. The audit report is also required to contain a paragraph specifying the responsibilities of the auditors-The report should include a statement that the financial statements are the responsibility of the entity’s management and a statement that the responsibility of the auditor is to express an opinion on the financial statements based on the audit (BSA700).Therefore, it affects the expectation gap as from naive point of view the statement seems accurate. Assessment Point-7: ‘The auditor is unbiased and objective. ’ Paragraph 1. 1 of the Code of Professional Ethics (2001) states – A professional accountant should be fair and should not allow prejudice or bias, conflict of interest or influence of others to override objectivity. Therefore, a society should reasonably expect the auditor to be unbiased objectivity. Assessment Point-8: ‘Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatement in financial statements. The primary objective of audit is to draw a conclusion on the fairness of the Financial Statements. The secondary objective is to detect errors and frauds. (BSA 200) The objective of an audit of financial statements is to enable the auditor to express an opinion as to whether the financial statements are prepared, in all material respects, in accordance with an applicable financial reporting framework. The form the audit conclusion takes is that auditors state whether the financial statement give a true and fair view. This is an expression of reasonable assurance. ICAB Manual) BSA 200, specifying the objectives of audit clearly mentions that the auditors only provide reasonable assurance and not absolute assurance regarding the absence of material misstatements. Assessment point 9: ‘The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. ’ When the auditors express an opinion, they only g uarantee the absence of material misstatements and the conformance with accepted accounting practices. However, this is not an assurance regarding the future or current performance of the entity.As stated in BSA 200 Although the auditor’s opinion enhances the credibility of the financial statements, the user cannot assume that the opinion is an assurance as to the future viability of the entity nor the efficiency or effectiveness with which management has conducted the affairs of the entity. Assessment point 10: ‘The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. ’ As auditors provide opinion regarding true and fair representation of financial statements and therefore issue four types of audit report-(i) Standard unqualified Audit Report (ii) unqualified Audit Report (iii)Adverse Audit Report and (iv) No Report.In first and second cases the auditors agree with the accounting policies of the entity. Assessment point-11: ‘What do you expect from a udit report? ’ Naive (general) investors expect:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Professional under level i and level ii expect :†¦. Findings of the study: Table-1: Responses of naive (general) investors. Assessment pointsReasonableness scoreMeanDeviation 1. An auditor is a watchdog, not a bloodhound. 7. 002. 724. 28 2. Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 7. 004. 442. 56 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. . 004. 122. 88 4. Auditing exists only because of legal binding. 7. 006. 030. 97 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control7. 005. 361. 64 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. 7. 005. 571. 43 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 7. 005. 681. 32 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. 7. 005. 231. 77 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 7. 006. 800. 20 10.The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 7. 004. 392. 61 The table shows significant difference in the assessment point no: 1, 2,3,10. It reveals that naive investors seek or do believe auditor makes way for their decisions, i ,e; the general investors rely much on the auditors’ decision not critically analyzing the opinion but from a naive point of view. Table 2: Responses of Students not completing any audit course. Assessment pointsReasonableness scoreMeanDeviation 1. An auditor is a watchdog not a bloodhound. 7. 004. 092. 91 2.Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 7. 003. 193. 81 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. 7. 004. 922. 08 4. Auditing exists only because of legal binding. 7. 003. 773. 33 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control7. 005. 661. 44 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. 7. 006. 570. 43 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 7. 003. 923. 08 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. . 002. 414. 59 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 7. 004. 492. 51 10. The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 7. 004. 042. 96 The table shows that statistically significant differences exist from the view point of students having no audit idea in terms of the assessment point no: 2,3,4,8. It indicates that they expect unreasonably from the auditors regarding their responsibilities of detecting and preventing all frauds and also auditors’ agreement with the entity’s accounting policies.Table 3: Responses of Students completing two (2) courses (Audits III). Assessment pointsReasonableness scoreMeanDeviation 1. An auditor is a watchdog not a bloodhound. 7. 005. 641. 36 2. Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 7. 004. 982. 02 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. 7. 003. 873. 13 4 . Auditing exists only because of legal binding. 7. 005. 111. 89 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control7. 004. 892. 11 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. . 006. 010. 99 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 7. 004. 922. 08 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. 7. 004. 592. 41 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 7. 002. 594. 41 10. The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 7. 005. 581. 42 Table 3 presents the study results out of students who completed two audit courses. Significant gap was found in the point that audit report provides prediction of future performances of any entity.Again in detecting and preventing all fraud of any entity. In respect of some of the six audit threats, the auditors’ objectivity and neutrality was questioned resulting in some expectation gap. Table 4: Respons es of Articled students either level I or level II. Assessment pointsReasonableness scoreMeanDeviation 1. An auditor is a watchdog not a bloodhound. 7. 006. 810. 19 2. Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 7. 006. 800. 20 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. 7. 002. 024. 98 4. Auditing exists only because of legal binding. . 005. 241. 76 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control7. 005. 911. 09 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. 7. 000. 896. 11 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 7. 006. 870. 13 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. 7. 001. 315. 69 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 7. 004. 812. 19 10. The auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 7. 002. 114. 89The table shows the survey results from professional students who are from level I and level II of prof essional accountancy. Here the respondents were in line to set a expectation ceiling. Table -5: Showing the deviations between four respondent groups. Assessment pointsDeviation Table-1Deviation Table-2Deviation Table-3Deviation Table-4 1. An auditor is a watchdog not a bloodhound. 4. 282. 911. 360. 19 2. Auditor is responsible for audit failure, not for audit risk. 2. 563. 812. 020. 20 3. Auditor is responsible for detecting all fraud. 2. 882. 083. 134. 98 4. Auditing exists only because of legal binding. . 973. 331. 891. 76 5. The auditor is responsible for soundness in internal control1. 641. 442. 111. 09 6. The auditor is liable for maintaining accounting records. 1. 430. 430. 996. 11 7. The auditor is unbiased and objective. 1. 323. 082. 080. 13 8. Auditor should provide absolute assurance about the material misstatements in financial statements. 1. 774. 592. 415. 69 9. The audit report provides assurance about the entity’s future performance. 0. 202. 514. 412. 19 10. Th e auditor agrees with the accounting policies of the entity. 2. 612. 961. 424. 89We the group ‘CRYSTAL HEART’ conducted this study to address whether the perpetual audit expectation gap between the auditors and the users of financial statements is reasonable and how audit knowledge provided by Dept. of Accounting and Information Systems of University of Dhaka affected this gap. The study were mainly concentrated on identifying audit expectation gap in the areas of audit liability of the auditors, audit reliability from the viewpoint of naive (general) investors, students who have no audit knowledge or have taken at least two audit courses and professionals and materiality of audit report to them.The study revealed the presence of audit expectation gap in Bangladesh. In the area of auditors’ responsibilities the naive (general) investors putting the audit knowledge less students second in row expected much more i,e; unreasonably out of the auditors. The profession als’ responses indicated their responsibilities were defined in different standards. Another area of this study regarding audit reliability showed a wide gap from each of the four (4) respondent groups. As the auditors work on sampling base, and audit risk is subject to well-organized fraud from the past if the management.Also self-interest threat, review threats are still considerable, the gap in the sense of reliability comprised of a big portion. The other sector of the survey- audit report’s materiality revealed that the decision makers out of the society did not depend much on audit report i,e; the majority portion lacks analysis ability who constitute the expectation floor much away from the ceiling set by the audit assurance providers. Although almost significant portion of respondent considered audit report’s materiality contributing to widen the gap.We also found knowledge on auditing helps in some regard but not to the extent that professionals conside red. Conclusion: The study attempted on addressing audit expectation gap in Bangladesh. Further, it assessed whether and how much knowledge on the concerned field affects this gap. The students of University of Dhaka under Dept. of Accounting Information Systems and students under ICAB were proxied on behalf of the users, on the presumption that they are most knowledgeable among the society.The findings of the study reveals the existence of expectation gap, some how it is wider in some aspects and predict a much more gap in terms of the people of the society. It also indicated that so far the students go away from their courses they merge gradually with the general people that predict future expectation gap to be wider. So, future studies should concentrate on clarifying the riskiness of audit by identifying clear sectors of audit expectation gap.

Cross-Organizational Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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