Technology is the use of scientific knowledge

Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to develop and produce goods and services useful to man. Technologists use the discoveries of science to produce tools, machines, and methods for industry, communications, transportations, medicine, warfare, and other human activities. In turn, this greatly affects jobs available for the unemployed as well as the job duties or job description intended for them.A nation’s level of technology depends on the extent to which current scientific knowledge is put to practical use. The United States is considered a technologically advanced nation; its major industries used advanced production techniques such as automation, its health institutions used advanced treatments such as laser-beam surgery, and use of up-to-date scientific knowledge is made in most other everyday activities (Clarke, 2001).A nation in which most production is carried on by handicraft methods, and communications and transportation are equally old-fashioned, is consid ered technologically backward, or underdeveloped. Just as some countries are more technologically advanced than others, so are some industries. The electronics and aerosphere industries, for example, are generally technologically advanced wherever they are established. Because of the great investment in money, plants and equipment, and skilled personnel required to operate them, these industries are found only in those countries that have a generally high level of technology. Agriculture, on the other hand, is a technologically backward industry in most parts of the world.In line with this jobs are also progressing while man power is not that important as it was long ago, before all the advancements have been discovered. Before companies hire as many employees but not the same as of the present because some rely on robots or high technology computers or devices needed for a company’s survival and success. Some companies hire people but the sad truth is that sometimes their bo ss are the computers or other devices when in fact, human beings are smarter than any other equipments.Reference:Clarke, A.C. (2004). Profiles of the Future: an Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible, revised edition (Holt, Rinehart & Winston).

Managing Staff Essay

Health care managers have many different roles in any health care facility. According to Chapter 9 of Health Care Finance, â€Å"The manager is responsible for seeing that an employee is present and working for each position and for every shift required for that position’. Managers have a role to understand and know how to use staffing measurement known as the full-time equivalent (FTE). The role of health care managers can vary depending on their position as well as the size of the facility. The role of a health care manager consist of many different things such as staffing, budgeting, scheduling, marketing, accounting, and organizing decisions that will benefit the facility and ensure that everything is effective. â€Å"Group medical practice managers work with a group of medical doctors and handle the budgets, billing, personnel, and patients†, (Role of a Healthcare Manager, 2010). Another role of health care managers is to be available at all times. Comparing Productive and Nonproductive Time According to Chapter 9 of Health Care Finance, â€Å"Productive time actually equates to the employee’s net hours on duty when performing the functions in his or her job description†. Nonproductive time is paid-for time when the employee is not on duty: that is, not producing and therefore â€Å"nonproductive.† Some things that will consist of nonproductive time would be holidays, paid-for vacation days, personal leave days, and/or sick days. Some things that will consist of productive time would be an employee net time or days that they actually at worked on the job. Costs Tied to Staffing Costing is tied to staffing in a variety of ways, because the health care field is a 24-hour job. In the health care setting you have staffs employees working majority of the day. Some employee work sixteen hours shifts, but shift does change every eight to twelve hours in many facilities. The role of a manager is staffing, and employees normally work forty hours per week. If the facility consists of eight hour shifts then the staff would normally work eight hour shifts five days a week, and if it is a twelve hour shift the staff would work three in half days to get forty hours. The Difference between the Annualized Method and the Scheduled-Position Method There are two different approaches to use to compute the staff full-time equivalent (FTE). The Two approaches are the annualized method and the scheduled-position method. The role of a manager comes into place when concerning the annualized method, because the manager would take the productive days and the nonproductive days of each employee and account them in the formula used to complete the hours. The annualized method is a yearly thing and it is calculated with the time the employee has worked. The role of a manager comes into place when concerning the schedule-position method, because the productive days and nonproductive days are accounted for when filling a scheduled shift. The scheduled-position method is a weekly schedule thing. It is important to have a staffing plan in any health care facility. It is important to have enough staff present for the quality of the residents or patients. A staffing plan can help to determine what staffs are schedule and if more staffs are needed to work. Having a staffing plan helpful, because this way every employee time worked are accounted for when recording productive days and nonproductive days. Annualize Staffing Annualizing staff is important in any health care facility, because it is something that the staff have worked hard for and deserve what they have coming to them. Annualizing staff is important because the staffs will be get days off such as Christmas, New Years and etc., and still get paid for it depending on how long they have been employed, because the annualized method is hours accumulated on a yearly method. According to Chapter 9 of Health Care Finance, â€Å"Annualizing is necessary because each employee that is eligible for benefits (such as vacation days) will not be on duty for the  full number of hours paid for by the organization†. The Benefits of Recording Productive and Nonproductive Time There are many benefits of recording productive and nonproductive time in health care management. One benefit of recording productive and nonproductive time is that it improved productivity and decreased non-productivity. Some other benefits of recording productive and nonproductive time are to presence-to-performance ratio, to keep a time log, to make a checklist of recoverable time, and to sharpen the saw. It is important for managers to have a staffing plan available to manage staff and keep record of all staff hours to avoid miscommunication. References T Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Occupational employment statistics. Retrieved from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes113031.htm#ind Crainer, S., & Dearlove, D. (Eds.) (2004). The Financial Times handbook of management. (3rd ed.) New York, NY: Pearson. Tina Su (2010) http://workawesome.com/productivity/full-engagement-at-work/

Succubus Heat CHAPTER 15

Mary's excited blathering rang through the house as I hurried down the hallway. I could see the bathroom at the end and three closed doors along the way. Great. Did they have to be shut? With my luck, they'd probably squeak. I could only hope that Mary would remain too loud and too distracted to notice. The first door opened-with no squeaking-into a bedroom. The bed was unmade, and clothes had been pushed into piles against the wall. An old dresser sat against one wall, and a nightstand with some papers stood near the other. There was also a mirror on the ceiling. Shuddering, I considered going in to investigate the nightstand papers but decided to hold out and see if I might find an office behind one of the other two doors. Shutting this one silently, I continued down the hallway. The second door did squeak, and I froze, waiting for Mary to come tearing down after me in an effort to bludgeon me with one of Seth's books. I wasn't entirely sure how far his star power would go to save me if caught snooping. She didn't look like the violent type, but one never knew. Fortunately, she kept talking without pause, and I stuck my head inside the new room. It was just another bedroom, a guest one by the looks of the dust and lack of personal items. I closed the door, grimacing at another squeak. One more room to go. Jackpot. The third wasn't an office, but it did appear to be a workspace. Wide tables lay along the walls, covered in chunks of crystal-clear quartz, smoky quartz, etc.-in various states. Some were raw and jagged; others were polished and carved. Tools like blades and picks lay nearby, along with a more sophisticated and modern-looking device I couldn't identify. Maybe some type of laser cutter. Best of all, there was a two-drawer filing cabinet against the wall. I hurried to it, still mindful of Mary's chatter, and opened the top drawer. Over a hundred file folders with names met me. I pulled one at random and saw that it did indeed have a job order. There was a description of the item, client information, job status, and a picture of the finished product. Unfortunately, having all this information meant little to me. I had no idea what name had been used for the seal-or if Mary was even the one who had made it. Frustrated, I opened the next drawer and found financial records, like bills and bank statements. I also located folders labeled â€Å"work logs† categorized by month. I eagerly pulled out this month's and discovered a simple list of dates, client names, and brief descriptions of products. All-except for the three most recent ones-had check marks beside them. Finished products, presumably. I scanned the dates before Jerome's disappearance, cross-checking against the descriptions. Green Tara statue . Bracelet . Athame . Three invoices in the last two weeks caught my attention: round pendant, talisman, medallion . I recognized none of the client names, but the culprit could no doubt have used an alias. Returning to the second drawer, I found each client's file. The pendant was the right size and shape, but it had a hole drilled in it for a chain or string. I couldn't say why, but something told me the seal's original form would be whole. The talisman turned out to be the wrong shape. It was thick and oblong, more like a stone someone would keep in their pocket for good luck. I was starting to panic now. This was taking too long, and I couldn't hear Mary anymore. God, espionage had been so much easier when I could turn invisible. With shaking hands, I pulled out the last file-the medallion. The client was Sam Markowitz, and he'd picked it up four days ago. The photo depicted a flat, quarter-sized disc made of smoky quartz with symbols I didn't recognize etched onto it. Was that it? It was the closest I had to a match of Carter's description. There could be other matches-items ordered months ago-but I didn't have time to go through any more files. I shoved the medallion photo into my purse, closed the drawer, and hurried back out to the hall, half expecting to find Mary blocking my path. I had no need to worry, though. She had never left Seth's side-literally. She now sat in my spot, pressing Seth between her and the couch's arm. Two stacks of books were on the coffee table, and an open one was on his lap. He finished signing it and glanced up at my entrance with a relieved look. â€Å"But you see,† Mary was saying, â€Å"until O'Neill is able to confront the darkness within himself, he'll never be able to open himself to Cady. He's had his moments of vulnerability, of course-like the cave scene in Dominant Eclipse -but he's still keeping his armor up-just like on the veranda in Memories of Man -and so it's no wonder-â€Å" â€Å"Hey,† I said cheerfully. â€Å"We should probably get going.† Seth shot up from his seat, looking rather like a trapped animal who had just gnawed its own leg off and was about to run free. â€Å"Yes. We don't want to detain Mary any further.† Mary stood up too. â€Å"No, no! It's okay. Really. And you have to finish signing my books.† With a grimace, Seth grabbed the last three books and hastily scrawled his signature in them. â€Å"Thanks for talking to us,† he said. â€Å"It's been great meeting you.† â€Å"Are you sure you have to go?† she pleaded. â€Å"I was going to make some dinner soon.† She shot me an accusing look. â€Å"And if it's Ginger who needs to leave, I can give you a ride home later in my van-â€Å" â€Å"No, really,† said Seth, backing up to stand by me. â€Å"I appreciate it, but I have to, you know, get back to writing.† Extricating ourselves was painful. Mary begged and kept offering everything from discount jewelry to thinly veiled sexual suggestions. â€Å"Step on the gas and do not look back,† Seth told me when we got in the car. I complied, peeling out of her driveway as fast as I could and kicking up dirt and gravel in the process. â€Å"That right there,† I mused, â€Å"is the kind of fan who keeps authors in their crawlspace.† Seth leaned his head back against the seat. â€Å"Do not ever do that to me again. Ever.† â€Å"I wasn't that far away. I would have heard you screaming.† â€Å"Not if she used ether first. God, Georgina. She had her hand on my leg.† â€Å"That's Ginger to you.† â€Å"Please tell me you got something useful out of that. I know you didn't go to the bathroom.† â€Å"Nope. I broke into her workroom and ransacked her files.† He groaned. â€Å"Breaking and entering.† â€Å"Hey, I'm a creature of Hell. And she technically let us in.† â€Å"What'd you find?† Eyes on the road, I reached into my purse and fumbled until I found the picture. I handed it to Seth. â€Å"This is it?† he asked. â€Å"I'm not certain. It's close to the description, but I don't know enough about this to really say.† â€Å"Hmm.† Seth studied it and then slipped it back into my purse. We rode for a few more minutes in silence until I finally asked, â€Å"I was never that bad of a fan, was I? That crazy?† â€Å"Oh, God, no,† he said. â€Å"Absolutely not. You were charming and cute and-† He abruptly cut himself off, but those words hung in the air between us. â€Å"You-you weren't like that. Nothing like that,† he managed at last. There was a husky tone to his voice, hinting of some emotion but refusing to reveal which one it was. I'd meant my comment to be light, just a way to keep the conversation going. However, like everything else lately, the words had ended up triggering far more meaning than I'd intended. I had a flashback to when Seth and I had first met, when I hadn't even known who he was. I'd rattled off my feelings for my favorite author, little knowing I was actually talking to him. Unlike Mary, I hadn't stalked him on the Internet and known what he looked like. Seth cleared his throat. â€Å"So†¦what will you do with the picture now?† I ran with his change in subject. â€Å"Get someone to identify it, I guess. Erik, maybe. Or Dante.† More silence fell, and I felt the tension ratchet up. Dante. Once again, harmless words had triggered big consequences between us. I expected Seth to try again to shift the subject, but instead, he actually addressed it. â€Å"It's weird†¦seeing you with Dante.† â€Å"Don't you mean it's weird seeing me with anyone?† â€Å"Well†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even with my eyes on the road, I knew he had that thoughtful, slightly distracted look in his eyes that meant he was pondering how best to phrase his next words. I used to love that look. Now I was on high alert. â€Å"Yeah, to a certain extent, of course,† he finally admitted. â€Å"It'll always be weird. But every time I talk to him, I just think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"If you say that I can do better, then I'm pulling this car over right now.† â€Å"Um, no. I was just going to say he doesn't seem like your type.† â€Å"That's nearly the same thing,† I pointed out. â€Å"You sound just like Hugh and the others. I'm getting so sick of this! Honestly, it doesn't matter who I date. You're never going to be happy.† â€Å"That's not true,† said Seth. â€Å"It's just†¦when you're around him, you're darker and more cynical. You're not like you used to be. This sounds stupid, considering what you are, but you're†¦well, you're a force for good in the world.† â€Å"Oh, come on ,† I said. â€Å"No, I mean it. Maybe you are a creature of Hell, but people feel better when they're around you. You have this way of talking and smiling that affects everyone. You're nice, you're good-hearted, you worry about others†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He sighed. â€Å"But when you're with Dante, it's like all that light that normally shines out from you gets sucked away.† â€Å"That light got sucked away a long time ago,† I said bitterly. â€Å"Long before he came along.† â€Å"No, it didn't. It's there, and if you're going to be involved with someone, you need someone who sees it, someone who loves you for it and wants to help bring it out.† I had someone like that , I thought. You . â€Å"Dante and I work well together, no matter what any of you think. He understands me.† â€Å"No,† said Seth flatly. His voice was low, but I could hear the anger in it. â€Å"He doesn't.† â€Å"What other options do I have? You're throwing me into an impossible situation. You know I can't date anyone who's good. I can't risk hurting them, but I don't want to be alone. This is my only option.† â€Å"No. It can't be. Before we were together, it wasn't like this. You weren't drinking all the time and having sex with anonymous guys in bathrooms!† And that's when I did it, just like a dad on a road trip. I pulled the car over to the side of the road. It was a long, country highway, and there wasn't much traffic. Seth stared incredulously. â€Å"What are you doing?† â€Å"Saving us from an accident,† I growled, turning so I could meet him straight in the eye. â€Å"And you'll be lucky if I don't make you get out and walk the rest of the way. Look, you want to know why I wasn't dating loser guys when we met? Because I wasn't dating anyone . I took my hits and went home alone. Why is it so wrong for me to want to be with someone now?† â€Å"It shouldn't matter if you're dating someone or not. You still shouldn't be acting like this!† â€Å"You're telling me what I should and shouldn't be doing? It's my business. You have no right!† I yelled back. â€Å"Friends have every right to tell friends when they're on a bad path,† he snapped back. â€Å"Bullshit! I've never seen you interfere with anyone else's life, no matter how badly they were screwing it up. I'm the only one you seem to want to mess with. Why do you care so much about what I do?† Seth and I had raised our voices only rarely while dating, and it had never even come close to this. It was a wonder we didn't shatter the windows. â€Å"Because I care about you! I told you that at the party. Breaking up doesn't mean you stop caring about someone.† â€Å"Yes, but it means you have to let them go.† I was so upset that I was on the verge of tears. â€Å"You can't have it both ways. You can't get rid of me and then try to pull me back†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"I never wanted to get rid of you.† I stared at him for several heavy moments and felt those traitorous tears brimming heavier and heavier in my eyes. â€Å"Then why did you do it?† After all that yelling, his voice sounded barely like a whisper. â€Å"Because†¦I wanted to save you.† â€Å"You can't,† I murmured, swallowing the tears back with great effort. â€Å"You can't keep saving me, can't keep trying to. It's too late.† â€Å"No,† he said. His heart was in his eyes, and it was ripping mine apart. â€Å"Not for you. Never.† I don't know how it happened exactly, but suddenly we were kissing. His lips were just as I remembered, soft and powerful and wonderful. It wasn't a chaste kiss, nor was it a ripping-off-each-other's-clothes kiss. It was hungry and desperate, like we'd been struggling through a desert and only just now found the water we needed to survive. Best of all, it was just kissing. Just me and Seth. There was no life energy or succubus schemes involved. There was no need to back off for fear of what might happen. We could drink from each other without pulling back. Except, well, we did. We jerked apart, and I knew the shock on his face mirrored my own. What had we just done? Had we†¦had we really done it? It was a kiss. A real kiss. The kind of kiss we'd always wanted. The kiss we weren't supposed to be having. I turned abruptly away, staring at the road ahead. I was frozen and numb†¦and yet, alive and filled with warmth. The world had been in that kiss. But I didn't know how to react to it, didn't know what I was supposed to do now. So, I did the most inane thing possible. I started the car. â€Å"We should get back,† I said. â€Å"Yeah,† he agreed, sounding as stunned as I felt. I dared a look out of my peripheral vision. His eyes were fixed straight ahead, his wonderful lips tightened in a line that somehow made them look strong and vulnerable at the same time. I wanted to lean over and kiss them again, to melt as I had moments ago and forget all about reason. I wanted that perfect feeling to last forever. Instead of dealing with what had just happened, however, I did the cowardly thing and stepped on the gas. We drove back to the city in miserable silence, neither of us mentioning the kiss but both of us thinking about it. I dropped him off at the bookstore and offered a polite thank-you for his help. He returned it equally politely-giving me one last pensive look-and then walked off toward his car. I watched him go, memorizing every line of his body and how he moved. Every emotion possible warred within me, and I had no idea which deserved to win. I was exhausted by the time I stepped into my apartment building. The day had been mentally and physically wearying, what with would-be rapists, larceny, and the kiss heard 'round the world. Later, I'd find someone to identify the photograph for me. For now, I just wanted to sprawl on the couch and watch TV, preferably TV that had nothing to do with the magical or paranormal-or any romantic tension. Unfortunately, the magical and paranormal was waiting for me. What's Nanette doing here? That was my last coherent thought before I was thrown against the far side of my living room. I hit hard, my head cracking against the wall. I fell to the ground, my legs just barely possessing the reflexes to keep me from falling as black spots sparkled across my vision. Nanette faced me, terrible and beautiful in all her golden glory. She hadn't laid a hand on me, but she didn't need to, not with the power she wielded. â€Å"How dare you,† she hissed, eyes narrowed. â€Å"How dare you spread those kinds of rumors.† â€Å"What are you-ah!† I was shoved back to the wall again. The distance wasn't nearly so far as before, but the force was so hard that the impact hurt just as much. More pain shot through my skull as I tried to make sense of all this. â€Å"I don't know what you're talking about!† I cried. Nanette stalked toward me, putting her face inches from mine. â€Å"Of course you do. You told Cedric that I was the one who'd summoned Jerome, that I was the one causing chaos in his territory.† â€Å"I didn't,† I whimpered. â€Å"Not exactly. I just told him you'd met with Jerome.† She snarled and grabbed me by the front of my shirt, jerking me forward. â€Å"That was nothing. Nothing! But now others are suspicious.† â€Å"I just thought he should know and-â€Å" â€Å"Do you know what you may have done?† she screamed. â€Å"I was a candidate for this city! You may have ruined everything.† She threw me again, this time toward the corner my TV was in. Its sharp angles bit into me when I hit, and I crumpled to the floor. I tried to pull myself up but never made it. Nanette was right there beside me. I had a full view of her black stiletto pumps just before she kicked me in the ribs. Pain blasted me, and my body instinctively tried to curl over and protect itself. But she was too fast and too powerful. Greg had had a lot of brute strength at his disposal, brute strength I'd been able to counteract a little. But against Nanette? Against a demon? Her strength was beyond that of a human, nearly beyond human comprehension. â€Å"Do. Not. Fuck. With. Me,† she said, punctuating each hit with a kick to my stomach or ribs. â€Å"Do you understand? You are nothing. Nothing .† â€Å"I'm sorry,† I said. My eyes burned, and every part of my body was screaming, begging for this to end. The kicking stopped, and I rolled to my side, only to have a wave of power slam down on me and roll me to my stomach, pinning me down on the floor like an invisible ton of bricks. I tried to move but couldn't even budge. â€Å"I don't care if you're Jerome's favorite or Cedric's new darling,† she said. Her voice was all ice and malice. Again, she didn't touch me with her hands, but the back of my shirt suddenly ripped open. â€Å"I could destroy you right now, blast you from the face of the earth, and no one would say anything. Instead-you're lucky I'm in a good mood today.† Her â€Å"good mood† felt like a thousand whips hitting my back. Tiny lashes of power, sharp as razors and burning like flames, slammed into me. I screamed as they slashed at my skin, ripping it open. Some part of me thought that if I screamed loud enough, maybe a neighbor would hear me. It was a useless sentiment, though. She would have soundproofed this room much as the demons had at the Cellar. Besides, what could any mortal do against this? Again and again those invisible whips tore into me. Obviously, I couldn't see what was happening, but in my mind's eye, I imagined my flesh torn to ribbons, my entire back a horrible, bloody mess. I don't know how many times those lashings repeated. They blurred together. I was fast approaching a point where the pain was so intense, so overwhelming that I almost couldn't feel it. My vision was going black, my brain barely able to hold consciousness. When the beating finally stopped, I wondered if I was dead. The room was still and silent. Then, the invisible force lifted off my back. I tried to roll over but couldn't. Nanette knelt down, her lips right against my ear. â€Å"Do not fuck with me,† she whispered. â€Å"You interfere again, and I will kill you.† She vanished. I was left alone, sobbing and bleeding. I tried to move again but still was unable to. What was I going to do? I couldn't even call for help. Of course, it probably didn't matter. The pain was so great that I was either going to die or pass out any minute now. Human devices might not kill me, but demonic ones could, regardless if I was in stasis. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I felt strong arms slide underneath me, gently lifting me in a way that kept my back up. I stifled a small cry. Even without my back being touched, the movement hit every other muscle and place on my body that Nanette had hurt. I opened my eyes, trying to see who was there, but my vision was swimming and rapidly darkening. â€Å"What†¦Ã¢â‚¬  was all I managed to get out. â€Å"Shh, love. It's going to be okay. You're going to be okay.† Those arms gently eased me onto my bed. I moaned again as fire shot through my ribs. Cool hands smoothed back my hair, but I still couldn't see anything. â€Å"I can't heal you,† the voice said. â€Å"But I'll get someone who can help. Just don't move. It's going to be okay.† There was something familiar about the voice, but I couldn't identify it through the haze and confusion in my head. I could barely breathe, let alone think. Silence fell after that, as though my mysterious benefactor had left. Yet a few moments later, I blearily saw hands set Aubrey on the bed beside me. She leaned forward, sniffing my face. One of the friendly hands petted her head and back, in that way that could so often coax cats into lying down. It worked, and after turning in a couple of circles, she settled down beside me. Then, the hand stroked my hair one last time. â€Å"Everything's going to be okay.† That was the last thing I remembered hearing. My savior might have stayed or left. I didn't know because a few moments later, that blackness finally won, and I sank into a dreamless sleep that was mercifully free of pain.

Contingent Liabilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Contingent Liabilities - Essay Example From this definition, it can be viewed from two aspects. The first aspect of the definition of provisions describe that the provisions are actually the liability. Provisions are directly referred to as the liabilities of the business but not the usual and general liabilities which are recognized in the balance sheet of the business. Provisions are the special type of liability of the business that is described as another head in the capital and liabilities portion of the balance sheet. The other main feature described by the definition of the provisions is that it is a liability of uncertain amount and uncertain timing. It means that the provisions are not certain in terms of their amount and timing but their nature is known to the accountant. It is known that a certain expense of certain type is going to take place in the future but the exact amount and exact time of the expense is not known to the accountant of the business. Therefore, provisions are the best estimates of the expenses that are going to take place in the future. Liability is defined in the International Accounting Standards as the present obligation as a result of past events and the settlement of which is expected to result in an outflow of resources. This definition of liabilities also describes the nature and the expected outcome of the liability on the overall business. Hence, a liability is a present obligation which has arisen due to the result of past events and in order to settle that obligation it is probable that the outflow of resources will happen in the near future. Hence the provision is the preparation of the liability whose amount and timing is uncertain but there is surety that the liability will arise at some point in time sooner or later in the future. The concept of provisions provide the accountants with a cushion time to get themselves prepared for the issues that are to rise in the future and therefore, save money for the settlement of future liabilities in the present time. The main point in the provisions is that it is the best estimate of the future amount in present time. IAS 37 recognizes the problem of provisions in accounting and provides a rule to recognize the provision s in the balance sheet. IAS 37 says that the provisions should be recognized by an entity if and only if: a present obligation (legal or constructive) has arisen as a result of a past event (the obligating event), payment is probable ('more likely than not'), and The amount can be estimated reliably. These are the rules which tell the entity when to recognize a provision in the balance sheet. Firstly an obligation has arisen as a result of past events and it is also probable that the payment is to be made for that obligation and the amount of the payment can be reliably measured. These rules are used in many countries of the world to recognize the provisions in the balance sheets of the businesses and are successful in addressing the problem of provision recognition in the balance sheet. Provisions provide the detailed information about liabilities facing the entity. Liabilities like trade creditors etc. provide the information about the liabilities of the business to be paid by the business and the amount and timing of which are certain at present. However, the presence of provisions in the entity's balance sheet prepares those responsible for decision making, to arrange and save the

Leadership and Management devlpment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Leadership and Management devlpment - Case Study Example Lose of social networks is among the major reasons why employees sent on overseas assignments may feel dissatisfied with their jobs. Even when the assignment might come with higher financial prospects, many expatriates miss the social support accorded to them by fellow employees and others in their circles (Ducharme and Martin, 2000). Employees of multinationals who are sent on oversees assignments find it hard to establish social ties with those from the local communities and are therefore not able to learn about the culture of host country. According to Maney and Stevenson (2001), the lack of social interaction between expatriates and locals is because of the perceived difference in both social and economic differences between the two groups. The expatriate might be isolated from the locals due to a number of reasons language barriers being a major factor. Daily, Trevis and Dalton (2000) notes when employees feel isolated, they are bound to experience high levels of stress especially when it is combined with having to work in a new and unfamiliar business environment, hardship in cross cultural adjustment as well as lack of enough information about work environment coming from the headquarters. Further, some employees fear that their career development is not well examined when they are on international duties. Lack of close contact with the headquarters makes the employee on international assignment feel that there career will not develop as planned due to the reduced contact with superiors and colleagues. Organizations with leadership and management development programmes should define job satisfaction using a multi-facet approach in order to take care of all the angle employees’ emotional response towards the assignment. Leadership and management programmes that fail in most cases perceive job satisfaction in terms of monetary and job promotion gains an employee stands to get by accepting the international

Mergers & Acquisitions. Sprint-T-Mobile Term Paper

Mergers & Acquisitions. Sprint-T-Mobile - Term Paper Example The prospective merger between T-Mobile and Sprint has evoked mixed opinions among the shareholders of both the companies. T-Mobile USA is a subsidiary of German based Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE). The intention of DTE is to sell off the entity to Sprint and own a major stake in the combined entity. (Saitto et.al., 2011) The merger will be positive for both the companies in terms of the market presence. As of now both the companies are the third and the fourth largest operators. This deal would be beneficial for the shareholders of T-Mobile. The shareholders of T-Mobile are already worried with the recent drop in its share price due to drop in quarter-on-quarter profits. Therefore, any possible merger is an opportunity for the shareholders to sell the shares on a price better that a market price. Moreover, for those shareholders who are not selling off the shares, it is an opportunity for them to get more shares allotted in the new entity. The situation is slightly different in terms of the shareholders of Sprint. Sprint has a strong technology back up to compete with all the competitors in the market. â€Å"Sprint Nextel has partnered with Clearwire to build a 4G wireless network using a technology called WiMax, which is now available in 43 markets.† (ABMN, 2010) Sprint is already committed to pay Clearwire Corporation for building 4G wireless technology. Sprint is bound to pay Clearwire a minimum amount of $850 million in two years. This can even go up based on the growth in data usage. This deal though was spread over for 2 to 3 years will raise the debt level of the company. A potential merger with T-Mobile will further raise the debt level of Sprint. This will be threatening for the financial position of the company. Eventually this can lead to loss for the shareholders. At this point, it is important to look at the financial position of both the companies. T-Mobile has been facing serious decline in its cu stomer base and profitability for some quarters now. All other players in the market are well equipped with sufficient technologies to capitalize the future market. It is difficult for T-Mobile to capture additional customers as they lack the technology strength to do so. Therefore, the customer and profit erosion for T-Mobile will be much faster in the coming years. â€Å"During the first quarter of 2011, T-Mobile saw its revenue hit $4.63 billion, putting it in line with the first quarter of 2010. However, the company’s profit fell over $200 million year over year from $362 million last year to $135 million in the first quarter of 2011.† (Reisinger, 2011) The total customer loss in 2010 alone was 56,000. The second quarter results of the company have shown a decrease in the total assets to $46,291 million from that of $46,299 million. Cash and equivalents have decreased to $109 million from that of $344 million. There is an increase in the total liabilities of the co mpany. Sprint Nextel is better positioned than T-mobile in terms of the financial position. Unlike T-Mobile, Sprint reported first quarterly revenue after 3 years. Sprint was also undergoing a loss of revenue since 2007. (Bloomberg, 2011) The net incomes were on the negative side year on year. The first quarterly revenue was in fact a positive sign that the financial position of the company will pick up. But then the second quarter results were again on the negative side for the company. (Sprint, 2011) These negative revenues have taken a tall on the cash flow of the company. Especially at this stage when the Sprint is

To what extent would you agree that 'the media and the police Essay

To what extent would you agree that 'the media and the police responses to football hooliganism have tended to be dispropor - Essay Example So one could argue that media's extensive coverage of this phenomenon has more to do with marketing the media product rather than any upkeep of journalistic values. With this understanding one could also see the role of police in a different light. They could be perceived as agents in the content creation process, who contribute by giving information and video footage of hooligans. And since the media seldom question instances of police mistreatment of hooligans, they tend to act brashly and ruthlessly in controlling the mob. (Crawford, 2004, p.225) In this context, there is room to believe that both the media and police tend to react in excess to what the situation actually warrants. The rest of this essay will present points in support of this thesis. One of the most courageous and vocal opponent of the way media tends to set aside ethics when it comes to garnering revenues is John Pilger. Pilger has dedicated his life to investigative journalism, which focuses on bringing out diss ident views against abuse of power. In the United Kingdom, the biggest threat today is not so much from political power as it is from concentration of media ownership. Rupert Murdoch exemplifies fears of media monopoly in Britain and other countries of the Commonwealth. And upon his media empire's entry in the British media scene, instances of reporting on football hooliganism has increased. (Sanhi, 2009, p.909) And many of the stories are so construed as to project miscreants (correctly or incorrectly) as heavy boozing, irresponsible, violent monsters. Pilger's first-hand account of a personal acquaintance' experience with his son amply illustrates this point: â€Å"I met Eddie Spearritt in the Philharmonic pub, overlooking Liverpool. It was a few years after 96 Liverpool football fans had been crushed to death at Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield, on 15 April 1989. Eddie's son, Adam, aged 14, died in his arms. The "main reason for the disaster", Lord Justice Taylor subsequently rep orted, was the "failure" of the police, who had herded fans into a lethal pen. "As I lay in my hospital bed," Eddie said, "the hospital staff kept the Sun away from me. It's bad enough when you lose your 14-year-old son because you're treating him to a football match. Nothing can be worse than that. But since then I've had to defend him against all the rubbish printed by the Sun about everyone there being a hooligan and drinking. There was no hooliganism. During 31 days of Lord Justice Taylor's inquiry, no blame was attributed because of alcohol. Adam never touched it in his life."† (John Pilger, 2009, p.14) What this episode of journalistic misdemeanour's shows is the total lack of respect for facts and disregard for the feelings of victims and their families. Pilger further brought to light that Kelvin MacKenzie (who is one of Murdoch's favourite editors) was instrumental in creating largely fictitious accounts of hooliganism involving people such as Adam Spearritt. The braz enness with which such misinformation could be passed up as serious journalism can be difficult to believe. For example, MacKenzie was supposed to have written the following headlines in the coverage of this tragic event : â€Å"The Sun front page, scribbling "THE TRUTH" in huge letters. Beneath it, he wrote three subsidiary headlines: "Some fans picked pockets of victims" ... "Some fans urinated on the brave cops" ... "Some fans