South Carolina Exposition and Protest free essay sample

Calhoun, then vice president under John Quince Adams and later under Andrew Jackson The document was a rotes against the Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations. The document stated that if the tariff was not repealed, South Carolina would secede The South Carolina Protest was issued by the South Carolina legislature in 1828 to announce its intention to nullify the federal tariff of 1828. The Exposition explained and defended the principles and customs upon which the Protest and nullification rested.Calhoun argued against the Tariff of 1828, which imposed a tax on imported goods high enough to protect domestic producers from foreign competition. Northern manufacturers benefited from the tax, while Southern planters who depended on international trade suffered. Calhoun argued that a protective tariff was unconstitutional, and that states, not the Supreme Court, were the rightful judges of the constitutionality of laws. I think the southern states had a reason to be upset, but no government is perfect and sometimes you have to adjust your personal opinions for the good of the country. We will write a custom essay sample on South Carolina Exposition and Protest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The tariff that was put in place, The Tariff of 1 828 was passed by the congress of the Lignite States on May 19 1828. It was designed to protect industry in the northern United States. Something that benefits just some people and not others will cause immediate installment, which it did in the south. They were upset that they would be paying money that was going to help the north and not them. The goal of this tariffs to help protect the northern states that were being driven out of business by lower prices importer goods.A tax in place WOUld help them. In the south though, they had to pay higher prices on imported goods and reducing the exportation of British goods to the U. S. Made it difficult got British to pay for the cotton they imported. William James Cooper, an American educator who revered as US Commissioner of Education stated that, Protective tariff violated their constitutional theory, for, as they interpreted the document, it gave no permission for a protective tariff.Moreover, they saw protection as benefiting the North and hurting the In the Exposition and Protest reported by the special committee of the House of Representatives they explain that the tariff is, a violation of these fundamental principles, a breach of a well-defined tryst and a prevention of the humble power vested in the federal government for federal purposes only. Also the south implanted that the tariff would disrupt farming and would cause people to emigrate elsewhere.

Trail of Tears

Trail of Tears Trail of Tears Running head: TRAIL OF TEARS 1TRAIL OF TEARS 5HIS220October 4, 2014Will PalmerTrail of TearsLong before Amerigo Vespucci and other European explorers reached the New World, Native Americans successfully inhabited the land. There has been much debate as to how many people were here. It has been documented as high as 16 million to as low as under four million (Brinkley, 2008). The Europeans' relationship with the Native Americans was that of give and take. Both taught each other techniques for cultivating crops, the introduction of domestic livestock and basic survival. The Europeans not only bought with them diseases that killed millions of Native Americans, but also their conviction that their own civilization was greatly superior to that of the natives (Brinkley, 2008). This discussion will include Andrew Jackson's opinion and policy concerning Native Americans, white Americans' opinion of Native Americans, the "Five Civilized Tribes," and the Trail of Tears.Trails of Tears (English version)Before becoming the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson had already made a name for himself in history. He was a lawyer, politician and judge, wealthy planter and merchant, and in 1801 received the appointment of the commander of the Tennessee militia. During the War of 1812, white settlers near the Spanish owned Florida border were under attack by the Creek Indians. According to Brinkley (2008), on March 27, 1814, in the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, Jackson and his men retaliated and slaughtered Creek women, children, and warriors. Jackson received a commission to major general in the United States Army. Later in the year, during the Seminole War, Jackson captured Spanish forts at Pensacola and St. Marks in Florida. In 1821, he served as Florida's military governor for nine months.Jackson, 1828, won the election for the...

Professional Integration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Professional Integration - Essay Example Basically, the Good Idea Company model aims to perform specialized medical core and noncore functions wherein the tasks concerned depends upon the command of the customer. Such commands of tasks to be performed by MSOs include medical transcribing and administrative functions. Primarily, this model of MSO represents manifold business tasks and operations which cannot be performed deliberately by health professionals. Thus, for these noncore operations which are far from the field of medicine such as finance and accounting, health system affiliations find this model a favorable one which allows them to have the work done by specialized MSOs. Between the two models of MSOs above, the Venture Capital Company provides more privilege for participating parties for integration. Since the Venture Capital Company aims to generate capital by outsourcing administrative and managerial operations to MSOs who specialize in these fields, they become more focused on their core operations. Hence, this allows a rapid pace of integration for both parties. On the other hand, the Good Idea Company provides slow but sure integration which is only limited to the tasks the customer commands.

Contemporary issue in the Economic and Political Environment of the UK Essay

Contemporary issue in the Economic and Political Environment of the UK Britain and the Euro Should we join or not - Essay Example And now I will try to give you an accurate account of the economic situation in the United Kingdom. (Minford) Chancellor of the Exchequer of the UK thinks that the country is not ready to join the European currency. Tony Bluer is of the some opinion. He is known to be a supporter of the European fusion, but he has not made the official statement yet. But still the decision has not been taken. (Minford) Observers say that Chancellor of the Exchequer isn't eager to introduce the country into the European zone. Prime Minister and the whole Labour party like the idea of the economical reunion with the continental Europe. There are some reasons for it. Firstly, Britain wants to be the leader of the EU, and for it the country should have the same currency as the whole organization has. (Marsday) Secondly, there is a probability of split between the members of the Labour party. And it is not profitable for the Prime Minister. Thirdly, the Conservative party can use antagonisms among the Labour party leaders which exist. From the economic point of view it is profitable for Britain to join the Euro. But the most suitable moment for it is when the Pound will be a bit closer to the Euro. In such a way the economy of the country will not feel a big strike. Otherwise, there will be a recession of the economy. But still, the nation won't feel it, because of the high development of the social pr ogram in the country. But the competing the Conservative party is strongly against it. They lost the trust of people, because of being against joining Britain the EU. Their most influential argument is the historical currency of the country. (Marsday) Their motto is: Let's preserve the Pound. Almost half of the country supports this idea. (Minford) The Conservative Party says that people must decide whether to change the national currency or not. A national referendum must show what to do with the problem which exists. The leader of the Party is sure that the country can successfully do without the Euro. He says that British people do not want to join the Euro. People know that it is a political decision, and the economic policy is not related to it. He adds that Tony Bluer just wants to choose the suitable moment and win the referendum. The Head of the Chamber of the Commerce, David Frost, says that the Government will decide whether to join the Euro or not, but later. However the Government should denote their actions for investors to know what to do with their capital formations and what to do next. The striking example of it is the Japanese corporation Toyota. It is one of the biggest foreign investors in Britain. (Marsday) At first, Toyota and almost all the other Japanese companies wanted Britain to introduce a new European currency. They were alarmed what would be with their investment. (Minford) However, now the Head of the Japanese corporation says that Toyota has a stable position in the country, and is not going to enlarge their capital investment. The corporation is not troubled

A review of an article (Carr) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A review of an article (Carr) - Essay Example tiveness to companies has greatly declined causing a necessity for the top managements strategically to evaluate their position on IT investment (Carr, 2003). Numerous correspondences cited on this article closely relate IT with previous technologies in terms of their growth but most importantly, they have likened IT to infrastructural technology (Carr, 2003). There are great similarities that exist between their characteristics considering their share ability nature since they offer more value than when they are customized. IT is best suitable when partnered with other firms in order to yield the highest level of results exemplified by early technologies like Electricity and rail transportation, which is the very nature of IT (Carr, 2003). The article further argues that for a technology to be competitive it must be owned and should be able to differentiate an organization from their competitors. This is not so with IT because many companies have the ability to reproduce on the shelf similar products to serve similar purpose. Additionally the cost of IT products has drastically gone down therefore almost all organization can afford the IT investments eliminating the uniqueness that IT can offer for competitiveness. Therefore, the article concludes that for companies to be able to rely on IT as a strategic goal to competitiveness, they should consider changing their overall perspective. They should endeavor to reduce the costs invested in IT through evaluating the returns that IT investments offer. Companies should ensure that they get longer IT value and should not always rush to upgrade their IT resources without doing a need assessment because not all IT investment bring equal financial returns (Carr,

Influence Of Humanism During The Renaissance Period Music Essay

Influence Of Humanism During The Renaissance Period Music Essay The influence of Humanism during the Renaissance period gave an enormous impact on the development of western music, where the revival in the study of Greek and Latin literature took place that result in new styles of music composed. The word Humanism is derived from the fifteenth century Italian term called umanista, which may be referred to as a scholar or teacher. This includes professions in all divisions such as poetry and philosophy, and thus the gaining of those intellectual properties and knowledge was the main focus of the humanities studies. This intellectual expansion in culture and secular ideologies was the humanism influence that covered vast aspects of peoples perspectives towards their lives during the Renaissance. One of the areas that were certainly affected by Humanism was music, where towards the sixteenth century more and more composers saw music as artistic works rather than mathematics equations, and they should be consisted of individual expression and delight senses. These ideas were supported by humanists and scholars such as Pietro Bembo, who stood as a vital figure on explaining how important the use of sonority in words and also words within the whole phrase was. This greatly affected the way Renaissance composers chose the amount of balance between music and words and the way they interact with each other. Therefore this influence brought up a new dimension in music writing that resulted in a new vocal style, the madrigal. It was one of the most popular music styles of non-religious music in the sixteenth century, and it certainly depicted what the heart of humanism was. The poems that were taken into the use of composing madrigals were secular material that demonstrated human nature, such as love poems. Also the quality of life, living fully and human interests, which were all, part of the secular attitudes that dominated this genre of music. There are plenty of examples from the composers in the sixteenth century that wrote music in the style. One of the most famous madrigal composers was Lucy Marenzio from Italy, and most of his madrigals were about secular topics such as desire and love. In his Hor pien daltro desio composed in 1582, it tells us the love and affection of the Italian poet Luigi Alamanni towards a female called Amaranta. Marenzio cleverly used music to support the individual words and lines to highlight the emotion. For example in this five voices madrigal, the Tenor part begins with a perfect consonant with the Canto part, then falls down a semitone to the F sharp where the word Pien (full) is stressed, in addition it also acts as the leading tone to G. The next word dal-tro meaning (of another) is held for twice the value so that even each of the syllables length various. Moreover, the frequent use of imitation where every voice enters at different times but similar motif as the composer thought suitable. The use of repetition can also be found when the womans name Amaranta is sung as va-ga, A-ma-ran-ta (vague (beauty) Amaranta) which is also almost like a sequence in terms of the melodic contour. At measure 24, all parts arrived on the third line Che dolce suona e canta (Who sweetly ings and plays), which this fulfilment in the texture unleashes the power of vocal harmony completely. Interestingly, when the top voice reaches the word Can-ta (sing), the two syllables spread across three bars are where the running quavers emerge, and plus the F sharp to G figure reappears. As a result, it portrays the beautiful melismatic singing by Amaranta that the poet could die for. This is a great example of showing how effective the use of music on only a single word could give nice additional flavours to the entire line. Next to the end, at line if my dying would increase her life is also another similar example on the word mio (life), which both the Canto and Basso parts are extended over three bars on the tied semibreves suggesting the wish of a longer life. The composer successfully achieved and enhanced the meaning of the poem, whereby usingtechniques to organise the melodic lines working both vertically and horizontally. This level of intellectual and practical manipulation on composing was extremely exceptional and really showed how humanism influenced composers on the way they approached madrigal writings. The second example is from a later date in 1592 by Claudio Monteverdi in his third book of Madrigal called O come à ¨ gran martire, a poem written by Giovanni Battista Guarini. He was one of the most well known poets during the Renaissance, due to the effectiveness of words in his texts that madrigal composers loved to use. In this five voices madrigal starts of at Canto with a long note valued the entire bar on the higher E followed by a short rest, then falls right down to a G sharp. This diminished 6th interval almost paints an actual image of a person saying Oh, how great the suffering is to hold desire on both the first two words as well as the entire line. The word Mar-ti-re (martyr) is also stretched out the longest in the line to emphasize the state of suffering. Furthermore, Monteverdi uses a canon like effect with consecutive entries from the first voice down to the third voice. It is not until third line O soave mio ardore when all voices joins up exposing the ardour feeling from the poet. Also the sense of cadences and starting points are a lot more obvious throughout the piece comparing to Marenzios example, such as at the repetition point in the third line and at the end of that line. Another remarkable point in this madrigal is the call and response that happens on the fifth line between all voices that divides into two parts with Alto alternating between the upper and lower half for over fifteen bars. The fifth line is divided into two parts as sognun ama il suo core and e voi sete il cor mio so that the lower half usually follows what the upper half just sung. This compositional device is rather convincing when it comes to the appearance of the lines over and over again that deeply prints the poets emotion onto the music. The entire madrigal is fulfilled with Monteverdis thoughtful ideas to further embellish the poem, and it has a stronger sense of homophonic texture than Marenzios example. However both composers utilisation of word-painting, imitation and through-composed form, were undoubtedly a revolutionary style that all madrigal composers strived for and This original experience begins early in the madrigals, where it is consciously at work trying to build up a musical style which should be the emotional counterpart of the poetic expression, and truly this collective knowledge is a critical component of what the intention of Humanism was, which of Those who earnestly desire and seek after these are most highly humanized. This movement greatly impacts not only on madrigals, but also the overall development of music as well as the Renaissance society on the whole. The success of madrigal brought its popularity even further, when the advance in music printing took off that drastically increased the speed of music spread, and as a result many international style appeared in their vernacular, and the English madrigals were one of the most directly influenced examples. Thomas Weelkes was among the greatest English madrigal composer around the sixteenth century and in his Lady your Spotless Feature, it seeks to satisfy his perfect image of the lady. The text of this madrigal is derived from the madrigal Donna, il vostro bel viso of another famous Italian madrigal composer named Salamone Rossi. This shows how close the link is between Italian and English madrigalism where Thomas Weelkes was able to interpret the lines into English smoothly and re-through-compose the entire music to suit the local taste. This madrigal is set for five voices with two sopranos, tenors and a bass, starting with a homophonic texture, where the first top three parts form a triadic chord and this gives a strong sense of tonic. When the word fea-ture is sung at the end of the first line, it divides into a descending scale like pattern quavers in thirds with soprano II. This sighing like effect shows how the composer is fascinated by the beauty of the lady. Following that immediately is a short motif based on a crochet, two quavers then four crotchets, distributed at different times on different voices to create the polyphonic texture that contrasts with the first line. This imitative device easily creates an impression into our mind which again reinforces the image of the lady. The strong sense in the use between polyphony and block harmony also appears on the last two lines, where the second last line moves mostly in crotchets aligned with the words building up vertical harmony. Then similarly, the last line creates an eight crotchet notes figure that repeats in various parts of every voice. Surprisingly, at the end of every polyphonic variation, the bass rhythm is always augmented until the start of the next homophonic part, which is almost like a basso continuo used at the end to strengthen the dominant to tonic feel, which in this example is the long sustained A to D. Comparing to the previous madrigals mentioned, this piece has a stronger systematic gesture where the structure is defined not only by the text but also the texture in music especially. The poem itself is also more of a light-hearted and delightful musical setting, which is a fairly popular taste amongst the English madrigal composers. This style of secular composition, which was sometimes set to words of a light and humorous character, found a good deal of favour with many of the most prominent English composers, although serious and pastoral works often appeared also in Weelkes madrigals. Nevertheless, knowing the contrapuntal parts in relation with one another, and also seeing the underlying harmony is the complex but crucial elements in madrigal writings and astonishingly, all three madrigal composers have not only managed to write music for the words but also stretching the meaning of them by exploring the possibilities that suited this genre. This cultivation of secular vocal music was in no doubt, a phenomenal musical development during the sixteenth century. Therefore, the influence of Humanism on madrigal was aimed to uplift the level of emotion and meaning derived from literal materials, and from a teleological perspective it did not only fulfilled its purpose but also set a model for many vocal music genres that came later in the music history such as opera. For that reason the madrigal is undeniably the quintessential humanist musical genre in the sixteenth century.

Essay on Voltaire’s Candide: Visualizing Perfection -- Candide essays

Visualizing Perfection in Candide   "All is for the best...in the best of all possible worlds."   To picture greatness, perfection and brilliance all intertwined into one splendid world -- a utopia, infers visualizing absolute beauty, harmony, and a universal tolerance amongst mankind. Would not such "perfection" designate the "best of all possible worlds?" How could we possibly conceive the sinister world portrayed in Candide to be conveyed as "utopia?" Since the best of all possible worlds indicates that "all is for the best" is it not safe to derive at the conclusion that since our world is clearly not "perfect" it is therefore implied that "all" is not for the best? Who determines the "right" from the "wrong," the "beautiful" from the "hideous," the "strong" from the weak?" How does one know if they are right? How does one ever know if they chose "correctly?" How does one allow th emself to be infatuated with an idea as to blindly (correctly or incorrectly) follow it and believe? When do you question yourself? Doubt and "double-guess" yourself? Such correlating topics of an ambiguous solution are sought to be explained in Candide. Voltaire's masterpiece Candide recounts the journey of a young man as he ventures the world and faces reality, deals with it, is guided, transformed, and eventually defined by it. Voltaire's story tells the tale of Candide as his character matures from the naivete of a child to the extensive temperament of a distinguished man. Born and raised in the castle of the Baron of Thunder-ten-tronckh, in the land of Westphalia, Germany, Candide is firs... ...n the best of possible worlds; for short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle by the backside for the love of Miss Cunegund, had you not been put into the Inquisition, had you not traveled over America on foot, had you not run the Baron through the body, and had you not lost all your sheep which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts." Voltaire therefore exhibits both sides of the spectrum, Pangloss, the unchanging, and Candide the "developed." These adventures broadened the horizons of Candide, and with him, the reader also undergoes many thought provoking dilemmas, cultivating himself in many of the same ways. This tale doesn't flounder all hope of "perfection," but it does present, in laymen's terms the ideas behind Murphy's Law.

A Local Restaurant and Western Restaurant

When trying to decide where to dine, either at a local restaurant or at a western restaurant, patrons should consider several aspects that concern these dining places. Some of these aspects include the food selection, the service provided and the ambience of each restaurant. When we talk about the food selection, both the restaurant must have a variety of menus as this is one that captured the quality required to be on every restaurant. However, as we all know, Malaysian people are of different race.So, usually, we can find three types of food at local restaurant such as nasi lemak of Malay cuisine, Chinese cuisine such as Char Kway Teow and Indian cuisine like roti canai. For western restaurant, although their foods recently are influence by the local food but its main foods are usually steak, chicken chop and spaghetti. Besides that, the western restaurants usually are sequential in serving their foods which are the appetizer, main course and desserts.On the other hand, the local r estaurant is only having the main course and only some of the local restaurants provide dessert like cendol or ais kacang. Secondly, when going to restaurant, we usually are comparing the service of the restaurant with the others. So, when comparing local restaurant with western restaurant, western restaurant will give a good impression to us. Western restaurants usually employ more waiter and waitress that are trained well whereas the waiter and waitress of local restaurant are usually shorthanded and we even can find some of them act rude to the customers.Due to more number of waiters, the food service for western restaurant is better than local restaurant where we can experience of waiting for so long for our foods at local restaurant. Furthermore, the waiters of western are usually standardized with their own uniform as the badge for the restaurant while local restaurant’s waiters are not provided with uniform by the restaurant. As the conclusion, we can say that western restaurant give more efficient service than the local restaurant.Another difference between western restaurant and local restaurant is the ambience. Both western and local restaurant will provide a place with relaxed and soothing environment to the customers so that they will feel comfortable to dine. However, western restaurant have quiet ambience with soft music sets whereas the local restaurant is a bit noisy and usually not included with musical set instead some are included by a karaoke set. Furthermore, western restaurants are designed with modern and creative high class decorative ffects to attract attention and impress the customers. In contrast, local restaurants are simply decorated, but have so many atmospheres which are compatible with its modest budget. However, both are design and decorate well so that the customers can look around and find a new item and experience if they have to wait. Thus, to decide whether to dine at a local restaurant or western restaurant, facto rs such as the food selection, ambience of the restaurant and the service provided should be taken into consideration.

Kantianism

Kantianism: Nagel, Moral Luck Moral luck is a term used by Nagel to describe the external factors beyond our control, which act upon moral decisions we make. Nagels opinion is that people make moral decisions that may have good or bad intentions, but because of moral luck the outcome may be contrary to what he/she intended. Moral luck can be constitutive, the kind of person that someone is. Some people are born with certain characteristics, which enable them to be more virtuous then others. Others are born with a nasty streak of envy or jealousy, which makes it that much harder for them to make moral decisions. Another type of moral luck is ones circumstances. People are faced with different types of situations and problems, and certain situations make is easier to make the right moral decision. Nagel also describes two types of consequential lucks. One type is antecedent, in which certain consequences took place before the moral act and influence the moral decision to be made. The other type o! f consequential luck is the way actions and decisions turn out. Basically, moral luck is all the outside factors, which are beyond human control. These factors will determine whether a moral act turns out to be found moral by others or by oneself. A student may decide that he will not study for a specific exam because he intends to cheat off his neighbors paper. However, upon arriving to class he finds that all the seats but one in the front of the classroom are taken. The student, who had every intention to cheat no finds himself unable to look at anyones paper and must take the test on his own. This is an example of moral luck. According to Kant the student should be judged as having committed a moral wrong because Kant believes that moral acts must be judged on good or bad will. The student definitely had bad will in this case, however any Consequentalist would say the conseque...

Key Facts About the War on Drugs

Key Facts About the War on Drugs What Is the War on Drugs? The War on Drugs is a general term used to refer to the federal governments attempts to end the import, manufacture, sale, and use of illegal drugs. Its a colloquial term that does not refer in any meaningful way to a specific policy or objective, but rather to a series of anti-drug initiatives that are vaguely directed towards the common goal of ending drug abuse. Origin of the Phrase War on Drugs President Dwight D. Eisenhower began what The New York Times then called a new war on narcotic addiction at the local, national, and international level with the establishment of an Interdepartmental Committee on Narcotics on November 27, 1954, which was responsible for coordinating executive branch anti-drug efforts. The phrase War on Drugs first came into common use after President Richard Nixon used it at a press conference on June 17, 1971, during which he described illegal drugs as public enemy number one in the United States. Chronology of Federal Anti-drug Policy 1914: The Harrison Narcotics Tax Act regulates the distribution of narcotics (heroin and other opiates). Federal law enforcement will later incorrectly classify cocaine, a central nervous system stimulant, as a narcotic and regulate it under the same legislation.​1937: The Marijuana Tax Act extends federal restrictions to cover marijuana.1954: The Eisenhower administration takes a significant, albeit largely symbolic, step in establishing a U.S. Interdepartmental Committee on Narcotics.1970: The Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 establishes federal anti-drug policy as we know it. Human Cost of the War on Drugs According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 55% of federal prisoners and 21% of state-level prisoners are incarcerated on the basis of drug-related offenses. This means that over a half million people are presently incarcerated as a result of anti-drug laws- more than the population of Wyoming. The illegal drug trade also sustains gang activity, and is indirectly responsible for an unknown number of homicides. (The FBIs Uniform Crime Reports describe 4% of homicides as being directly attributable to the illegal drug trade, but it plays an indirect role in a much larger percentage of homicides.) Monetary Cost of the War on Drugs According to the White Houses National Drug Control Strategy Budgets, as cited in Action Americas Drug War Cost Clock, the federal government alone is projected to spend over $22 billion on the War on Drugs in 2009. State spending totals are harder to isolate, but Action America cites a 1998 Columbia University study which found that states spent over $30 billion on drug law enforcement during that year. Constitutionality of the War on Drugs The federal governments authority to prosecute drug-related offenses theoretically stems from Article Is Commerce Clause, which grants Congress the authority to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes- but federal law enforcement targets drug offenders even when the illegal substance is manufactured and distributed only within state lines. Public Opinion Regarding the War on Drugs According to an October 2008 Zogby poll of likely voters, 76% describe the War on Drugs as a failure. In 2009, the Obama administration announced that it would no longer use the phrase War on Drugs to refer to federal anti-drug efforts, the first administration in 40 years not to do so.

Stock option backdating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stock option backdating - Essay Example Backdating can take on several meanings. The most culpable form of backdating involves "intentionally changing the date used to set an option's exercise price to one on which the stock's price was at a low" (Ellsworth et al., 2006). This form of backdating was abetted by the relatively lax legislation before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was enacted in 2002. The Sarbanese-Oxley Act mandated that stock options be filed within 2 days after they are granted (FindLaw, 2002), mitigating the backdating problem. Before the Sarbanese-Oxley Act came into effect, option grants were reported using Form 5 which primary use is for the disclosure of "the transactions and holdings of directors, officers, and beneficial owners of registered companies" (Securities and Exchange Commission, n.d.). Furthermore, the form is required to be filed only "on or before the 45th day after the end of the issuer's fiscal year" (Securities and Exchange Commission, n.d.). This essentially means that if the stock options w ere granted early in the fiscal year, investors would not come to know of them until almost 1 year later, giving more leeway for insiders to manipulate the date on which the exercise price was established. Most of the 63 companies involved in stock option backdating "relate to a roughly six-year period prior to the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation" (Grant and Nuttall, 2006). ... Such company actions and policies include sloppy documentation, delays in the grant approval process, and the wrong interpretation of APB Opinion No. 25 Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees (Ellsworth et al., 2006). Summary of Statement No. 123 Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees prescribes that the intrinsic value or fair value based method of accounting be used for the valuation of stock options (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 1995). Most companies continue with the intrinsic value based method of accounting (Ellsworth et al., 2006). Under the intrinsic value based method, "compensation cost is the excess, if any, of the quoted market price of the stock at grant date or other measurement date over the amount an employee must pay to acquire the stock" (Financial Accounting Standards Board, 1995). If company actions are efficient, the measurement date would be the same as the grant date, and no compensation cost is recorded. More often than not, due to procedures such as the signing of the resolution by the directors, the measurement date would be at a later date than the grant date. If the price of the underlying stock has risen over the period between the measurement date and the grant date, the stock option is in the money and the difference should be recognized as compensation expense. Backdating occurs when companies, whether intentionally or unintentionally, choose to use the price of the underlying stock on the grant date as the basis for measuring the compensation cost. An example of the above form of backdating of stock options is Michaels Stores Inc., which understated compensation expenses by as much as $60 million between 1990 and 2001 (Bulkeley, 2006; Maremont, 2006). Michaels

Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder Essay

Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorder - Essay Example Symptoms include difficulty staying focused and paying attention, difficulty controlling behavior, and hyperactivity (over-activity)† (par. 1). Doctors Phillips and Mersch identifies it as a â€Å"chronic biobehavioral disorder that initially manifests in childhood and is characterized by hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention† (Phillips and Mersch, 2011, p. 1). Types There were specifically three types of the disorder, to wit: (1) the inattentive type; (2) the hyperactive impulsive type; and (3) a combination of the inattentive and hyperactive impulsive types (Kids Health, 2011). As the terms suggests, the inattentive type exhibits the following signs and symptoms: unable to pay attention or focus on details, manifests apparent listening dilemmas, easily distracted, forgetful, avoids mental tasks. The hyperactive impulsive type, on the other hand, manifests symptoms of being on the go at all times; excessive talking, climbing or running; difficulty waiting, rema ining seated, and playing quietly; tendencies to interrupt; and fidgeting, among others. The third type, the combination of the two, exhibits a combination of the signs and symptoms above mentioned. Causes There are diverse theories that try to explain the root cause of the disorder. According to NIMH (2010), the actual cause could not be determined, but genetics could play a significant role in its manifestations. Other factors that could be attributed to preponderance to the disorder are environmental factors, injuries in the brain, and nutrition or some food elements in the diet, among others. A research conducted by Shaw et al. (2007) revealed that â€Å"children with ADHD who carry a particular version of a certain gene have thinner brain tissue in the areas of the brain associated with attention. This NIMH research showed that the difference was not permanent, however, and as children with this gene grew up, the brain developed to a normal level of thickness. Their ADHD sympt oms also improved† (Shaw et al., 2007, cited by NIMH: Causes, 2010, par. 3). In terms of environmental factors, studies have proven that parents who have been drinking alcohol and smoking have direct links to having children with ADHD (Linnet et al., 2003; Mick et al., 2002). Further, children at preschool levels found to have presumably been exposed to lead of high levels (through paint or plumbing fixtures) exhibited symptoms of the disorder (Braun et al., 2006). In terms of food additives, the research conducted by McCann (2007) aimed to establish a direct link between food with preservatives or artificial colors. Future researches are still required to validate this contention. Statistics The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the following relevant statistics on children with ADHD: ? Approximately 9.5% or 5.4 million children 4-17 years of age have ever been diagnosed with ADHD, as of 2007. ? The percentage of children with a parent-reported ADHD dia gnosis increased by 22% between 2003 and 2007. Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6%) to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. (CDC, n.d., 1). The information that boys were more likely to be afflicted with the disorder than girls have been supported in other studies such as the Phillips and Mersch (2011) who indicated â€Å"ADHD occurs two to four times more commonly in boys than girls (male to female ratio 4:1 for the predominantly hyperactive type vs. 2:1 for the predomi