Five Great Problems in Theoretical Physics

In his controversial 2006 book The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next, theoretical physicist Lee Smolin points out five great problems in theoretical physics. The problem of quantum gravity: Combine general relativity and quantum theory into a single theory that can claim to be the complete theory of nature.The foundational problems of quantum mechanics: Resolve the problems in the foundations of quantum mechanics, either by making sense of the theory as it stands or by inventing a new theory that does make sense.The unification of particles and forces: Determine whether or not the various particles and forces can be unified in a theory that explains them all as manifestations of a single, fundamental entity.The tuning problem: Explain how the values of the free constants in the standard model of particle physics are chosen in nature.The problem of cosmological mysteries: Explain dark matter and dark energy. Or, if they dont exist, determine how and why gravity is modified on large scales. More generally, explain why the constants of the standard model of cosmology, including the dark energy, have the values they do. Physics  Problem 1: The Problem of Quantum Gravity Quantum gravity is the effort in theoretical physics to create a theory that includes both general relativity and the standard model of particle physics. Currently, these two theories describe different scales of nature and attempt to explore the scale where they overlap yield results that dont quite make sense, like the force of gravity (or curvature of spacetime) becoming infinite. (After all, physicists never see real infinities in nature, nor do they want to!) Physics  Problem 2: The Foundational Problems of Quantum Mechanics One issue with understanding quantum physics is what the underlying physical mechanism involved is. There are many interpretations in quantum physics -- the classic Copenhagen interpretation, Hugh Everette IIs controversial Many Worlds Interpretation, and even more controversial ones such as the Participatory Anthropic Principle. The question that comes up in these interpretations revolves around what actually causes the collapse of the quantum wavefunction.   Most modern physicists who work with quantum field theory no longer consider these questions of interpretation to be relevant. The principle of decoherence is, to many, the explanation -- interaction with the environment causes the quantum collapse. Even more significantly, physicists are able to solve the equations, perform experiments, and practice physics without resolving the questions of what exactly is happening at a fundamental level, and so most physicists dont want to get near these bizarre questions with a 20-foot pole. Physics  Problem 3: The Unification of Particles and Forces There are four fundamental forces of physics, and the standard model of particle physics includes only three of them (electromagnetism, strong nuclear force, and weak nuclear force). Gravity is left out of the standard model. Trying to create one theory which unifies these four forces into a unified field theory is a major goal of theoretical physics. Since the standard model of particle physics is a quantum field theory, then any unification will have to include gravity as a quantum field theory, which means that solving problem 3 is connected with the solving of problem 1. In addition, the standard model of particle physics shows a lot of different particles  -- 18 fundamental particles in all. Many physicists believe that a fundamental theory of nature should have some method of unifying these particles, so they are described in more fundamental terms. For example, string theory, the most well-defined of these approaches, predicts that all particles are different vibrational modes of fundamental filaments of energy, or strings. Physics  Problem 4: The Tuning Problem A theoretical physics model is a mathematical framework that, in order to make predictions, requires that certain parameters are set. In the standard model of particle physics, the parameters are represented by the 18 particles predicted by the theory, meaning that the parameters are measured by observation. Some physicists, however, believe that fundamental physical principles of the theory should determine these parameters, independent of measurement. This motivated much of the enthusiasm for a unified field theory  in the past and sparked Einsteins famous question Did God have any choice when he created the universe? Do the properties of the universe inherently set the form of the universe, because these properties just wont work if the form is different? The answer to this seems to be leaning strongly toward the idea that there is not only one universe that could be created, but that there are a wide range of fundamental theories (or different variants of the same theory, based on different physical parameters, original energy states, and so on) and our universe is just one of these possible universes. In this case, the question becomes why our universe has properties that seem to be so finely tuned to allow for the existence of life. This question is called the fine-tuning problem and has promoted some physicists to turn to the anthropic principle for an explanation, which dictates that our universe has the properties it does because if it had different properties, we wouldnt be here to ask the question. (A major thrust of Smolins book is the criticism of this viewpoint as an explanation of the properties.) Physics Problem 5: The Problem of Cosmological Mysteries The universe still has a number of mysteries, but the ones that most vex physicists are dark matter and dark energy. This type of matter and energy is detected by its gravitational influences, but cant be observed directly, so physicists are still trying to figure out what they are. Still, some physicists have proposed alternative explanations for these gravitational influences, which do not require new forms of matter and energy, but these alternatives are unpopular to most physicists. Edited by Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

College Education Is Worth The Cost - 846 Words

Many recent college graduates have faced record levels of unemployment. This situation has lead people to question what they value about higher education. Some high school students and their parents are wondering if a college education is worth the cost. Others, however, believe that a college prepares students for more than just a job or career. Many people then present the counter argument that people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg did not have a college degree, but unlike them most people are not geniuses and do not have the same entrepreneurial opportunities available to them, let alone the innovative ideas and proper timing. A college education is worth the cost because it is a requirement for many jobs, college graduates make substantially more than high school graduates, and college provides more opportunities for personal growth and networking. Many jobs recently are requiring people to have at least a bachelor’s degree to even consider someone for a position. Now jobs are beginning to want people who have a master’s degree instead; for example â€Å"between 1973 and 2008, the share of jobs in the U.S. economy which required postsecondary education increased from 28 percent to 59 percent. According to our projections, the future promises more of the same. The share of postsecondary jobs will increase from 59 to 63 percent over the next decade† (Carnevale, pg 1). With that being said it seems more important know than ever for people to have a collegeShow MoreRelatedIs A College Education Worth The Cost?1283 Words   |  6 PagesIs a College Education Worth the Cost? Have you ever just stopped to think about what it must be like to be â€Å"qualified† for a job yet be unemployed and homeless? Starving on the streets because you paid everything you had to an institution that was supposed to guarantee a better life, a more stable and successful career. Obviously this is an extreme case, not everyone who pays for college ends up living on the streets and broke, but almost every college graduate is in debt. For as long as collegeRead MoreCollege Education Worth The Cost960 Words   |  4 Pages College Education Worth the Cost What you guys think does College Education Worth the Cost? In the article â€Å"The Wall Street Journal† edited by Riley, she said that a college education does not worth the cost. Again, she claims that most of the colleges are doing their business, they did not care about the student (Riley). Those types of colleges have lack serious core curriculum, they did not know their responsibility towards the student. Moreover, I willRead MoreCollege Education Is Worth The Cost Of College926 Words   |  4 Pagesidea that they will go to college. 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Financially secured people not only are able to afford extracurricular activities for their kids, such as sports, music lessons, art, dancing etcRead MoreIs College Education Worth The Cost For Students?1385 Words   |  6 PagesThe value of a college education is a topic that strikes debates across the nation. People wonder if the debt and time will be worth in helping them obtain a career to pay off the debt and generate a larger income for themselves than if they did not have a four-plus year college degree. My whole life, I have always valued a college education. At the same time, I know that the higher education is not as important to others. I never understood why someone does not want to obtain a college degree, butRead MoreAffordability Of Our Education : Is A College Education Worth The Cost?1729 Words   |  7 PagesSylvia Ikharo Comp 1101 March 15, 2016 Affordability of our Education Every working American family knows how hard it is today to find affordable higher education. As of the past few decades the tuition fee for most public and private colleges increased by 250 percent while income increased by 16 percent (Politico, 2013). The statistics have since then become a trend that has now evolved each year, hence; making it difficult for parents to send their children to school that can cause themRead More`` Yes A College Education Is Worth The Cost `` By Rodney Smith914 Words   |  4 PagesIn his essay, â€Å"Yes a College Education is Worth the Cost,† writer Rodney Smith discusses how students of this generation don’t care about receiving a great education for the future. Throughout his essay he explains how a college education is worth the cost. He stated that people between the ages of 18-34 say they would much rather get a job and make money than spend money to go back to school to obtain a higher degree. Smith’s family grew u p in Oklahoma and they viewed education as an investment. SmithRead MoreA College Education Is Worth The Costs `` By Rodney K. Smith800 Words   |  4 PagesIn USA Today essay, Yes, â€Å"A College Education Is Worth The Costs†, writer Rodney K. Smith begins his essay by painting a very vivid picture of a student in debt, and angry about his lack of job. Coming from a family that values education, the writer stands for pursuing knowledge in order to succeed in life. With this believes, the writer’s purpose for this essay is to reassure and reinforce the necessity of education in life. Smith hopes he can help push people to go to school, and have a good careerRead MoreEducation Is The Greatest Concern For Most Scholars Essay1480 Words   |  6 Pagesdue to low levels of education. Therefore another justification for the cost of education to be worth what is generated in return is the benefits that the higher education brings to the community at large. 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People Associated With The Music Industry †Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The People Associated With The Music Industry? Answer: Introduction: In the past decades, with the rise of internet technology the downloading of the music is becoming major concern for the people associated with the music industry. The digital downloading of the songs is becoming the preferred area of the user (Easley, 2010). From the research it has been analysed that, 90% of music available on the internet is not paid which is illegal. The internet is serving the role of the interface between user and the music industry. It is an illegal activity of sharing copyright material on the internet. There are various software tools available on the internet which makes the downloading of the music from the internet such as Napster, Limewire, WinMX, and acquisition (Hardy, 2015). The practice of downloading the illegal music from the internet is adversely affected the growth of music industry. The evolution of social networking site has completely changed the scenario of sharing digital file over the network, The Music companies have to take step forward t o overcome such a situation by reshaping their business operations, dramatic transformation and distribution of music, and measuring of consumption in relation with demand and supply to know the actual cause of illegal distribution of music. The digital sale of the music is increasing tremendously. The music industry is facing the problem of piracy from several years. The problem of piracy is getting boom with the inclusion of internet associated with the distribution of pirated music over the internet channels. There are some ethical issues which are associated with the innovation of innovation with respect to threatening and music piracy. It has been seen that there are some difficulties associated with the associated with the innovation. The sharing of music albums should be reduced on the internet. The step should be taken to make people aware that they should pay money for downloading the music from the internet. The illegal music should not be opt by the people. The problem of piracy is getting increased with the development of internet technologies and innovation. The emerging marketing of internet increases the threat of piracy on the music industry. The musicians are not getting valuable money for their inner talent. The ethical consideration should be given on illegal downloading of the music from the internet. The area of concern is the increasing growth of the internet and which allows free downloading of the music album. The rate of piracy is getting ridiculously increased. The ethical standards and handling procedures should be used to stop the piracy of the music album to the large extent. There are different forms of music piracy which are classified as internet piracy and compact disc piracy. The availability of the digital products is on the negligible cost paid by the user. Requirement of free downloading of music: The buying and selling of the digital music on the internet is getting boom from last two decades. It has been seen that if the person is not getting pirated music on the internet, he will not buy that album and start searching for the other pirated one. The illegal downloading of the music increases indirect sale of the music (Wuest, 2013). The music industry is affected by the illegal downloading of music. The moral and legal structure should be built for the user to stop downloading of pirated songs. The music artist are not able to sustain in the music field for the longer time because the piracy is having an adverse effect on the growth of the music artist. The feeling of the musician is getting hurt. The user are becoming sting to the violation of copyright. The non-availability of the copyright music changes the mood of listening music. He will start looking for the copyright music which are freely available on the internet. The paid downloads should be used for purchasing of the song through internet. The low quality of the music files can be resolved by purchasing the original copy of the music. The talent of the musicians are getting adversely affected because if they are not giving permission to make copyright of their music, the sale of the album goes on declining. They are not able to earn the livelihood from their music album. The social media plays a major role in downloading of the music and declination of the music industry (Sikka, 2013). In todays era, the success of the music depends on the cultural impact associated with the social media platform and communication between different participating units. The musician should make communication with the right person who is using their music by paying the amount. The distribution of the music can be initiated. The work of the musician is getting hurt. The file sharing of the music is going on large scale. The digital downloads of the music continues loss of the sale. The downloading of music is p rovided with the illegal sites and services (Raman, 2014). The adverse effect can be seen with the flourishing of musical file sharing. Literature Review: From the research and survey, we evaluated that there are seven issues which are associated with the music album piracy. The various channels are used for downloading of music without paying a single penny to the music industry. The fact and figures are collected for illustrating the impact of using internet on increasing the sale of music business, use of case study, interviews, and questionnaires (Aguiar, 2016). The economic growth of the music industry is declining with the file sharing process on the internet. It has been researched that the purchasing of the music album is limited due to the availability of the music album of the web services without any hindrance. Some key points which are associated with the downloading of music album from the internet are discussed below in details. Piracy: The piracy is playing the role of critical barrier in the field of music industry. The 28% of the internet user make use of unauthorised services without paying any monthly charges to it (Peitz, 2013). There is no significance associated with the process of piracy. The spectrum of the music album is going in declining direction. The sale of the music album is increasing with the use of internet but it does not give any benefit to the music industry. The customers are getting benefit of downloading music directly from the internet without taking permission from the music industry. Any unauthorised person can access the music which is available on the internet. The growth in the sale of pirated music album is increasing day by day. Peer to peer: The point to point method of music exchange is the major problem associated with the music business. The entire film industry is getting affected by the problem of music piracy. In the peer to peer connection, the music file is directly shared from the host with the communicating parties from different sources. The growth in the P2P connection helps in upgrading the connection model to enhance the facility of sharing musical files over the internet. In the decentralized exchange model, there is no central hub located for providing the musical files to the nodes who are placing their request to access the file. The exchange of information can be done from any source (Warren, 2012). No central hub is required for the exchange of files in the decentralised exchange model. It is the convenient technique for accelerating the sharing of files because the failure of one node does not affect the flow of information between the participating units. The network functions are perf ormed by the network administrator to deploy the sharing of file with ease. Digital ripping: The digital audio is converted to the particular format by making use of ripping process. The replication of the file format can be easily converted to the replicate audio files. The internet exchange points are used for aggregating the internet traffic. The piracy is assumed as changing the attributes of the internet for free flowing of data for downloading (Martens, 2013). The internet exchange points are used for connecting smaller networks. The P2P protocol is used for downloading and accessing of information. The network traffic can be actively managed with the free flow of downloading of music. The music sale is aggregated in the last two decades for digitally recording the music on the internet (Onyegiri, 2009). The quantifying reforms should be used for estimating the effects of piracy on the digital availability of the music. The socio economic factors are responsible for developing the new technologies for developing the new models for constructing the online sale of the music. The central focus should be given on the technological innovation to enhance the sale of music by using the platform of internet (Liu, 2014). The innovation of piracy brings the crisis in the music industry. The failure of the music industry arises because of the quality loss, availability of the digital goods, unproblematic exchange of music album between the source and destination. The following diagram shows the effects of piracy on purchasing of the music album: The data compression standards are used for managing the downloading of the music album without any hindrance. The controlling of the technological changes develops the successful structure of the music industry. The safety standards should be used for controlling the legal sale of the music. The sale of music by using internet increases the universal reachability. The digital right management standard is used for authenticating the universal applicability of music album. The other companies start developing pirated music without taking authentication from the owner. The process of piracy brings declination in the field of music. The open data compression standards are used for online distribution of music. The control should be built on the commercial downloading of the music by using the technical and legal issues. The music on demand is made available to the user by searching through different web services. The short comings of the technical and commercial projects help in online delivery of the music on the demand of the customers. Case study: We have analysed the European online market developed for the sale of the music to provide future opportunities to increase the sale of the music album. The face to face interviews were arranged with the members of five European countries which are Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain. The executives focus on the survey associated with the value chain of European digital music. The aim of this research is to evaluate the development which is carried out in building the online market for the sale of the music videos. The new opportunities are created and identified for accelerating the growth of consumption of the digital media available on the internet. The analysis of the music piracy helps in measuring the legitimate barriers which exist with the sale of music (Department of communication, 2015). The evaluation of the interview and questionnaire helps in predicting that the increasing demand of file sharing results in the loss of music sales. The freeloaders make the music availab le at free of cost to the user which may affect the profitability ratio of the musical industry. The person does not want to pay single money for the online purchasing of the music album. The sharing of file is imposing the negative affect on the music industry. The behaviour of the internet user is getting changed with the availability and non-availability of the pirated musical album. The online music market provides benefits to the customers. It works in the welfare of the customers by making them available free music albums without paying a single penny for it. The music industry faces the loss of price due to the increment in the music piracy. The innovation of piracy brings the crisis in the music industry. The failure of the music industry arises because of the quality loss, availability of the digital goods, unproblematic exchange of music album between the source and destination. The Music companies have to take step forward to overcome such a situation by reshaping their b usiness operations, dramatic transformation and distribution of music, and measuring of consumption in relation with demand and supply to know the actual cause of illegal distribution of music. The net balance between the two commodity that is customers and music industry is zero because the customers is getting free service of music availability and music industry does not get any pay for it. The public campaign have been arranged for convincing the people that process of downloading the music is an illegal and immoral activity. The restriction should be placed for downloading of the music from different sources. The value should be given for the downloaded data. The cancellation of the license should be done of the companies which promote piracy of music. According to the copyright infringement law, the person who commit digital theft should be punished and send to jail. Issues with the current situation of downloading The piracy of music is going from the last two decades. The pleasure of listening is provided to the user in the any corner of the world (Michael, 2006). The heavy purchases of the music album from the market are completely abolished. The user mostly prefers listening music directly from the internet. The downloading of the music is an easy task because no authorisation and authentication required for carrying out the downloading activities. The musician does not get any extra cost with the increasing sale of their music album. The user does not pay a single penny for downloading the pirated music from the internet. The downloading of the pirated music gives emphasis on the breaking of law (Giletti, 2011). The compensation is not provided to the copyright holder for illegal distribution of the music files. The quality of the pirated music is not as good as original music. The different sites are available for the downloading of the tracks. Sometimes the malware are attached with the downloaded music album which can have the adverse effect on the computer system of the user (Aedermon, 2010). The downloading of the pirated music is the major source of getting malware attack on the computer system of the user. The hard earned income of the musician is used by the common user by not paying a single penny for listening and downloading their composition. This is categorised as theft and stealing of the music file. The value to the work of the musician is not given. The downloading of each single pirated music, the process of stealing occurs. The individual should be punished for doing so because the money is not paid to the authorise person. The talent of the musicians are getting adversely affected because if they are not giving permission to make copyright of their music, the sale of the album goes on declining. The legal standards are not followed for selling and purchasing of the music album. The musicians do not like downloading of music from different sources. The downloading of the music album is treated as an illegal activity which is carried out about 75% of the internet user (Waelbroek, 2012). The cost should be asked for downloading the music. There is no geographic restriction for downloading of the music. The quality of the pirated music album is very low as compared to the original one. The profit of the organization is declining regularly. The hundreds of million tracks are avai lable on the internet for accessing of the music. The sharing of files helps in ripping of the music file. Recording industry association of America focuses on development of laws for punishing to break the laws. The right holders are used for generating monopoly power for the creativity in music industry. The digital piracy is used for violation of the copyrights of music album. The accuracy is achieved in accessing the pirated music from different websites. The supply and demand of the music album can be managed by pirating the music. The trend of piracy is tremendously get increased with the increasing growth of internet technologies and web services. The overhead cost incurred on recording the music on the CD can be reduced with the use of downloading the music directly from the internet (Frenz, 2008). The consequences of the digital product help in affecting the economy of the music industry. The association should be developed between music piracy and organization of the crime to explore the profit driven illegal activities. The virtual digital products are used for distribution of music to any corner of the world irrespective of the geographic conditions. The open music model is used for developing online distribution of music on the demand of th customer with the management of peer to peer connection. Social Issues: The social norms should be followed in illegal downloading of music. The future trend should be taken into consideration to know the effect of social norms on the pirated music. The social media platform is the major source of illegal downloading of the music. The friends and relative share the links of pirated music with each other through the social media platform. Legal Issues: The subscription services should be provided by the music industry. The problems should be identified with the knowledge shared by the respondent. There is no awareness program organised for getting details of the legal downloading of the music. The subscription services should be provided for the legal downloading of the music. The Spotify subscription services should be used focusing on the lack of knowledge associated the music piracy. The individual law suit should be documented for analysing the legal threat. The individual lawsuits are used for knowing the attitude of the people towards illegal downloading. Impact of Piracy on the music industry: The music industry does not get any revenues from the piracy of the music. The current activity of music piracy is going to decline in the profit of the music industry in the near future. The loss model was developed by using the top down and bottom approaches for analysing the profit or loss associate with the music industry with the sale of music album from the source of internet. The dependency of the buyer is increasing on accessing the pirated and illegal music from the internet because no extra cost is incurred with the downloading of the pirated music. The economic growth of the music industry is declining with the file sharing process on the internet. It has been researched that the purchasing of the music album is limited due to the availability of the music album of the web services without any hindrance. The quality of the pirated music album is very low as compared to the original one. The profit of the organization is declining regularly. The easy accessing of the pirate d music decreases the profit of the enterprise. The marketing activity is decreasing with the rapid increase of availability of digital audio. The user can listen music according to his demand by the web services. The piracy of one music album affects the sale of other music album. The internet traffic can result in the delay in downloading of the music album. Solution for overcoming the problem of Music Piracy: The downloading of music is defined as the digital transfer of music to the requesting parties through the platform of internet. The illegal download of copyright material is the activity of distributing the music without the permission of the owner. The albums and song can be directly downloaded from the internet without taking any authorization schemes. The musical resources can be distributed with the permission of the owner. The data compression techniques are used for downloading of heavy files from the internet (Brown, 2013). The data compression are used for digital right management for restricting the copying of music. The size of the file and requirement of the bandwidth can be reduced by using these techniques. The quick accessing of the music file can be possible by using lossy codec form. The paid downloads should be used for purchasing of the song through internet. The low quality of the music files can be resolved by purchasing the original copy of the music. The RIAAA laws should be applied on the production of the music, manufacturing and distribution of it. The fast track networks are used for downloading the music efficiently. The campaigns should be organised for making the people aware about the breaking of the laws due to the carrying over of downloading of pirated music. They should be told that they have to pay money for purchasing the music from the internet because the downloading of the pirated music is the unethical activity which consumes hard earned money of the musicians. The piracy of the music should be minimised by focusing on the court decision of right to be forgotten (Dolata, 2011). The watermarks are added to the uploaded music file on the internet. The minimal exposure of the pirated music is the best solution to restrict the use of distribution of the pirated music on the internet (Burley, 2014). The statistics developed for the pirated music shows the declination graph of profit. The music distributing agencies have the a dverse effect on the income due to the availability of free music on the internet. The peer to peer network is used for arranging the piracy phenomenon among the participating unit. Improve business strategy of the music Industry: The digital initiatives should be taken by the music industry to stop the piracy of the music album. The new digital environment should be created for embracing the online movement of the music. The better tools and technologies should be developed for aiding sales of the music industry. The more attractive alternatives should be created which provides legal evidences. The material cost of the music albums are reduced by using the internet access. The incentives should be renewed according to the data collection. The high price of the original music should be reduced to make it affordable for the common people to buy the music legally. The availability of music on demand attracted the customers towards the downloading of the pirated music. The RIAA provides the set of rules which should be embedded within the working curriculum of the music industry to take initiatives in relation with bringing awareness about pirated music. The effective business strategies should be adopted by the organization to lower the price of the music album and bringing awareness of the ill effects associated with downloading of the pirated music. The root cause analysis should be undertaken which helps in taking step forward to clarify the effects of pirated music on the music industry. The steps should be taken to improve the profitability ratio with the increase of sale of music album with the use of internet platform. The piracy can be eliminated by not providing the copyright to the top website of the music album. The centralised distribution of the pirated music should be stopped. The cooperation of the government is required for the successful implementation of the proposal to stop the piracy. The illegal uploading and downloading of the music should be restricted and banned by the government and music industry. auditinganti-piracy innovation should be developed with the use of new technical tools and technology. The digital piracy can be stopped by bringing coordination in the industrial action in relation with the music piracy. The implementation of the ISP helps in developing graduated response system. The action framework should be developed for protecting the intellectual property with respect to digital content. Identification of the Pirated content: There are various techniques available which can be used for identifying the content on the internet. The technologies are used at various location to manage data on the peer to peer communication. This helps in handling information sharing on the network, development of user generated content based websites, and accessible of data to the consumers in the peer to peer communication environment. The various techniques are discussed below: Watermarking: The watermarking system is used for identifying the audio and video data available on the internet. This unique system can cause threat to the release of music album. The identification of the distributed sources can be done with the helps of content management system and water marking system. Fingerprinting: It is helpful in extracting essential features from the audio clip. The fingerprint detection system is used for managing the originality of the sound track and musical melody in the audio clips. Metadata: The content identifiers are used for looking into the P2P application to enables the piracy of the music album. The Bit Torrent database system is used for matching the unlawful and lawful content available on the shared file and data. The hash tag is get associated with the availability of the pirated data to make it differentiate from the original file and data. The uploading and downloading of fie can be easily handled with the use of hash tag attached with the pirated songs. The illegal internet websites should be blocked for restricting the illegal downloading of music. Result and Evaluation The development of easy interface helps in deploying the web services such as Pandora and Spotify. These services decrease the risk of malware and viruses associated with the downloading of the music. The use of illegal software helps in developing the illegal network for streamlining the pirated data and music. The RIAA provides the antipiracy services which are used for offering solution for anti-piracy act. The Company focuses on measuring the success rate by providing alternative solution. The rightness and wrongness of downloading the music should be checked which helps in measuring that we are going in right direction or breaking laws of the society. The good and the bad effect of the downloaded song should be separately measured. It helps in analysing that the person has done some unethical action which he had to not perform because it is against law. This helps in minimizing the downloading of the pirated music. The unethical dilemma is created with the pirated music download ing. The intellectual property right creates the ethical dilemma for not to download the music from the internet. The moral values of the user should be set forth to minimise the process of downloading pirated music. The common reasons which are provided by the user for downloading the music are that they are not provided with any other choice of illegally downloading the pirated music, there is no significant action taken to stop the pirated music availability on the internet, and others. The piracy is the solution to overcome the problem of high price of the music. The user are not able to afford that price. The social behaviour of the people getting changed with the awareness program organised for encouraging people not to adopt the pirated music from the internet because it is an unethical activity and against the laws. With the combined effect of people, music industry, and government helps in restricting the flow of pirated music on the internet and aids value to the working capability of the music artist. The talent and the service provided by the music artist can be improved to a large extent by providing valuable payment for the work performed. The illegal websites should be banned for t he free flow of the pirated music. The legal accessing of the music should be encouraged between the youth and the youngster. The legal distribution of the music should be promoted. The people should give payment for downloading of the music. The DIGITAL RIGHT MANAGEMENT technology should be promoted for preventing the unauthorised access of the data from the internet. The fair price of the music should be paid by the customers to the music industry. The DRM system helps in detecting the piracy of the music album. The DRM connects with the licensing server through the internet to know that the downloaded music is a pirated or original one. The interoperability challenges can be easily handled by the DRM. The internet service providers can play a major role in restricting the downloading of the pirated music. It provides the mitigation strategy from pirated music by developing the internet ecosystem. The response will not be given to the customers who want to download music from the internet without paying a single money for using it. The internet regulators are used for checking the legitimate use of resources within the network. The deployment of the management practices helps in minimizing the piracy of the music, bringing awareness in the people, development of ethical behaviour, giving valuable price to the music industry, and others. Conclusion: The numbers of music albums are available on the internet to access. The marketing activity is decreasing with the rapid increase of digital audio. The consequences of the digital product help in affecting the economy of the music industry. From the research and survey, we evaluated that there are seven issues which are associated with the music album piracy. The various channels are used for downloading of music without paying a single penny to the music industry. The online music market provides benefits to the customers. It works in the welfare of the customers by making them available free music albums without paying a single penny for it. The socio economic factors are responsible for developing the new technologies for developing the new models for constructing the online sale of the music. The moral and legal structure should be built for the user to stop downloading of pirated songs. The music artist are not able to sustain in the music field for the longer time because the p iracy is having an adverse effect on the growth of the music artist. The individual should be punished for doing so because the money is not paid to the authorise person. The legal standards are not followed for selling and purchasing of the music album. The proper consideration should be given on the legal standard to overcome the problem of piracy. References: Adermon, A. (2010).Piracy, music, and movies: A Natural experiment. Retrieved from https://www.ifn.se/wfiles/wp/wp854.pdf Aguiar, L. (2016).Digital music consumption on internet: Evidence from click stream data. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167624516000068 Brown, B. (2013).Music sharing as a computer supported collaborative application. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.60.8918rep=rep1type=pdf Burley, J. (2014).An investigation to the effect of the internet on the music industry. Retrieved from https://ughandbook.portals.mbs.ac.uk/Portals/0/Docs/my-programme/dissertations/Jake%20Burley.pdf Department of communication. (2015).Online copyright infringement research. Retrieved from https://www.communications.gov.au/sites/g/files/net301/f/DeptComms%20Online%20Copyright%20Infringement%20Report%20FINAL%20.pdf Dolata, U. (2011).The music industry and the internet. Retrieved from https://www.uni-stuttgart.de/soz/oi/publikationen/soi2_dolata_music_industry.pdf Easley, R. (2010).Ethical issues in the music in the music industry response to the innovation and privacy. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.70.8095rep=rep1type=pdf Frenz, M. (2008).The effect of music downloading and P2P file sharing on the strength of the copyright. Retrieved fromhttps://www.dime-eu.org/files/active/0/AndersenFrenzPAPER.pdf Giletti, T. (2011).Streaming, Downloading, and digital music consumption in the iTunes era. Retrieved from https://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/mediaworkingpapers/mscdissertationseries/2011/71.pdf Hardy, W. (2015).Why is online piracy is accounting different from theft. Retrieved from https://www.wne.uw.edu.pl/inf/wyd/WP/WNE_WP109.pdf Liu, I. (2014).The ethics of social research. Retrieved from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/34088_Chapter4.pdf Martens, B. (2013).Digital music consumption on the internet: Evidence from clickstream data. Retrieved from https://37.187.79.115/Corpuses/badDisplay500/files/2052551.pdf Michael, N. (2006).The impact of digital file sharing on the music industry: An emipirical analysis. Retrieved from https://www.riaa.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/01/art-the-impact-of-digital-file-sharing-on-the-music-industry-michel-2006.pdf Onyegiri, I. (2009).The impact of illegal downloading on music purchasing. Retrieved from https://www.ifpi.org/content/library/the-impact-of-illegal-downloading.pdf Peitz, M. (2013).The effect of internet privacy on music sales: Cross section evidence. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.191.856rep=rep1type=pdf Raman, K. (2014).Protecting intellectual property rights through information. Retrieved from https://ubiquity.acm.org/article.cfm?id=1008537 Sikka, V. (2013).Code of conduct and ethics. Retrieved from https://www.infosys.com/investors/corporate-governance/Documents/CodeofConduct.pdf Waelbroek, P. (2012).The effect of internet piracy on the CD sales. Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=511763 Warren, E. (2012).Legal ethical and professional issues in information security. Retrieved from https://www.cengage.com/resource_uploads/downloads/1111138214_259148.pdf Wuest, I. (2013).Field of intellectual property protection. operations from https://www.wipo.int/export/sites/www/about-ip/en/iprm/pdf/ch2.p

Income Tax for Australian Business Taxation Concessions

Question: Write a discussion onIncome Tax. Answer: Section 6-5 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth), referred to as ITAA, 1997 explains the core concept of ordinary income in context to Australias income tax provisions. A further elaboration is given in Sub-section 6 5 (1) of the Act where it is provided that an assessable income of a taxpayer includes income derived according to ordinary concepts, which in general terms is known as ordinary income. Apart from these references, the terms income or ordinary concepts have not been defined either in ITAA, 1997 or anywhere in the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth) (ITAA, 1936). Since the inception of income tax laws under the 1936 Act, the explanation of these terms has been left to the courts. The lawmakers left it to the courts to interpret the meaning to income and income according to ordinary concepts according to the circumstances of the transaction occurring between the parties involved. This concept becomes relevant to the current case study of Ragco, where the company entered into a commercial transaction. It is pertinent to apply the decision taken by the High Court of Australia in the case of Westfield Ltd v FCT to this case study, as the transactions in this case and that of Ragco mentioned above are both beyond the definition of the specific type of receipt   both are inducement payment, which are received by the taxpayer as an incentive for business transaction involving the concept of a lease.As there does not exist any specific test to determine What is ordinary income? in each individual case, Australian courts developed certain principles to answer this question. Most of these principles used for determining what constitutes as ordinary income are general in nature. Some very specific ones which have particular traits attached with them and include Personal Exertion, Business Income and Property Income. Why these principles become important in the context of the term ordinary income can be found in the explanation given by Jordan CJ in the case of Westfield Ltd v FCT to the term income according to ordinary concepts and I quote: what forms of receipts are comprehended within [income], and what principles are to be applied to ascertain how much of those receipts ought to be treated as income, must be determined in accordance with the ordinary concepts and usages of mankind unquote.Another significant observation of the courts has been that these concepts as well as usages of the term mentioned above never remain constant but keep changing. This is followed by the notion that in case the ordinary concepts and the usages keep changing with time, then the definition of income shall also keep changing. Hence, income cannot be taken as having a specific meaning which shall remain static or fixed forever. In establishing this process, Australian courts identified certain factors which are considered relevant and which were found to be decisive in their individual or collective nature. The Australian Taxation Tribunal , in the case of California Copper Syndicate Ltd v Harris (Surveyor of Taxes) observed that, and I quote:To determine whether a receipt is of an income or of a capital nature, various factors may be relevant. Sometimes, the character of receipts will be revealed most clearly by their periodicity, regularity or recurrence; sometimes, by the character of a right or thing disposed of in exchange for the receipt; sometimes, by the scope of the transaction, venture or business in or by reason of which money is received and by the recipients purpose in engaging in the transaction, venture or business unquote. Conclusion: While concluding this case study, it is important to mention that prior to the case of Westfield Ltd v FCT and California Copper Syndicate Ltd v Harris (Surveyor of Taxes), there were certain principles considered relevant to the business income and these were based on the fact that when a business is being carried-on, it does not automatically convey the meaning that each receipt and every profit of the business entity shall be ordinary income. Although in case the receipt or the profit earned has been made in the course of carrying-on a business and which shows a sufficient connection which in itself establishes a fact of significance, then there is a case of establishing the fact to determine whether ordinary income has been derived.However, it has been observed that the sufficient connection may also exist in case the transaction undertaken is one-off transaction but is still carried out in the ordinary course of business as was undertaken by Ragco with Bonzacash and which was in cidental to the business activity of Ragco. Hence, this shall not constitute this transaction as ordinary income for Ragco as described under ss 25 (1) and 26 (a) of the Act. When this incident is viewed under the traditional approaches adopted while classifying receipts either as income or capital, the conclusion will be that this receipt was of capital nature because it is an isolated and non recurrent transaction and has been received in lump-sum under the once and for all condition. Introduction The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) introduced Capital Gains Tax (CGT) with effect from 20 September 1984 as part of the Income Tax Assessment Act, 1997 (ITAA, 1997) and effective this date, all assets which a taxpayer acquired, commenced or built were to be subject to the new CGT legislation. It was soon observed by experts that this legislation did not have provisions for retirement benefits of small business owners as the equity they accumulated while building-up their business was the only superannuation they had after retiring. In this context, there are various CGT concessions available under specific circumstances to the stakeholders when the Small Business Entity (SBE) makes a capital gain. These concessions for SBEs are described under Division 152 in Part III of the ITAA, 1997. Small Business Concessions Now that the rules have been put in place and assuming that the stakeholder has complied with the requirements of stated in Subdivision 152A, it is time now to look at the applicable concessions which the stakeholder will be eligible on the capital gain which it has been, says Taylor, (2003). Subdivision 152C: 50% Active Asset Concession In those cases where the stakeholder is unable to fulfil the conditions of Subdivision 152-B, it has the option of availing the 50% concession provided it satisfies the conditions of Subdivision 152A. The stakeholder can also avail the 50% Active Asset Concession along with any other concession for which the stakeholder becomes entitled to. This can result in the stakeholder paying only 25% CGT on the capital gain which it makes from the sale of the small business asset, as per CCH Editors, (2011). Subdivision 152D: Small Business Retirement Exemption A stakeholder can avail this concession only after the application of the 50% active assets concession, provided it plans to utilise the proceeds received from the sale of its small business assets for funding its retirement needs, as specified under Section 152-305. For this, the individual stakeholder should satisfy the conditions mentioned under Subdivision 152A and should be over 55 years of age. In case of stakeholders below 55 years of age, who satisfy the conditions mentioned in Subdivision 152A, this concession is available provided they use the proceeds for investing into a complying superannuation fund. As per Section 152-320, there is a lifetime limit of $500,000, say CCH Editors, (2012). Subdivision 152E: Roll-over Roll-over provision implies that the stakeholder uses the proceeds from sale of small business assets for purchasing other assets to replace the sold ones. The purpose of this concession is to defer the CGT liability till a later CGT event takes place. Section 152410 states that if the stakeholder satisfies conditions of Subdivision 152A then only it can elect of using the roll-over concession. However, the stakeholder must note that the rollover concession shall be fully reversed if the proceeds are not invested in the purchase of replacement active assets within 2 years of the relevant CGT event. The reversal happens only after the stakeholder triggers CGT Event J5 as per Section 104197, as per Smith Koken, (2011).The stakeholder must note that Section 104-198 states that in cases where the cost of the replacement active assets is less than the cost of the disposed-off assets, then it is liable to CGT payment on the difference between the two amounts provided CGT event J6 has been triggered. To evaluate the CGT liability, the stakeholder must first calculate the capital gain it made on the disposed-off asset, then it should apply any applicable discounts, as the prescribed under Division 115 and Subdivision 152C. Only then should it reduce the discounted capital gain from the replacement assets cost as stated under Section 152415, explain Smith Koken, (2011).Record KeepingDivision 121 implies that all stakeholders must keep records which can help the authorities to ascertain:1. Date of acquiring the capital asset.2. Amounts which essentially form part of the assets cost base.3. Date of disposal of the capital asset.4. Amount of the capital proceeds received by the stakeholder.Hence, records should be maintained for all CGT assets even if the capital gain is not subjected to CGT. The following assets are the only capital assets which do not require maintenance of records as capital gain or loss is always disregarded on their sale: Motor Vehicles (as detailed under Section 1185). Collectible and personal use assets costing less than the threshold (as detailed under Section 11810). Depreciable Assets (as detailed under Section 18824) Trading Stock (as detailed under Section 11825), as per Newnham, (2016).Summary of the STS RegimeThis paper has discussed various CGT concessions available to the stakeholders of an SBE (Small Business Entity) when it makes a capital gain. The concessions, as described under Division 152 in Part III of the ITAA, 1997 are subjected to the eligibility rules as detailed under Subdivision 152A. It is mandatory for an SBE to fulfil these requirements before applying for the CGT small business concessions. The ambiguities do not end even after the stakeholders fulfil the requirements of Subdivision 152A, they are required to follow Subdivisions 152-B; 152-C; 152D and 152-E so as to avail the applicable concessions and to assess how to apply for the appropriate concession, assert CCH Editors, (2009).An important f actor which the stakeholders need to understand is that the SBEs CGT liability arises as soon as the SBE enters into a contract for the sale of a small business asset and not when the settlement takes place. Hence, it is necessary to take into account the timing of the sale of the asset for determining the CGT liability and its impact. In the view of this author, the stakeholders need the advice of a professional in order to understand whether they have a CGT liability or whether they can do away with the liability by deferring it to a future date, as per Newnham, (2016).SECTION 2: CRITICAL REVIEW AND APPRAISALThe Tax Regime for Small Businesses The biggest advantage of these provisions is that these concessions have been made applicable to all kinds of businesses which meet the threshold test requirements. Whether the stakeholder is a company, a trust or other type of entity, the concessions become applicable if it is relevant in terms of the provisions specified for identifying a significant individual to whom the concessions have been truly directed. Similarly, for the stakeholder to apply interaction with other applicable concessions, convenience has been provided such as in case the stakeholder does not qualify for the small business 15-year exemption, it can avail the small business 50% active asset reduction for reducing the CGT liability, explains CCH, (2012). Another advantage given to the stakeholders is the automatic application of the small business 50% active asset reduction if the basic conditions are satisfied. It is for the stakeholder to choose not to apply this provision as it may prefer instead to choose the small business retirement exemption or the provisions of the small business rollover, as per Caldwell, (2014). Choosing these options may allow a company or a trust to make large amounts of tax-free eligible termination payments under the provisions of the small business retirement exemption.These concessions for SBEs were covered under Division 152 in Part III of the ITAA, 1997. The federal eligibility rules for these concessions were detailed in Subdivision 152A and it was mandatory for the SBE to fulfil these requirements before the stakeholders apply for the CGT small business concessions. But at the state levels, states such as VIC, SA and WA did not enforce them strictly for the stakeholders to meet the requirements stated in Subdivision 152A, as they need to carefully study Subdivisions 152-B; 152-C; 152D and 152-E so as to understand the applicable concessions and to learn how to apply for the appropriate concession, assert CCH Editors, (2009).Critical ReflectionThe Simplified tax System (STS), as it was known at the time of introduction, was meant to offer the eligible SBEs a new platform to simplify their tax structure. When it was initially introduced in 2001, the STS amendments were aimed at reducing the income tax compliance burden of more than 95% business establishments. These provisions were meant for businesses having less than $1 million per annum turnovers, although their eligibility test conditions for other provisions were different, as per Caldwell, (2014). Although the Act was entitled as the Simplified Tax System (STS), from the proposed amendments, it was evident that it carried a broader agenda than mere simplification. In particular, although the new section 328 was specifically designed to introduce a regime of reduced taxes, providing simpler rules and to reduce compliance costs, it did not materialized as such in practice. Whereas the original STS allowed the eligible SBEs the option of adopting collectively the package offering four tax treatments and which comprised of simplified depreciation rules, use of cash accounting method for income tax purposes instead of accruals method, simplification of trading stock rules and ability to claim immediate tax deduction for their pre-paid expenses, there was no automatic entry but the SBEs were given the optional choic e to enter the STS, as per Newnham, (2016). However, if the SBE opted to enter the STS, it was required to compulsorily adopt all the four concessions. When it was introduced, it was estimated by the Federal Government that nearly 60% of the eligible SBEs will make the choice of entering the STS. However, the data subsequently released on 17 April 2003 by the ATO (Australian Taxation Office) revealed that not more than 14% of the eligible SBEs actually took the option of entering the STS, although in the2005 tax year, the figure increased to 27%, cites CCH, (2012).Criticisms of the SBE ConcessionsThus, contrary to what the Federal Government claimed, the ground reality remained that the small business concessions did not meet the much acclaimed promises of the governments good tax policy. The basis of these claims by this critic lies in the fact that the SBEs are actually facing more complexity as well as compliance costs on account of this regime. Observations made by this author o n the governments claim about increased simplicity have shown that it has become even more difficult for an SBE to enter the concessionary regime as they are required to furnish more detailed personalized assessments and hence create more complex layers to an already complexed regime as the assessments are not only time consuming, they are also costly, as the SBE has to seek professional advice. The increasing number of Taxation Rulings issued by the ATO for clarifying the ambiguities is creating more confusion than easing the eligibility criteria rules. This author is of the opinion that the SBE regime and the concessions are anything but simple and combined with the increased compliance costs, the claims of the authorities of providing a STS regime have gone flat.The complexities of the STS regime were also acknowledged by the Henry Review, which concluded that, and I quote: Small businesses bear a disproportionally higher share of the tax compliance burden. To reduce this burden and to provide small business with greater tax certainty, the existing small business tax concessions should be streamlined and broadened. Access to the small business tax concessions under the small business framework should be extended by increasing the small business entity test (turnover test) from $2 million to $5 million. Unquote. Going further in its criticism of the small business entity test, the Henry Review also suggested a number of changes in the concessions: Quote the small business entity capital gains tax concessions should be rationalized and streamlined. The active asset 50% reduction and 15-year exemption concessions should be abolished. The lifetime limit for the retirement exemption should be increased and taxpayers who sell a share in a company or an interest in a trust should be able to access the concessions via the turnover test. Unquote.Small Business CGT Concessions A Time for ReviewThis author firmly believes and is supported by the arguments put forwar d and discussed above that the SBE CGT Concessions need a review. In this context, the following need to be assessed by the relevant authorities to ease the situation.A. A staged increase in the threshold of turnover for the SBE from $2m to $5m. B. The 50% active asset concession should be treated at par with the 15 year concession allowed to companies. The criteria adopted should be that the capital gain made from disposal of an SBE will be treated as a non-assessable, non-exempt income as described in section 152-125 (2) of ITAA, 1997, if paid to a CGT Concession Stakeholder within 2 years of CGT events date. C. Allow those individuals, who have originally structured a sole trader or a partnership entity or if the SBE is controlled by a trust, and the same is rolled into a company by virtue of Subdivision 122A and 122B of the ITAA, 1997, to be eligible for the concessions from the date of commencement of the first business and not from the date of business being rolled into a comp any.D. Provide an alternative to the Significant Individual requirement as stated under section 152-110 (1) (c ) of the ITAA, 1997, by allowing those discretionary trusts, which are constituted as Family Trusts within the time-frame of the CGT event and which fulfill all the conditions put forward by the regime, to access the 15 year concession. E. In all its CGT concession norms, especially those which are allowed to individuals, the CGT Liability is determined by taking into consideration the effects of CPI on the CGT Gains made. A similar need is required here in case of the $500,000 lifetime limit being given under the CGT Small Business Retirement Concession. This should be subjected to the CPI at least on an annual basis. LIST OF REFERENCES Caldwell, R. 2014, Taxation for Australian Businesses: Understanding Australian Business Taxation Concessions. John Wiley Sons, Milton, QLD.CCH. 2009, A Practical Guide to Business Valuations for SMEs. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH. 2009, Small Business Tax Concessions Guide. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH Editors. 2009, Australian Master Accountants Guide. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH. 2010, Australian Master Financial Planning Guide 2010/11. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH Editors. 2011, Master Tax Examples 2010/11. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH. 2012, Australian Master Tax Guide 2012. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.CCH Editors. 2012, Top 100 Tax Q As, 2012. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney, NSW.Newnham, M. 2016, Tax for Small Business: A Survival Guide. John Wiley Sons, Milton, QLD.Prince, J.B. 2013, Tax for Australians for Dummies, 4th ed. John Wiley Sons, Milton, QLD.Smith, B. and Koken, E. 2011, The Superannuation Handbook 2008-09 . John Wiley Sons, Milton, QLD.Taylor, L. 2003, Small Business and Tax. Pascal Press, Glebe, NSW.

Leading in Project Management Operation

About the US Inspectors General

About the US Inspectors General A U.S. federal inspector general (IG) is the head of an independent, non-partisan organization established within each executive branch agency assigned to audit the agency’s operation in order to discover and investigate cases of misconduct, waste, fraud and other abuse of government procedures occurring within the agency. Within the federal agencies are politically independent individuals called Inspectors General who are responsible for ensuring that the agencies operate efficiently, effectively and legally. When it was reported in October 2006 that Department of Interior employees wasted $2,027,887.68 worth of taxpayer time annually surfing sexually explicit, gambling, and auction websites while at work, it was the Interior Departments own Office of Inspector General that conducted the investigation and issued the report. The Mission of the Office of Inspector General Established by the Inspector General Act of 1978, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) examines all actions of a government agency or military organization. Conducting audits and investigations, either independently or in response to reports of wrongdoing, the OIG ensures that the agencys operations are in compliance with the law and general established policies of the government. Audits conducted by the OIG are intended to ensure the effectiveness of security procedures or to discover the possibility of misconduct, waste, fraud, theft, or certain types of criminal activity by individuals or groups related to the agencys operation. Misuse of agency funds or equipment is often revealed by OIG audits. There are currently 73 offices of US inspectors general, far more than the initial 12 offices created by the Inspector General Act of 1978. Along with administrative staff and several financial and procedural auditors, each office employs special agents- criminal investigators who are often armed. The work of the IG offices involves detecting and preventing fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of the government programs and operations within their parent agencies or organizations. Investigations conducted by the IG offices may target internal government employees or external government contractors, grant recipients, or recipients of loans and subsidies offered through federal assistance programs.   To help them carry out their investigative role, Inspectors General have the authority to issue subpoenas for information and documents, administer oaths for taking testimony, and can hire and control their own staff and contract personnel. The investigative authority of Inspectors General is limited only by certain national security and law enforcement considerations. How Inspectors General Are Appointed and Removed For the Cabinet-level agencies, Inspectors General are appointed, without regard to their political affiliation, by the President of the United States and must be approved by the Senate. Inspectors General of the Cabinet-level agencies can be removed only by the President. In other agencies, known as designated federal entities, like Amtrak, the U.S. Postal Service, and the Federal Reserve, the agency heads appoint and remove Inspectors General. Inspectors General are appointed based on their integrity and experience in: Accounting, auditing, financial analysisLaw, management analysis, public administrationInvestigations Who Oversees Inspectors General? While by law, Inspectors General are under the general supervision of the agency head or deputy, neither the agency head nor the deputy can prevent or prohibit an Inspector General from conducting an audit or investigation. The conduct of the Inspectors General is overseen by the Integrity Committee of the Presidents Council on Integrity and Efficiency (PCIE). How Do Inspectors General Report Their Findings? When an agencys Office of Inspector General (OIG) identifies cases of egregious and flagrant problems or abuses within the agency, the OIG immediately notifies the agency head of the findings. The agency head is then required to forward the OIGs report, along with any comments, explanations, and corrective plans, to Congress within seven days. The Inspectors General also send semiannual reports of all their activities for the past six months to Congress. All cases involving suspected violations of federal laws are reported to the Department of Justice, via the Attorney General.

International Trade and Finance Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Trade and Finance Law - Assignment Example However, besides the vivid opportunities, the global exposure practices have also been observed to impose certain threats and constraints upon the organisations. For instance, organisations intending to expand in the global context may face various types of legal risks owing to the differences pertaining to the regulatory framework of the home country and the host nation. It is in this context that international trade laws, in terms of industry specific concessions and Foreign Direct Investments, often tend to constrict the expansion programs of organisations (Johnsrud, 2011). Based on these aspects, the discussion intends to briefly discuss the international trade laws and the related risk factors that are quite likely to be faced by Cowan Davies (CD) PLC when expanding its business operations in South East Asia. Moreover, the discussion also focuses on identifying major risks of trade and finance that are probable to be faced by CD in its planned expansion to South East Asia. Brief Description of Legal Risks in International Trade and Finance Legal risks are often perceived to be a few of the fundamental issues faced by organisations when conducting processes related to international trade and finance. It is in this context that over the past decades, laws related to trade affairs and business operations have developed apparently, which has also imposed a significant influence on the organisational operations. For instance, in early decades of the 18th century, businesses were largely focused on national contexts rather than on foreign environments apart from the export and import functions. With the gradual increase in the globalisation effects, organisations became more concentrated on expanding their businesses in foreign countries in order to attain the virtues of added resource availability and increased market demand. However, owing to the distinctive cultural backgrounds and business procedures, various regions developed dissimilar trade policies which later cropped up as a fundamental reason for international trade related conflicts (Schmitthoff & Cheng, 1937). For instance, the legal framework followed by the South East Asian economies to facilitate international trade has been observed as quite different from that practiced by the western countries. Where the organisations operating in America, England and other allied western countries need to abide by the norms specified by North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the companies operating in the South East Asian region needs to follow the rules and regulations specified by the Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN). Supposedly, the policies followed by the two international trade related treaties are distinct in terms of their characteristics which might give rise to conflicts and legal issues in case of global exposure (Johnsrud, 2011). With this concern, there are various trade and finance risks identifiable, which could affect the export activities of CD for its expansion in the South East Asian region. It is worth mentioning in this context t

Nature of employment relationship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nature of employment relationship - Essay Example Since 2002, SABB has implemented a strategic plan called "Putting Customers First". Under this plan, customers would be the primary focus of the bank instead of giving more priority to products and services. The plan called for a total internal re-organization of the Bank to train employees to be focused and to align the delivery of its services to both corporate and personal customers (SABB 2002: 14). SABB's confidence that the plan will deliver benefits to its customers, the shareholders, and the Bank as part of its vision to be the leading financial services group in Saudi Arabia is shown by the successful increases in net income from SAR 830 million to 2.5 billion, assets from SAR 41.92 to 65.9 billion, and deposits from SAR 31.5 to 48.5 billion from the end of 2001 to the end of 2005 (SABB 2006: 16-17). SABB is the leading provider of value added and innovative Islamic financial product and services in Saudi Arabia. This is achieved while following principles of Shari'a whose core investment and market guidelines are to follow the Islamic Shari'a, honesty and integrity, professionalism, strong customer focus, and excellent reputation (SABB, 2006: 9). The main reason is that SABB is a service organization that relies on customer contact and satisfaction for its business. It will be successful if the customers of the Bank are happy with how the employees perform their work of service. This is why employees have to be first satisfied with their relationship with the Bank, because if they are not, this lack of satisfaction will be reflected in poor service quality to the customers. Poor customer service quality results in poor performance, because customers will not deposit their money in the Bank or buy the financial services that the Bank offers. The need for quality customer service is the main reason why the Bank put into effect their "Putting Customers First" strategic plan. Research has shown that in service companies like retail banks, the quality of the customer relationship can give the bank an advantage over its competitors by attracting more customers (Keltner 65-68). The Bank's customer relationship strategy requires that it upgrades its employment relationship to help bank employees to meet the different needs of its customers, not only for personal banking products and services but for the Bank's more profitable private, corporate, and investment banking products and services. Like other banks all over the world, most of its low value-added transactions like cash deposits and withdrawals, bank balance inquiries, questions about basic products and services are all done through Automatic Teller Machines, Telephone Banking, widely available Point of Sale (POS) terminals in retail outlets all over the Kingdom, and the Internet where it is cheaper to deliver the service. The cost to the Bank is lower because technology is used to serve customers by processing their transactions (Morisi 32). This will allow high value-added services like private, investment, and corporate banking to be transacted face-to-face in the Bank's branch network. The use of technology allows the Bank to reach more

Making Sense of Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Making Sense of Change Management - Essay Example It accounts for an organizational process which is aimed at the empowerment of the employees towards accepting or embracing a change in their organization or business environment. The strategy begins with a systematic approach for diagnosing the present situation for determining both the need for change and also the capacity of the organization to implement changes. However, at the beginning of the plan, the purpose, objective and process of the change must be specified to every member of the organization. Most organizations have acknowledged the idea of managing innovation in their organizations. In fact, the performance of innovation varies greatly across organizations which suggest that both the organizational and structural factors affect the influence of innovation on performance (Bessant & Pavitt, 2005, p.13). Â  The project aims to explore the changes and innovation management strategy undertaken in US-based Apple Corp Ltd. It makes an analysis of the effectiveness of the strategy undertaken in the organization in bringing about the change with a presentation of suitable arguments to support the topic. Â  The change management strategies are explained in terms of Kotter’s eight steps to change. The theory is one of the most important and most widely accepted texts in modern organizations. It defines eight steps in which changes can be implemented in organizations effectively. Although the steps are primarily meant for organizations, they also find application in personal change initiatives. Successful change management is also explained in terms of the Lewin’s model of organizational change.

Analysis of the Greenwich Primary Care Trust

Analysis of the Greenwich Primary Care Trust A report describing and analysing the public health contribution of an organisation or initiative of your choice. Greenwich Primary Care Trust Introduction The contribution to public health made by an organisation or agency can be evaluated in relation to a number of features. These can be the range and scope of activities, the relevance for the local area, the effectiveness of the interventions, and their foundation within the boundaries of evidence-based practice. However, public health can also be measured in relation to how well the agency addresses key aspects of public health, including inequalities in health, what these constitute and their impact, and what is being done to address specific inequalities. In addition, known areas of public health need can be assessed in terms of progress made so far and amount of services provided to meet identified targets. This report explores the public health contribution provided by Greenwich Primary Care Trust in their The annual Public Health Report 2007 2008. In this report, which introduces itself using the following frames of reference, â€Å"providing the most up-to-date and local information; thinking ahead as the population is due to grow and change; and making evidence-based recommendations to help prioritise local actions on the key health challenges for the borough† (GPCT, 2008 p 3). Discussion Public health is generally focused on significant health factors and issues which are important to the wider population, rather than to the individual, and impact upon society and social structures and social life, not just on the lives of single people (Pomerleau and McKee, 2005; Orme et al, 2007). Pomerlau and McKee (2005) describe public health as â€Å"the science and art of promoting health and preventing disease through the organized efforts of society† ( p 7). Therefore, it is not surprising that the report focuses very much on language surrounding the identification of key elements of public health which are subject to health promotion within the locality, as being the specific focus of the Trust. Pomerleau and McKee (2005) cite the Ottawa Charter which was concerned with building healthy public policy; creating supportive environments; strengthening community actions; developing personal skills; reorienting health services ; and demonstrating commitment to health prom otion (p 9). These could be considered as signposts to understanding the value of a public health policy published by a specific agency. The report is a clear, detailed and comprehensive report clearly and effectively outlining key areas for health which are viewed as priorities. These include: Improving mental health (especially depression); Reducing cardiovascular disease (chiefly heart attacks and strokes); and reducing cancers (especially lung, bowel, prostate and breast) (GPCT, 2008). The report provides statistics on morbidity and mortality for the borough which demonstrate that in relation to health and disability over the lifespan, these are the most significant health problems and the ones which are, it can be assumed, most urgently requiring attention. All of these foci are very much about health promotion, but when looked at in the context of what is known about these kinds of diseases, all of the other elements of the Ottawa Charter cited above can be seen to affect these health issues. In line with health promotion principles, the report does focus on living longer, on quality of life, and on wellbeing issues, all of which are laudable in relation to public health because they relate both to the individual, and individual desires, and to the aspects of public health which will support and benefit the state (Iphofen, 2003). One of the drawbacks, however, of such a sweeping approach to public health policy, however, is seen in this report as frequently as it is seen in the national, governmental health promotion campaigns, that of over-simplification, and, arguably unconscious, marginalisation of certain individuals. For example, the report, like government public health campaigns, does not take enough notice of the individual fac tors which not only influence health but are not so easy to eradicate, such as the genetic factors influencing health and health behaviours (Hall, 1951). In relation to health promotion in the key health areas identified, the report does acknowledge the issues of lifestyle factors and socio-economic factors affecting health and disease, morbidity and mortality. The report states that both current and historic socio-economic factors, and the diversity of the local population, especially in relation to ethnicity, are considered significant in relation to the most important public health issues. There is a wide range of literature which links social life, socio-economic status and health, and which demonstrates that those who experience inequalities in health are those who are most disadvantaged in social and economic life (Bury and Gabe, 2004). It is also well known that health inequalities increase as the gap between advantage and disadvantage widens, and that certain social or cultural groups are more likely to experience disadvantage and the concomitant inequalities in health (Freund et al, 2003). GPCT (2008) acknowledge this, and fo cus on some important social groups as most suffering disadvantage in the locality, including Black African and Irish populations. They argue that their policies have been designed to demonstrate â€Å"greater targeting of groups at greatest risk of poor health outcomes, and working with these groups to develop approaches that will really work, with a particular focus on the Black African and Irish populations in the borough who have poor outcomes across the major causes of early death and ill health† (p 7). The report also addresses a range of ethnic issues and differences in health. However, it does not go far enough in describing and discussing policy responses to these issues, and to outlining constructive ways to make real progress in these areas. Plenty of literature shows the ethnicity based inequalities in health and the spectrum of disadvantage related to ethnic diversity (Spector, 2002). These kinds of inequalities, which are often racially demarcated, are reflected in global communities, and are no new occurrence (Goeslin et al, 2004). Yet there are ongoing discussions about the ability to address such problems through public health initiatives, even with the inclusion of and best use of healthy public policy (Bury and Gabe, 2004; Pomerleau and McKee (2005). Issues which continue to reflect the cross-sectorial problems surrounding public health include homelessness and poverty (Ryan and Sarikoudis, 2003). The report does address the statistics around economic inequalities and poverty, showing that the borough has a higher proportion of people in lower-paid occupations, which significantly impacts on health. It also addresses some specific issues which emerge from the social health spectrum, including sexual health and young people (Bergmann and Scott, 2001). The report does focus on behavioural aspects of health, and illness, across specific social groups, including young people’s health. Some of the issues presented are similar to those found nationally and internationally, including teenage pregnancy and teenage social isolation (Bergmann and Scott, 2001; Goesling and Firebaugh, 2004). However, there is very little focus on, for example, homelessness as a public health issue, one which affects many of the key points which are being raised in the report. Shah and Cook (2001) for example, show that in one of the key indices of cardiovascular disease, that of hypertension, factors influencing this disease the most are not socioeconomic status but actually social isolation, and homelessness is one of the most severe forms of social isolation that exists in our society. The report cites a number of initiatives which have positively affected health and wellbeing within the borough, but it does not really present any radical or innovative initiatives to address what are ongoing, predictable and somewhat repetitive and recurrent health and lifestyle issues which impact upon morbidity and mortality. There is a great need for different approaches to public health which build upon existing knowledge and incorporate, perhaps, more concrete information. For example, including service user input in the collection, analysis and use of these kinds of data, and in the development of public health policy, should be a significant part of public health activities such as these, and should feature more strongly in these kinds of reports. Yet models of health and social care continue to exclude the patient voice, though in this circumstance it may be complicated by the ethnic and cultural diversity fo the borough (Gagliardi et al, 2008). Conclusion The report discussed identifies the specific public health concerns of this London borough, and demonstrates not only what the most challenging issues are, but how the public health data of mortality and morbidity statistics intersect with some of the socio-economic and cultural statistics of the area. It identifies key areas for health promotion, but does not go far enough in addressing individual differences and the genetic factors which can complicate sweeping statements about causal and affecting factors in health and illness. It demonstrates that public health policies must be focused on local need, and that ongoing concerns are cardiovascular disease, mental illness and cancer. All of these are related to lifestyles, and therefore public health policy also relates to social policy. However, the links between these two could be made much clearer. References Bergman MM, and Scott J (2001) Young adolescents wellbeing and health-risk behaviours: gender and socio-economic differences. Journal of Adolescence. 24, 2, 183-197 Bury, M. and Gabe, J. (2004) The Sociology of Health and Illness: A Reader. London: Routledge. Carr, S.M. (2007) Leading change in public health – factors that inhibit and facilitate energizing the process. Primary Health Care Research and Development. 8 207-215. Freund, P., McGuire, M. Podhurst, L. (2003). Health, Illness and the Social Body London. Gagliardi, A.R., Lemieux-Charles, L, Brown, A.D. et al (2008) Barriers to patient involvement in health service planning and evaluation: An exploratory study. Patient Education and Counseling 70 (2) 234-241. Goesling, B. and Firebaugh, G. (2004) The Trend in International Health Inequality Population and Development Review 30 (1) 131–146. Hall, C.S. (1951) The genetics of behavior. In Stevens, S.S. (ed.), Handbook of Experimental Psychology, 1st ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York, USA 304-329. Harding, G. Taylor, K. (2002) Social Determinants of Health and Illness The Pharmaceutical Journal 269 485-487. Iphofen, R. (2003) Social and individual factors influencing public health. In: Costello, J. Haggart, M. (2003). Public Health and Society Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Orme J, Powell J, Taylor P and Grey M (2007) Public health for the 21st century (second edition) (Chapter 1.) Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Pomerleau J, Mckee M (eds) (2005) Issues in Public Health Milton Keynes: Open University Press Ryan, A. Sarikoudis, V. (2003). ‘The Social Model of Health, Bridging the Gap between the health and homelessness sectors’. Paper Presented at the Third National Homelessness Conference. Shah, S. and Cook, D.G. (2001) Inequalities in the treatment and control of hypertension: age, social isolation and lifestyle are more important than economic circumstances. Journal of Hypertension. 19 (7) 1333-1340. Spector, R.E. (2002) Cultural Diversity in Health and Illness Journal of Transcultural Nursing 13 197.

Essays --

In my thesis, I would like to analyse the representation of football stars in two iconic British magazines. My aim is to show how two distinct magazines contribute to the ongoing narratives of football players and managers. The first is one of the most famous football magazines around the globe, the authoritative FFT and the second is the original lad’s magazine, Loaded. Naturally, the proper investigation of this complex topic requires knowledge from various fields of cultural studies. In the following, I will introduce the theories and ideas related to my study. First of all, the term ‘football star’ should be examined closely. Although stars permeate the media, the meaning of sport star is not necessarily self-evident. Everyone has a rough idea about stars and stardom, but as I concentrate strictly on football stars in my study, a precise definition cannot be omitted. The main reason for this is that sport news is not only about sport stars but also players and managers who are not part of the star system. Smart states that the foundation of becoming a sport star is a unique sporting moment which shows the player’s exceptional talent. In order to keep this status, the player has to demonstrate his special skills repeatedly under pressure, against opponents in a highly competitive field (Smart 2005, 156). In addition, he has to grab the audience’s attention through media coverage and promotion. Cultural intermediaries and the audience together elevate the player to the star level. When this happens, exceptional qualities and original characteristics are being attached to the player’s name (Smart 2005, 156-157). Smart points out that appearance strongly increases media attention. He supports this point by claiming that David Be... ...hat Europe is a collection of individual nations. Even when discussing teams and fans of other nations, national reference points are frequently used. Pan-European identity almost exclusively appears in conjunction with references to the nation. Typically, Europe is only imagined as ‘self’ when it is dominated by English culture and fits into the framework of the English nation, otherwise it is considered to be ‘other’. The author concludes that the nation is essential to the sports media industries, as football basically relies on the idea of national ‘us’ and ‘them’. Moreover, the concept of nation is at the centre of fan cultures and popular culture surrounding football. In football culture, national stereotypes are a key source of humour. While all Europeans seem to celebrate football similarly, they are divided into national collectives (Inthorn 2010, 791-798).

Ethics, innovation and entrepreneurship Essay

With reference to one or two organization that you have studied, discuss the influence of ethics and innovation on the role of entrepreneurship (entrepreneur) and intrapreneurship (intrapreneur). Conceptual approaches play a vital role in influencing the role of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in an organization. Innovation, which is one of the concepts, is the ability to think anew by developing new services or products. It is synonymous with risk taking as defined in the entrepreneurial behavior. Organizations that create innovative products take on the greatest risk because they create new markets. It is the act to carve a new niche in it, as deemed by most entrepreneurs. Ethics, on the other hand is the basic concepts and fundamental principles of decent human conduct. Organizations that mobilize this conduct concerned with decisions and what and how to do it. For example, ethical considerations in the role of entrepreneurship and intrepreneurship are revolved around the ways of an organization approaches its customers by instilling good values throughout the conduct, and also through consideration in the branding of the products or services, based on morality as it portrays the image of the organization. These two concepts influence the survival of an organization in the modern world to cater the society’s demands. One of the organizations that best fit these criterions is IKEA. IKEA has introduced various ethical conducts throughout the century. One of its most significance considerations is that IKEA introduced IWAY. It is an ethic code that had been introduced by the founder of the organization as a code of conduct between the organization and its suppliers since the year 2000. It encompasses guidelines concerning working conditions, prevention of child labour, the environment and responsible forestry management. This ethical conduct is to ensure that the suppliers won’t go overboard although things may seem inevitable as most suppliers don’t put that much of concern regarding the issues and most organizations seek for reduced cost. However, IKEA prioritizes morality, and dare to be venturesome, in starting their business with ofits from the quality. This ethical conducts inhibit bribery and anything related to the impropriety andanother organization as it is to ensure that their products are top-notch and can initiate a much greater pr results in creating quality products for the customers, hence providing customers the best of what they should opt for from an organization. It will  promote trust in business, and enhance in the growth of likely more organizations alike to adhere to the same code of conduct resulting a better lifestyle in a society. People benefits from getting to use quality products, while organization and suppliers gain profits as the business go viral from the trust embedded by the customers. However, this code of conduct, to a certain extent, won’t be able to stand a chance against the long run of the business. From time to time, organizations should revise on how they conduct their business as policies change overtime in order to adapt to the current demand of the world. IWAY can’t stay appr opriate for organizations as benefits and importance would be totally different years after. Hence suppliers will end up breaking the guidelines, resulting in contract breaches causing damages and loss to both organizations. Code of conduct, is about refinement in order to get it sustainably carried out, yielding its finest outcomes. In the innovative aspect, IKEA had been coming up with the concept of sustaining the price by introducing the ‘do-it-yourselves’ concept. Lowest price is the basis of IKEA’s concept. IKEA identify new customer needs for furniture from not just from those who can afford but also among the young and less wealthy. So the founder had came out with the idea of designing furniture in kit form, leaving the customer to put them together by themselves hence, reduce the cost of assembly. The furniture is put in flat-cardboard boxes, so that customers can access to the self-service warehouse without using any third-parties. This results in almost 80% of reduced cost for transportation. This innovation, as deemed to be potently reducing most of the cost, comes from having the customers engage in the idea of ‘do-it-yourselves’. IKEA’s prices have been 30% below any other traditional furniture manufacturers. Its contemporary and innovative avant garde idea had garnered both the attention of customers and suppliers. This results in impactful effects on the society as more classes of people would be able to possess high quality products and furniture. IKEA’s ‘do-it-yourselves’ furniture not just exhibit the exquisite design and sophisticated image from the company but indicates their stand in providing quality products in affordable price. This will entirely improve the social standard of a society and cater the demand of the customers, to own furniture that suits their social living within the current globalization. However, this strategy is not foolproof. There have  been numbers of debates on how customers comment that some I KEA’s products are complicated to assemble and in further action, require the need of an expert hence require more expenses. This will get us back to square one where buyers would have to pay for assembling the products. The idea of ‘do-it-yourselves’ is vividly attracting attention of customers and suppliers however, it would be better if proper guidelines and further proposal is planned for this strategy to work. Entrepreneurs are gambling to the fact that they’re selling unfinished products to the customers hoping profits in return, however this won’t be likely to occur without proper planning and detailed reviews. As discussed in the passage above, IKEA is been putting priorities to both the suppliers and also the customers. Attention on the suppliers was to ensure that the raw materials used reach the standard of quality to yield the best products. Customers were given priorities in the aspect of wanting them to buy the products, by taking care their needs, and demands. Exclusion of any of these two societies would leave a profound impact to IKEA itself. But in this aspect, it would be better if slight inclination of priorities were given to the suppliers instead of the customers. A great enforcement on how the expensive raw materials should have been taken into count by IKEA, is essential and should undergo ethical inspection, so that it gratifies the satisfaction of both the supplier and customers. Any organization should be aware that, if the materials are not off good quality, this will affect the selling process, as well as will hinder the profits gained. It is for us to realize that even though entrepreneurship is about approaching the customers need, venturing to their demands, it is highly recommended that we should look back and reflect that without having proper supplies and the right suppliers, none of that would happen. To deduce, both the concepts, innovation and ethics influence the role of entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship in an organization. Without the actualization of these two concepts, IKEA won’t be able to achieve such influences in the modern world of furnishing.