Ethics in Counseling Essay

This paper analyses social, ethical and legal issues within a complaint initiated by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) against a psychologist, Steven Kreft (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated a complaint by a client of Kreft of personal and sexual disclosures, as well as unprofessional treatment in the solicitation of a photograph of the client in which the client was dressed in underwear. Kreft’s actions are assessed in light of professional and ethical standards as well as potential breaches of the law. Steven Kreft, was an experienced psychologist narrowly specialising in the treatment of men with anxiety conditions using cognitive-behavioural therapy (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The client, a 19-year-old married woman, was referred to Kreft because of anxiety and possibly panic attacks, but during the initial stages of counselling, she raised relationship problems, her appearance and sexual needs and practices with him and these became the focus of their se ssions. Kreft conveyed to the client that he was not experienced or skilled in the treatment of relationship problems or sexual disorders, however, the client stated that she wished to continue working with him and he did not insist on referring her elsewhere. The client ultimately accused Kreft of failing to observe proper professional boundaries and engaging in inappropriate discussions of a personal nature in which he: Complimented her on her appearance referring to her petite size, short height and thin build, and likened her to his girlfriend; Commented on her wearing Bonds underwear like his girlfriend wore; Asked the client to comment on his physical appearance; Disclosed details of his personal life including the number of sexual partners he had had, that his girlfriend would share a bed with other girlfriends when they slept over, that he had been in love numerous times, and that he had thought about homosexuality during his youth (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). In addition, Kreft was accused of failing to follow or observe appropriate therapeutic practice and/or failing to observe proper professional boundaries when he asked the client for photographs for a study in which other people would rate the client’s appearance. One of these photographs pictured the client dressed in underwear. Kreft copied these photographs onto his own computer for later presentation to unnamed others. This exercise was not recorded in the client’s clinical notes (HCCC v Kreft, 2011). The HCCC investigated the client’s complaints and took disciplinary action against him. There are numerous social, ethical and legal issues in this case. Although Kreft was in fact a psychologist, for the purpose of this paper, his conduct will be assessed against the Australian Counselling Association’s Code of Ethics and Practice (2012). This paper will explore the power imbalance between Kreft and his client, the effect of his behaviour on the therapeutic relationship and whether Kreft’s behaviour might have breached sexual harassment laws. Ethical and legal guidelines exist to offer protection to people who may experience harm as a result of the actions of another person. According to Welfel (2013, p.3), professional ethics in counselling encompasses five dimensions of behaviour including having sufficient knowledge, skill and judgement; respecting the client’s h uman dignity and freedom; using a counsellor’s inherent power responsibly; and, acting to promote public confidence in the counselling profession. This provides a useful framework for assessing Kreft’s conduct in this case. Beginning with Kreft’s expertise, Kreft usually used a strict cognitive-behavioural protocol for the management of anxiety and panic disorders. Kreft is described by his own treating psychiatrist as a skilled practitioner in a narrow field, having been trained to think rationally and logically. Kreft’s practice â€Å"involved administering protocols, carrying out logic-based interventions and requires his patients to occupy a mindset where they share a common objective and commitment to the treatment and its proposed outcome† (HCCC v Kreft, 2011 at 227). Although referred to Kreft because of his relevant expertise, the treatment interaction became sexualised when the client began talking about her sexual experiences and practices. There was further exploration of her concerns about her personal appearance, low self-esteem, need for validation by men via her sexual activities and descriptions of her specific sexual behaviour. Here, Kreft was out of his professional depth. Specifically on this matter, the Australian Counselling Association’s (ACA) Code of Ethics and Practice states that counsellors must â€Å"endeavour to make suitable referral where competent service cannot be provided† (p.3) and â€Å"undertake regular supervision and debriefing to develop skills, monitor performance and sustain professional accountability† (p.3). Although Kreft recognised that  the client’s relationship and sexual issues were beyond his expertise and conveyed as much to the client, he could have insisted on referral, despite the client’s preference for continued sessions with him. The ACA further states that competence includes being able to recognise when it is appropriate to refer a client elsewhere (p.12). The rationale for this professional expectation is that counsellors are required to â€Å"take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm during counselling sessions †(p.4). Sexualisation of the therapeutic relationship can be harmful to clients, and in this case, it is difficult to see how it served the client. According to the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice, â€Å"the helping relationship constitutes the effective and appropriate use of helper’s skills that are for the benefit and safety of the client in his or her circumstanc es† (2012, p.3), and â€Å"counsellors must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the client does not suffer physical, emotional or psychological harm during counselling sessions† (2012, p.4). In relation to the disclosures, for whose benefit where they? It is unclear what led Kreft to make sexualised self-disclosures and what purpose he thought they served. Perhaps it was a response to the client’s exploration of her relationships and sexual activities. Such client self-disclosure can sexualise the therapeutic relationship (Gurtheil & Brodsky, 2011, p. 183). Counsellor disclosures are inevitable and sometimes useful, but self-disclosure can become burdensome to the client and therefore detrimental. Gurtheil and Brodsky (2011) state that in cases of sexual misconduct, â€Å"a key turning point often occurs when the relationship shifts from a therapeutic exchange to one of sharing personal confidences and feelings† (p.114). They further state that even therapists whose practice deliberately includes open self-disclosure, it is rarely useful and usually burdensome for clients to hear details of the therapist’s emotional, sexual, personal or family life. â€Å"Such disclosures, especially when they involve sexual feelings, are nearly always considered boundary violations† (p.115). It seems that Kreft may have been meeting some personal need by making the disclosures. Without having observed the interaction, it is difficult to judge, however, perhaps in an attempt to normalise the client’s experience or keep her engaged, Kreft seems to also be almost boasting of his own sexual prowess. This amounts to an exploitation of the client for  his own needs. The APA states that, â€Å"counsellors must not exploit their clients financially, sexually, emotionally or in any other way (pp.4-5). If poorly handled, the power imbalance inherent in the therapeutic relationship can lead to exploitation of clients (Barnett, Lazarus, Vasquez, Moorehead-Slaughter & Johnson, 2007, p.402). A young female client, is less likely to challenge the appropriateness of such comments. In addition to the sexualised disclosures, Kreft devised an exercise based on his narrow focus on CBT, which he believed would help the client. He requested and obtained a photo of his client wearing a bra and underpants for the purpose of an exercise aimed at ‘challenging’ the client’s maladaptive or negative beliefs about her appearance. The photo was to be shown to a number of unnamed people in order for them to rate her appearance. Kreft claimed in his testimony that he created the exercise based on his expertise and training. He did not state that he researched current effective practice or discussed the client’s needs in supervision. It would seem prudent to educate oneself about an unfamiliar field of practice or client. In fact, the ACA’s ethical expectations include counsellors committing to ongoing personal and professional development, as well as undertake regular supervision and debriefing (p.3). A cursory investigation of recognised treatments for body image problems Butters and Cash (1987) research into effective cognitive-behavioural treatment of women with body-image dissatisfaction found that a combination of methods produced improved affective body image, reduced maladaptive body-image cognitions and enhanced social self-esteem about fitness and sexuality. The methods included providing clients with information about body-image dissatisfaction, having clients construct a personalised hierarchy of body areas, desensitisation to automatic thoughts and developing counterarguments for irrational thoughts. Butters and Cash (1987) did use observer ratings of client physical attractiveness as part of the series of exercises, but there is no suggestion that clients were to be barely dressed in the photographs used. Kreft seemed to exercise poor judgment in his selection of a photograph in which the client was so scantily clothed. Kreft seemed unaware of his power in the relationship. Power within the therapeutic relationship can take numerous forms. Proctor (2002, p.8) states that one basic form is societal power which is expressed in the imbalances between the genders and between the old and young. In this  case, Kreft was an older male with a teenage female client. According to testimony in his case, Kreft was accustomed to working with male clients, so he may have been unaccustomed to working with a young female. He may have been unaware of the subconscious power he held in the relationship simply by virtue of his stronger position in society. Pope and Vasquez (2007, pp41-42) describ e other forms of power that therapists have in relation to clients. These include the power of expectation–clients expects that the therapist’s interventions will be able to induce beneficial change. Related to this is the power to choose the approach to therapy. Kreft chose to make personal disclosures and chose the therapeutic exercise involving the client’s photograph. She complied with the activity, although she stated in her complaint that she was very uncomfortable about it. Kreft failed to recognise this in her delayed provision of the photo, but also failed to recognise that any young woman might be uncomfortable with such an exercise, yet reluctant to refuse. He did not make this psychologically safe for her. Under the Victorian Equal Opportunity Act 2010, both the disclosures and the request for photographs could be deemed sexual harassment and therefore unlawful. A person sexually harasses another person if he or she engages in unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to another person in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that the other person would be offended, humiliated or intimi dated. Conduct of a sexual nature includes making orally, any remark or statement with sexual connotations to a person or about a person in his or her presence, and, making any comment of a sexual nature in a person’s presence (Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013a, p.79). There are therefore three characteristics of behaviour that would have it constitute sexual harassment – being unwelcome; being conduct of a sexual nature; and being conduct that a reasonable person would consider likely to offend, humiliate or intimidate in the circumstances. There seems little doubt that Kreft’s disclosures about his sexual activities fit this definition of conduct of a sexual nature. In relation to whether the comments were unwelcome to the client, it certainly appears so, as she has complained of as much. For conduct to be unwelcome, it must be unsolicited or uninvited by the client, and regarded as undesirable or offensive by the client. Kreft does not suggest that the  client invited the comments. Even if a client does not speak up or complain at the time, the conduct might still be considered unwelcome (Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, 2013b, p.6). The client’s age is a factor recognised as causing someone to tolerate behaviour even if unwelcome. Numerous sexual harassment cases have recognised how a power imbalance between the parties can contribute to a person remaining silent about how unwelcome the behaviour is (VEOHRC, 2013a, p.85). The final element in sexual harassment is whether the conduct occurred in circumstances in which it could reasonably have been expected that the conduct would offend, humiliate or intimidate the person. Again, given the client’s age in relation to Kreft, and the highly sexual nature of the disclosures, within a relationship that should be focusing on the client’s concerns, it seems that this third criterion of sexual harassment would be met. In conclusion, it seems that Steven Kreft’s behaviour in this case fell far short of recognised ethical, legal and social expectations. He took on a client with issues outside his narrow expertise and attempted to work with her i n relation to the highly sexualised disclosures she made about her relationships with men. Kreft’s own highly sexualised personal disclosures were unethical according to professional guidelines and potentially unlawful, under sexual harassment laws. Kreft’s attempts to help the client change her negative beliefs about her body were devised without reference to existing knowledge in the treatment of such problems and again became sexualised when Kreft chose a photo of the client dressed only in underwear. Ultimately, Kreft was required to update his training, engage in regular supervision, and undergo a suspension of practice for six months. Kreft’s case provides a number of warnings for other practitioners about the dangers of a narrow knowledge and experience base, as well as the importance of understanding the various dimensions of therapeutic relationships. Counsellors would do well to have a sound understanding of ethical boundaries and how they might appropriately respond to a client’s disclosures of sexual behaviour. Having regular supervision is crucial for assisting counsellors in all of these areas. References Australian Counselling Association. (2012). Code of ethics and practice. QLD: Author. Barnett, J., Lazarus, A., Vasquez, M., Moorehead-Slaughter, O., & Johnson, W. (2007). Boundary issues and multiple relationships: Fantasy and reality. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(4), 401–410. Butters, J. W. & Cash, T. F. (1987) Cognitive-behavioral treatment of women’s body-image dissatisfaction. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55, 6. Gurtheil, T. G. & Brodsky, A. (2011). Preventing boundary violations in clinical practice. London: Guilford Press. HCCC v Kreft (No. 1) (2011) NSWPST 2. HCCC v Kreft (No. 2) (2012) NSWPST 1. Pope, K. S. & Vasquez, M. J. (2011). Ethics in psychotherapy and counselling: A practical guide. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Proctor, G. (2002). The dynamics of power in counseling and psychotherapy: ethics, politics and practice. Ross-on-wye, Herefordshire: PCCS Books. Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. (2013a). Victorian discrimination law. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission. (2013b). Guideline: Sexual harassment. Complying with the Equal Opportunity Act 2010. Melbourne, Australia: Author. Welfel, E. R. (2013). Ethics in counseling and psychotherapy. (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Diets Make You Fat Essay

The United States of America is a nation known for our obsession over â€Å"big things†. Americans have the biggest cars, the biggest houses, and now, the biggest people. Obesity rates in the United States has skyrocketed and more than one-third of American adults are obese. Some researchers suspect that by 2030, more than half the population will be obese unless Americans change what they consume and how much they exercise. Many Americans are now realizing the deadly effects of obesity and are turning to diets to stabilize and maintain a healthy weight. But for some people, this cultural solution to the national problem does not work at all, and even gives reverse affects. Although dieting can help an individual to lose weight, it can also lead to gaining of weight because of hormones, the dieting mentality, and our culture as Americans. Although people see dieting as the sure-fire way to losing pounds, scientists have found that dieting actually changes the way their brain and metabolism work. When a person starts a diet, their brain begins to send hormones that tell the body to hoard body fat. This makes it harder to lose weight because your body thinks that it is lacking food, and therefore, relies on body fat. These same hormones also trigger food craving in the brain, making that individual hungry constantly and eventually succumb to eating again (Naish, 1) . The dieting mentality is also a huge reason why diets can have reverse affects. Have you ever gone to dinner with a friend, who ordered a huge plate of pasta because tomorrow was the start of her diet? Or, have you ever heard someone say they were going for ice cream because they â€Å"earned† it by going to the gym that day? This makes it so diets are nothing more than a storm of restrictive eating patterns, shame, and guilt. A person on a diet may lose the pounds they wanted, but as soon as they reached their goal, they start to fall in the same patterns again and gain the weight they lost, or even more (Johnson, 1). Lastly, our own culture fights against us. We are a nation of fast food and junk food, and are always reminded of it through advertisements. People cannot go a day without seeing at least one advertisement for the new McDonald’s burger or the new sugary junk food that’s available at the nearest grocery store. These companies are exact in the business of advertising their products, and most of the time, target young children to create a â€Å"brand-loyalty† through happy commercials and toy giveaways. We have been manipulated by these companies, and it’s very hard not to indulge in their products. This culture of ours needs to change before we improve our health and stop obesity. In conclusion, diets in America can be too blame for making us â€Å"fat†. Our own bodies, minds, and culture wreak havoc against us and make it very hard to shed those pounds that one wants to lose. Some Americans turn to deadly diets as an answer, such as fad-diets, and also diets that lead to bulimia. However, there are diets that actually work, such as the dieting by lowering portions. Whatever the diet may be, Americans must face the cruel reality that their lives are in jeopardy and must fight off the urge to eat fast food and junk food, and exercise regularly. Or else, we have to face the consequences of the future.

Federal Government of the United States and Sequestration

Understanding Sequestration Christine Miller Webster University Author Note Christine A. Miller, Webster University. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Christine Miller, 21356 89th Street, California City, CA 93505. E-mail: [email  protected] net Abstract Understanding sequestration can be overwhelming. What are government sequestration and the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 and how do they impact us? Which government agencies will feel the impact the most? Are there agencies that are exempt from the sequestration?And finally, is there a way to prevent the sequestration? A budget sequester is when money under current law is used to fund the budget deficit. President Barack Obama signed into law on Aug 2, 2011 a federal statute titled The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. This federal statute will impose limits on discretionary programs by more than $1 trillion over ten years from 2012 through 2021. These limits are based on the Congressional Budget Offi ce baseline from 2010 (Kogan, 2011). Sequestration was technically triggered when Congress failed to reach an agreement by Jan. 5, 2012, but because the cuts do not begin until 2013, Congress really has until the end of this year to enact new legislation that would cancel or delay the cuts (OMB Watch, Nov 6, 2012). As an employee on a military installation, the impacts of the sequestration could cause short and long term effects on our contractor support. Understanding Sequestration Sequestration can be broadly defined as the action of taking legal possession of assets until a debt has been paid or other claims have been met. In government terms, a sequestration is an attempt to reform Congressional voting procedures.This is an effort to make the size of the Federal government's budget deficit a matter of conscious choice rather than simply the outcome of an appropriations process. A process in which no one ever looked at the cumulative results until it was too late to change them. If the appropriation bills passed separately by Congress provide for total government spending in excess of the limits Congress earlier laid down for itself in the annual Budget Resolution, and if Congress cannot agree on ways to cut back the total, then an automatic form of spending cutback takes place.This automatic spending cut is what is called sequestration (Johnson, 2005). What are the major elements of the BCA of 2011? First, it allowed the President to raise the debt limit by $2. 1 trillion. This limit is estimated to be enough through early 2013. Second, established limits on annual appropriations bills which cover discretionary or non-entitlement programs such as defense, education, national parks, the FBI, the EPA, low-income housing assistance, medical research, and many others; the limits reduce projected funding for these programs by more than $1 trillion through 2021.Third, it required the House and Senate to vote in the fall of 2011 on an amendment to the Constitutio n to mandate a balanced budget every year. Fourth, it established a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to produce legislation to reduce projected deficits by at least an additional $1. 2 trillion through 2021 (beyond the savings generated by the discretionary caps). And finally, the BCA established a contingency mechanism to ensure that $1. 2 trillion in deficit reduction would be achieved if the Joint Select Committee failed.This provided for automatic, across-the-board budget cuts in many programs in 2013 and reductions in each year from 2014 through 2021 in the annual caps on discretionary appropriations as well as automatic cuts in selected entitlement programs (Kogan, 2011). Which government programs will feel the impact the most? If sequestration does take place the cuts will be divided evenly between the defense and non-defense programs, approximately $55 billion each.Non-exempt non-defense programs like Head Start and education programs will have an 8. 2% cut, appro ximately $38 billion. Non-exempt non-defense mandatory programs like agricultural disaster relief will have a 7. 6% cut, approximately $5. 6 billion. Payments to Medicare providers and health insurance plans will have a 2% cut, approximately $11 billion. In addition, non-exempt defense discretionary programs will have a 9. 4% cut, approximately $54. 6 billion (OMB Watch Nov 2, 2012).This includes keeping military bases open, paying salaries and research and development. The approximately $55 billion in 2013 defense cuts will be imposed in a similar but not identical manner. The defense cuts will occur through across-the-board, proportional reductions in the funding provided for defense accounts in the appropriations bills. War costs within the National Defense function are subject to sequestration, as are defense unobligated balances carried over from prior years.Although military personnel are not exempt from sequestration the President can exempt some or all military personnel fun ding from the sequestration. This is because the funds for fiscal year 2013 will already have been appropriated by Congress. However, if he chooses that option, the cuts in other defense funding would have to increase. As of Nov 13 the President did exempt military personnel from sequestration (OMB Watch Nov 2, 2012). Which government programs are exempt from automatic cuts?A number of programs are exempt to include Social Security benefits, all programs administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, interest on the federal debt, refundable tax credits, and several low-income programs. Low-income programs that are exempt include food stamps, child nutrition programs, Medicaid, foster care, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, mandatory funding under the Child Care and Development Fund, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Supplemental Security Income program (OMB Watch Nov 2, 2012). So what are the expectations for 2014 and beyond?The process for 2014 and out is quite different. The required defense funding cut of approximately $55 billion in each year from 2014 through 2021 will occur through reductions in the annual statutory caps on defense funding that the Budget Control Act sets for each of those years if sequestration is triggered. Unlike in 2013, there will be no automatic cut of all affected defense programs by the same percentage; instead, the Appropriations Committees will decide how to live within the newly reduced defense funding caps (Kogan, 2011).For non-defense programs the process will be the same as in 2013 for entitlements but different for non-defense discretionary programs. Medicare payments to both providers and health insurance plans will continue to be cut by 2 percent. However, because Medicare costs are projected to rise through 2021, the dollar amount saved will increase from $11 billion to approximately $18 billion in 2021. In years 2014 through 2012, the remaining amount of the approximately $55 billion i n non-defense cuts will be applied proportionally to other non-exempt mandatory programs and overall non-defense discretionary funding.Because Medicare will take a progressively larger share of the $55 billion non-defense cut, other non-defense programs cuts will continue to decline (Kogan, 2011). One of the biggest concerns of the sequestration is the possibility of prompting a recession in 2013. The combination of expiring tax cuts and the reductions in spending on discretionary government programs, known as the ‘fiscal cliff’, could throw the country back into recession. However, the hopes are that a budget deal would be reached in early 2013 that would retroactively cancel the sequestration.Within the Department of Defense (DoD) there is a lot of concern with sequestration and the automatic cuts that would be implemented in fiscal year 2013 if Congress fails to reach an agreement on the deficit reduction plan. The Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is working with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure the Department is ready to implement sequestration in January if it occurs. In the meantime, consistent with OMB guidance, a memo titled Guidance on Fiscal Year 2013 Joint Committee Sequestration has been issued stating that DoD needs to continue normal spending and operations.The memo states to not let our programs, personnel, and activities to begin to suffer the harmful effects of sequestration while there is still a chance it can be avoided. The memo has directed that all commanders and managers in the DoD continue the defense mission under current laws and policies, without taking any steps that assume sequestration will occur (A. B. Carter, personal communication, Sep 25, 2012). In other words, the DoD is to continue business as usual. Although it is business as usual, government contractors may feel the greatest impact.In conclusion, sequestration would have long enduring and painful effects on all aspects of government agencies, DoD and non-DoD alike. If Congress does not meet the requirements imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011 DoD government contractor layoffs and potential government shutdowns may occur and non-DoD government programs, like education and Medicare, will have long term consequences. Sequestration can only be prevented if Congress passes legislation that undoes the Budget Control Act of 2011 before January 2, 2013. References Johnson, P. (2005). A Glossary of Political Economy Terms.Retrieved from http://www. auburn. edu/~johnspm/gloss/sequestration Kogan, R. (2012). How the Across-the-Board Cuts in the Budget Control Act Will Work. Retrieved October 30, 2012, from http://www. cbpp. org/cms OMB Watch (Nov 2, 2012). Mitigating the Impact of a Temporary Sequester. Retrieved November 4, 2012, from http://www. ombwatch. org/mitigating-impact-of- automatic-spending-cuts OMB Watch (Nov 6, 2012). White House and Federal Agencies Could Manage Effects of Automatic Spending Cuts in E arly 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2012, from http://www. ombwatch. org/node/12266

Biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Biology - Essay Example All living things are composed of one (unicellular) or more (multicellular) cells. All the cells gather energy and utilize energy for growth, reproduction, repairing processes etc. Many different types of cells perform different jobs and together co-ordinate and keep living beings alive. Unicellular (one celled) organisms are bacteria and paramecium, while fungi, plants and animals are multicellular (many cells). The living things are classified into prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Bacterial cells are prokaryotes with simple structure without complex organelle system. Figure 1.A (1) shows prokaryotic cell structure of unicellular bacteria and Figure 1. B shows many bacterial cells. Bacteria are the smallest organism on our planet. Plant cells (Figure 2) (2) form plants. Animal cells (Figure 3) (3) form animals. The plants and animal cells are eukaryotes having larger size than eukaryotes and have complex organelle system. Cells put together form tissues. Tissues form organs. The organs put together form organ system. The organ systems put together make plants and animals. The organelle nucleus in the eukaryotic cell accommodates deoxyribose nucleic acid (DNA) which is a blueprint of our life. The DNA houses the intelligence needed to determine the characteristic shape (structure) and job (function) of all living creatures. We get this DNA from our parents which decides our physical make up, our intelligence, and it reflects our personality. DNA of a cell decides the characteristic role of that cell it has to play in our body. This double helix DNA is like a spiral staircase. DNA can be extracted from any living things and can be seen in a test tube with naked eye in the form of long ropy strings. This DNA is made up of four nucleotides A, T, C and G (Figure 4) (4). The various permutations and combinations of these nucleotides differentiate each living being. It decides who and how we should be. The human beings

What are the motivation behind sexual serial homocide Essay

What are the motivation behind sexual serial homocide - Essay Example er in which sexual contact is explicit" (Kellaher, 2004), other experts attribute this term to the homicidal act only if "the perpetrator describes an internal feeling of arousal" (Kellaher, 2004). There are some observations which indicate that the murder is sexual homicide. They are exposure of sexual parts of the body of the victim, victim attire, lack of victim attire, presence of the body of the victim in sexual position, presence of foreign bodies in the various cavities of the body of the victim, evidence of intercourse either, vaginally, orally or sexually and presence of evidence of substitute sexual interest, sexual activity or sadistic fantasy (Mirich, 2004). According to Schlesinger (2004), there is a dire need to understand the acts of sexual homicide by examining the criminal psychodynamics and also the crime context. Schlesinger (2004) emphasizes the need for forensic examiners to review and evaluate the statements made by witnesses and also collateral histories as available from the family members of the criminals and the employers. The numbers of sexual homicide cases which occur are not much known, but they constitute to about less than 1% of all murders. Over the past 35 years, it has been estimated that the rate of sexual murder has almost tripled. According to experts, in about 43% of cases, the victim was a stranger to the assailant and there was no known connection. According to the FBI study (qtd. in Mirich, 2003), all the serial sexual murderers were male, with most of them being white. The study also revealed that most of the victims of serial sexual killing were women. Another interesting finding in the FBI study (qtd. in Mirich, 2003) was that most of the killers were eldest sons with 80% having average or above average intelligence. Also, atleast 74% killers had a stable income and about 69% of the killers were alcoholics and 33% drug addicts. There were family histories of psychiatric disorders in 53% of killers. Many of them also

Consumer bahaviour to develop a marketing plan Essay

Consumer bahaviour to develop a marketing plan - Essay Example In order to find the appropriate target market for The Alternative, this paper will be using the hybrid segmentation approach called demographic and psychographic profiles. In terms of demographic factors, it was found out that individuals in different often reveal different reasons why they look for healthier options. In the case of individuals within the 18-34 age brackets, being fit and healthy is consistent with their desire to look good. Within the 35-54 circle, the desire shifts as a way to deal with stress. The 55 above groups see it as medical-physical therapy. Looking at these age groups, The Alternative wants to focus on the 18-34 age brackets whose primary intention is to watch their weight and figure (). A part of a healthy lifestyle is an equally healthy diet unavailable in other fast food chains with their fat and calorie-laden offerings. Psychographic factors are also essential considerations. It should be noted that fast food chains often project bad images by providing unhealthy foods like burgers, meat pies, and carbonated drinks. However, consumers are often left with no choice especially if they have a fast-paced lifestyle. Fast-foods are often linked and preferred for their convenience and easy accessibility and perfect for people who love "fast service." The Alternative hopes to cater to this market segment. It is irrefutable that a lot of people, especially university students and young professionals often have less time to prepare their own food and would willingly grab a quick bite from fast food chains. However, these busy individuals also desire to be healthy in spite of their lifestyle. Thus, an alternative food chain would be perfect for them. The Alternative would cater to busy university students and young professionals aged 13-34 who desire to look good by eating healthier food options served in fas t food chains. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: Revealing the Motive Looking Maslow's hierarchy of needs, food is categorized at the lowest level of the pyramid together with other physiological needs like air, water, sleep, and clothing. Following these needs are safety needs, love and belongingness, and status or esteem needs. Although food is generally classified a physiological need, The Alternative will design a marketing mix which will not only project its product offering as a way to satisfy this lowest necessity but also the higher ones specifically love and belongingness as well as esteem needs. In the discussion above, it is already clarified that what The Alternative will be serving is the segment which primarily desires to "look good." Thus, the motive underlying the establishment of the fast-food chain goes beyond the mere satisfaction of the appetite and the physiological need to the fulfillment of love and belongingness and esteem needs. The Alternative will not be only offering healthy foods but healthy lifestyle which is needed to look good. Offering low calorie, healthy foods will help individuals to maintain their weight and figure, enhance the beauty of the skin, and fights harmful substances which causes physical imperfections. Having a good image and figure irrefutably translates to gaining love and belongingness, especially now that social acceptance is often based on how a person looks like. Having shapely legs, nice built and well-proportioned figure

Watch film and then write the critical views of the film Essay

Watch film and then write the critical views of the film - Essay Example The Future of Food tends to explain in a systematic and organized manner as to how the much praised Green Revolution had a debilitating influence on the small farmers and how it benefitted the large corporations. The objective of the Green Revolution was to facilitate a massive increase in the overall production of crops in the poor or developing nations by promoting an extensive use of high yielding varieties of crops, chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers (Belasco 116). The basic objective of Green Revolution was to make way for a larger production of food crops that could help the poor nations deal with the long pending issues like hunger and mal-nutrition. However, it is sad to say that though Green Revolution did help the developing nations to some extent, yet the economics of Green Revolution was primarily hijacked by the big multinational pesticide and fertilizer producers. The high yield varieties of crops were so modified that they worked only when treated with spec ific fertilizers and pesticides (Belasco 116). Thereby, this approach towards Green Revolution eventually ended up filling the coffers of large multinational corporations dealing in pesticides and fertilizers. However, it will be true to say that The Future of Food was very constrained about how Green Revolution did benefit large number of hungry and mal-nourished people around the world. The other ironic revelation extended by The Future of Food is that going by the fact that the economics of Green Revolution was skewed in favor of powerful multinational corporations and rich farmers, it negatively impacted the small framers the world over and diluted their role in the larger food economics (Belasco 116). Though, industrial farming aimed to produce massive quantities of crops, on a large scale by resorting to the usage of modern technology and by influencing the economics and politics of food at an international level, yet, actually speaking

Business analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business analysis - Essay Example The current ratio which is well above the benchmark of 1 should not be viewed as a healthy sign because the company is having major issues with its receivables and inventory management. The company has large amount of receivables pending resulting in high receivables days and the situation is the same for the company’s inventories. The company has good asset turnover but it is also declining over the period from 1993 to 1995. The company has a negative profitability in 1994 and 1995 because of its inability to generate profits. Though the company paid dividend in 1993 and 1994 the amount due from stockholders has been significant which could further dampen the company’s capital position. The financial ratios have been attached to this report as Appendix II. The company’s operating cash flow has declined sharply in 1995 leading to a negative figure of DM494,000 which surely have implications for the long term survival of the company if it is not able to recoup its business by altering its marketing and operating strategies. Marketing Analysis Haefren Baum is a home furnishing retailer which is engaged in selling high quality home furniture products of a German manufacturer Wiegandt GmbH Cologne. The understanding of the high-end furniture market suggests that the demand in this market is cyclical which is affected by two major factors – consumer buying confidence and also by the overall economic conditions. Due to the fall in the German economy during the year 1993 i.e. GDP indicated a negative growth of 1.2% the demand for furniture dropped and sales deteriorated. Haefren Baum’s sales also declined after 1993 showed as YoY decline of -19% (1994) and -5% (1995). In order to tackle the challenges the company cut down its pricing and also opened up new outlets Rhineland suburban areas however due to the competition attracting to the market it is difficult for a small retailer like Haefren Baum to survive for long as it is also fa cing problems with generating profits and maintain a strong cash position (Crane and Millett). Operations Analysis Since the company sells home furniture of Wiegandt GmBH Cologne therefore the amount payable to the company has reached DM 54,017.18. From the analysis it could be indicated that the operational efficiency of the company is becoming weak as the number of days that receivables are due for payment and the inventory held in its stock are increasing. Furthermore, the company is taking longer period to pay off its liabilities. The company has generated loss in 1994 and 1995 which suggests that the company is facing major difficulties in devising its strategies to coup up with the tough market conditions prevailing in Germany. Due to expansion of outlets the company’s borrowing has increased significantly and no positive outcome has been achieved. The credit department of the company must lay off loans and sell of non-profitable outlets to cut down pressure on its cash position. Appendix I: Cash Flow Statement Cash From Operating Activities 1994 1995 DM ‘000s DM ‘000s Net Profit -16 -55 -16 -55 (Increase)/Decrease in Receivables -386 35 (Increase)/Decrease in Inventory 8 -8 Increase/Decrease in Accounts Payables 8 88 Deferred Charges 32 0 Miscellaneous Accruals 74 -331 Current Maturities on Long-Term Debt 327 -223 Estimated Federal Income Tax -104 0 -41 -439 -57 -494 Cash Flow from Investing Activities Sale / (Purchase) of Net Buildings, Fixtures and

Energy security and energy securitization Essay

Energy security and energy securitization - Essay Example The inequality in regard to the energy sources available has caused severe conflicts among states worldwide, a phenomenon which was made particularly clear since the 1970s, the period of ‘oil shock’ (Bhattacharyya 2011, p.463). The above conflicts have led to the increase of risks in relation to the management of energy. Energy security has become a critical issue for all countries around the world; countries, which have developed strategic alliances within the international community, have been able to respond more effectively to the needs of energy security; for example, the case of the European Union (Checchi, Behrens, and Egenhofer 2009). The various aspects of energy security, as related to the energy securitization, are examined in this paper. The review of the literature published in the specific field proved that it is rather difficult for countries to meet all the requirements of energy security; moreover, energy security has been often used for promoting other interests, especially for serving the economic interests of individuals or institutions. The management of energy security should be based on the relevant principles and rules established by the international community. 2. Energy security and energy securitization 2.1 Energy security – characteristics and role Different approaches have been used in the literature in order to explain the context of energy security. In accordance with Tufa (2008) energy security can be described as ‘a reliable supply of energy at a sustainable cost’ (Tufa 2008, p.6). It seems that cost and reliability are two critical factors for defining energy security within the international community. This fact is verified through the definition of energy security given by Muller-Kraenner (2008); in accordance with the above definition, the energy security is considered as ‘the provision of reasonably priced, reliable and environmentally friendly energy’ (Muller-Kraenner 2008, p.4 ). It is noted that the term energy security may incorporate different elements in countries worldwide. For instance, in countries that are major oil producers, energy security reflects the ability of these countries ‘to maintain the security of demand’ (Tufa 2008, p.6). From a similar point of view, the term energy security can be used in order to describe the efforts of a nation to keep the price of its energy – related products low. On the other hand, Sovacool (2011) notes that energy security is related to the ability of a country to respond to its energy needs, so that: a) no problem would appear in regard to the survival of the specific nation (Sovacool 2011, p.78), b) the welfare of the country would not be threatened (Sovacool 2011, p.78), even if the characteristics of threat in the above case are not clearly described and c) the risks in regard to the management of energy sources within a country are minimized (Sovacool 2011, p.78). It is clear that the efforts to promote energy security are not standardized in countries worldwide. There are countries that consider energy security as a need justifying the development of severe conflicts; other countries seek for

Management of Carotid Artery Stenosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Management of Carotid Artery Stenosis - Essay Example The result can be ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. These occur because of hemodynamic compromise, embolization, or thrombosis (Greelish, Mohler, Fairman, 2009). The review by Greelish, (2009), includes major trails which evaluate the efficiency as well as clinical variables and risk. There are two major trials discussed in this paper, those are the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial and the European Carotid Surgery Trial. Each of these demonstrate the efficacy of the carotid endarterectomy in patients who have symptoms such as transcient ischemic attack (Greenlish, et.al, 2009). The NASCET cohort is another study done that suggests the benefits of CEA in symptomatic patients may be overestimated, since a number of strokes that occur in the territory of stenotic arteries are not preventable by CEA. 1800 patients were included in this study which was done to assure that we knew what the true risk factors of this group of patients with stroke might be. This study showed that that stroke occurred most often in people that had 60% stenosis. This is well supported in all of the studies that were reviewed. Patients with 60% occlusion whether symptomatic or asymptomatic are at great risk. Risk factors lead to damage in the carotid arteries and th... Secondary prevention of stroke: risk factor reduction by Furie, Wilterdink and Kistler, (2009) review risk factor management of patients with atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, with a focus on secondary prevention in patients who have had ischemic attack or ischemic stroke. Those risk factors that are discussed in great depth in this paper are hypertension, smoking, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and dyslipidemia. They show statistical data on those patients that control these risk factors and those that don't as well as how the CEA fits into this care (Furie, et. al., 2009). CEA alone will not forever cure a patient with large number of risk factors. The patient has to be willing to participate in this care, also. Cardiovascular disease, MI or ischemic stroke is still the leading cause of death in patients with metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Haffey, (2009), suggests success in saving lives here is based on effectively treating the whole patient. The author describes throughout his paper, different clinical approaches to achieving this goal. He reminds that treating those things that are risk factors for the disease should be dealt with aggressively. Those include hypertension, smoking, activity levels, dietary habits, obesity, carotid artery stenosis, and atrial fibrillation (Haggey, 2009). Again, as in the previous literature, Dr. Haggey suggests that there be a great deal of follow up assuring that these patients are doing what has to be done to decrease their risk factors. There have been three very high quality clinical trials on patients who need carotid endarterectomy but are asymptomatic. Those trials are the Veterans Affairs Cooperative Study Group, the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study, and the Asymptomatic Carotid

Perfect Pizzeria Essay Example for Free

Perfect Pizzeria Essay Perfect Pizzeria Restaurants is a chain of 125 pizza establishments around the country with headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin. There are three locations in Bloomington, Indiana however they have financial and employee problems particularly at the location near the Indiana University campus. Each location has one manager and two shift leaders. The employees are mostly college students, with a few high school students performing the less challenging jobs. Nearly all of the employees, with the exception of some managers, are employed part-time and most earned only the minimum wage or slightly above. To address the financial problems, the Perfect Pizzeria manager’s compensation plan was changed to now being based on food and beverage costs and profit targets. If the percentage of food unsold or damaged is very low, the manager gets a bonus. If the percentage is high, the manager does not receive a bonus; rather he or she receives only his or her normal salary. Their compensation is also reflected in the restaurant’s profit figures which also must reach a certain level for the manager to receive a bonus. Thus the managers knew the criteria being used for their evaluation and therefore where to focus their efforts. These profit and loss figures often fluctuate. Knowing the manager cannot be in the store 24 hours a day, some employees make up for their low paychecks by helping themselves to the food. When a friend comes in to order a pizza, extra ingredients are put on the friend’s pizza. An occasional slice or two of pizza by the 18 to 20 employees throughout the day/evening at the break table also raises the percentage figure. An occasional bucket of sauce may be spilled or a pizza accidentally burned. Sometimes the wrong size of pizza may be made. In the event of an employee mistake or a burned pizza by the oven person, the expense is supposed to come from the individual employee. Because of peer pressure, the night manager seldom writes up a bill for the erring employee. Instead the establishment takes the loss and the error goes unnoticed until the end of the month when the inventory is taken. That’s when the manager finds out if the food loss percentage is high and if there will be a bonus. (Next page) Over time these loss figures increased. To address these problems at the Bloomington location, the manager took retaliatory measures. Previously, each employee was entitled to a free pizza slice, salad, and all the soft drinks he or she could drink for every 4 hours of work. Management decided to raise this figure to 6 hours of work before any free food. Since the employees had received this â€Å"free food after 4-hours† benefit for a long time they frequently ignored the rule and took advantage of the situation whenever the manager was not in the building. Therefore, the Perfect Pizzeria manager decided to create an assistant manager position which could more closely supervise the shift leaders. Each shift leader was now responsible for a team of 3 4 employees who were given specific responsibilities for a particular job such as counter, delivery, food preparation, etc. Employee apathy grew within the pizzeria. There seemed to be a further separation between the store manager and his workers, who were once a closely knit group. The manager made no attempt to alleviate the problem, because he felt it would iron itself out. The employees who were dissatisfied would quit or they would be content to put up with the new regulations. As it turned out, there were many employee resignations. The manager had no problem in filling the vacancies with new workers, but the loss of experienced personnel was costly to the business. It didn’t take long for the new employees to become influenced by the more experienced employees and the unsold/damaged food percentage remained high. Then the manager took a bolder step. He eliminated all the benefits that the employees had – no free pizzas, salads, or drinks. The manager tried still another approach to alleviate the rising unsold/damaged food percentage problem and maintain his bonus. He placed a notice on the bulletin board, stating that: if the percentage remained at a high level, a lie detector test would be given to all employees. All those found guilty of taking or intentionally wasting food or drinks would be immediately terminated. This did not have the desired effect on the employees, because they knew if they were all subjected to the test, all would be found guilty and the manager would have to dismiss all of them. This would leave him in a worse situation than ever. As the manager sat in his office listening to his beloved Cub’s baseball game, he analyzed the month’s profit/loss statements and knew things were not going to be good. What he did not expect was that the percentage was actually increasing from previous months. Another problem developed at the Bloomington campus location when Jennifer, a recently hired night shift counter clerk filed a complaint with the regional manager. She stated in her complaint that she was always required to work the late shift and Bill the night manager was becoming a bit â€Å"too friendly†. In fact her complaint stated, the only way she could get off from work earlier than other employees was if she would agree to meet Bill on their nights off at Hoosier’s, a popular college student club down the street from Perfect Pizzeria. Additionally, there was a formal complaint from a group of male employees that only the attractive female workers were being promoted to assistant managers or shift leaders even though the men had worked at the restaurant longer than most of the promoted women. The case assignment questions follow†¦ PERFECT PIZZERIA – CASE QUESTIONS (Please type your responses by listing the question number/letter and then your answers to the questions.) 1. List two different managerial functions/activities the manager has performed. Then give specific examples or evidence from the case that explains these two management functions the manager has performed. 4. points) 2a. Which of the managerial skills was the manager best at? Explain. 2b. Which of the managerial skills did the manager need to improve? Explain. (4 points) 3. List and/or give examples of four (4) different forces or factors from Perfect Pizzerias’ external environment. Then give a specific example of how each of these could have an impact on Perfect Pizzeria. Please be specific.(4 pts.) 4a. The case mentions that some employees put extra ingredients on their friends’ pizza or take a nibble or two of pizza during their shift. Please discuss whether you feel this is ethical and your reasons why you feel this way. (2 pts.) 4b. What actions could an organization take to prevent these potential ethical violations from happening based on the concepts in the textbook? Explain by applying these ideas to this case situation. (4 pts.) 5. Review the organizational approaches to managing diversity from Chapter 6. Then discuss or give an example of how you would apply two of these concepts to address the complaints of the male employees regarding the unfair promotions? Be specific. (4 points) 6. Give an example from the case of a poor management action and discuss two (2) specific ways you would correct the situation if you were the manager. (3 points)

The Hymn of Creation Essay Example for Free

The Hymn of Creation Essay The Hymn of Creation gives a different perspective towards the concept of creation. Instead of instilling solid thoughts and concepts, it amuses and challenges the human mind. It wants its readers or listeners to think and expound on what its verses say about the beginning. The poem suggests that in the beginning there may be something or nothingness. It raises an air of uncertainty and humbleness even. What was in the beginning, how it looked like, who was behind everything, no one knows for sure. Only one thing is certain, somebody sometime ago created everything for the sake of some thing. It led to a flow of ideas and knowledge which started to flourish and this exists until now. This knowledge found light through the darkness. Thus, the idea of creation and other things about life came to be. However, no one knows for sure if the creator is really above, as we all know and believe, or under. No one knows who the creator is and where he is, but The Hymn of Creation tells us there is someone who is the master of all these. Someone who has the desire to create and the power to be fertile Still, questions fill the mystery of creation. No one knows how, when, and where it started, or even why. The poem claims that even Hindu gods, because they were born after the creation of all things, do not know the exact occurrence enveloping the mystery of creation despite their power. It is only the one above, the highest god, god of gods, who knows about it; but still that is not for sure. This shows that people just need to know and be reassured that there is a God; there is a Creator. The belief on a Supreme Being is enough. The poem also represents that people should be vigilant and not be gullible followers of concepts about how life came to be because no one, even Gods, really can tell and knows for sure how creation began. In the end, this tells us about one important thing about religion and spirituality: faith.

Positive Communication in Pre-School Setting

Positive Communication in Pre-School Setting Janet Murphy 1. Maintaining effective communication and avoiding any barriers It is essential to have effective and positive communication within a pre-school setting for the staff, the children and their families or carers in order to develop solid and caring relationships. It is important for pre-school managers to develop a strong working relationship with staff with effective communication. This will create a much happier and productive working environment for all staff, which in turn will encourage an effective and positive relationship with the children within the setting and their families or carers. In order to keep all up to date with current issues within the setting, e.g any child protection issues, medical diagnosis needs of a child, any new children starting within the setting, any new policies introduced by the setting, it is necessary at all times to keep communication between all staff and management up to the minute and current. This can be carried out either verbally or non-verbally, for example via e-mail, memos etc. Nurturing and maintaining good communication levels between staff and management also helps staff to know what is required of them and for the manager to be aware of any feelings, anxieties or uncertainties the staff may have within the setting, which then can be discussed and addressed. It is important to ensure that the staff see this communication as positive and not just the manager ‘checking up on them’. If a manager does not have this positive and effective level of communication with their staff, this could cause problems within the setting that go un-noticed and could have a negative effect for the children and families or carers. ‘The relationships that my staff and I have with the children and their families are what make or break the business. Relationships are difficult and not always positive. The important thing is to talk. If you want staff to be nurturing then you need to nurture them show you appreciate them, make sure they’re not overloaded and ensure that they know they can talk freely’. (Sue Chesson, Skips Nursery). As the manager of the setting it is important to try to identify and eliminate any barriers that staff may feel towards effective and useful communication. Barriers to communication can include verbal barriers, for example a noisy environment, cultural or personality barriers and the environment of the setting being segmented making it difficult to have effective two way communication. Other areas of verbal barriers may include when a member of staff is stressed which in turn could cause a fractious atmosphere within the setting or a member of staff could possibly not understand the communication that is trying to be conveyed. Non-verbal barriers mostly consist of ‘body language’ barriers, for example a lack of eye contact between the members of staff, unhelpful or misread facial expressions and different perceptions of body language and gestures. One of the most common communication problems within a preschool setting is simply a failure for people to listen to comments or instructions being made. 2. The appraisal process The main aim of the appraisal process is to have a two way discussion between manager and employee to identify any issues relating to the role expected of the employee and to identify any strategies necessary to improve performance within the setting. Discussions should also be made as to the wellbeing of the employee, within the setting and personally. Appraisals should also be designed to include discussions on when employee has done well in their role so that they feel that their hard work and effort has been recognised, which will then encourage good morale and motivation. The appraisal process within the pre-school setting is very important and is a very effective way to review and employee’s performance over the last year and to identify any strengths and weaknesses and any concerns and barriers there may be with the employee’s performance. It gives the manager and member of staff the opportunity to discuss any further training and development which would be beneficial to both the employee’s long term potential and the pre-school setting and identify appropriate targets for the future. Appraisal meeting with staff and manager should be positive and productive and encourage effective working practice and strengthen the working relationships. Formal appraisals are normally carried out once a year between the manager and employee and should cover items such as working relationships, professional knowledge, communication and organisational skills. It is an opportunity for an employee to raise any issues they may have and any ideas they may have in their role and in the setting. The employee should be provided with guidance notes and an Appraisal Form prior to the meeting to assist them identify the areas they wish to discuss with the manager. There should also be an Appraisal Policy within the setting which should be available to the employee to read and discuss upon commencement of employment. Although the annual appraisal meeting is a very effective and productive way to communicate with staff, it must be remembered that some staff may find it daunting and be apprehensive about the process. It is important that the manager tries to dispel any concerns the member of staff may have and convey the meeting as positive and productive for all parties involved. Apart from the annual appraisal meeting, important issues that may raise time to time within the setting would be best addressed at the time rather than be allowed to continue, for example if a member of staff is using inappropriate language within the setting. Discussions between the manager and the employee should also take place informally throughout the year in order to monitor any targets, training and development which has been set within the appraisal meeting and/or any new issues which may have arisen since the meeting. 3. Disciplinary and Grievance procedures The disciplinary procedure within the pre-school setting is there to ensure a fair and effective method for dealing with any matters arising relating to the performance, capability and conduct of any employee. The grievance procedure is designed to enable an employee to raise any complaint they may have relating to their employment within the setting to the manager. The disciplinary process must be adhered to and the setting is expected to comply with the principles as set out by the ACAS Code of Practice on Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures. Upon the onset of any disciplinary procedure being taken with an employee is it important that the manager follow the process as follows:- 1. The manager should carry out a full and fair investigation into the allegation to establish the facts. 2. The employee should be informed immediately of the case against them and provided with all evidence of this. 3. If the manager establishes that it is necessary to pursue a disciplinary meeting the manager must prepare a written statement of the employee’s alleged misconduct relating to the setting. 4. The employee should also be issued with a letter giving clear and concise advice on the allegation made against them. The letter should be given to the employee at least 72 hours in advance of the meeting and include full details of date, time and location of the meeting and who will be in attendance. 5. The employee should be advised of their right to be accompanied at the meeting by a recognised trade union representative or a work colleague. 6. During the meeting the manager should inform the employee of the allegation against them and provided with any evidence and or witness statements obtained regarding the matter. The employee should be given full opportunity at the meeting to respond to the manager over the allegations. 7. During the meeting the manager must decide whether or not a disciplinary penalty is to be issued. The outcome of the meeting must be confirmed in writing to the employee giving them full details of the appeal process available to them. 8. Following a disciplinary meeting there are usually three outcomes: No action taken or deemed necessary A Warning issued to the employee Dismissal of the employee 9. If the employee feels that they have been disciplined unfairly the manager should ask the employee to appeal in writing to the pre-school, detailing the grounds for their appeal. The employee must follow this procedure within seven days of the disciplinary meeting. 10. Following this an appeal meeting should then be arranged with the employee where possible with a different panel to that of the original disciplinary meeting. 11. Managers are also able to follow an informal grievance procedure where an employee and manager can discuss any issues on a day to day basis in a more comfortable environment and therefore hopefully resolve any problems that may have arisen within the setting with the employee. It is the responsibility of the manager to ensure that disciplinary and grievance procedures are carried out in an open and transparent manner with good and clear communication between all parties involved. The process should also be no-discriminatory and all matters should be dealt with quickly and within any specified times. Where at all possible the manager should attempt to deal with the disciplinary action informally to avoid the need for formal disciplinary action and possible employment tribunal. 4. Recruitment and selection process The first process within the pre school setting for recruitment and selection of staff is to evaluate the role of the job being advertised including the job’s purpose within the setting, the tasks that will be required of the job holder. It is very important to consider what skills will be required to carry out the role. Decision on salary offered, hours of work, holiday entitlement and other terms and conditions must be made in order to be able to effectively create a job description for advertising. This will then give candidates a clear indication of what role they would be expected to play within the setting and what their key responsibilities will be. Advertisement of the vacancy should be made in various locations enabling applicants from all different groups the opportunity to apply. It is important to inform applications that you are an equal opportunities employer and that you welcome and encourage applicants from all sections of the community. The format of advertising and applying should be clear as to the role being offered and give details of the renumeration package. The advertisement should include the following job description and person specification : The name of the pre-school Description of the position vacant Skills required for the position by the applicant Details of essential requirements of the applicant Location of the position Renumeration package Hours of work Whether position is temporary of permanent Full details on how to apply for the position Contact details of the pre-school Closing date for applications Creating an application information pack for applicants to fill out helps the process of recruitment as all information received from candidates will be received in the same consistent format. This also gives the applicant full details of the job description and person specification required. It should also include guidelines on how to complete the application and the pre-schools terms and conditions relating to the role. Once all applications have been received by the pre-school it is then the process of short listing the applicants which are believed to be suited to the role. This process must not be discriminatory in any way, e.g. exclude applicants because of race, age, religion, sexual belief, etc. Following the process interviews can then be offered to applicants. All applicants which have not been successful in the short listing process should be informed in writing. All interviews should be conducted in a fairway for all applicants. Interviews can be very daunting and nerve-wracking for people so you should try to make them feel at ease during the interview. Staff Policies Upon recruitment of a suitable applicant, the applicant should be given a copy of the Pre-school policies and encouraged to read them in order to become familiar with them. They should also be given the Employee Handbook which provides them with all the information regarding the pre-school policies, procedures and guidelines. It is a good idea to recruit an existing member of staff where possible to mentor the new member of staff which will give them an opportunity to get familiar with the day to day running of the pre-school and the other staff and children within the setting. All new staff should be made aware of the pre-school health and safety policy, fire safety policy, children’s medication policy and information on any children with allergies. Particular emphasis should be placed on staff development to ensure skills are kept up to date and a high quality of care can be provided to the children and their parents/carers. The possibility of promotion within the pre-school should be made available to all staff and run in conjunction with the Appraisal process.

Harriet Jacobs’ Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Harriet Wilso

The Cambridge Introduction to the 19th-Century American Novel, the traditional sentimental novel’s storyline focuses around a young woman finding her way through life, usually without the support of a conventional family. The women overcome life’s hardships, and â€Å"the key to these women’s triumphs lies in their achievement of self-mastery† (Cane 113). According to Gregg Cane, these didactic novels are targeted at young women to instill the idea that a domestic home, marriage, and family are what construct a morally good woman. The plot is used to extract an emotional reaction from the audience. Nina Baym describes all sentimental novels as having the same plot, In essence, [they are] the story of a young girl who is deprived of the supports she had rightly or wrongly depended on to sustain her throughout life and is faced with the necessity of winning her own way in the world. This young girl is ï ¬ ttingly called a heroine because her role is precisely analogous to the unrecognized or undervalued youths of fairy tales who perform dazzling exploits and win a place for themselves in the land of happy endings. (11-12) These novels were extremely popular with white females during the 19th century. The heroine is a virginal (if not actually a virgin at least maintaining the idea she is still untouched and innocent) young girl who has to stand on her own two feet and protect her virginity from villainous men. She is often portrayed as a damsel in distress, and in the end a courageous man saves her. They get married and have a perfect happily-ever-after. In Harriet Jacobs’ slave narrative, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Harriet Wilson’s autobiographical novel, Our Nig, both African-American authors incorporate the idea of t... ...Cambridge University Press, 2007. eBook. Foster, Frances Smith. Written By Herself: Literary Production by African-American Women, 1746-1892. United States of America, 1993. Print. Johnson, Yvonne. The Voices of African American Women: The Use of Narrative and Authorial Voice in the Works of Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, and Alice Walker. New York: Peter Lang Publishing Company, Inc., 1998. Print. Mullen, Harryette. â€Å"Runaway Tongue: Resistant Orality in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Our Nig, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, and Beloved.† The Culture of Sentiment: Race, Gender, and Sentimentality in Nineteenth-Century America Ed. Shirley Samuels. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. eBook. Santamarina, Xiomara. Belabored Professions: Narratives African American Working Womanhood. United States of America: The University of North Carolina Press, 2005. eBook.

Motherly Love in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club Essay -- Joy Luck Club Essays

Motherly Love in Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club A mother’s love for a daughter is an intense feeling; some times it can be very joyful or very painful.   Most mothers just want their daughters to have everything that they didn’t have, they try to give their daughter all their hopes and dreams.   The relationship between a mother and daughter should be one of the greatest relationships a woman can have with another woman. Some time a mother can push a daughter to hard, some mother don’t mean to make their daughter feel bad or to make them up-set, the mothers just want the daughter to have better then what they had.   A mother gives her daughter advice about everything in life.   â€Å"A Mother’s Advice to her Daughter.† â€Å"Be strong.   Be intelligent. Smile knows that beauty has everything to do with how you feel about yourself and nothing to do with looks or other people’s opinions.   Never do anything just because everyone else is if you believe it’s wrong.   Always be true to yourself.   Expect the best from life and that’s what you’ll get.   Learn from your mistakes and failures.   Believe in magic and wish on stars.   Love and trust and be compassionate.   Make faces.   Play in mud puddles.   Take bubbles baths.   Turn off all the lights and watch lightning storms.   Dance, laugh, cry, and sing when you want to.   Read everything you can get your hands on.   Stand up for what is right especially if you stand-alone.   Don’t allow yourself or people around you to tolerate prejudices of, any kind.   Don’t be afraid to at least once a week.   Run through snowdrifts.   Spin in circles and roll down hills.   Pet after noon naps.   Stay up to watch the sunrise.   Never apologize for being a woman or for being yourself.   Never forget that I Love you more than any ... ...omen, she did not want to look and see what her husband was doing.   Each marriage was not stable in any kind of way and some kind of household item was a sensible of their marriages. How each item broke too sensible that their marriage had fallen apart. The lives of eight Chinese women are told throughout the book The Joy Luck Club.   How their childhood was, their first marriage was and all their hopes and dreams that they wish to come true.   A mother’s love for a daughter can some be joyful or very painful.   In the case of these women all the mothers want was their daughter would not make the same mistakes that they did in the past, and for them to learn for those mistake.   That is the love for a daughter from her mother. A mother gives her daughter advice about everything in life. WORKS CITED    Tan, Amy. The Joy Luck Club. New York: Random House, 1989.

Lao-tzu: The Moderation Of Rule Essay -- essays research papers

Ruling a country effectively is executed through a variety of methods. Lao-Tzu, a follower of Taoism, expresses his belief on the most efficient way to govern. "The more prohibitions you have, the less virtuous people will be. The more weapons you have, the less secure people will be. The more subsidies you have, the less self-reliant people will be" (25). This quote from Lao-Tzu can be interpreted many different ways. The author discusses what he feels the role of a leader should be, the restrictions and the privileges that should be given to the people. There are various views on this particular passage even among Americans. Lao-Tzu feels that taking action in order to make people feel safer and ensure their well being will actually be detrimental; although I agree with Lao-Tzu's tactics, most Americans hold differentiating views.The more restrictions you place on a people, the less moral the people will be. Americans encounter this on a daily basis. American society was founded upon and is enraptured by rebellion. The early American colonists revolted against the English government. The more laws and restrictions the King would place on them the more they would rebel and fight. When the American people feel oppressed by any law or prohibition set forth by the government the people will challenge it in an effort to change it. America is one of the only countries where its people actually believe they can make a difference and change what they feel is not righ...

Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay

Dear Mr. Doerflinger[1], In response to your article on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, I would like to point out that man’s war against disease, has recently advanced dramatically through the introduction of such techniques as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and has been instrumental in both saving lives and preventing disease. This approach, which has already been used to fight such disorders as Huntington’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and more recently, cancer, opens the way for undreamt of possibilities concerning both the future diagnoses of different diseases, and their subsequent treatments (Genetic Engineering, 2007). Throughout the world, thousands of children are born with life-threatening diseases and conditions, which man, through genetic science, is now potentially capable of either treating, or maybe even entirely eliminating. By allowing genetic scientists the necessary freedom to continue with research, and to use the recent advancements that science has acheived in embryo screening, future generations will be able to live longer and healthier lives (Bionet, 2007). Within your statement you claim that â€Å"More than two decades of research using mouse embryonic stem cells have produced no treatments †¦. that are safe or effective enough for anyone to propose in humans. These cells have not helped a single human being†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Richard M. Doerflinger, 2007). However, in recent years genetic science has already saved, and changed, the lives of many, giving hope to families facing desperate situations. Adam Nash’s birth, in August 2000, is just one example, which so clearly demonstrates the beginning of a whole new adventure that is just beginning to open before man. Adam’s embryo was chosen after having been screened for Fanconi anemia (FA), which is a rare, and often fatal, congenital blood disorder, due to the fact that Adam’s parents’ were both carriers of the disease. They already had one child, Molly, who had been born with the rare blood disorder, and the Nash’s wanted a sibling for their little girl – but one who was not inflicted with the same disorder. However, doctors, through the use of PGD, were able to find an embryo with tissue that matched Molly’s, which led to their daughter being cured. For the first time in medical history doctors â€Å"blended the sciences of in vitro fertilisation, stem cells, and genetic screening† (5280.com, 2005). One-day-old embryos were tested for FA’s genetic code, and healthy ones were further screened for a tissue match. The embryo was then transplanted into Lisa Nash’s womb and immediately after Adam’s birth blood was removed from the umbilical cord. This was then used for the critical, life-saving transplant. Today both Molly and Adam Nash are healthy, normal children that can, along with their parents, look ahead with confidence (ScienCentralNews, 2004). Clearly research is needed to determine whether the use of embryos is murder, and restrictions enforced to ensure that asthetic choices, such as gender and appearence, are not permitted. But medical sicence isn’t interested in obtaining perfect babies, its objective is curing and preventing disease. Therefore, scientific research in this field to should be continued to advance the human race, especially if he is to make any headway in understanding the nature of disease, its origins and its cure. And, although there is a need to address both the ethical and social questions that have been raised by those who fear the posibility of ‘designer babies’, medical science must be allowed to progress, if we are ever to successfully combat diseases and conditions that both wreck lives, and kill human beings (Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, 2007). The likely possibilities are immense; but genes offering protection against fatal and crippling diseases are not the only benefits of this incredible medical advancement. There are also genes that enhance intelligence, the five senses, beauty, and almost every other aspect of man, which opens up other avenues of exploration. Many animals, for example, possess skills and senses that humans don’t have – such as better hearing, or leg regeneration. In the future it may be possible, through gene identification, to incorporate these functions into humans (GMO, 2007), and use them to heal conditions such as deafness, or in limb replacement. It is clear that ethical and social questions concerning the future use of genetic engineering within modern society will need to be addressed. While appropriate democratic laws and structures will hopefully reflect a considered and balance view of the importance of genetic medicine for future generations, such measures should not be allowed to interfere with future scientific research. References 5280.com, Online Article, The Miracle of Molly, 2005. Information retrieved 03/27/2007. Bionet: Explore life science and debate the issues, Online Article, Design-a-Baby? 2007.   Page Downloaded 03/12/2007. Caroline Mackie Ogilvie, et al., Online Article, Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis—An Overview, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. < www.jhc.org/cgi/content/full/53/3/255> Genetic Engineering, Joà £o Pedro de Magalhà £es, Online Article, Defining Our Children’s Traits, 2007. GMO: Genetic Engineering, Online Article, Designer Baby Ethics, 2007. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. Richard M. Doerflinger, The Ethics & Religious Liberty Comission, Online Article,   Testimony of Richard M. Doerflinger on Embryonic Stem Cell Research, 2004.   Page downloaded 03/19/2007.    ScienCentralNews, Online Article, Stem Cell Siblings, 2004. Page downloaded 03/19/2007. [1] Audience: Richard M. Doerflinger is Deputy Director of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, where he has worked for 25 years. Among his duties is the preparation of policy statements and congressional testimony on abortion, euthanasia, embryo research, human cloning, and other medical-moral issues for the bishops’ conference.   

Accounting Test Solutions

ch13 Student:   1. Some liabilities are not contractual obligations and may not be payable in cash. True False 2. Amounts withheld from employees in connection with payroll often represent liabilities to third parties. True False 3. A customer advance produces a liability that is satisfied when the product or service is provided. True False 4. Long-term debt that is callable by the creditor in the upcoming year should be classified as a current liability only if the debt is expected to be called.True False 5. The concept of substance over form influences the classification of obligations expected to be refinanced. True False 6. Under IFRS, a liability that is refinanced after the balance sheet date but before the financial statements are issued would typically be classified as a current liability. True False 7. Warranty expense is recorded along with the related liability in the reporting period in which the product under warranty is sold. True False 8. For a loss contingency to be accrued, the claim must have been made before the accounting period ended.True False 9. A company should accrue a liability for a loss contingency if it is at least reasonably possible that assets have been impaired and the amount of potential loss can be reasonably estimated. True False 10. A disclosure note is required for all material loss contingencies for which the probability of loss is reasonably possible. True False 11. Under IFRS, the term â€Å"probable† indicates a threshold of probability that is substantially higher than a 50/ 50 chance. True False 12.Under IFRS, if it is probable that a contingent liability will result in a future payment but there is a range of equally likely amounts that will be paid, the midpoint of the range should be accrued as a loss. True False 13. The cost of promotional offers should be recorded as expenses in the accounting period when the offers are redeemed by customers. True False 14. Unlike the Social security tax there is no maxi mum wage base for the Medicare portion of the FICA tax. True False 15. State and Federal Unemployment Taxes (SUTA and FUTA) must be withheld from employees' wages. True False 16.Match each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. __ Liabilities when received. __ __ Confirming event is likely to occur. __ A loss contingency accrued in the period of__ related sales. __ Most common temporary financing__ arrangement. __ __ Requires collateral. __ 1. Short-term note 2. Warranty liability 3. Advances from customers 4. Secured loan 5. Probable 17. Match each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. 1. Accrued liabilities 2. Discount on notes payable 3.Interest payable 4. Sales tax payable 5. Callable Due on demand. Contra liability. A third party liability. Accrues with passage of time. Expenses incurred but not yet paid. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 18. M atch each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. 1. Reasonably possible 2. Noncommitted lines of credit 3. Customer deposits 4. Interest paid on debt 5. Gain contingencies Liabilities until refunded. More than remote but less than likely. Face amount x rate x time. Not recorded until realized. Informal borrowing agreements. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 19.Match each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. 1. Unasserted claims 2. Factoring 3. Subsequent events 4. Accounting liabilities 5. Effective interest __ Exceeds the stated rate on discounted notes. __ __ May include items that are not legal liabilities. __ __ Sales of receivables. __ Evaluated for recognition only if an unfavorable__ outcome is probable. __ Occur in the current year before prior year financial__ statements are issued. __ 20. Match each phrase with the correct term placing th e letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. . Noninterestbearing notes 2. Loss contingencies 3. Committed lines of credit 4. Accounts payable 5. Pledging arrangements __ Use accounts receivable as collateral. __ __ Often require compensating balance. __ __ Only formal credit instrument is the invoice. __ __ Effective interest higher than stated interest. __ Recorded if probable and amount is known or__ reasonably estimable. __ 21. Match each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. Present value of interest plus present value__ of principal. __ __ Required for contingencies. __ __ Payable with current assets. _ Short-term debt to be refinanced__ with long-term bonds payable. __ __ Avoids registration with SEC. __ 1. Current liabilities 2. Usual valuation of long-term liabilities 3. Disclosure notes 4. Long-term liabilities 5. Commercial paper 22. Indicate (by letter) the way each of the items listed below should be reported in a balance sheet at December 31, 2011. 1. Not reported 2. Disclosure note only 3. Liability 4. Liability A material gain contingent on a future event that appears__ exceedingly likely. __ A penalty assessment that probably will be asserted by__ the EPA, in which case a determinable payment is probable. _ Unassessed penalty with a reasonable possibility of being__ asserted, in which case a determinable payment is probable. __ An extremely likely loss due to an event that occurred__ previously and whose amount is unknown but estimable. __ 23. Match each phrase with the correct term placing the letter designating the best term in the space provided by the phrase. _ _ How present values affect the measurement_ of contingent liabilities under IFRS. _ _ _ _ Definition of â€Å"probable† under IFRS. _ _ how IFRS refers to an accrued liability_ that would generally be referred to as_ an â€Å"accrued contingent loss† under U.S. GAAP. _ _ _ The amount IFRS would accrue given a range_ of equally likely outcomes. _ _ _ _ Treatment of contingent gains under IFRS. _ 1. mid-point of the range 2. provision 3. more likely than not 4. contingent gains are not accrued 5. report at present value whenever time value of money is material 24. Indicate (by letter) the way each of the items listed below should be reported in a balance sheet at December 31, 2011. 1. Current liability 2. Current liability __ Estimated warranty cost. __ A material gain contingent on a future event that appears__ extremely likely to occur in three months. _ Unasserted assessment of penalty that probably will be 3. Not asserted, in which case there would probably be a loss in six__ reported months. __ 4. Unasserted assessment of penalty with a reasonable possibility Disclosure of being asserted, in which case there would probably be a loss in__ note only 13 months. __ A determinable loss from a past event that is contingent on 5. Current a future even t that appears extremely likely to occur in three__ liability months. __ 25. Indicate (by letter) the way each of the items listed below should be reported in a balance sheet at December 31, 2011. 26.Indicate (by letter) the way each of the items listed below should be reported in a balance sheet at December 31, 2011. 27. The most common type of liability is: A. B. C. D. One that comes into existence due to a loss contingency. One that must be estimated. One that comes into existence due to a gain contingency. One to be paid in cash and for which the amount and timing are known. 28. Which of the following is not a characteristic of a liability? A. B. C. D. It represents a probable, future sacrifice of economic benefits. It must be payable in cash. It arises from present obligations to other entities.It results from past transactions or events. 29. Which of the following is the best definition of a current liability? A. An obligation payable within one year. B. An obligation payable within one year of the balance sheet date. C. An obligation payable within one year or within the normal operating cycle, whichever is longer. D. An obligation expected to be satisfied with current assets or by the creation of other current liabilities. 30. Which of the following is not a liability? A. B. C. D. An unused line of credit. Estimated income taxes. Sales tax collected from customers. Advances from customers. 31.Current liabilities normally are recorded at their: A. B. C. D. Present value. Cost. Maturity amount. Expected value. 32. Current liabilities are normally recorded at the amount expected to be paid rather than at their present value. This practice can be supported by GAAP according to the concept of: A. B. C. D. Matching. Consistency. Materiality. Conservatism. 33. The key accounting considerations relating to accounts payable are: A. Determining their existence and ensuring that they are recorded in the appropriate accounting period. B. Determining their present value and ensuring that they are recorded in the appropriate accounting period.C. Determining their existence and determining the correct amount. D. Determining the present value of the principal and the amount of the interest. 34. Classifying liabilities as either current or long-term helps creditors assess: A. B. C. D. Profitability. The relative risk of a firm's liabilities. The degree of a firm's liabilities. The amount of a firm's liabilities. 35. When cash is received from customers in the form of a refundable deposit, the cash account is increased with a corresponding increase in: A. B. C. D. A current liability. Revenue. Shareholders' equity. Paid-in capital. 36.A discount on a noninterest-bearing note payable is classified in the balance sheet as: A. B. C. D. An asset. A component of shareholders' equity. A contingent liability. A contra liability. 37. The rate of interest printed on the face of a note payable is called the: A. B. C. D. Yield rate. Effective rate. Market ra te. Stated rate. 38. The rate of interest that actually is incurred on a note payable is called the: A. B. C. D. Face rate. Contract rate. Effective rate. Stated rate. 39. On October 31, 2011, Simeon Builders borrowed $16 million cash and issued a 7-month, noninterestbearing note.The loan was made by Star Finance Co. whose stated discount rate is 8%. Sky's effective interest rate on this loan is: A. B. C. D. More than the stated discount rate of 8%. Less than the stated discount rate of 8%. Equal to the stated discount rate of 8%. Unrelated to the stated discount rate of 8%. 40. Jane's Donut Co. borrowed $200,000 on January 1, 2011, and signed a two-year note bearing interest at 12%. Interest is payable in full at maturity on January 1, 2013. In connection with this note, Jane's should report interest expense at December 31, 2011, in the amount of: A. B. C. D. $0. $24,000. 48,000. $50,880. 41. What is the effective interest rate (rounded) on a 3-month, noninterest-bearing note with a stated rate of 12% and a maturity value of $200,000? A. B. C. D. 12. 4%. 12. 0 %. 11. 5%. 3. 0%. 42. On September 1, 2011, Hiker Shoes issued a $100,000, 8-month, noninterest-bearing note. The loan was made by Second Commercial Bank whose stated discount rate is 9%. Hiker's effective interest rate on this loan (rounded) is: A. B. C. D. 9. 0%. 9. 5%. 9. 6%. 9. 7%. 43. Universal Travel Inc. borrowed $500,000 on November 1, 2011, and signed a 12-month note bearing interest at 6%.Interest is payable in full at maturity on October 31, 2012. In connection with this note, Universal Travel Inc. should report interest payable at December 31, 2011, in the amount of: A. B. C. D. $8,000. $30,000. $5,000. $25,000. 44. Knique Shoes issued a $100,000, 8-month, â€Å"noninterest-bearing note. † The loan was made by Second Commercial Bank whose stated â€Å"discount rate† is 9%. The effective interest rate on this loan (rounded) is: A. B. C. D. 9. 28% 9. 49% 9. 50% 9. 57% 45. Oklahom a Oil Corp. paid interest of $785,000 during 2011, and the interest payable account decreased by $125,000.What was interest expense for the year? A. B. C. D. $890,000. $660,000. $555,000. $785,000. 46. On June 1, 2011, Dirty Harry Co. borrowed cash by issuing a 6-month noninterest-bearing note with a maturity value of $500,000 and a discount rate of 6%. What is the carrying value of the note as of September 30, 2011? A. B. C. D. $525,000. $300,000. $495,000. $475,000. 47. At times, businesses require advance payments from customers that will be applied to the purchase price when goods are delivered or services provided. These customer advances represent: A. B. C. D. Liabilities until the product or service is provided.A component of shareholders' equity. Long-term assets until the product or service is provided. Revenue upon receipt of the advance payment. 48. M Corp. has an employee benefit plan for compensated absences that gives employees 15 paid vacation days. Vacation days can be carried over indefinitely. Employees can elect to receive payment in lieu of vacation days. At December 31, 2011, M's unadjusted balance of liability for compensated absences was $30,000. M estimated that there were 200 vacation days available at December 31, 2011. M's employees earn an average of $150 per day.In its December 31, 2011, balance sheet, what amount of liability for compensated absences is M required to report? A. B. C. D. $0. $30,000. $225,000. $450,000. 49. Which of the following generally is associated with accounts payable? A. B. C. D. Option A Option B Option C Option D 50. Lake Co. receives nonrefundable advance payments with special orders for containers constructed to customer specifications. Related information for 2011 is as follows ($ in millions): What amount should Lake report as a current liability for advances from customers in its Dec. 31, 2011, balance sheet? A. B. C. D. $0. $80. $125. $170. 51.All of the following but one represent collections for t hird parties. Which one of the following is not a collection for a third party? A. B. C. D. Sales tax payable. Customer deposits. Employee insurance deductions. Social security taxes deductions. 52. When a deposit on returnable containers is forfeited, the firm holding the deposit will experience: A. B. C. D. A decrease in cost of goods sold. An increase in current liabilities. An increase in accounts receivable. An increase in revenue. 53. B Corp. has an employee benefit plan for compensated absences that gives employees 10 paid vacation days and 10 paid sick days.Both vacation and sick days can be carried over indefinitely. Employees can elect to receive payment in lieu of vacation days; however, no payment is given for sick days not taken. At December 31, 2011, B's unadjusted balance of liability for compensated absences was $42,000. B estimated that there were 300 vacation days and 150 sick days available at December 31, 2011. B's employees earn an average of $200 per day. In it s December 31, 2011, balance sheet, what amount of liability for compensated absences is B required to report? A. B. C. D. $60,000. $84,000. $90,000. 144,000. 54. On January 1, 2011, G Corporation agreed to grant its employees two weeks vacation each year, with the stipulation that vacations earned each year can be taken the following year. For the year ended December 31, 2011, G's employees each earned an average of $800 per week. 500 vacation weeks earned in 2011 were not taken during 2011. Wage rates for employees rose by an average of 5 percent by the time vacations actually were taken in 2012. What is the amount of G's 2012 wages expense related to 2011 vacation time? A. B. C. D. $0 $20,000 $400,000 $420,000 55.Revenue associated with gift card sales should be recognized: A. When the gift card is sold. B. No later than the last day of the operating period in which the gift card is delivered to the customer. C. When the probability of gift card redemption is viewed as remote. D. Under no circumstances, as gift cards are not themselves a delivered product, but rather a selling technique. 56. All else equal, a large increase in unearned revenue in the current period would be expected to produce what effect on revenue in a future period? A. Large increase, because unearned revenue becomes revenue when revenue is earned. B.Large decrease, because unearned revenue implies that less revenue has been earned, which reduces future revenue. C. No effect, because unearned revenue is a liability, so payment will use assets rather than providing revenue. D. Large decrease, because unearned revenue indicates collection problems that will reduce net revenues in future periods. 57. Peterson Photoshop sold $1000 of gift cards on a special promotion on October 15, 2011, and sold $1500 of gift cards on another special promotion on November 15, 2011. Of the cards sold in October, $100 were redeemed in October, $250 in November, and $300 in December.Of the cards sold in Novemb er, $150 were redeemed in November and $350 were redeemed in December. Peterson views the probability of redemption of a gift card as remote if the card has not been redeemed within two months. At 12/31/2011, Peterson would show an unearned revenue account for their gift cards with a balance of: A. B. C. D. $0. $1000. $1350. $1500. 58. When a product or service is delivered for which a customer advance has been previously received, the appropriate journal entry includes: A. B. C. D. A debit to a revenue and a credit to a liability account. A debit to a evenue and a credit to an asset account. A debit to an asset and a credit to a revenue account. A debit to a liability and a credit to a revenue account. 59. Clark's Chemical Company received customer deposits on returnable containers in the amount of $100,000 during 2011. Twelve percent of the containers were not returned. The deposits are based on the container cost marked up 20%. What is cost of goods sold relative to this forfeitu re? A. B. C. D. $0. $2,000. $10,000. $14,400. 60. In May of 2011, Raymond Financial Services became involved in a penalty dispute with the EPA.At December 31, 2011, the environmental attorney for Raymond indicated that an unfavorable outcome to the dispute was probable. The additional penalties were estimated to be $770,000 but could be as high as $1,170,000. After the year-end, but before the 2011 financial statements were issued, Raymond accepted an EPA settlement offer of $900,000. Raymond should have reported an accrued liability on its December 31, 2011, balance sheet of: A. B. C. D. $770,000. $900,000. $970,000. $1,170,000. 61. Slotnick Chemical received customer deposits on returnable containers in the amount of $300,000 during 2011.Fifteen percent of the containers were not returned. The deposits are based on the container cost marked up 20%. How much profit did Slotnick realize on the forfeited deposits? A. B. C. D. $0. $7,500. $9,000. $45,000. 62. Which of the following is not a current liability? A. B. C. D. Accounts payable. A note payable due in 2 years. Accrued interest payable. Sales tax payable. 63. Short-term obligations can be reported as long-term liabilities if: A. B. C. D. The firm has a long-term line of credit. The firm has tentative plans to issue long-term bonds. The firm intends to and has the ability to refinance as long-term.The firm has the ability to refinance on a long-term basis. 64. Of the following, which typically would not be classified as a current liability? A. B. C. D. Estimated liability from cash rebate program. A long-term note payable maturing within the coming year. Rent revenue received in advance. A six-month bank loan to be paid with the proceeds from the sale of common stock. 65. Large, highly rated firms sometimes sell commercial paper: A. B. C. D. To borrow funds at a lower rate than through a bank. To earn a profit on the paper. To avoid paperwork. Because the interest rate is locked in by the Federal Reserve Board. 6. Which of the following situations would not require that long-term liabilities be reported as current liabilities on a classified balance sheet? A. B. C. D. The long-term debt is callable by the creditor. The creditor has the right to demand payment due to a contractual violation. The long-term debt matures within the upcoming year. All of the above require the current classification. 67. A long-term liability should be reported as a current liability in a classified balance sheet if the long-term debt A. B. C. D. is callable by the creditor. is secured by adequate collateral. ill be refinanced with stock. will be refinanced with debt. 68. On December 31, 2011, L, Inc. had a $1,500,000 note payable outstanding, due July 31, 2012. L borrowed the money to finance construction of a new plant. L planned to refinance the note by issuing long-term bonds. Because L temporarily had excess cash, it prepaid $500,000 of the note on January 23, 2012. In February 2012, L completed a $3 ,000,000 bond offering. L will use the bond offering proceeds to repay the note payable at its maturity and to pay construction costs during 2012. On March 13, 2012, L issued its 2011 financial statements.What amount of the note payable should L include in the current liabilities section of its December 31, 2011, balance sheet? A. B. C. D. $0 $500,000 $1,000,000 $1,500,000 69. Liabilities payable within the coming year are classified as long-term liabilities if refinancing is completed before date of issuance of the financial statements under A. B. C. D. US GAAP. IFRS. Either U. S. GAAP and IFRS. Neither U. S. GAAP and IFRS. 70. Kline Company refinanced current debt as long-term debt on January 5, 2012. Kline's fiscal year ended on December 31, 2011, and its financial statements will be issued sometime in early March, 2012.Under IFRS, how would Kline classify the debt on its December 31, 2011 balance sheet? A. In the â€Å"mezzanine† between current and non-current liabilitie s. B. Kline would not classify the debt as current or noncurrent, but rather would write a disclosure note explaining the circumstances. C. As a noncurrent liability. D. As a current liability. 71. Branch Company, a building materials supplier, has $18,000,000 of notes payable due April 12, 2012. At December 31, 2011, Branch signed an agreement with First Bank to borrow up to $18,000,000 to refinance the notes on a long-term basis.The agreement specified that borrowings would not exceed 75% of the value of the collateral that Branch provided. At the date of issue of the December 31, 2011, financial statements, the value of Branch's collateral was $20,000,000. On its December 31, 2011, balance sheet, Branch should classify the notes as follows: A. B. C. D. $15,000,000 long-term and $3,000,000 current liabilities. $4,500,000 short-term and $13,500,000 current liabilities. $18,000,000 of current liabilities. $18,000,000 of long-term liabilities. 72. Other things being equal, most manag ers would prefer to report liabilities as noncurrent rather than current.The logic behind this preference is that the long-term classification permits the company to report: A. B. C. D. Higher working capital and a higher inventory turnover. Lower working capital and a higher current ratio. Higher working capital and a higher current ratio. Higher working capital and a lower debt to equity ratio. 73. Footnote disclosure is required for material potential losses when the loss is at least reasonably possible: A. B. C. D. Only if the amount is known. Only if the amount is known or reasonably estimable. Unless the amount is not reasonably estimable. Even if the amount is not reasonably estimable. 4. Gain contingencies usually are recognized in a company's income statement when: A. B. C. D. Realized. The amount can be reasonably estimated. The gain is reasonably possible and the amount can be reasonable estimated. The gain is probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. 75. A com pany should accrue a loss contingency only if the likelihood that a liability has been incurred is: A. B. C. D. More likely than not and the amount of the loss is known. At least reasonably possible and the amount of the loss is known. At least reasonably possible and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.Probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. 76. A contingent loss should be reported in a footnote to the financial statements rather than being accrued if: A. B. C. D. The likelihood of a loss is remote. The incurrence of a loss is reasonably possible. The incurrence of a loss is more likely than not. The likelihood of a loss is probable. 77. Which of the following is a contingency that should be accrued? A. B. C. D. The company is being sued and a loss is reasonably possible and reasonably estimable. The company deducts life insurance premiums from employees' paychecks.The company offers a two-year warranty and the expenses can be reasonably esti mated. It is probable that the company will receive $100,000 in settlement of a lawsuit. 78. A loss contingency should be accrued in a company's financial statements only if the likelihood that a liability has been incurred is: A. B. C. D. at least remotely possible and the amount of the loss is known. reasonably possible and the amount of the loss is known. reasonably possible and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. probable and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. 79.Paul Company issues a product recall due to an apparently pre-existing and material defect discovered after the end of its fiscal year. Financial statements have not yet been issued. The action required of Paul Company for this reasonably estimable contingency for the year just ended is: A. B. C. D. To disclose it in a footnote. To accrue a long-term liability. To accrue the liability and explain it in a footnote. To do nothing relative to the contingency. 80. Accounting for costs of inc entive programs for customer purchases: A. B. C. D. Requires probability estimation. Follows the matching principle.Is a loss contingency situation. All of the above are correct. 81. Providing a monetary rebate program for purchasing a product: A. B. C. D. Is accounted for similarly to product warranties. Creates an expense for the seller in the period of sale. Creates a contingent liability for the seller at the time of sale. All of the above are correct. 82. The main difference between accounting for rebate and cash discount coupons is: A. B. C. D. The latter is not treated as an expense. Only the former creates a contingent liability when issued. The expense for the latter is usually deferred until redemption of the coupon.There are no significant differences in accounting between the two. 83. Which of the following entail essentially the same accounting treatment? A. B. C. D. Coupons for cash rebates and coupons for other premiums Cents-off coupons and coupons for other premiums Cents-off coupons and coupons for cash rebates All of the above are correct. 84. Blue Co. can estimate the amount of loss that will occur if a foreign government expropriates some of the company's assets in that country. If the likelihood of expropriation is remote, a loss contingency should be A. B. C. D. Disclosed but not accrued as a liability. Disclosed and accrued as a liability.Accrued as liability but not disclosed. Neither accrued as a liability nor disclosed. 85. Orange Co. can estimate the amount of loss that will occur if a foreign government expropriates some of the company's asset in that country. If expropriation is reasonably possible, a loss contingency should be A. B. C. D. Disclosed but not accrued as a liability. Disclosed and accrued as a liability. Accrued as liability but not disclosed. Neither accrued as a liability nor disclosed. 86. Red Co. can estimate the amount of loss that will occur if a foreign government expropriates some of the company's assets in t hat country.If expropriation is probable, a loss contingency should be A. B. C. D. Disclosed but not accrued as a liability. Disclosed and accrued as a liability. Accrued as liability but not disclosed. Neither accrued as a liability nor disclosed. 87. Z Co. filed suit against W, Inc. in 2011 seeking damages for patent infringement. At December 31, 2011, legal counsel for Z believed that it was probable that Z would be successful against W for an estimated amount in the range of $30 million to $60 million, with each amount in that range considered equally likely.Z was awarded $40 million in April 2012. Z should report this award in its 2011 financial statements, issued in March, 2012 as A. A receivable and unearned revenue of $40 million. B. A receivable and revenue of $40 million. C. A disclosure of a gain contingency of $40 million. D. A disclosure of a gain contingency of an undetermined amount in the range of $30 million to $60 million. 88. When a material gain contingency is pr obable and the amount of gain can be reasonably estimated, the gain should be: A. B. C. D. Reported in the income statement and disclosed.Offset against shareholders' equity. Disclosed, but not recognized in the income statement. Neither recognized in the income statement nor disclosed. 89. Which of the following is a contingency that would most likely require accrual? A. B. C. D. Potential claims on extended warranties. Customer premium offers. Potential liability on a product where none have yet been sold. Sales tax payable. 90. The cost of customer premium offers should be charged to expense: A. B. C. D. When the related product is sold. When the premium offer expires.Over the life cycle of the product to which the premium relates. When the premiums are claimed. 91. The accounting concept that requires recognition of a liability for customer premium offers is A. B. C. D. Periodicity. Conservatism. Historical cost. The matching principle. 92. Accounting for costs of incentive prog rams for frequent customer purchases involves: A. B. C. D. Recording an expense and a liability each period. Recording a liability and a reduction of revenue each period. Recording an expense and an asset reduction each period. Recording an expense and revenue each period. 93.A customer of RoughEdge Sharpeners alleges that RoughEdge's new razor sharpener had a defect that resulted in serious injury to the customer. RoughEdge believes the customer has a 51% chance of winning the case, and that if the customer wins the case, there is a range of losses of between $1,000,000 and $3,000,000 in which any number is equally likely to occur. Under U. S. GAAP, RoughEdge should accrue a liability in the amount of: A. B. C. D. $0. $1,000,000. $2,000,000. $3,000,000. 94. A customer of Razor Sharpeners alleges that Razor's new razor sharpener had a defect that resulted in serious injury to the customer.Razor believes the customer has a 51% chance of winning the case, and that if the customer wins the case, there is a range of losses of between $1,000,000 and $3,000,000 in which any number is equally likely to occur. Under IFRS, Razor should accrue a liability in the amount of: A. B. C. D. $0. $1,000,000. $2,000,000. $3,000,000. 95. Volt Electronics sells equipment that includes a three-year warranty. Repairs under the warranty are performed by an independent service company under contract with Volt. Based on prior experience, warranty costs are estimated to be $25 per item sold. Volt should recognize these warranty costs: A. B. C. D.When the equipment is sold. When the repairs are performed. When payments are made to the service firm. Evenly over the life of the warranty. 96. Funzy Cereal includes one coupon in each package of Wheatos that it sells and offers a toy car in exchange for $1. 00 and 3 coupons. The cars cost Funzy $1. 50 each. Experience indicates that 40% of the coupons eventually will be redeemed. During the last month of 2011, the first month of the offer, Fu nzy sold 12 million boxes of Wheatos and 2. 4 million of the coupons were redeemed. What amount should Funzy report as a promotional expense for coupons on its December 31, 2011, income statement?A. B. C. D. $0. $400,000. $800,000. $1,200,000. 97. Captain Cook Cereal includes one coupon in each package of Granola that it sells and offers a puzzle in exchange for $2. 00 and 3 coupons. The puzzles cost Captain Cook $3. 50 each. Experience indicates that 20% of the coupons eventually will be redeemed. During the last month of 2011, the first month of the offer, Captain Cook sold 6 million boxes of Granola and 900,000 of the coupons were redeemed. What amount should Captain Cook report as a liability for coupons on its December 31, 2011, balance sheet? A. B. C. D. $0. $150,000. 300,000. $450,000. 98. At the beginning of 2011, Angel Corporation began offering a 2-year warranty on its products. The warranty program was expected to cost Angel 4% of net sales. Net sales made under warranty in 2011 were $180 million. Fifteen percent of the units sold were returned in 2011 and repaired or replaced at a cost of $5. 3 million. The amount of warranty expense on Angel's 2011 income statement is: A. B. C. D. $5. 3 million. $7. 2 million. $10. 6 million. $27. 0 million. 99. During 2011, Deluxe Leather Goods sold 800,000 reversible belts under a new sales promotional program.Each belt carried one coupon, which entitles the customer to a $5. 00 cash rebate. Deluxe estimates that 70% of the coupons will be redeemed, even though only 350,000 coupons had been processed during 2011. At December 31, 2011, Deluxe should report a liability for unredeemed coupons of: A. B. C. D. $560,000. $1,050,000. $1,225,000. $1,750,000. In 2011, Holyoak Inc. offers a $20 cash rebate coupon to customers who purchased one of its new line of products. Holyoak sold 10,000 of these products during the year. By year end of 2011, 7,600 of the rebates had been claimed, and 7,100 had been paid.Holyoak's his torical experience with such rebates indicates that 85% of customers claim the rebates. 100. What is the expense that Holyoak should report for its promotional rebates in its 2011 income statement? A. B. C. D. $142,000 $152,000 $170,000 $200,000 101. What is the rebate promotion liability that Holyoak should report in its December 31, 2011 balance sheet? A. B. C. D. $20,000 $28,000 $18,000 None of the above is correct. 102. In the current year, Hanna Company reported warranty expense of $190,000 and the warranty liability account increased by $20,000. What were warranty expenditures during the year?A. B. C. D. $190,000. $170,000. $210,000. $0. 103. Panther Co. had a warranty liability of $350,000 at the beginning of 2011, and $310,000 at end of 2011. Warranty expense is based on 4% of sales, which were $50 million for the year. What were the warranty expenditures for 2011? A. B. C. D. $0. $1,960,000. $2,000,000. $2,040,000. 104. Carpenter Inc. had a balance of $80,000 in its warrant y liability account as of December 31, 2010. In 2011, Carpenter's warranty expenditures were $445,000. Its warranty expense is calculated as 1% of sales. Sales in 2011 were $40 million.What was the balance in the warranty liability account as of December 31, 2011? A. B. C. D. $35,000. $425,000. $125,000. $480,000. General Product Inc. shipped 100 million coupons in products it sold in 2011. The coupons are redeemable for thirty cents each. General anticipates that 70% of the coupons will be redeemed. The coupons expire on December 31, 2012. There were 45 million coupons redeemed in 2011, and 30 million redeemed in 2012. 105. What was General's coupon liability as of December 31, 2011? A. B. C. D. $7. 5 million. $13. 5 million. $16. 5 million. $21. 0 million. 106.What was General's coupon promotion expense in 2011? A. B. C. D. $30. 0 million. $21. 0 million. $13. 5 million. $7. 5 million. 107. What was General's coupon promotional expense in 2012? A. B. C. D. Zero, since all the expe nse should be reflected in 2011. $1. 5 million. $7. 5 million. $9. 0 million. 108. During the year, L Leather Goods sold 1,000,000 reversible belts under a new sales promotional program. Each belt carried one coupon, which entitles the customer to a $4. 00 cash rebate. L estimates that 70% of the coupons will be redeemed, even though only 500,000 coupons had been processed during the year.At December 31, L should report a liability for unredeemed coupons of: A. B. C. D. $700,000 $800,000 $1,000,000 $2,800,000 109. Which of the following may create employer liabilities in connection with their payrolls? A. B. C. D. Employee withholding taxes Employee voluntary deductions Employee fringe benefits All of the above are correct. 110. Barbara Muller Services (BMS) pays its employees monthly. The payroll information listed below is for January, 2011, the first month of BMS's fiscal year. The journal entry to record payroll for the January 2011 pay period will include a debit to payroll tax expense of A.B. C. D. $6,120 $4,960 $11,080 $57,880 111. Ontario Resources, a natural energy supplier, borrowed $80 million cash on November 1, 2011, to fund a geological survey. The loan was made by Quebec Banque under a short-term credit line. Ontario Resources issued a 9-month, 12% promissory note with interest payable at maturity. Ontario Resources' fiscal period is the calendar year. Required: (1. ) Prepare the journal entry for the issuance of the note by Ontario Resources. (2. ) Prepare the appropriate adjusting entry for the note by Ontario Resources on December 31, 2011. Show calculations. (3. Prepare the journal entry for the payment of the note at maturity. Show calculations. 112. On September 1, 2011, Triton Entertainment borrowed $24 million cash to fund a new Fun Park. The loan was made by Nevada Bank under a noncommitted short-term line of credit arrangement. Triton issued a 9month, 12% promissory note. Interest was payable at maturity. Triton's fiscal period is the calendar year. Required: 1. Prepare the journal entry for the issuance of the note by Triton. 2. Prepare the appropriate adjusting entry for the note by Triton on December 31, 2011. 3. Prepare the journal entry for the payment of the note at maturity. 113.On May 1, Lectric Industries issued 9-month notes in the amount of $60 million. Interest is payable at maturity. Required: Determine the amount of interest expense that should be recorded in a year-end adjusting entry under each of the following independent assumptions: 114. Grossman Products began operations in 2011. The following selected transactions occurred from September 2011 through March 2012. Grossman's fiscal year ends on December 31. 2011: (a. ) On September 5, Grossman opened a checking account and negotiated a short-term line of credit of up to $10,000,000 at 10% interest. The company is not required to pay any commitment fees. b. ) On October 1, Grossman borrowed $8,000,000 cash and issued a 5-month promissory note wi th 10% interest payable at maturity. (c. ) Grossman received $3,000 of refundable deposits in December for reusable containers. (d. ) For the September through December period, sales totaled $5,000,000. The state sales tax rate is 4% and 75% of sales are subject to sales tax. (e. ) Grossman recorded accrued interest. 2012: (f. ) Grossman paid the promissory note on the March 1 due date. (g. ) Half of the storage containers are returned in March, with the other half expected to be returned over the next 6 months. Required: 1.Prepare the appropriate journal entries for the 2011 transactions. 2. Prepare the liability section of the balance sheet at December 31, 2011, based on the data supplied. 3. Prepare the appropriate journal entries for the 2012 transactions. 115. Bencorp issues a $90,000, 6-month, noninterest-bearing note which the bank discounted at a 10% discount rate. Required: (1. ) Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the issuance of the note. (2. ) Determine the e ffective interest rate. 116. On November 1, 2011, a $216,000, 9-month, noninterest-bearing note is issued at a 10% discount rate. Required: (1. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the issuance of the note. (2. ) Determine the effective interest rate. (3. ) Prepare the appropriate journal entry on December 31, 2011, to record interest on the note for the 2011 financial statements. (4. ) Prepare the appropriate journal entry(s) on July 31, 2012, to record interest and the payment of the note. 117. On November 1, 2011, Ziegler Products issued a $200,000, 9-month, noninterest-bearing note to the bank. Interest was discounted at a 12% discount rate. Required: (1. ) Prepare the appropriate journal entry by Ziegler to record the issuance of the note. 2. ) Determine the effective interest rate. (3. ) Suppose the note had been structured as a 12% note with interest and principal payable at maturity. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the issuance of the note by Ziegl er. (4. ) Prepare the appropriate journal entry on December 31, 2011, to accrue interest expense on the note described in 3 for the 2011 financial statements. 118. On October 1, 2011, Home Builders Company issued to Carlton Bank a $600,000, 8-month, noninterestbearing note. Interest was discounted by the bank at a 12% discount rate. Required: 1.Prepare the appropriate journal entry by Home Builders to record the issuance of the note. 2. Determine the effective interest rate. 3. Suppose the note had been structured as a 12% note with interest and principal payable at maturity. Prepare the appropriate journal entry to record the issuance of the note by Home Builders. 4. Prepare the appropriate journal entry on December 31, 2011, to accrue interest expense on the note described in 3 for the 2011 financial statements. 119. The following selected transactions relate to liabilities of Rose Dish Corporation. Rose's fiscal year ends on December 31.Required: Prepare the appropriate journal e ntries through the maturity of each liability. 2011 Feb. 3 Negotiated a revolving credit agreement with Second Bank which can be renewed annually upon bank approval. The amount available under the line of credit is $30,000,000 at the bank's prime rate. April 1 Arranged a 3-month bank loan of $12 million with Second Bank under the line of credit agreement. Interest at the prime rate of 8% was payable at maturity. July 1 Paid the 8% note at maturity. Nov. 1 Supported by the credit line, issued $20 million of commercial paper on a nine-month note.Interest was discounted at issuance at a 6% discount rate. Dec. 31 Recorded any necessary adjusting entry(s). 2012 Aug. 1 Paid the commercial paper at maturity. 120. Stern Corporation borrowed $10 million cash on September 1, 2011, to provide additional working capital for the year's production. Stern issued a 6-month, 10% promissory note to Second State Bank. Interest on the note is payable at maturity. Each firm uses the calendar year as the fiscal year. Required: 1. Prepare all journal entries from issuance to maturity for Stern Corporation. 2. Prepare all journal entries from issuance to maturity for Second State Bank. 21. Hot Springs Marine borrowed $20 million cash on December 1, 2011, to provide working capital for year-end inventory. Hot Springs Marine issued a 4-month, 9% promissory note to Third Bank under a prearranged short-term line of credit. Interest on the note was payable at maturity. Each firm's fiscal period is the calendar year. Required: 1. Prepare the journal entries to record (a) the issuance of the note by Hot Springs Marine and (b) Third Bank's receivable on December 1, 2011. 2. Prepare the journal entries by both firms to record all subsequent events related to the note through March 31, 2012. 3.Suppose the face amount of the note was adjusted to include interest (a noninterest-bearing note) and 9% is the bank's stated â€Å"discount rate. † Prepare the journal entries to record the issua nce of the noninterestbearing note by Hot Springs Marine on December 1, 2011. What would be the effective interest rate? 122. On June 30, 2011, Chu Industries issued 9-month notes in the amount of $700,000. Assume that interest is payable at maturity in the following three independent cases: Required: Determine the amount of interest expense that should be accrued in a year-end adjusting entry under each assumption: 23. The following selected transactions relate to liabilities of Chicago Glass Corporation (Chicago) for 2011. Chicago's fiscal year ends on December 31. (1. ) On January 15, Chicago received $7,000 from Henry Construction toward the purchase of $66,000 of plate glass to be delivered on February 6. (2. ) On February 3, Chicago received $6,700 of refundable deposits relating to containers used to transport glass components. (3. ) On February 6, Chicago delivered the plate glass to Henry Construction and received the balance of the purchase price. (4. ) First quarter credi t sales totaled $700,000.The state sales tax rate is 4% and the local sales tax rate is 2%. Required: Prepare journal entries for the above transactions. 124. In its 2011 annual report to shareholders, Ank-Morpork Times Inc. included the following disclosure: REVENUE RECOGNITION †¢ Advertising revenue is recognized when advertisements are published, broadcast or when placed on the Company's Web sites, net of provisions for estimated rebates, credit and rate adjustments and discounts. †¢ Circulation revenue includes single copy and home-delivery subscription revenue. Single copy revenue is recognized based on date of publication, net of provisions for related returns.Proceeds from home-delivery subscriptions and related costs, principally agency commissions, are deferred at the time of sale and are recognized in earnings on a pro rata basis over the terms of the subscriptions. †¢ Other revenue is recognized when the related service or product has been delivered. Also, the following information on its current liabilities was included in its comparative balance sheets: Required: Assuming that Ank-Morpork Times Inc. collected $440,000,000 in cash for home delivery subscriptions during fiscal year 2011, what amount of revenue did it recognize during 2011 from this source?Show the relevant T-account information to support your answer. 125. MullerB Company's employees earn vacation time at the rate of 1 hour per 40-hour work period. The vacation pay vests immediately, meaning an employee is entitled to the pay even if employment terminates. During 2011, total wages paid to employees equaled $808,000, including $8,000 for vacations actually taken in 2011, but not including vacations related to 2011 that will be taken in 2012. All vacations earned before 2011 were taken before January 1, 2011. No accrual entries have been made for the vacations.Required: Prepare the appropriate adjusting entry for vacations earned but not taken in 2011. 126. The followin g facts relate to gift cards sold by Sunbru Coffee Company during 2011. Sunbru's fiscal year ends on December 31. (a. ) In October, 2011 sold $3,000 of gift cards, and redeemed $500 of those gift cards. (b. ) In November, 2011, sold $4,000 of gift cards, and redeemed $1,400 of October gift cards and $700 of November gift cards. (c. ) In December, 2011, sold $3,000 of gift cards, and redeemed $200 of October gift cards, $2,000 of November gift cards, and $400 of December gift cards. (d. Sunbru views a gift card to be â€Å"broken† (with a remote probability of redemption) two months after the end of the month in which it is sold. Thus, an unredeemed gift card sold at any time during July would be viewed as broken as of September 30. Required: 1. Prepare all journal entries appropriate to be recorded only during the month of December, 2011 relevant to gift card sales, gift card redemptions, and gift card breakage. 2. Determine the balance of the unearned revenue liability to be reported in the December 31, 2011, balance sheet. Show the relevant T-account information to support your answer. 127.Diversified Industries sells perishable electronic products. Some must be shipped in reusable containers. Customers pay a deposit for each container. The deposit is equal to the container's cost. Customers receive a refund when the container is returned. During 2011, deposits collected on containers shipped were $700,000. Deposits are forfeited if containers are not returned in 18 months. Containers held by customers on January 1, 2011, were $330,000. During 2011, $410,000 was refunded and deposits of $25,000 were forfeited. Required: 1. Prepare the appropriate journal entries for the deposits received and returned during 2011. . Determine the liability for refundable deposits to be reported in the December 31, 2011, balance sheet. 128. At December 31, 2011, Cordova Leather's liabilities include the following: 1. $15 million of noncallable 9% notes were issued for $ 15 million on August 31, 1992. The notes mature on July 31, 2012. Sufficient cash is expected to be available to retire the notes at maturity. 2. $30 million of 8% notes were issued for $30 million on May 31, 2007. The notes mature on May 31, 2017, but investors have the option of calling (demanding payment on) the notes on June 30, 2012.However, the call option is not expected to be exercised, given prevailing market conditions. 3. $18 million of 10% notes are due on March 31, 2013. A debt covenant requires Cordova to maintain current assets at least equal to 150% of its current liabilities. On December 31, 2011, Cordova is in violation of this covenant. Cordova obtained a waiver from Village Bank until June 2012, having convinced the bank that the company's normal 2 to 1 ratio of current assets to current liabilities will be reestablished during the first half of 2012.Required: For each of the three liabilities, indicate the portion of the debt that can be excluded from classifica tion as a current liability (that is, reported as a noncurrent liability). Explain. 129. In its 2011 annual report to shareholders, Border Airlines Inc. presented the following balance sheet information about its liabilities: In addition, Border presented the following among its footnote disclosures: Maturities of long-term debt (including sinking fund requirements) for the next five years are: 2012 – $421 million; 2013 – $212 million; 2014 – $273 million; 2015 – $1. 0 billion; 2016 – $777 million.Required: Consider the appropriate classification of these long-term debt obligations. Assuming no more long-term debt will be issued, what are the implications of the information above for Border's liquidity and solvency risk in 2011 and the following years? 130. Mozart Music Co. began operations in December of 2011. The company sold gift certificates during December in various amounts totaling $1,600. The gift certificates are redeemable for merchandise within 3 years of the purchase date. However, experience within the industry predicts that 90% of gift certificates will be redeemed within one year.Certificates totaling $500 were presented for redemption during 2011 as part of merchandise purchases having a total retail price of $750. Required: (1. ) Determine the liability for gift certificates to be reported in the December 31, 2011, balance sheet. (2. ) What is the appropriate classification (current or noncurrent) of the liabilities at December 31, 2011? Show calculations. In its 2011 annual report to shareholders, the Goodday Chemical Company included the following footnote excerpts on CONTINGENCIES in its annual report to shareholders: At December 31, 2011, Goodday had recorded liabilities aggregating $66. million for anticipated costs related to various environmental matters, primarily the remediation of numerous waste disposal sites and certain properties sold by Goodday. These costs include legal and consulting fees, sit e studies, the design and implementation of remediation plans, post-remediation monitoring and related activities and will be paid over several years. The amount of Goodday's ultimate liability in respect of these matters may be affected by several uncertainties, primarily the ultimate cost of required remediation and the extent to which other responsible parties contribute.At December 31, 2011, Goodday had recorded liabilities aggregating $218. 7 million for potential product liability and other tort claims, including related legal fees expected to be incurred, presently asserted against Goodday. The amount recorded was determined on the basis of an assessment of potential liability using an analysis of available information with respect to pending claims, historical experience and, where available, current trends.Goodday is a defendant in numerous lawsuits involving at December 31, 2011, approximately 63,000 claimants alleging various asbestos related personal injuries purported t o result from exposure to asbestos in certain rubber coated products manufactured by Goodday in the past or in certain Goodday facilities. Typically, these lawsuits have been brought against multiple defendants in state and Federal courts. In the past, Goodday has disposed of approximately 22,000 cases by defending and obtaining the dismissal thereof or by entering into a settlement.Goodday has policies and coverage-in-place agreements with certain of its insurance carriers that cover a substantial portion of estimated indemnity payments and legal fees in respect of the pending claims. At December 31, 2011, Goodday has recorded an asset in the amount it expects to collect under the policies and coverage-in-place agreements with certain carriers related to its estimated asbestos liability. Goodday has also commenced discussions with certain of its excess coverage insurance carriers to establish arrangements in respect of their policies.Subject to the uncertainties referred to above, Goodday has concluded that in respect of any of the above described liabilities, it is not reasonably possible that it would incur a loss exceeding the amount recognized at December 31, 2011, with respect thereto which would be material relative to the consolidated financial position, results of operations, or liquidity of Goodday. 131. Required: Briefly explain the authoritative basis on which the costs/obligations for environmental cleanup and product liability/tort claim matters were accrued in the financial statements.Answer: GAAP regarding accounting for contingencies requires that contingent losses (and the corresponding obligations) be recorded (accrued) when the loss is both probable and the amount is known or reasonably estimable. Goodday based its analysis on pending claims, historical experience and current trends, such as recent case verdicts with similar manufacturers. 132. Required: What is the point of the last paragraph of the Goodday disclosure? Explain in terms of authoritative GAAP. 133.Required: Show the summary journal entry that Goodday recorded for the environmental cleanup and product liability/tort claim matters, described in the footnote disclosure. 134. The following selected transactions relate to contingencies of Eastern Products Inc. which began operations in July, 2011. Eastern's fiscal year ends on December 31. Financial statements are published in April, 2012. 1. No customer accounts have been shown to be uncollectible as yet, but Eastern estimates that 3% of credit sales will eventually prove uncollectible.Sales were $300 million (all credit) for 2011. 2. Eastern offers a one-year warranty against manufacturer's defects for all its products. Industry experience indicates that warranty costs will approximate 2% of sales. Actual warranty expenditures were $3. 5 million in 2011 and were recorded as warranty expense when incurred. 3. In December, 2011, Eastern became aware of an engineering flaw in a product that poses a potential risk of injury. As a result, a product recall appears inevitable. This move would likely cost the company $1. 5 million. 4.In November, 2011, the State of Vermont filed suit against Eastern, asking civil penalties and injunctive relief for violations of clean water laws. Eastern reached a settlement with state authorities to pay $4. 2 million in penalties on February 3, 2012. 5. Eastern is the plaintiff in a $40 million lawsuit filed against a customer for costs and lost profits from contracts rejected in 2011. The lawsuit is in final appeal and attorneys advise that it is virtually certain that Eastern will be awarded $30 million. Required: Prepare the appropriate journal entries that should be recorded as a result of each of these contingencies.If no journal entry is indicated, state why. 135. The following selected transactions relate to contingencies of Bowe-Whitney Inc. Bowe-Whitney's fiscal year ends on December 31, 2011, and financial statements are published in March 2012. 1. Bowe-Whitney is involved in a lawsuit resulting from a dispute with a customer over a 2011 transaction. At December 31, attorneys advised that it was probable that Bowe-Whitney would lose $3 million in an unfavorable outcome. On February 12, 2012, judgment was rendered against Bowe-Whitney in the amount of $14 million plus interest, a total of $15. 2 million.Bowe-Whitney does not plan to appeal the judgment. 2. Since August of 2011, Bowe-Whitney has been involved in labor disputes at two of its facilities. Negotiations between the company and the unions have not produced a settlement and, since January 2011, strikes have been ongoing at these facilities. It is virtually certain that material costs will be incurred but the amount of resultant costs cannot be adequately predicted. 3. Bowe-Whitney is the defendant in a lawsuit filed in January 2012 in which Access Company seeks $10 million as an adjustment to the purchase price related to the sale of Bowe-Whitney's hardwood division in 2011.The lawsuit alleges that Bowe-Whitney misrepresented the division's assets and liabilities. Legal counsel advises that it is reasonably possible that Bowe-Whitney could lose $5 million, but that it's extremely unlikely it could lose the $10 million asked for. 4. At March 1, 2012, the EPA is in the process of investigating the possibility of environmental violations at one of Bowe-Whitney's sites, but has not proposed a penalty assessment. Management feels an assessment is reasonably possible, and if an assessment is made, a settlement of up to $33 million is probable.Required: Prepare journal entries that should be recorded as a result of each of the above contingencies. 136. Concept 1 Office Products sells office electronics that carry a 60-day manufacturer's warranty. At the time of purchase, customers are offered the opportunity to also buy a 1-year or 2-year extended warranty for an additional charge. Required: 1. Does the sale of the extended warranty represent a loss contingency? 2. Provide journal entries for the extended warranty sales and revenue recognition. 137. In its 2011 annual report to shareholders, Hyer Aviation Group Inc. ncluded the following disclosure: On October 6, 2010, the company's subsidiary, Pyro Aeroplex, filed suit against Syntex, an unincorporated division of Bright American Corporation, for breach of contract and fraud with regard to the supply of deficient wire rope that is installed as aircraft flight control cables on WD-50 aircraft. The case, filed in the circuit court of Bell County, Arkansas, was brought to trial and on September 20, 2011, a jury returned with a verdict in favor of the company in the amount of $17. 5 million. The Court, upon a postjudgment motion filed by Pyro, reduced the judgment to $4. million. Pyro has appealed that Order to the Supreme Court of Arkansas. The company believes the appeal is without merit and will continue to pursue final judgment on the Order. The company, pending appeal, has no t recorded the $4. 5 million favorable judgment. Required: What journal entries, if any, has Hyer recorded regarding this contingency? Explain its rationale. The following facts apply to TinyPart Toy Company's pending litigation as of December 31, 2011: a. TinyPart is defending against a lawsuit and believes there is a 51% chance it will lose in court.If they lose, TinyPart estimates that damages will be $100,000. b. TinyPart is defending against another lawsuit for which management believes it is virtually certain to lose in court. If it loses the lawsuit, management estimates damages will fall somewhere in the range of $30,000 – $50,000, with each amount in that range equally likely to occur. c. TinyPart is defending against another lawsuit that is identical to item (b), but the relevant losses will only occur far into the future. The present values of the endpoints of the range are $15,000 and $25,000.TinyPart's management believes the effects of time value of money on the se amounts are material, but also believes the timing of these amounts is uncertain. d. TinyPart is defending against a fourth lawsuit and believes there is only a 25% chance it will lose in court. If TinyPart loses, it believes damages will fall somewhere in the range of $35,000 – $40,000, with each amount in that range equally likely to occur. 138. Required: Indicate how TinyPart would disclose or account for the lawsuit described in part (a) under U. S. GAAP and under IFRS in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. 39. Required: Indicate how TinyPart would disclose or account for the lawsuit described in part (b) under U. S. GAAP and under IFRS in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. 140. Required: Indicate how TinyPart would disclose or account for the lawsuit described in part (c) under U. S. GAAP and under IFRS in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. 141. Required: Indicate how TinyPart would dis close or account for the lawsuit described in part (d) under U. S. GAAP and under IFRS in the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2011. 142.In 2011, Cap City Inc. introduced a new line of televisions that carry a two-year warranty against manufacturer's defects. Based on past experience with similar products, warranty costs are expected to be approximately 1% of sales during the first year of the warranty and approximately an additional 3% of sales during the second year of the warranty. Sales were $6,000,000 for the first year of the product's life and actual warranty expenditures were $29,000. Assume that all sales are on credit. Required: 1. Prep