Gender Issues in the Workplace

Gender Issues in the Workplace Introduction This paper seeks to define what is meant by gender issues in the workplace in relation to underlying tensions, indirect prejudice and unfair practices which often are perceived but continue without full recognition or sufficient direct management of the problem. It proposes to question pre conceived notions of success based on qualities such as ability and skill and rather seeks to uncover the more tacit business environment; known but never fully appreciated in relation to career advancement and company progression. A number of conflicting theories proposed by both feminist scholars and male business analysts exist on this subject which makes it both a complicated and contentious discussion. It is also one that can justify the way in which workplace failings and successes can be interpreted from a number of angles where gender bias is concerned; politically, psychologically, socially and academically. Typically gender inequality is a much deeper perception involving social hierarchys and preconceived notions of what men and women are capable of in terms of leadership and management. It is important to distinguish what is traditionally meant by advantage and disadvantage in an organizational setting and in the context of gender. Some examples might include; an employer may not hire, promote or wrongfully terminate an employee based on his or her gender, or that an employers pay is unequally based on gender, some employers show discrimination towards pregnant female workers, female employees are passed over for promotion in favour of more junior, less-qualified male co-workers. (Sahu, 2009) However looking at discrimination in its broader sense there is a widely held argument that as white and male it is easy to become invisible in society; to go unacknowledged and unrecognized, but once visible as a consequence of being labeled as say black, homosexual, a woman†¦individuals ca n adopt a greater empowerment just by being different (Robinson, 2000, Phelan, 2008, Haraway, 1999) In 1994 a popular American journal, Business Week published an article which stipulated; White, male and worried: White men still dominate corporate America. But in companies with aggressive diversity programs they are beginning to feel angry and resentful. What should companies do? (Burke and Black, 1997: 933-942) From such theorizing it is possible to engage with the notion that perhaps by being ‘invisible this can perpetuate both political and social exclusion. World Modern History since the 1960s has witnessed the rise of Civil Rights, womens liberation, gay liberation and a more growing acceptance of diversity has resulted in the decentralization of the white male (Robinson,2000 :2) and a culmination of all these things could be attributed to a crisis in masculinity of sorts. In contrast Virginia Schein et al propose that men and women do not lead or manage any differently in the work environment, but that they are perceived in different ways and that effectiveness as a male in a leadership role is something which is automatically attributed to them. Whereas women who exhibit the same behaviours as men are not judged as being as authoritative or having the same skills, because this is what we traditionally perceive inherently about men and women. (Sinclair, 2005:25) And just as peopl e can make themselves invisible in the work environment, so too can they make themselves visible. Being ‘visible represents a tangible ‘surface state, one in which someone can be seen to be visibly being excluded or different. At a deeper more conceptual level then there is a power to become ‘invisible, often as a consequence of trying to attain the male norm. (Simpson and Lewis, 2005:1253-1275) Caution however must be exacted when considering these theories which could also be used as a means to essentially make excuses for racist or prejudice practices in the workplace. (Pierce, 2003:53-70) Other theorists of invisibility consider this to be a covert way of preventing either women or black co-workers to progress. That the ‘backlash felt by white male men is actually a means to subjugate ‘minorities in the work place even further. Scholars such as Nicholson conform to theories such as the Patriarchal culture which is instilled in men and women through a process of socialization from a very early age. For example that men are better than women in sport, or that men make better surgeons etc. (Nicolson, 1996:108) There is a definite counter-argument where some previous traditional theories of invisibility have evolved. For example some research determines that men have become to think of themselves as being without gender, largely because they are oblivious to, or choose to ignore that invisibility generates inequality. Thus the invisibility of gender experienced by men generates the inequalities that are constrained by gender. That essentially many men are in possession; for whatever reason, of a number of structural privileges and power within the organizations that they work in and that by confronting their participation in maintaining inequality between themselves and women, that they should take responsibility for liberating themselves rather than blaming their problems on women. (McKay, 1997:11) Many men continue to disregard the notion of male privilege creating an invisibility of the problem itself. The more this invisibility is encouraged the more gender problems will continue to esc alate. (Johnson, 2005:157) Basically there is a strong argument to suggest the very fact that men in the workplace are perpetuating patriarchy and gender inequality, is because they are in denial of it and therefore the problem itself becomes invisible. Issues remain across all ‘minority workplace discriminations. Barriers continue to exist despite western laws on equal opportunities and fair working practices. Essentially there should be no barriers to succeeding. And yet for black, disabled, gay, women or other traditionally marginalized workers there continues to be a significant problem where acquiring progressive job positions exists, indicating that there are a number of unseen issues and opinions being made below the surface and continue to remain invisible. (Hesse-Biber and Carter, 2005:75-78) A recent research study of female engineers in the work environment was conducted in an attempt to illuminate this complex ‘in/visibility paradox. The women engineers could be seen to be at once both ‘visible as women but ‘invisible as engineers. This contradiction then adds yet another element to the discussion, but also helps to explain why it is difficult to retain women in engineering roles. Their ‘invisibility as engineers can be attributed to the fact that they require considerable effort to be taken seriously in this particular job, thus undermining their overall confidence. As ‘visible women they face enormous contradictory pressures to ‘become one of the lads, whilst maintaining their femininity and these in/visibility dynamics get taken for granted at the same time as building a cumulative and problematic outcome, not least because they are subtle and taken for granted. (Faulkner, 2009:169-189) Similarly another recent relevant journal article relays the findings of a small-scale project which involved a study of men who moved over into what has traditionally been considered ‘womens work. One immediate outcome apparent in all ten men was experiencing the challenges of feeling emasculated and having their masculinity queried in a number of ways and in a variety of situations. The way in which the men managed these challenges is particularly interesting as they all attempted to maintain their masculinity and their traditional persona associated with masculinity by distancing themselves from their female co-workers. (Cross and Bagilhole, 2002:204-226) Thus potentially making themselves ‘invisible to the situation. This provides some further interesting light on the notion of visibility and invisibility in organizational structures. That men resolutely continue to re-enforce their gender and identity regardless of whether it is challenged or not, but in such a way that they make themselves invisible in the process. Might this then suggest that men will go to any lengths to maintain their dominant gender, even when they are performing those roles traditionally considered ‘womens work? Whilst it may also represent juxtaposition for the behaviour of women, often criticized in the work place for their defensiveness or ruthless behaviour. Perhaps women in turn are masking their femininity in a bid to be taken seriously or remain ‘invisible as they feel threatened by the challenges men pose. Conclusion What can be concluded from this complicated analysis is that it still remains difficult to determine whether invisibility exists, or whether it is a means of simply not seeing or acknowledging gender differentiation. Are male workers unaware of the fact that they are inherently patriarchal, or is it women who continue to see them in this way as they traditionally remain challenged and psychologically subjugated by their male co-workers? This might then suggest that there is no real suppression of gender taking place in organizations, but rather most women and men are defensive about their jobs and careers. This is a highly problematic area that continues to demand further research and a ‘rethinking of gender stereotypes for both management and workers generally. (Mavin et al, 2004:293-303) What is apparent from this study is the degree with which both men and women ‘play out their insecurities whilst both hiding and exposing elements of visibility and invisibility depending on the circumstances. Invisibility, as has also been outlined in this document poses a much wider conceptual problem. The problem of barriers that exist not just with individuals but with whole organizations, those that choose to promote the types of people they consider suitable to the organization itself and therefore creating their own invisible discriminatory practices. A complex system of psychological interactions can impact on the way in which people generally make themselves visible or invisible within an organization. There are many contributing factors, some of which have been explored throughout this document and many of which require considerable future research. It is clear that gender based priviledge exists. This is a reality in terms of the statistics which reflect the number of men in positions of power in contrast with the often lower salaried lesser roles adopted by women. But as to whether who is putting who at a disadvantage may be dependent on a whole series of contributory factors such as the culture and size of the organization itself, the way in which the individuals working in that organisation have been socialized and what values and expectations they have been encouraged to appreciate from birth. Bibliography Burke, R, J, Black, S (1997) Save the Males: Backlash in Organisations, Journal of Business Ethics, Volume 16 Cross, S. and Bagilhole, B. (2002) Girls Jobs for the Boys? Men, Masculinity and Non-Traditional Occupations, Gender Work and Organization, Volume 9, Issue 2 Faulkner (2009) Doing gender in engineering workplace cultures. II. Gender in/authority and the in/visibility paradox, Engineering Studies, Volume 1, Issue 3 Haraway, D (1999) Gender, Race and nature in the World of Modern science: Routledge and Kegan Paul Hesse-Biber, S, N, Carter, G, L (2005) Working Women in America: Oxford University Press. Johnson, A, G (2005) The Gender Knot: unraveling our patriarchal legacy: Temple University Press Lewis and Simpson, (2010) Revealing and Concealing Gender: Visibility in Gender and Organization Research: Palgrave Macmillan Mavin, S, Bryans, P, Waring, T (2004) Gender on the agenda 2: unlearning gender blindness in management education, Women in management Review, Volume 19, Issue 6 McKay (1997) Managing gender: affirmative action and organizational power in Australian, Canadian and New Zealand Sport: SUNY Press Nicolson, (1996) Gender, power and organization: a psychological perspective: Routledge Phelan, P (1993) Unmarked: The Politics of Performance: Routledge Pierce, J.L. (2003) Racing for Innocence: Whiteness, Corporate Culture and the Backlash Against Affirmative Action, Qualitative Sociology, Volume 26, Issue 1 Robinson, S. (2000) Introduction: Visibility, Crisis and the Wounded White Male Body in Marked Men: White Masculinity in Crisis: Columbia University Press Sahu, R, K (2009) Gender Discrimination in the Work Place, Internet article available from: http://www.scribd.com/doc/22571816/Gender-Discrimination-in-Work-Place, date accessed, 13/01/10 Simpson, R. and Lewis, P. (2005) An investigation of silence and a scrutiny of transparency: Re-examining gender in organization literature through the Concepts of Voice and Visibility, Human Relations, Volume 58, Issue 10 Sinclair, A (2005) Doing leadership differently; gender, power and sexuality in a changing business culture: Melbourne University Press

Racial & Crimial Profiling

RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING An Assessment of RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING 1 As many issues and concerns arise in our everyday lives, it is often difficult to overlook many of the horrific and tragic situations of today’s law enforcement. Regardless of what profession you may be in there are always ways to make improvements to it.A few of the future and emerging issues that I feel that leaders in the criminal justice system need to address are racial profiling and criminal profiling which each can create a mistrust within a department and violate the civil liberties of citizens. When events such as these begin to surface in the media and within our communities, questions begin to arise about the tendencies of our police agencies. Racial profiling or racially biased form of policing (especially recently in the United States), is any police action initiated on the mere basis of race, ethnicity, or national or igin of a suspect.This is a form of discrimination that is used to target the ethnic, minority communities. Profiling in law enforcement occurs when government agencies and officials decide to investigate a person on suspicion, and the detained suspect committed an illegal offense, based solely on their ethnicity and racial identity. Arrest should be determined and made on the behavior of that individual or on information that leads police to a particular individual that has been identified as being, or having been engaged in some type of criminal activity.Racial profiling was an issue that arose over 40 years ago and has resurfaced as a bigoted practice unworthy of the law enforcement professional. It has been and should continue to be widely condemned as contrary to the basic ethical principles. Furthermore, such particular type of action weakens the public’s confidence in the police, thus decreasing police – citizen trust and cooperation. Racial or ethnic indicators associated with a particular suspect or suspected groups may have place in legitimate law enforcement strategies if they accurately relate to the offenders who are being sought for criminal law violations.The example I chose to support my information about racial profiling is RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING 2 the incident that surrounded the African-American Harvard Professor, Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , who was arrested at his home by a white police officer. It was in an upscale community and neighbor observed two black males on the porch; she assumed they were burglars and proceeded to notify the authorities. A white officer came to the home of Mr. Gates who had recently returned from a trip from China, who questioned and then arrested him.He later realized that the Professor was the homeowner and was behaving suspiciously because he was frustrated and fatigue because he could not immediately locate his keys once he arrived at his home from his trip. This was clearly racial profiling and the professor â€Å"fit the profile of a thug†, but he was in did not the picture of being prestigious enough to reside in such an upscale resident also. Hopefully someday society and law enforcement will not judge a person by the color of their skin when making arrest within our communities.It is often difficult not to revert back to what we have seen on the various criminal-investigative shows when we discuss certain issues with our colleagues, but actual investigators would not use that type of protocol to jeopardize their cases. Criminal profiling should consist of an analogy used by the police while on a scene combined with the details gathered to form an overall conceptual finding of a perpetrator. This is not a concrete method of capturing a criminal, but it will certainly narrow down the persons of interest that are being pursued.It will also assist to develop some form of similarities between the various crimes that may be occurring in a particular area, the tim e the incidents are occurring may be a factor, as well as the specific victim being targeted in the situations. Some may not think that this may not be of any importance, but I know that this form of profiling could be essential if it is used properly because the criminal often â€Å"gets sloppy and let’s their guard down† and normally this is when they are RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING 3 pprehended. Investigators who deal with violent crime are somewhat experienced with criminal profiling and are behavioral psychologists whose sole job is to profile the criminal mind. â€Å"For example, one of the purposes of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit is criminal profiling, and they employ agents who are considered experts at understanding and predicting the minds and behavior of these criminals. The BSU within the FBI is also responsible and accountable for training new agents and researching criminal behavior.It is imperative that all involved are mindful that criminal prof iling should not be used solely to identify and capture criminals. In case, you might have twelve or more suspects who â€Å"profile† are all alike, which means that other investigative techniques must be used to identify the real executor. As a matter of fact, to investigate a horrendous crime, is hard and strenuous work. Criminal profiling provides assistance to the detectives with understanding the modus operandi, or the motivation and the habits of brutal killers and sex offenders.There are four individual areas of investigation that criminal profiling uses and they are antecedent, method, disposal and post offense areas. These areas range from what caused the offender to initially commit the crime, what type of violence was used with each crime, what did he do with the victims afterwards, and how should to how their behavior should ultimately be observed. Three names are well-known in Canada for the atrocious crimes each of them committed, Clifford  Olson, Paul  Bern ardo and Robert  Pickton. Olson raped and murdered 11  young boys and girls before he was apprehended. Bernardo raped at least 18  young women but wasn’t caught until he murdered three more. Pickton has been found guilty for the murder of 26  women, but claims to have killed  49. There were signs and similarities that linked the victims and the individuals responsible together. Serial criminals often follow a certain victim guideline RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING 4 and pursue specific fantasies or rituals with their victims.Police forces long have recognized that serial criminals tend to follow patterns, use particular weapons or methods, and target similar victims† (Dept of Justice, Canada, 2011). In my opinion, I don’t think it is even possible to ever know why some individuals are wired the way they are; it is and will always be a mystery to why certain crimes are committed. RACIAL AND CRIMINAL PROFILING 6 References http://criminal. lawyers. com/Cri minal-Law-Basics/The-Criminal-Profiling-Process. html http://www. victimsofviolence. on. ca/rev2/index. php? option=com_content=view=336=26

Macbeth Appeal: Rough Draft Essay

Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s best known tragedies. It is set in Scotland where a Scottish lord, Macbeth, is told a prophecy by three witches that he will become the king of Scotland. He then chooses the evil path, and with the help of his ruthlessly ambitious wife, commits regicide to become king. He furthers his moral decent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power. In the end, he loses everything that gives purpose to his life, along with losing his life itself. Although it is such a fierce tragedy, it is also extremely appealing. It is a play that is full of action, mystical power and tension, which always keeps the readers and watchers interested. The action is apparent the entire way through the play right from the very beginning when we hear Duncan talking of Macbeth in battle, when he â€Å"unseam’d† a man â€Å"from the nave to the chaps†. At this point in the play, Macbeth is still loyal to his king, Duncan, and his country. It is clear that he is a brave soldier who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for his king. Throughout the play there are bursts of violent action, such as the murder of Banquo and of Macduff’s wife and children, but the greatest moments of action are during Act 5 when the battle to overcome Macbeth’s tyrannous reign over Scotland commences. Although it had been prophesized that â€Å"no man of woman born shall harm Macbeth†, Macbeth knows that he is going to die during this battle, but he is determined to bring with him as many as he can – I will fight ‘till from my bones my flesh be hack’d. In the end it is Macduff who kills Macbeth as he wasn’t of woman born, he was â€Å"from his mother’s womb untimely ripp’d†, and returns with Macbeth’s head on a spike, describing Macbeth and his wife as â€Å"this dead butcher and his fiend like queen. † Although murder is a terrible and gruesome tragedy, it very much draws people in and keeps them watching because violence seems to be something that we are all interested in by nature, and action and violence are some of this plays traits which really do appeal to people. Another aspect of this play which people really find appealing is the insinuation of all the dark magic. It makes the play seem very mystical and scary. The witches are the main contribution to the mystical aspect of the play. The witches appear in the most well known and most magical scene of the play, the cauldron scene. The three witches are pictured standing around a cauldron making a potion of evil and disgusting ingredients like â€Å"finger of birth strangled babe† and â€Å"fillet of a fenny snake† whilst chanting â€Å"Double, double toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble†. Here they conjure up the three apparitions – the armed head, the bloody child and the crowned child with a tree in his hand. These apparitions tell Macbeth the prophecies which lead him to believe that he is invincible. One could also argue that Lady Macbeth can relate in some way to the witches when she calls upon the evil spirits and commands them to â€Å"Unsex me here, and fill me, from the crown to the toe, top full of direst cruelty† so that she can partake in the murder of Duncan without feeling any remorse or guilt, which at the end of the play we can see didn’t work as she went mad with guilt in the sleepwalking scene when she was continuously trying to clean Duncan’s blood from her hands. The addition of magic to the play is something that really appeals to the audience as it gives off a very mystical and chilling air. Magic makes the play so much more exciting, and the fact that the witches are supposed to be so gruesome and evil makes the play a little bit scary, which is always enjoyable when watching as it really gets people going and keeps them alert. Finally, what is also so appealing about Macbeth is the continuous tension the whole way through the play. The tension starts at the very beginning when the witches prophesize that Macbeth will become king, as we see that Macbeth has immediately thought of killing Duncan and doesn’t want anyone to know his evil thoughts – Stars, hide your fires, let not light see my black and deep desires. Before Macbeth goes to kill Duncan, it is almost as though we can feel the terror and angst that he feels, and afterwards, when he is covered in blood and Lady Macbeth tells him to â€Å"go get some water, and wash this filthy witness from your hand†, the audience can almost feel both their paranoia. From this point until Macduff kills Macbeth, there is an air of tension in the play, as we know that Macbeth’s reign over Scotland will destroy the country. His tense paranoia is also obvious from this point onwards as he feels the need to murder absolutely anyone who he thinks may go against him. His paranoia is also very evident in the banquet scene when his guilt of having his friend Banquo killed overthrows his conscience and he begins to see Banquo’s ghost, covered in blood. It is as this point in the play where Macbeth’s intense paranoia is at its peak, as after this he has Macduff’s family murdered just to be spiteful. It is also now in the play that we notice Lady Macbeth has become tired and we don’t see her again until the sleepwalking scene when her own guilt is quite evident. An air of tension is always something people enjoy as it keeps them on their toes and anxious to know what is going to happen next. The tension also ties in with the witches as it is undetectable as to when they are going to come up in the play. Overall, I find Macbeth a very appealing play. It has many aspects, such as the magic, action and tension, which really make it very enjoyable both to read and to watch, as it keeps us interested in what is going to happen next. Because the play is short, it is as though Shakespeare was trying to fit everything into a short span of time. So every moment of the play was actually of significance, meaning that there wasn’t a single boring moment in the play.

Themes Of The Great Gatsby And The Things They Carried

Christopher Schmidt Skillman Am Lit 5 May 2015 The Theme of Transformation in Various Texts In the texts Huck Finn, The Great Gatsby, and The Things They Carried, a major theme is the transformation of self, which happens through choice, through experience, or a combination of both. In The Great Gatsby, Jay makes the conscious choice to transform himself from the poor farmer boy, which he was born as, into an Oxford-educated rich millionaire, all so that he could win the heart of a girl. In Huck Finn, Huck ends up on a raft with a slave named Jim, and through the course of the whole story Huck experiences events that ultimately transform him from a young southern boy into a young adult knowing right from wrong by how he reacts to these experiences with Jim. Finally, in The Things They Carried, Jimmy Cross makes the conscious decision not necessarily to transform himself, but to take on responsibilities after the death of one of his men which in turn force change upon him. These responsibilities transform him. In The Great Gatsby, a prominent underlying theme is self transformation, or the reinventing of oneself. Throughout the book Gatsby is not what he says he is. He made up his whole life story in order to impress a girl he falls in love with before he is sent off to war. Jay Gatsby sets out to completely reinvent himself in every way, starting with his name. Growing up in the midwest, he was James Gatz, son of poor a poor farmer. In the text, the characters thatShow MoreRelatedThe Things They Carried And The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1507 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout literary history, one main theme most writers favor to focus on is the human condition. The Things They Carried and The Great Gatsby are just two examples of many written in which this theme is present. The Things They Carried, written by Tim O Brien, is about O Brien telling his personal experiences and stories of the Vietnam War, and how the soldiers are fighting two wars, a war with the Viet Cong and a war with themselves. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is setRead MoreThemes of The Great Gatsby Essay1040 Words   |  5 PagesF. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a story that has many different themes. Fitzgerald shows the themes that he uses through his character’s desires and actions. This novel has themes in it that we deal with in our everyday life. It has themes that deal with our personal lives and themes that deal with what’s right and what’s wrong. There are also themes that have to do with materialistic items that we deal desire on a daily basis. Fitzgerald focuses on the themes of corrupted love, immoralityRead MoreThe Sensible Thing, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1643 Words   |  7 PagesA Sensible Man with Sensible Writing The Sensible Thing, by F. 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The relationshipRead MoreRole Of Women In The Great Gatsby1065 Words   |  5 Pagescommon characteristics and can be grouped together by a common theme. Marginalization is the treatment of a person, group or concept as insignificant. Social groups, such as women, are often marginalized from the rest of society due to unequal views on women. Gender marginalization stems from the concept that men and women are not created equal leading to disparate conduct and views of a gender. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, gender roles are clearly recognized and the female being isRead MoreF. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby Essay1284 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby and Motifs Throughout the novel â€Å"The Great Gatsby†, F. Scott Fitzgerald used a lot of different motifs and themes to symbolize to help see the reality behind Gatsby and the other characters in the novel including Daisy. 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Article Review The Magic of the Placebo by David Bjerklie

Imagine going to the doctor and being given medication to heal your pain. Now how would you feel if after taking the medication and feeling better you came to find out you were given a placebo? This may sound upsetting to some, however, â€Å" a recent survey of U.S. internists and rheumatologists found that some 50% regular prescribe placebos.† A placebo is defined as a false treatment without any significant chemical properties or active ingredient. The use of placebos as a primary form of treatment with any pathology is not happening anytime soon, but their positive impact and usefulness in the medical field is becoming hard to deny. In the article, â€Å"The Magic of the Placebo†, author David Bjerklie attempts to explain the growing change in†¦show more content†¦The author continues to demonstrate how the placebo effect works by comparing it to the famous biological study by Ivan Pavlov. In Pavlov’s experiment, dogs are conditioned to respond to a specific stimulus and eventually begin to respond to the same stimulus in the same way all the time. Bjerklie explains that, â€Å"as far as the placebo effect is concerned, we may as well be those impressionable canines.† What Bjerklie means is that the human mind has the ability to be conditioned to expect certain outcomes. The placebo effect builds on the human minds ability to be conditioned and an individual’s faith in the healthcare providers it choses to visit. Overtime the human mind has come to believe that if given a medication that is suppose to have a positive effect on a specific pathology, it will in fact have an positive effect. In the last section of the article the author explains the many issues that have arisen with the discovery of the placebo effect and the many challenges that the placebo effect faces before it is accepted as a common medical practice. One major issue the author brings up is the fact that the placebo effect is not the same for everyone. The author explains that not everyone can take a placebo and expect positive results. In order to explain this variability in the article the author cites Robert Trivers, an evolutionary biologist, of Rutgers University. Trivers explains

Minimum Legal Drinking Age Should Remain at the Age of 21...

Without a doubt, the United States has been facing serious national problems with underage drinking. Depending on personal ideologies, some people might not agree that the current minimum drinking age of twenty-one is based on scientific facts rather then ideology of prohibitionism. For example, since 1975 over seventeen thousand lives have been saved since the minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) was changed to age twenty-one (Balkin 167). This shows that even over a short amount of time, a higher MLDA helps decrease the risk of teen suicides, accidents and overdose deaths. However, this widely debated topic has inevitably brought attention to the plethora of supporting and opposing viewpoints. The minimum legal drinking age of twenty-one†¦show more content†¦Simultaneously, accidents involving automobiles without a doubt are devastating. How would one feel if a loved one was killed in a collision due to an intoxicated driver? Wouldn’t the individual want to do somet hing about it? The death of the Candy Lightner’s daughter lead to her development of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and the 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. This act gave full federal highway funds only to states that set the minimum age to purchase or consume alcohol at twenty-one years (Sanghavi). Once all states raised their MLDA to twenty-one years, drunk-driving accidents and deaths decreased. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the reduction in traffic fatalities due to the legal drinking age of twenty-one prevented 846 deaths in 1997 and prevented a total of 17,359 deaths since 1975 (Balkin 168). This single statistic shows that automobile accidents have substantially decreased in response to the authorization of the National Minimum Drinking Age Act. In addition, the average teenager earns their drivers license at the age of seventeen. This being said, allowing a young driver with only one years experience (excluding a learner s permit) to legally consume alcohol would surely be an irresponsible decision. Most people knowShow MoreRelatedThe Minimum Drinking Age Act1700 Words   |  7 Pagesthe National Minimum Drinking Age Act made all 50 states raise the legal drinking age to 21(Dejong). The debate is on whether the age should be lowered or not. Statistically, having the age at 21 has been very helpful in keeping the nation safe. If there is not an issue with age now, would it make sense to lower the age and create unnecessary problems? In this case, the negative effects outweigh the positive. Simply because there is no good in lowering the age. 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Fuchsia Enterprises Trial Balance Samples †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Fuchsia Enterprises Trial Balance. Answer: Audit Planning An Audit plan is considered to be specific guidelines to be followed when performing an audit. It helps the auditor in obtaining sufficient appropriate evidence for the situations, helps keep the cost of auditing at a reasonable level and also helps the auditor in avoiding misunderstandings with the client[1]. Audit planning is usually an important area in auditing that is basically performed at the beginning of the audit in order to ensure that sustainable attention is devoted to particular areas and potential issues are quickly identified. Before audit testing, the auditor usually plans to carry out an audit an effective and timely manner through designing detailed procedures in order to obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence. This particular assignment entails planning of an audit for Fuchsia Enterprises after checking its preliminary Trial Balance[2]. This assignment also extracts information from the enterprises trial balance and identifies the accounts that are likely to require substantial attention, provide analytical procedures for each of the item and the possible recommendation for the audit procedure to be used in the auditing. According to Fuchsia Enterprises trial balance, the selected seven accounts for audit that require attention are; Items accounts 2016 2017 2015 2016 % Change 1 Interest income 48 50 4% 2 Bank Loan 181,525 187,450 3.16% 3 Miscellaneous 1,440 0 1,440% 4 Accumulated depreciation machinery 36,475 24,000 52% 5 Accounts receivables 131,820 103,585 27.26% 6 Depreciation 35,545 15,738 125.9% 7 Wages 62,570 53,000 23.72% Analytical review Generally, use of analytical reviews is considered to be one of the procedures for increasing the auditors efficiency[3]. Analytical procedures usually consist of an assessment of financial data prepared by the auditors of and the expected relationship between nonfinancial and financial data. Interest income Interest income is one of the areas in the enterprise trial balance that basically requires significant attention. The company revenues may be at risks. Interest income area requires great attention because it is more at risks by the misappropriation by the company management[4]. The interest income is usually am accessible funds by the management and thus making it more vulnerable to misuse. According to Fuchsia Enterprise's trial balance, the amount of interest income as at FY2015-2016 was A$50,000 and A$48,000 at FY2016-2017. According to the trial balance analysis, there is an indication that there is a 20% decrease in the amount recorded as interest income[5]. The decrease in the amount received should be scrutinized thoroughly to determine if there is any possibility of the fund's misuse by the management. The difference in the two amounts should be recalculated so as to check if proper evaluations were conducted so as to enhance its materiality. Basing on the riskiness of this item, I recommend that the auditors must recalculate interest income on note receivables to determine if proper formulas were used. Sales Sales is another item that basically requires special attention when planning for the audit. This is because the item is vulnerable to greater risks when the company is carrying out its business. According to the company, the business usually sells its products either in cash or credit terms thus making the item to be at risk. The riskiness of this particular item requires the auditors to carry out proper analytical procedures to determine its physical existence in the sales records. The company will also be required to provide a movement schedule that can be used to compare the amount of sales in the two accounting periods[6]. Fuchsia Enterprises trial balance indicates that during the FY2015-2016, the business had AU$187,450 and AU$181,525 as at FY2016-2017. This aspect demonstrates a 3.16% material decrease, the audit check should ascertain if its cash or credit sales and as well look on the amounts of accounts receivables and sales are accurate by verifying each of them and find possible misstatements. The variations between the two values should be determined to check the reasonableness of the variations. The auditors should check for existence in the stock records and ascertain the movement from store to client. Basing n the riskiness of this item, I recommend the auditor to test for controls of the enterprise set up for sale cycle in order to ascertain their reliability and existence in the movement schedule[7]. The auditor ought also to ascertain if the accounting records for accounts receivables and sales are accurate by basically verifying individual transactions for the probable misstatement. Accumulated depreciation on machinery This is another area that needs great attention that should be done to ascertain compliance and integrity of the financial statements. This particular item is selected because of its riskiness that may affect materiality of the financial statements. Audit procedures for accumulated depreciation on machinery are material so as to ensure that the recorded depreciation is free of material accounting errors[8]. The auditor should match the accounts balances to find out for potential accounting errors or even frauds from demonstrating in the financial records. The 52% increase from AU$24,000 in FY2015-2016 to AU$36,475 in FY2016-2017 should be determined, and that proper recalculation should be done to determine accuracy. Basing on the riskiness of the item, I recommend that the auditor must verify the historical value of the machinery, analyze the related accumulated depreciation accounts for completeness. The auditor should also recalculate the depreciation expenses and gains or losses on disposal of fixed assets to ascertain accuracy and completeness of the entire transaction[9]. The auditor should also attempt to compare depreciation expenses so as to determine any possible misstatements. Accounts receivables Accounts receivables is another risky item that basically requires significant attention when planning for the audit. This is because most of the firms management may collude with some of the debtors and record wrong entries into their names so as to gain funds. Some firms may also post some amounts of trade receivables that actually do not exist and thus may lead the company losing significant amount of revenues. Enterprise trade receivables should be examined for existence and accuracy assertions. This aspect is vital since some trade receivables may be understated or overstated and thus affecting the company revenues. When planning to audit trade receivables, debtors circularization should be carried out, so s to ascertain the existence of debtors and also to confirm the amount owed to the business. According to Fuchsia Enterprises trial balance, the 26.27% increase in the accounts receivables from AU$103,585 in FY2015-2016 to AU$131,820 in FY2016-2017 need to be ascertained so as to make sure that proper controls and strategies were employed by the company in order to check the reasons for the increase[10]. When planning for the audit, I recommend tracing the trade receivables in the company general ledgers. The auditor must request for a period end trade receivables with details from which they will assist in outlining the totals in the trial balance and those in the ledgers. I also recommend the auditors to confirm the accounts receivables existence by basically calling the debtors and asking them for personal details and the amount each owes the company. This will also be done by contacting the business debtors and requesting them to confirm their amounts of unpaid accounts receivables as of the end of the reporting period being audited for the possible misstatement. Depreciation Another item that needs significant attention is depreciation. This is a risky item that needs to be majorly examined because managers may employ wrong calculation methods to misappropriate some of the company funds[11]. The basis used to evaluate the amount of depreciation should be checked to ensure that it is basically free from any manipulation. Planning for the audit should also ensure that depreciation amount has been recalculated again in order to ascertain the accuracy of the amount posted in the trial balance. The 125.9% increase in the amount of depreciation should be re-evaluated and that the company should provide reasonable support to the assets depreciated. The increase of depreciation amount from AU$15,738 in FY2015-2016 to AU$35,545 in FY2016-2017 has a bigger margin. Recalculation should be emphasized so as to ascertain the accurateness and correctness of the stated amount[12]. Due to the riskiness of this item, I recommend that the auditor must check the method used for depreciation and the actual cost of the assets being depreciated so as to determine any possible misstatement in the trial balance. Wages Another item that needs significant attention is wages. This item is considered to seek greater attention because of its materiality in the financial statements. Wages can be misstated by firm managers who may seek to misappropriate the funds. When planning for an audit in wages, the auditor should verify the payroll and compare the amount of wages paid to the trial balance and the payroll systems. The number of employees on the payroll should tally with the amount being paid by the company. The auditor should find the appointment letters to verify the amount of salary that each employee is being paid by the company for the services rendered. The amount should be calculated manually to ascertain if there is any case of misappropriation[13]. The 23.72% increase in the amount of depreciation should be re-evaluated and that the company should provide reasonable support to the assets depreciated. The increase of depreciation amount from AU$53,000 in FY2015-2016 to AU$62,570 in FY2016-201 7 should be audited to substantiate the increase. The auditor should also confirm the number of new employees employed in the latest financial period and compare with the payroll and the appointment letters. Due to the nature of the item, I recommend that the auditor should use verification analytical procedure to ascertain the materiality in the difference of the amount of the company trial balance[14]. Miscellaneous Miscellaneous is another item that needs much attention because as compared with the previous financial period, Fuchsia Enterprises did not have any miscellaneous expenses. The AU$1,440 in the company trial balance should be accurately examined so as to determine if the mount was used for business purposes or personal purposes. If this particular amount were used by managers for personal business, then the amount should not be included in the company trial balance. This item needs substantive examination to ascertain the reasonableness of the expense[15]. The auditor should check the company records to check to ascertain if they are in line with what is considered ordinary by the company. The auditor should ascertain existence by reviewing the receipts documents that will basically show the purpose of the spent amount[16]. I recommend that the auditor randomly chose invoices and ask to see all the original paperwork that includes the contracts if it exists, invoices and signatures in order to find mistakes. Bibliography Arens, Alvin A., Randal J. Elder, and Beasley Mark.Auditing and assurance services: an integrated approach. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2012. Arens, Alvin A., Randal J. Elder, Mark S. Beasley, and Chris E. Hogan.Auditing and assurance services. Pearson, 2016. Balaniuk, Remis, Pierre Bessiere, Emmanuel Mazer, and Paulo Cobbe. "Risk based government audit planning using nave bayes classifiers." InAdvances in Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems. 2012. Bergquist, Sophia, and Sandra Elofsson. "The collaboration between auditors and IT-auditors: The effects on the audit profession." (2016). Cohen, Jeffrey R., Lori L. Holder-Webb, Leda Nath, and David Wood. "Corporate reporting of nonfinancial leading indicators of economic performance and sustainability."Accounting Horizons26, no. 1 (2012): 65-90. Elder, Randal J., Mark S. Beasley, and Alvin A. Arens.Auditing and Assurance services. Pearson Higher Ed, 2011. Hammersley, Jacqueline S. "A review and model of auditor judgments in fraud-related planning tasks."Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory30, no. 4 (2011): 101-128. Hammersley, Jacqueline S., Karla M. Johnstone, and Kathryn Kadous. "How do audit seniors respond to heightened fraud risk?."Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory30, no. 3 (2011): 81-101. Rahim, Siti Rohaya Mat, Fauziah Mahat, Annuar Md Nassir, and Mohamed Hisham Dato Hj Yahya. "Re-thinking: Risk Governance?."Procedia Economics and Finance31 (2015): 689-698. Knechel, W. Robert, and Steven E. Salterio.Auditing: Assurance and risk. Taylor Francis, 2016. Messier Jr, William F., Chad A. Simon, and Jason L. Smith. "Two decades of behavioral research on analytical procedures: What have we learned?."Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory32, no. 1 (2012): 139-181. Titera, William R. "Updating audit standardEnabling audit data analysis."Journal of Information Systems27, no. 1 (2013): 325-331. Vona, Leonard W.Fraud risk assessment: building a fraud audit program. John Wiley Sons, 2012. [15] Balaniuk, Remis, Pierre Bessiere, Emmanuel Mazer, and Paulo Cobbe. "Risk based government audit planning using nave bayes classifiers." InAdvances in Knowledge-Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems. 2012. [16] Knechel, W. Robert, and Steven E. Salterio.Auditing: Assurance and risk. Taylor Francis, 2016.