David Myers, Worldcom Essay Example for Free

David Myers, Worldcom Essay Introduction WorldCom was Americas second largest telecom company in 2000 (The WorldCom Accounting Scandal, 2002). Making a modest beginning in the hinterland of Mississippi in 1983 with a meager capital of less than 100,000 USD it reached the pinnacle of corporate success reporting more than USD 39 billion in revenue and USD 150 million in MCAP (The WorldCom Accounting Scandal, 2002). In the process it became 42nd in the Fortune 500 list. Under the leadership of CEO Bernie Ebbers it grew rapidly by means of acquisitions and increased demand for telecom services farther fuelled the growth of WorldCom during the whole of 90s. However on June 25, 2002, WorldCom announced that it had overstated earnings in 2001 and the first quarter of 2002 by more than $3.8 billion (The WorldCom Accounting Scandal, 2002). The Scandal WorldCom scandal was one of the biggest accounting scandals of American corporate history. WorldCom was a U.S based telecommunication company. The WorldCom accounting scandal was disclosed in 2002. The Company had resorted to fraudulent accounting practices for five quarters (four quarters of 2001 and the first quarter of 2002) (The WorldCom Accounting Scandal, 2002). The well-known telecommunication company WorldCom and the accounting, auditing and consultancy enterprise were involved in this big accounting fraud. The corporate scandal of WorldCom ultimately headed the company towards the disgrace that ensued in the biggest bankruptcy in American history. After this act the company terminated the service of the top executive including Scott Sullivan, the Chief Financial Officer and David Myers, the Senior Vice President and Controller. Myers knew that the accounting entries were made without supporting documentation, were not in conformity with GAAP, were not disclosed to the investing public, and were designed to allow WorldCom to appear to meet Wall Street analysts quarterly earnings estimates. In addition, during the same period Myers and others, including members of senior management, made materially false or misleading statements or omissions to WorldComs independent auditors in connection with audits and the preparation of filings with the Commission. Myers violated the anti-fraud, books and records, and internal control provisions of the federal securities laws, and aided and abetted WorldComs violations of the reporting, books and records, and internal control provisions of the federal  securities laws. Using this illegal accounting practice WorldCom intended to defer and spread the expenditure for the next 5-10 years. Significance of Organizational Behavior Theories Organizational theories help to the company for surviving in the global environment. The WorldCom Company CFO and Director may not have followed good organizational behavior theories. Had they followed good organizational behavior theories, they would save the organization from the failure. Ethical Decision Making Ethical decision making represents the decision that is based on the ethics. The ethical decision making involves making those decisions that are in the favor of all related persons of company such as board of directors, shareholders and stakeholders. The ethical decision making helps the company for making the goodwill and the long term survival in the global market. The WorldCom Company did not adopt the ethical decision making theory as if they did there would have been false numbers reported. The company was continuously doing misrepresentation of the accounts and the company became the bankrupt. If the company CFO and executive would adopt the ethical decision making theory, they would have resolved the bankruptcy due misappropriation of balance sheet of the company (McKenna, 2000). Goal Setting Goal setting theory is very useful methods to motivate the employee to enhance their capacity for attain the organizational goal. Goal setting theory directly affects the performance of the organization. This theory helps the employee and the concern people of the company to set the appropriate objective for the organization. If the WorldCom would have adopted the goal setting theory in their organization, its executive and auditor would have not gone for the unethical accounting practices for the business (Griffin Moorhead, 2009). Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the set of processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions, which directed, administered and controlled over the corporation (Monks Minow, 2008). Corporate governance is a way by which a  company governs itself for providing the values to their stake holders. The WorldCom did not follow the corporate governance policy. If the WorldCom would have followed the corporate governance it would have not led towards this business failure and company would have not gone for the unethical practices conduct in the organization. Corporate governance would have increased the faith of stakeholders towards the company and company would have survived for long time (Monks Minow, 2008). Adoption of Ethical Behavior The Ethical Behavior would enhance the performance of the company, because the ethical behavior would creates the good image of the company among the stakeholders. If The WorldCom would have adopted the ethical behavior in the organization it would not have attained bankruptcy in the market. The company acted in unethically to misrepresent the accounts of the company (Salter, 2008). Contribution of Leadership, Management and Organizational Structures Every organization is directed with a particular leadership, management and organizational structure. The WorldCom Company is directed by their directors, CFO and the auditors. If a leader is indulged in ethical practice its follower also follows that kind of management and leadership qualities. The WorldCom auditor was indulged in the misrepresentation of the accounts of the company and due to his this kind of conduct his followers also got indulged in wrong act. How it could have been avoided? We conclude that the debacle in WorldCom could have been avoided by a more independent and watchful board of directors, which should have sent a signal to the company management that somebody, is watching them closely and they better mend their ways and means. The concept of board of directors is age old and when it functions properly it is effective. In this case the independent directors failed in their responsibilities. In almost all corporate fraud it has been seen that the board has been ineffective over a long period of time and aggressive managers use this opportunity to take the rein completely in their own hand. We also conclude that Arther Anderson miserably failed in its duty as external auditor. We hold a puppet board and a malleable auditor as responsible in allowing Ebbers and his associates to perpetrate the accounting fraud. Both the board of directors and external  auditors has roles in averting operational risk and they have failed in their responsibilities (McShane, Glinow, Sharma, 2006). The Sarbanes-Oxley Act Due to organization such as WorldCom Congress rushed to pass the complicated Sarbanes-Oxley Act. CEOs and CFOs of public companies are required to personally certify the accuracy of various financial reports, with significant criminal penalties for false certifications (up to 10 years in prison for â€Å"knowing† violations; up to 20 years if â€Å"willful†) (WorldCom scandal, nod.). While the penalties sound significant, the government’s difficulty in enforcing this provision will likely come in proving that a corporate officer’s inaccurate certification was done at least â€Å"knowingly,† as opposed to negligently or even recklessly. However, in short this law made many disclosures and certifications on the part of the firm mandatory. It also made the commitment of the external auditor binding. This is significant in view of the fact that when WorldCom fraud came to light, Arthur Anderson simply issued a statement saying the last two year’s accounting statement are no longer reliable without owning much responsibility. What is noteworthy is the fact that US authority introduced the risk management step in the form of Sarbanes Oxley legislation, making the BOD, the company management and the external auditor responsible and bound by law. In addition, if a public company makes a required accounting restatement due to misconduct, that company’s CEO and CFO can be forced to forfeit any bonuses or profits gained from selling company stock for a one-year period. But the lack of definitions for the terms required and misconduct, other potential loopholes, and the SEC’s power to grant exemptions could combine to dilute the strength of this provision. The new law makes it somewhat easier for the government to prohibit officers and directors who have committed securities law violations from ever again serving in those positions. However, that potential sanction was at least theoretically available even before passage of Sarbanes-Oxley. Conclusion A leader is a person that directs a company and its management and if he adopts wrong practices to achieve personal goals, the management may get distract and go in the unethical direction. Management of WorldCom was not  evaluating the efforts of its executives, CFO and auditors that is a conduct as every business demands continuous evaluation. Another major contributing factor in the direction of companys failure was its organization structure that was not managed and apportioned appropriately by its top management. The organization structure of the World Com was also not appropriate. In WorldCom, there was the lack span of control, means the audit department was not report to the companys upper level management and not provides the right information about the accounts status of the company (Mcshane, Von Glinow Sharma, 2006). There was also lack of transparency in the organization. That means in the organization two different levels of management did not know about the wrongdoings which they were doing in the organization and there was not flow of information with each other. In any business, the organizational behavior of the company starts from top management. If the top management has high moral, ethical and leadership traits and standards, then so will the employees. The leaders of WorldCom, in this case did not and it not only affected the company but other telecommunications equipment manufacturers, and other employees. Top management must set the standards and keep them. Changing basic accounting procedures and the lack of ethical standards with top management contributed to the fall of WorldCom. References Griffin.R.W Moorhead.G. (2009). Organizational Behavior: Managing People and Organizations (9th ed.). Cengage Learning. McKenna, E. F. (2000). Business Psychology and Organizational Behavior: A Students Handbook (3rd Ed.). Psychology Press. McShane.S.L, Von Glinow.M.A. Sharma.R.R. (2006). Organizational Behavior (3rd ed.). Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Monks.R.G Minow.N. (2008). Corporate governance (4th ed.). John Wiley and Sons. Salter, M.S. (2008). Innovation Corrupted: The Origins and Legacy of Enrons Collapse. Harvard University Press. The WorldCom Accounting Scandal, (2002). Retrieved September 7, 2013. From http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Finance/The%20WorldCom%20Ac counting%20Scandal.htm WorldCom scandal: Lessons for corporate America, (n.d.). Retrieved September 5, 2013. From WSJ.com: http://online.wsj.com WorldCom Scandal. (n.d.). Retrieved September 6, 2013. From http://voices.yahoo.com

Relationships Between Vision Mission And Objectives Commerce Essay

Relationships Between Vision Mission And Objectives Commerce Essay From the vision and mission of Shangri-La Hotel, we know that Robert Kuok was concerned about the customers. He would like to delight each customer for every time the customer visit the Shangri-La Hotel. From the mission statement, Shangri-La Hotel is trying to make the entire customer feel happy and satisfy. However, Robert Kuok also knows that besides the customer, employees, shareholder or business partner also important. This point we can see from the vision statement where Robert Kuok is mention it. He also cares about the employees because he hopes that all the employees can show the perfect work performance. Since the Shangri-La provided a service to customer and without a good work performance, the customers were not satisfied. This reason might cause a bad image. As a result, there will be less and less customers come to Shangri-La Hotel. Without good employees, an organization is hard to have any improvement or changes. Therefore, Robert Kuok was concerned this problem and would like to avoid it happen. As a result, Shangri-La hotel is provide the best service to the customers and the employees were provide the best work performance all the time moreover Shangri-La Hotel could achieve their objective easily. When Shangri-La Hotel is maintain the vision this can help them to achieve their mission. This is because good employees can ensure that the way to delight each customers for every time they visit. Vision is more like a tool to ensure that the mission and objective is being achieved. There are relationship between vision, mission and objective. Task 2 (Loc 1: Ac 2) Considering the benefits to stakeholders is an integral part of the companys existence. Briefly explain the importance of stakeholder analysis to (SKL). 2.0 Definition of stakeholder Stakeholder can be defined as person, group or organization that has direct or indirect stake in an organization because it can affect or be an affected by the organizations actions, objectives and policies. Key stakeholders in a business organization include creditors, customers, directors, employees, government (and its agencies), owners (shareholder), suppliers, unions, and the community from which the business draws its resources. Although stake-holding is usually self-legitimizing, all stakeholders are not equal and different stakeholders are entitled to different considerations. Stakeholder can defined as a party with an interest in an organisation, e.g. employees, customers, suppliers or the local community. This is due to the effect that the organisations activities will have on them, although they are a third party in that they are outside of the organisation. It can also be used to describe people who will be affected by a project, or who can influence it, but who are not directly involved in doing the work. Stakeholders are an integral part of a project. They are the end-users or clients, the people from whom requirements will be drawn, the people who will influence the design and, ultimately, the people who will reap the benefits of your completed project. It is extremely important to involve stakeholders in all phases of your project for two reasons: Firstly, experience shows that their involvement in the project significantly increases your chances of success by building in a self-correcting feedback loop; secondly, involving them in your project builds confidence in your product and will greatly ease its acceptance in your target audience. There are different types of stakeholders and each type should be handled differently. 2.1 Definition of stakeholder analysis The definition of stakeholder analysis is means managerial step taken to identify each stakeholders level of interest or involvement in a given project and how that involvement can influence the project. Based on this analysis, project managers may alter how a project will be executed or decide the necessary steps that must be taken in order to limit a stakeholders influence over the project. The first step in stakeholder analysis is identifying major stakeholder groups. The groups of stakeholder who will be affected either direct or indirect by or have an effect on the firms strategy and its execution can run the scope from employees to customers. In Shangri-La Hotel, director, business partner and investor is playing an important characteristic because their decisions can affect the whole organization performance. They are very influence stakeholder for Shangri-La Hotel. For example, if one of the employees is not performing well it is not affect the Shangri-La Hotel much but if an investor is stop invest in Shangri-La Hotel or director is making a small mistake of making a decision. This might direct influence the Shangri-La Hotel if the problem is serious. 2.2 The importance of stakeholder Why are the stakeholders such important to Shangri-La Hotel? As we all know that, customer, supplier, worker is part of the stakeholders of Shangri-La Hotel. Below are shown explanation about the importance of stakeholder. 2.2.1 Customer Customers are important to Shangri-La Hotel this is because if the customers of Shangri-La Hotel is feel satisfy with the service that provided by the Hotel it means that, the customer will automatically become the promotion of the hotel. Robert Kuok knows that customers satisfaction is one of the main reasons that he could get for more customers. Customer was part of tool to help the Shangri-La Hotel promote; in the other word, when the customer feel satisfy with the Hotel they will mention to their friends and family. This kind of mouth-to-mouth promote is much better than an advertisement thus, it doesnt use any cost. There will generate more new customers within this kind of promotion and at the same time royal customers will exist too. 2.2.2 Supplier Supplier was one of the stakeholders which can influence the Shangri-La Hotel. Why is supplier important to Shangri-La Hotel? Is can be explain as Shangri-La Hotel is provided services which means the quality of raw material which supply by the supplier is important and must high quality so that Shangri-La Hotel is provided a good quality services to customers. However, the supplier should deliver the raw material in time so that the Shangri-La Hotel had enough time to produce. Shangri-La Hotel is included provide food in restaurant and service of hotel. Hotel is a place that needs to renew all the stuff inside the room everyday example, towel, mattress, shampoo, and so on. This all material is needed every day by the hotel in other to provide a good service to the customer. Moreover, the restaurant also needs a good supplier to supply fresh food to the hotel. Without a fresh food, the restaurant cant provide a good quality food to the customer. As a result, supplier is important to Shangri-La Hotel and without a good supplier it can direct effect or influence the performance of Shangri-La Hotel. 2.2.3 Workers The last part is Workers. As all know that, workers in an organization are playing an important characteristic which is help the organization to move forward and achieve the goal. So as Shangri-La Hotel, workers are important because if an organization is without any workers, the organization is considered as not functioning. The ability of the workers also can influence the performance of the Shangri-La hotel because the good workers will help the organization to achieve the objective or goals. However, there are not all workers is perform well in their work. This kind of workers should give some advised and hope they will change through the counselling. A good worker is influence the performance of Shangri-La Hotel. 2.3 Mapping of Stakeholder Stakeholder Oppose Neutral Support Supplier XX Customer X X Worker X X Task 3 (Loc 1: Ac 3) Identify and briefly the terms organizational audit and environmental audit. Select two internal and two external factors to SKL. Explain how you would conduct an audit for these. 3.0 Definition of audit The audit is means by which a company can understand how it relates to the environment in which it operates. It is the means by which a company can identify its own strengths and weaknesses as they relate to external opportunities and threats. It is thus a way of helping management to select a position in that environment based on known factors. (McDonald, 1989, p21) 3.1 Organizational Audit Organizational Audit was also known as internal audit. Internal audit get information from management, marketing, financial/accounting, production/operations, research development, and management information systems. I am going to explain about two internal audit factors to Shangri-La Hotel. First, I would like to explain about management. In Shangri-La Hotel, management is one of the tools to manage the whole organization move forward. Besides that, management function consists of planning, organizing, motivation, controlling and also leading. This all element is very important to for a manager to manage the organization. Example, Shangri-La Hotel chairman, Edward Kuok Khoon Loong should know well about the element of management so that the workers will be more effective and efficient. Furthermore, the second internal factors need to be explain is marketing which also playing an important role for the Shangri-La Hotel. Without a good marketing department, Shangri-La Hotel cant organize with properly and this will influence the performance. A marketing department of Shangri-La Hotel is needed to plan for more promotion or advertisement about the hotel so that there are more people know about the hotel. Besides that, the hotel needed to implement about the marketing strategies so they can maintain in a high level of performance. 3.2 Environmental Audit Environmental audit was also known as external audit. In external audit I am choosing two external factors to Shangri-La Hotel. The first external audit is supplier. Supplier is able to audit an organization because an organization is needs the supplier to supply the ingredient, material or product needed by particular organization. Example, Shangri-La Hotels supplier was make a mistake on supply wrong material or wrong amount this will direct effected the performance of the day. However, Shangri-La Hotel has to be careful in choosing a good supplier. First of all, they have to identify the supplier after that evaluate about the supplier next is deciding to choose which supplier. As a result, good supplier is making a profit to an organization. The second external audit is government where playing an important role too; this is because government is able to control the Shangri-La Hotel before they want to make any event or planning. Example, Shangri-La Hotel had to apply and get the license on the business first before they start any planning or construction. Moreover, government will have to check the Shangri-La Hotels operation make sure that there is no illegal thing happen. The government is the way prevents the illegal thing happen. Besides that, when the government had to make any meeting or any event with other country they could choose Shangri-La Hotel as the place to operate the entire event. As the result, government is a good external audit to Shangri-La Hotel. Task 4 (Loc 1: Ac 4) Select and explain two strategic positioning techniques that you would propose to SKL. 4. 0 Definition of positioning Positioning is refer to the development of a distinct image for the product or service in the mind of the consumer, an image that will differentiate the offering from competing ones and squarely communicate to the target audience that the particular product or service will fulfill their needs better than competing brands. (Leon G S. and Leslie L.K 2007, pg 7) 4.1 Strategies Positioning There are few strategic of positioning which consists of product, service, location and image and I would like to explain two type strategic of positioning which is service and location. 4.1.1 Service Shangri-La Hotel desires to develop a distinct image for the service in the mind of customers. The first step is Shangri-La Hotel should determine about the service quality of the hotel, thus hotel image is good and the customer will come back again. Other than that, Shangri-La Hotel also need to provide a good service in all concept which included helping the customers take luggage to the room, when customer is calling for customer service Shangri-La Hotel should fulfill all the demand required from the customers. In the other word the positioning can be improve by more value for more price. 4.1.2 Location Location of Shangri-La Hotel is a good strategic place for business. From the map we can see that there is much other company such as shopping mall, kl tower, and big company and so on. With this strategy place, Shangri-La Hotel will easy to get more customers because if the tourist come to Malaysia they will choose Shangri-La Hotel since this hotel is near to go everywhere. Moreover, the workers of the other company will come to Shangri-La hotel to having a breakfast, lunch, tea time, or dinner because Shangri-La Hotel is provide restaurant. Other than that, if the client of the other company which is near to Shangri-La Hotel where they come from other country, they will choose to stay at Shangri-La Hotel. It is because the location is near the company and its providing a high quality service. Task 5 (Loc 2: Ac 1) Design and explain the steps in strategies planning process. Please use diagrams if necessary. 5.0 Steps strategies planning process VISION AND MISSION I FORMULATION FORMULATION LONG TERM OBJECTIVE GENERATE, EVALUATE, SELECT STRATEGIES IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES MANAGEMENT ISSUES II IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES MARKETING, FINENCE, ACCOUNT, R D, CIS III EVALUATION MEASURE EVALUATE PERFORMANCE. 5.1 Explanation of strategies planning process Step 1- Vision and Mission The mission statement describes the companys business vision which including the unchanging values and purpose of the firm and forward-looking visionary goals that guide the pursuit of future opportunities. The company guided by the business vision, the firms leaders can define measurable financial and strategic objectives. Financial objectives involve measures such as sales targets and earnings growth. Strategic objectives are related to the firms business position, and may include measures such as market share and reputation.Step 2- Formulation Long Term Objective Performance goals of an organization, intended to be achieved over a period of five years or more. Long-term objectives usually include specific improvements in the organizations competitive position, technology leadership, profitability, return on investment, employee relations and productivity, and corporate image. Step 3- Generate, Evaluate, select Strategies. In this step may apply to develop some important key which potential strategies to deal with the organizations objectives. Other than that, in this step also need to evaluate some potential strategies. The last part is to select the some potential strategies and every one of them is important. Step 4 Implement strategies management issues There are numerous company was failed to realize its complete potential of its strategies was due to some weak implementation. In this step the company have to implement the potential strategies to develop. Step 5- Implement Strategies Marketing, Finance, Account, RD, CIS Very often, management team assigned selected strategies to key personnel and left it to the individual to carry out the task. Step 6- Measure Evaluate Performance The last step is the motive of accomplishment factors for an efficient strategy operation is constant review of its development and needs to makes decision for any difference to plan.

Hypothyroidism Thyroid Hormone

Hypothyroidism Thyroid Hormone Hypothyroidism 1 Information on Hypothyroidism Hypothyroidism 2 What is hypothyroidism? Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland fails to produce enough thyroid hormone. What are the causes of hypothyroidism? Some common causes of hypothyroidism are the failure of the pituitary gland to secrete a hormone called TSH, to stimulate the thyroid gland, congenital birth defects, surgical removal of the thyroid gland or inflammatory conditions, and iodine deficiency. The most common cause of hypothyroidism is called Hashimotos thyroiditis. This is an autoimmune disease which develops antibodies against its own thyroid gland cells. Some other factors that contribute to hypothyroidism includes female gender, obesity, thyroid surgery, and exposure of the neck to X-ray or radiation. How is hypothyroidism diagnosed? Hypothyroidism can be detected through a simple blood test. In this blood test, the doctor will compare your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level. A low T4 and a high TSH level indicates hypothyroidism. This is the best and most reliable way . What are the symptoms of hypothyroidism? The symptoms of hypothyroidism are: low energy, constant tiredness, depression, dizziness, weight gain, despite loss of appetite, ankle swelling, anemia, and goiter (enlarged thyroid). Symptoms of hypothyroidism can range from mild to severe. Some symptoms may go unnoticed or dismissed for more simpler conditions. What are the complications from hypothyroidism? Hypothyroidism 3 People with hypothyroidism may not have any symptoms at all. In some people, hypothyroidism can lead to heart disease, increased risk of infection, infertility, and miscarriage. The most severe complication is myxedema coma, which is a medical emergency that occurs when the bodys level of thyroid hormones become extremely low. If not treated with intravenous thyroid hormones and steroid therapy, it can be fatal. How is hypothyroidism treated? The most effective treatment for hypothyroidism is thyroid hormone supplementation. Levothyroxine is the most commonly used medication. Based on a persons TSH level, proper dosage is given in the form of a tablet. This medication is taken throughout a persons life. Thyroid hormone levels should be checked yearly to make sure the dosage is the correct amount. Can hypothyroidism be prevented? There is no prevention for hypothyroidism; however, screening tests in newborns can detect congential hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism 4 References Hypothyroidism. ( 2008). Retrieved January 8, 2008, from Endocrine Website: http:// www.endocrineweb.com/hypo1.html Hypothyroidism. (2008). Retrieved January 29, 2008, from Health Encyclopedia: http:// www.healthscout.com/ency/68/34/main.html Hypothyroidism.(2008). Retrieved January 30, 2008, from Mayo Clinic website: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hypothyroidism/DS00353 Hypothyroidism.(2008) Retrieved January 30, 2008 from Medline Plus website: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000353.htm

Government of Spain :: essays research papers fc

The Government of Spain Political System   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. Chief of state is the hereditary monarch and the head of government is the President of the Government. The President designates the cabinet which is called the Council of Ministers. Spain is also has a bicameral legislative branch. The General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (CIA World Factbook). In order for legislation to pass the two chambers must agree. Proposals of laws issued by the Senate are discussed at Congress in a Plenary Session in order to be accepted or tabled veto or be amended. The proposal of the law passes to the study of a Commission. The Commission writes a short text about the proposal which will be discussed and voted in Plenary Session. Once the text is approved by the Congress proposal of law is submitted by its President to the Senate. Senate may then accept, block a veto or make amendments. If Senate rejects the text by an absolute majority then the text goes back to Congress which can at that point either approve the bill or proposal of law by the same majority required at the Senate or Congress can wait for two months and approve the text by a simple majority. In both cases the text is the one approved initially by Congress. If Senate introduces amendments, Congress only has to accept or reject them by a simple majority. If the text is accepted without any modifications then the text is ready to be sanctioned by the King (U.S. Library of Congress). Electoral System A party must obtain a minimum of 3 percent of the vote in order to qualify for parliamentary representation. Each province is to have a minimum of two seats in the Congress of Deputies, plus one additional seat for every 144,500 inhabitants or fraction over 70,000 inhabitants (U.S. Library of Congress). Members of Congress are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms. Each province is allotted four seats in the Senate, regardless of population. Members of the Senate are directly elected by popular vote for 208 seats and 51 are appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms (CIA World Factbook). Election Results/ Party System   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of today the number of parties present in the Senate totals six.

Compare And Contrast Thomas Be Essay -- essays research papers

The archetypal hero journey, Joseph Campbell states, is a typical series of heroic actions. Four stages form the hero journey: departure, trials, epiphany, and return (the stages do not necessarily occur consecutive with the listing). Death and resurrection of lifestyle and beliefs, spiritual journey, and finally rebirth form hero journey’s motif. An archetypal hero pattern is the transformation of the character’s conscience through trials and revelations. Lust, fear, and social duties tend to be the main trials heroes face. Campbell defines a hero as a character who overcomes his trials and gives his life to something superior to himself--committed extraordinary deeds. There are two types of heroes. The physical hero gives himself to rescue someone’s physical life or well-being; the spiritual hero returns to enlighten his people and, therefore, spare them misfortune or disastrous situations. Such characters enable the author to aid the reader in perceiving the positive aspects of negative situations and vice versa. Joseph Campbell’s hero journey outline provides an understanding for the paths heroes take pertaining to their specific circumstances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Two characters that follow the hero journey are Job of the wisdom books of the Old Testament and Murder in the Cathedral’s Thomas Becket. Job is a fortunate and distinctively devout man. Satan wants to prove to God Job’s faith will falter if his blessings are obliterated. Satan creates an agonizing event sequence Job must suffer through. Job’s children, livestock, land, and health are taken away from him, and his comforters--three friends and a wife--believe Job deserves the turmoil and tell him he must repent his sins to regain his splendor. Becoming frustrated with the increasing agony he must endure, Job questions God’s actions but retains his faith. Thomas Becket’s story begins when King Henry II has trouble prosecuting church clergy under England’s law since the church they should try clergymen. Believing Becket will be a government ally, Henry appoints Becket (then King Henry’s chancellor) Archbishop. Becket finds the church has the right to try its, and holds God’s will above the king’s. Murder in the Cathedral begins with Becket, the current Archb... ...el assured his people will not be completely sorrowful when they lose their Archbishop. After speaking with his congregation, Becket is prepared for his death. Both Job and Becket return to their people in prayer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Joseph Campbell’s hero journey interpretation outlines the sequences of Job’s and Thomas Becket’s heroic circumstances. Each character progresses through the hero journey stages even though they do not necessarily follow the pattern. Job and Becket have similarities in their journeys: both experience a lifestyle alteration, are met with four advisors, and return to their people prayerful and matured; but the processes the characters journey through are distinctly different. Both Becket and Job fit Campbell’s hero definition: one who overcomes his trials and gives himself to a superior being. Both Job and Becket overcome their trials and give themselves to God. The two characters are categorized as spiritual heroes because they return sharing their spiritual findings with others. Job and Thomas Becket are spiritual heroes who successfully fulfill every phase of the hero journey Joseph Campbell outlines.

A Heritage Of Smallness

The Philippine population increases much faster than our economy. Our country indeed has been as slow as snail when it comes to the aspect of development. It takes a lot of years, even decades for us to be able to take a leap towards one step of modernization. Other countries like for example our neighbor, Singapore, which has been colonized by other more powerful country had been able to get up and make them selves more productive. But throughout the years, the Philippines had remained stagnant with their status in the world. Instead o becoming more globally competitive, we tend to just always sit down and relax and just accept the fact that our development is deteriorating. In Nick Joaquin's essay, â€Å"A Heritage of Smallness†, he emphasized how the Filipino people can be so much contented with all that is small, all that is little and all that is just enough. A child who was born from a poor family would most likely be poor for the rest of his life. It would be a common scenario that they, too, will adopt the way of living of their parents. Instead of finding a way for them to have money, they will be contented and just continue blaming whoever they want to blame. â€Å"What most astonishes foreigners on the Philippines is that this is a country, perhaps the only one in the world, where people buy and sell one stick of cigarette, half a head of garlic, a dab of pomade, part of the contents of a can or bottle, one single egg, one single banana.† — This statement without a doubt confirms the Filipino mentality when it comes to finding a source of living. Yes, on the brighter side, it may show or represent how the Filipinos are willing to do anything and everything to have money. But what Nick Joaquin probably wants us, Filipinos to do is that we should think of a realistic and achievable way for us to have money. A way wherein we would be able to suffice our everyday needs and at the same time save money. If for example, a cigarette vendor sells P1.25 per one stick of cigarette. If let's say that he was able to sell 100 sticks for the day. His income for the day would only be P125.00. This is just enough for a man without a family to support. But what if this cigarette vendor has a wife and has 3 children? How will he be able to meet the needs of his family and at the same time save money? Impossible! This man would most likely still be a cigarette vendor after ten years. We see, this kind of mentality of being too laidback is the reason why we are still suffering from slow economic growth for a long time. Even those in our government have been so lax thus, nothing is happening to our economy. It was also mentioned in the essay that the Filipino's day starts at six or seven in the morning and ends up sometimes late. Unlike other countries whose day would start at around nine or ten in the morning and ends at exactly 5 pm. But despite this difference, they still â€Å"pile up more mileage than we who work all day and all week†. This is one of the mind-bugling realities of the Filipino Life. What do we really do when we are at work? Are we really that productive? Or are we just pretending to work just because of the salary at stake? Next is the Filipino's NINGAS-KUGON mentality. We are â€Å"used only to the small effort, we are not, as a result, capable of sustained effort and lose momentum fast†. The Filipino people are very much eager to work just for the first couple of months, first couple of weeks or even for just the first couple of days. We lack the willingness to prolong our level of zealousness to work. The reason behind that is we are so impatient. We always want an easy way to everything. Which, I guess is such a lame reason for us to work. We should always develop a vision of the future and continuously strive to attain it. Isn't it that most employees transfer from one firm to the other? There most common reason would be that they are not happy with their work. But the question is, when are they going to be happy with their work? IF they are already old and the firms are the ones who throws them out for the business needs younger ones? Our love for our culture and tradition hold us back hence, hindering us from further development. â€Å"One could go on and on with his litany† — This means that it is the people's choice whether they want us to grow our not. We often make the past colonization of our country as an excuse that we were greatly influenced by foreign ideas that is why we have difficulty in moving on and reaching for modernization. But since we know this dilemma, why won't we figure out a way to unlock the chains of colonization that has been hampering our maturity as a nation? Filipinos talk too much that they forget that they have a lot of catching up to do. They are too busy boasting about things that would not contribute to any aspect of the society. If we talk less and work more, then I guess that will make a great difference. What is happening in our country is that instead of making extra effort to be able to be globally competitive, we think less and less because we are stopped by the thought of not actually making it. We have plenty of natural resources. All we have to do is to think creatively for us to be able to develop something that would catch the attention of the world. We all know that there are lots of Filipino people who are skillful in so many fields. What we need to do is to not stop at one invention. We should be always challenged. Never stop creating new things. We should make the world know that we can be something and not just a mere source of their raw materials. Lastly, the thing I'd like to point out is the fact that the Philippines, despite the relatively large and growing population, always â€Å"splits like amoeba†. Instead of working hand in hand for our country, we have this crab mentality wherein we always want to pull successful people down. This, I may say is such an obvious factor why we are getting smaller and smaller. For example, in politics, we usually split into groups and continuously find a way to let others down. We don't get anything advantageous from that. We just scare away foreign investors who, in reality are the ones who can help us in our present economic endeavor. To sum this all up, I'd like to reiterate two things. First is that we, the Filipinos should strive for the betterment of ourselves as well as of our country and be not just contented with what we have – We all should learn to aim high. And secondly, instead of always splitting into groups, we should learn to be cooperative and work hand in hand for the development of our country. Let us avoid making excuses that a big crowd is too much to handle. Let us be optimistic. Let us put in mind that a big crowd means there would be a lot of manpower that would build up and invigorate a once sleeping nation.

Esports Essay

E-Sports is the perfect industry for someone who is motivated, driven and passionate about competitive gaming to become involved with. E-Sports is an industry submersed in the gaming industry where competitive gamers can make a living by playing in tournaments and leagues as professional athletes, much like a professional athlete would in mainstream sports such as football or hockey. The points that make it such an enticing venture are not simply that you are able to play video games for a living, but the equality, passion and opportunities that help create and define the industry.Fair play on a global capacity is something not regularly seen in this era. With so many groups defining who people are or aren’t, finding something that has the ability to include everyone no matter what their race, religion or gender is, is truly inspiring. Being able to be a part of something so revolutionary that can, if given the opportunity and acceptance, could literally change the way we as p eople see and interact with the world around us. In many sports such as tennis or football –soccer for Americans- there are divisions of age and gender, not to mention the logistical problems of competing globally.With so many restrictions forced upon people in sports it is not surprising that preconceived notions such as male superiority or you dominance are still widely accepted. E-Sports on the other hand allows you to compete with men, women, children, adults, black, white, atheist or Muslim; these sort of restrictions don’t exist making E-Sports a truly fair and equal platform for not only competition but as an industry as a whole. The state of being connected globally opens many doors for you as well.Whether you wish to continue on playing as a professional gamer, or whether you have different ambitions of being a journalist, or the CEO of a company, or even just a job in marketing or graphic design; E-Sports offers this and more. As well there is a clear opportu nity to begin networking at a very young age if you desire. For instance if you wish to go into journalism, you may wish to work at an E-Sports media outlet or team organization writing articles and providing coverage at events.Or perhaps you would like to pursue a future in business, for this you may wish to join a media outlet or team organization in a different capacity such as a manager, PR officer or the head of marketing. Through these –and other- jobs within the industry you will be able to begin networking with large corporations and organizations who are involved in the industry developing personal relationships which can last a lifetime. Being able to network and develop your business skills in a real world capacity can help advance your education as well as your career.This leads us to passion and motivation and whether or not you have the desire and will to pursue your dreams. E-Sports is an industry built on passion, where people do what they do because they love doing it. Living your life by someone else’s rules is not really living your life; you need to follow your passion to be happy. The beauty of E-Sports is that it is so diverse, from the people involved to the variety of professional opportunities available to you.It is very easy to meet people with similar interests and gain a new perspective on the things you love. One aspect of E-Sports that stands out above most others is traveling and competing in events. The passion and determination of professional gamers is incredibly high; not knowing if they will make it out of the group stage and have the chance at the $45,000 available for first place that they desperately need to pay the bills and continue on playing creates a lot of passion and drive to play their best and win.This passion only spills over into the business side of the industry, as the behind the scenes people are just as passionate about developing and improving the industry as a whole. A constant hunger for im provement and success fills the E-Sports industry making it very lucrative for passionate young gamers. The only limitations you have are the ones you place upon yourself, so as long as you are passionate and dedicated, you will have a chance to succeed and accomplish your dreams. Overall E-Sports is a small industry, however it makes up for it with its various aspects.Many people overlook E-Sports simply because it is competitive video gaming and the people involved are construed as social introverts. However that is not the case and their ignorance impedes them from seeing what E-Sports really is; people coming together because of their common passion, creating a fair and truly global phenomenon. It is these essential building blocks –equality, opportunity and passion- that create an industry that is perfect for someone who is passionate and motivated towards competitive gaming.