Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Annotated Bibliography Example The information on absenteeism from the book would be useful and instrumental in the current research. Eggert, M.A. (2004). Controlling Absenteeism. Management Pocketbooks Ltd., U.K. Discussed theoretical background of absenteeism in terms of provisions of definitions, costs and measurement; identified causes; legal bits; and absence control. The author has provided a concise structural presentation on the most relevant issues confounding absenteeism with a discussion of legal matters most useful for the present study. Written with a backdrop of humor included, interspersed with comic illustrations, the book is an interesting reading and informative source that will definitely be expedient for the researcher. Fulton, K. & Mudley, E. (2008). Dealing with absenteeism in the work place. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Presented appropriate means of dealing with absenteeism with reference to Labour Relations Act (LRA) that rationalizes and find legal grounds linking absenteeism to a form of misconduct or incapacity. The authors provided a brief and concisely structured discourse finding legal grounds for employers, including accurate and explicit policies as incorporated in the organization’s code of discipline. The article, despite its brevity, contains crucial information in terms of legal justifications for providing appropriate sanctions for absenteeism in the work place. This should definitely be used in the current research.... Employee Absenteeism. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Proffered diverse issues on employee absenteeism including reasons, measuring level of absenteeism, suggested steps to minimize the incidence of absenteeism, to evaluate the working conditions to influence the dilemma, and determine motivational factors to preclude absenteeism in the workplace. The study focused on the actual experience in Go Go International Pvt. Ltd. Hassan, a garments manufacturing company, to examine the abovementioned issues and concerns. The methodology, participants, and findings are all relevant for the current research. The study is comprehensive and detailed as it provided an objective and structured approach to address issues confounding absenteeism in the organizational setting. This is definitely a useful and viable source of information for the proposed research. Mitra, S. (2008). â€Å"Managing Absenteeism and Presenteeism in the Workplace.† American Institute of CPAs. Retrieved 21 May 2011. Provided a brief theoretical background on the dilemma prior to delving into the causes of absenteeism and the costs of unscheduled absences in the workplace. The concept of presenteeism was likewise discussed concurrent with identification of its effects. The author cited secondary sources to support information on ways to control both absenteeism and presenteeism. The information contained in the article would be useful for the current study as it presented diverse issues that are deemed critical for the current research. The only weakness identified is the failure of the

Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth and Browning presents the speakers in Porphyria’s Lover, My Last Duchess and the Laboratory Essay Example for Free

Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth and Browning presents the speakers in Porphyria’s Lover, My Last Duchess and the Laboratory Essay Shakespeare presents Lady Macbeth in such a way that she is shown as a strong and powerful woman. Her ability to manipulate Macbeth to murder Duncan in order to get more power is a key example of this aspect of her character. Browning also presents his speakers in a similar way to Shakespeare through their need to control. The main way that both authors achieve this is through the use of language. Techniques such as rhyming couplets and semantic fields are used to emphasise the control that the characters have or want to achieve. Additionally, a range of imagery is used throughout all of the texts, allowing the reader to gain an understanding of the characters. In their writing Shakespeare and Browning don’t follow the general patriarchal society which makes the murders so horrific and odd as women weren’t generally thought of as thinking of murder or committing a murder. Lady Macbeth tries to gain power by pushing Macbeth to murder Duncan, when she says she would have ‘dash’d the brains out, had [she] so sworn as [Macbeth]/ [Has] done to this’. This shows Lady Macbeth using horrific imagery to manipulate Macbeth into murdering Duncan as she is saying if she would ‘das[h]’ the brains out of her own child, he should be able to murder Duncan. Lady Macbeth wants to be more masculine so she feels more superior to Macbeth. Lady Macbeth uses violent imagery, which proposes that she isn’t the stereotypical woman that society suggests. The phrase ‘das[h] the brains out of her own child’ shows she is prepared to do anything to gain power. In the 17th century women were seen as nurturing and caring so to be thinking about murdering her own child would be seen as horrific. In a similar way Browning’s poem ‘The Laboratory’ also uses a variety of imagery; however here he particularly focuses on the imagery of death. The use of an exclamation mark at the end of ‘And Pauline should have just thirty minutes to live!’ shows the speaker is excited at the prospect of murdering her partner’s mistress as it is as though she is speaking in a loud or excited tone. The use of imagery ‘just thirty minutes’ shows that she likes the  pressure and the short time scale for murder. By doing this it emphasises the woman’s psychotic behaviour as women were generally not meant to even be thinking about murder never mind excited for it. In all three of Browning’s poems the speakers use self-justification for their actions. In ‘Porphyria’s Lover’ the speaker justifies murdering his lover. When the speakers says ‘From pride, and vainer ties dissever,/ And give herself to me forever,’ he justifies murdering his lover; he believes that, because she is a higher class than him, she cannot truly love him and is too proud to be with him. As there was no proof that the woman was going to love him he is using his deluded personality as an excuse for murdering her. In a similar way in ‘The Laboratory’ the killer also uses self-justification. The speaker describes ‘The soul from those masculine eyes’. This shows the speaker criticizing the enemy to make it look more acceptable that she is murdering someone. In society a woman is not generally thought of as a murderer, so by her describing the victim as a ‘masculine’ person she is trying to make her a ctions reasonable. Shakespeare and Browning both use semantic field of love and death with Browning particularly focusing on possession in ‘Porphyria’s Lover’. When the speaker says ‘she was mine, mine’ he implies he loves her so much that he wants to kill her so that no one else can have her. This is showing the speaker’s narcissist personality because he would rather her be dead so she can’t be with anyone else. This is similar to Shakespeare’s work as Lady Macbeth and Macbeth see the power as their possession. An example of semantic field of death in Macbeth is when Lady Macbeth says ‘who should against the murderer shit the door’. This contrasts with the semantic field of love in Macbeth. Through this juxtaposition, Shakespeare shows that lady Macbeth is willing to use her love as a means to manipulate Macbeth; she will use her love to control him, no matter what the cost. In both Macbeth and Browning’s ‘The Laboratory’, the speakers use masks, both literal and metaphorical, to cover up their psychotic behaviour. An example of this is in ‘The Laboratory’ where the speaker says ‘Now that I, tying thy glass mask tightly.’ Here, her mind is becoming fragmented and she is  literally hiding herself from others as she protects herself from the fumes. In Macbeth Lady Macbeth urges Macbeth to put the mask of a murderer back on- ‘Was the hope drunk/Wherein you’d dress yourself?’ –which suggests Macbeth is feeling guilty. If he adopts a faà §ade he’ll be able to kill without feeling remorse and no one will suspect them. This also implies that they are hiding their true personality and putting on a mask to hide what they are really going to do. People today still put on an act to hide their true feelings; Shakespeare and Browning’s texts allow the modern audience to relate t o this universal concept. Browning and Shakespeare both present their speakers as mentally disturbed but use rhyming couplets as a way to create stability to cover up their true personality. In ‘The Laboratory’ the speaker and her motivations are seen as troubling and sinister so using rhyming couplets, which creates a predictable pattern acts as an attempt to mask their true personality; the pattern attempts to impose a structure in her life. Browning also uses rhyming couplets in ‘My Last Duchess’ to also create stability to mask the speakers deranged personality; the couplets are limited, as is the Duchess’s life, so it suggests that the Duke has a level of structural control although he was unable to control her behaviour. In a similar way Shakespeare also uses rhyming couplets but uses them to show lady Macbeth’s firmness of decision: ‘Away, the mock the time with fairest show:/False face must hide what the false heart, doth know.’ Here Macbeth has giv en into Lady Macbeth’s persuasion and had made his final decision on murdering Duncan. Using rhyming couplets seems misplaced as they are orderly yet a murder isn’t. Shakespeare was influenced by The Gunpowder Plot as the link between Guy Fawkes’s plan to kill the king and Lady Macbeth’s idea to kill King Duncan was very similar in a way that it was unnatural to kill the king and go against what God has chosen. Shakespeare shows Lady Macbeth thinking and talking about murder; Browning also uses a woman as a murderer in ‘The Laboratory’. Both authors use women to show how horrific the murder really is, as women were seen as caring, mother figures who were automatically seen as kind and loving- so for women to be thinking of murder shows their psychotic personality and rebellion  against social expectations. An example of this is when Lady Macbeth says ‘unsex me here,’ which shows Lady Macbeth wanting to become more masculine, so she will be more capable of murder. By Shakespeare presenting Lady Macbeth in this way shows us that Lady Macbeth is capable of anything which is seen as unusual because women weren’t generally seen as being able to do a lot of things men were. Another example of this concept is in ‘The Laboratory’ when the speaker says ‘Sure to taste sweetly. This shows that the speaker finds pleasure in murdering someone. The speakers in ‘My Last Duchess’ and Lady Macbeth are both controlling and possessive. In ‘My Last Duchess’ the speaker says the metaphor ‘Taming a sea-horse.’ which suggests that the Duke has a controlling personality as it is like he is treating the Duchess as a slave and modelling her into what he wants her to be. The Duke shows he is controlling possessive as he says ‘That’s my last Duchess painted on the wall’; by using the possessive ‘my’ the Duke show us his true personality as he is saying the Duchess was, and still is, his. An example of possessiveness from Macbeth is ‘Only look up clear;†¦leave the rest to me.’ This shows Lady Macbeth being assertive and taking charge showing us her controlling and manipulative personality. By doing this it shows us that Lady Macbeth is the one who was the most power hungry as she is taking control and sorting everything out; it also shows that Macbet h is quite timid when it comes to Lady Macbeth because he just follows her orders. As women were seen as weaker than men, Lady Macbeth has to use Macbeth to get what she wants. In conclusion both Browning and Shakespeare present the characters as powerful and manipulative. Browning uses pronouns in both ‘The Laboratory’ and ‘My Last Duchess’ in order to show the relationships between the characters. Shakespeare also uses role reversal as he uses a woman telling a man what to do instead of the other way around; this could therefore be seen as subverting traditional gender roles. In this century a woman telling a man what to do is not seen as unusual but in the 17th century it wasn’t seen as the standard thing.

Why Accounting is highly subjective

Why Accounting is highly subjective Many scholars and theorists have supported the concept of subjectivity in accounting and have also used this concept has an argument against academics that have a different perspective to this concept ¸ who considers accounting to be objective. Morgan argued that accounting/accountants are constructors of reality, subjective (Morgan, 1988, pg. 477) and they produce and represent situations in financial statements with some degree of subjectivity and one-sided ways. This perspective or ideology was further supported by Ruth Hines, a source to the improvement of accounting theory, who used the notion of reality construction to justify her view. She believed that in communicating reality, we construct it (Hines, 1988, pg. 251). Hence, accounting is socially constructed, which means it is concocted by people, individuals or societies at large. However these were views that positivists, David Solomons and Rob Bryer did not support. Bryer used Marxs theory of labour process to argue that objective accounting lies at the core of capitalist control of modern business enterprises (Bryer, 2006, pg. 42). In addition, Solomons had a more radical view by suggesting that accountants should be like journalists (Solomons, 1991, pg. 287). He explains that accountants should be reporting the news as it happens, not build it to be the reality or full picture of an event; but do we know what reality is?, how and when do we know what the true and fair view of an event is without having an historical background?, can we rely on it?. These are views that will also be explored during the course of this evaluation. First of all, what is accounting? The American Accounting Association defines accounting as the process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information to permit informed judgements and decisions by users of the information (Porter Norton, 2009, pg. 11). The history of modern accounting dates back to 1494, when Luca Pacioli wrote a book on double entry bookkeeping. During the years that followed, accounting and the accounting profession lacked theoretical knowledge backing them up'(Kyriacou 2010, lecture3, slide8) to decrease ambiguity. Therefore, due to the financial scandals in the 1920s that lead to the great depression at that period, GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) was formed in the in the late 1930s to control and regulate the accounting. Years after GAAP was formed, SSAP2 was formed in 1971 to serve as a directional tool for accounting and the accounting profession with the combination of various concepts and conventions: Going, accruals, prud ence and consistency, realisation, objectivity, materiality, money measurement, entity and duality. However after the ASB review, SSAP2 reduced them to four which formed C.A.P.G (Going, accruals, consistency and prudence). SSAP2 also established more policies on stock, depreciation, assets etc. Despite SSAP2s effort to give meaning to accounting traditions, accounting was still done based on the duality concept because accountants did not know why accounting was practised the way it was. As a result, the notion of a conceptual framework was introduced by the FASB (Federal Accounting Standards Board), to put together various ideas that arose years after the emergence of SSAP2, to give accounting a better understanding. In other words, conceptual framework is basically a big accounting encyclopaedia, where you will find rules, theories, terms and principles that have been drawn together as the years go by, to shape the accounting profession and offer some sought of meaning to accounti ng, as a whole. These Ideas include The Corporate Report 1975, true and fair view, SSAP2, accounting concepts, 1991 Statements of Principle, etc. (Mathews Perera, 1996, 23-30). From history, it is evident that accounting has been shaped by different ideas, images and views over the years by countries, scholars and the society at large. Ideas such as the True and Fair view; which is a fundamental part in accounting and all issued accounts, the suggestion of six additional statements in the Corporate Report 1975 and also the debate between UK and USA on whether it is possible to obtain a conceptual framework, or put theories on events that has already happened hence conceptual framework, which was the suggestion from the UK by professor Macvae. However, these ideas only provide us with diverse standpoints of accounting practices as a whole. Even so, it is palpable that accounting is socially constructed and subjective just like an artist is obliged to produce a partial view of the reality he or she w ishes to represent (Morgan, 1988, pg. 477). All these views, debates and ideologies were all constructed by people for people i.e. accounting bodies to accountants, hence socially constructed. For example, financial statements are constructed by a financial accountant based on his or her view of a company, to an audience that are external. However, the views of such accountant might not be the full picture of the company financial position. As a result of the untrue representation of the financial statements, the outcome becomes highly subjective and relatively a biased observation of reality because accountants arbitrarily combine and define, and add, and subtract things in a different way to the everyday way (Hines, 1988 pg. 254) While positivists such has Solomons suggests that the conception of neutrality ,impartiality, should be fundamental to accounting and that accountants should be unbiased and reporting reality as they see it, it begs the question whether reality can be verified or proved? And as users, should we depend on it without knowing why it is done in such way? That is the reason why unanswered questions like the above make phenomenologists like tinker disagree with the ideas of positivism approach to accounting. They believe that people i.e. accountants are not entirely independent about their opinions and how they view reality as a whole. In addition, Hines said that in communicating reality, we construct it (Hines, 1988, pg.257) and give meaning to it. Consequently, Reality to accountants or in accounting is interpreted differently to non accountants. This is like the relationship between a farmer and a chicken. Reality to a farmer is to kill the chicken for Christmas celebration but for the chicken reality is growing up in the farm and laying eggs. This example therefore shows that reality is interpreted in different ways but due to the fact that accountants are a group with power in the society like the farmer, their construct and make their reality legitimate which we then have to believe and absorb into our own general conception, because they basically shouted the loudest. However, in my opinion, I think reality is out there but because we are limited to following the views and opinions posed in accounting, we wont be able to find reality but instead wait until something bad has happened in the accounting profession just like the financial crisis and failures that took place in big organizations like Lehman Brothers (Swedberg, 2010, 71-114), and question objectivity in accounting. This brings us back to the farmer and chicken illustration. Since the chicken is used to doing the same thing; wakeup, eat, walk around, lay eggs and sleep everyday during the year, such chicken would not know what reality is because the chicken is used to the same way of living but when Christmas comes the chicken gets killed. Then, questions will be asked whether the way the chicken has been living since the beginning of the year is reality or being killed during Christmas? Enough of my chicken illustration and back to my evaluation. In addition financial failures in big organizations have made non-accountants more aware of the significant impact of accounting in their lives and the roles they play to shape accounting. Subsequently, due to the problems in the accounting profession, there have been theoretical frameworks created to provide solutions and discipline in the profession. So what is theory? Theory can be defined as a set of interrelated constructs, definitions and propositions that present a systematic view of a phenomenawith the purpose of explaining and predicting the phenomena (Kerlinger, 1964, p.11). However, since accounting is a practice based profession unlike science, we can argue that applying theory based system into accounting could be problematic even subjective. This is because acquiring knowledge needed to form theories, comes from different sources, such as; introspecting, ones perception, memory, faith, intuition etc. All of which are all subjective sources. To be able to acquire knowledge, the process of induction is used. The process starts from observation, which is the inductive approach to develop a law or theory. Once the law has been passed, it would then go through the deductive approach were it would be tested. However there have been debates about how theories are generated. Furthermore, some scholars suggested that it is through the inductive approach and others say it is through the deductive approach but because fundamental accounting theories such as fair value and depreciation have all been developed through the inductive reasoning process, it is safe to say that these theories are very subjective. Reason being, not all situations, events or circumstances observed are objective; instead they are prejudiced and give an inaccurate picture of what the observer sees. This therefore reiterates Hiness perception that when we communicate reality, we create it (Hines, 1988, p.g 251). Over the years, the observable fact of ambiguity and uncertainty in accounting concepts has been the topic of debate between accounting researchers. Apart from the notion of reality construction and accounting theory formation, these debates have been centred around the back bone of financial statements: the true and fair view concept. Firstly, what is the meaning of true and fair? , what is the definition of the true and fair view concept in accounting? Websters Reference Library (2010) defines true as conforming with fact; correct, accurate; perfectly in tune (Webster, 2010, pg. (349)). Fair is defined in the concise Oxford Thesaurus (2002) as fair-minded, just, impartial, unbiased, unprejudiced, and honest (Kirkpatrick, 2002, pg. (273)). However, the concept of true and fair view in the accounting profession is releasing all appropriate materials that are consistent with the acceptable accounting principles. However, non-accountants construe the meaning of true and fair to be 100% truth and correct, so whenever statements are signed off with the famous sentence: this statements has been produced with a true and fair view, users of financial statements immediately believe that the accounts produced is the 100% reflection of the companies financial state which has been produced truthfully and correctly. Regretfully, this assumption is not always right because not all companies report their financial state truthfully and correctly which was the case of Enron, were the company had leveraged some it if debts constantly and did not reflect it on their balance sheet before and after it was signed off by the companys auditor, Anderson, under the accounting rules and principles (Thakur, kalra karkun, 2002, pg. 1-5). Therefore this shows that the true and fair view concept was used as a safety net and a pepper spray to blind the users from knowing the full-picture and also used as an excuse for non-compliance. For that reason, I think the vagueness and high subjectiv ity level involved in the true and fair view concept makes it difficult to have a definitive explanation when the accounting definition is unclear even to the professionals themselves, who make sure they avoid explaining the meaning. It is therefore based on ones perspective/interpretation of what true and fair view is thus making accounting very subjective as suggested by Tinker. He said it is impossible to represent financial events without any form of subjectivity in it and ignoring some facts because financial statements are produced based on the accountants opinion or due to influences from different factors (Tinker, 1991, pg. 297-298), for example the Lehman Brothers collapse. In conclusion, even though accounting is regarded or said to be objective and as much as accountants perceive themselves to be positivists, it is evident the profession as a whole is not as objective as we would hope. Furthermore, this evaluation has used various notions to give an explanation the issue of subjectivity in accounting. Firstly, the formulation of the conceptual framework plays a huge part in shaping accounting either through theories or debates, all of which provided accountants with the rules they have to follow. Nonetheless, it is evident that the framework is socially-constructed because it was developed by people for other people i.e. by accountants to the external users. Additionally, the notion of reality construction shows that accounting is subjective because accountants make their reality known by giving it meaning based on their opinion and, everyone else has to follow these common conception. We can also see that knowledge gathering is important when making or formulating accounting theories. It however becomes problematic because the sources used to acquire knowledge during the inductive reasoning approach could sometimes be biased and prejudiced and as phenomenologists suggested, we are part of what is being observed. Whats more, the true and fair view concept in accounting is highly fundamental to published accounts. However, inability to give the concept a definition within the accounting profession and in company law makes it harder to understand even to the professionals themselves. This therefore makes it highly subjective because we as users are left to give the concept a meaning based on our judgement.

Post-Modern Victorian: A. S. Byatts Possession Essay examples -- essay

Post-Modern Victorian: A. S. Byatt's Possession If I had read A. S. Byatt's novel Possession without having had British Literature, a lot of the novel's meaning, analogies, and literary mystery would have been lost to me. The entire book seems one big reference back to something we've learned or read this May term. The first few lines of chapter one are poetry attributed to Randolph Henry Ash, which Byatt wrote herself. Already in those few lines I hear echoes of class, lines written in flowery Pre-Raphaelite tradition. "The serpent at its root, the fruit of gold /†¦At the old world's rim, /In the Hesperidean grove, the fruit /Glowed golden on eternal boughs, and there /The dragon Ladon crisped his jewelled (sic) crest†¦." Because of class, I was able to pick up on this poetry tradition right away. This story within a story is strengthened by Byatt's ability to write Victorians accurately. Until I read some of the reviews, I thought Byatt's Victorian characters were actual historical literary figures, when actu ally they are fictitious, and their journals, letters, and poetry are written by Byatt. The action of the book takes place in two periods. The two main characters, Roland and Maud, are literary scholars living in the 1980's. Their love story is shared and played out by the diaries, poetry, and correspondence of two poets and lovers from the 1860's-Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. Although the book is modern fiction, much of it is a Victorian novel as well. Possession is characteristic of Byatt's love for intertextuality and imbedded texts. Possession is also an example of several literary genres, all written into one book. At various times it gives evidence of poetry, mythology, a romance novel, a detective story, a fairy tale, journals and diaries, and scholarly writings. There are several themes in Possession that tie this book to earlier texts that we have read. Individual versus group identity, feminism, sexuality and the link between present and past are themes that Byatt deals with in her novel. Interestingly, Byatt expresses many of these themes using symbolic color imagery, a technique that makes her writing reminiscent of Pre-Raphaelite style. According to Byatt, the "struggle of the individual to discover and then live out her... ...hanged, and romance from one time to another is not so different as we thought. The characters mix the old and the new; Maud wears a brooch once belonging to Christabel, and another Ash scholar, Mortimer Cropper, carries Ash's pocket watch. In the end of the novel, the last love letter written by Christabel enables Maud to finally enjoy the value of love in the present, and give her trust to Roland. The cyclical time frame of the novel provides an interesting contrast to the normal, stifling, linear time frame of typical literature and everyday life. The way Byatt expresses many of these themes through her symbolic use of color is significant. Byatt paints with words, making her reminiscent of the Pre-Raphaelites. She gives color descriptions for her characters, painting the women such as LaMotte and Christabel in gold and green description, while persons whose characters are flat and never well-developed, such as Paola the secretary, are described in colorless terms. Paola has "long, colourless hair bound in a rubber band" huge mothlike glasses, and "dusty grey pads" for fingertips. Her lack of color sets her off from the beginning as a very flat character.

The Hunters: Phantom Chapter 35

Elena leaped backward as the phantom caught fire. She was so close that the heat of the flames burned her cheeks, and she could smel her own hair smoking. Shielding her face with her hands, she eased her way forward as silently and sneakily as she could, closer and closer to the phantom. Her legs shook, but she wil ed them stil and steady. She was consciously not letting herself look at or think about Stefan's body crumpled on the floor of the garage, in the same way she had kept herself from looking at Damon and Stefan's fight when she needed to think. Suddenly a burst of flames shot into the air, and for one dazzling second, Elena dared to hope that Damon had done it. The phantom was burning. Surely no creature of ice could withstand that. But then she realized that the phantom was not only burning. She was also laughing. â€Å"You fool,† the phantom said to Damon, in a soft and almost tender voice. â€Å"You think fire can hurt me? Jealousy can burn hotter than fire as wel as colder than ice. You of al people should know that, Damon.† She laughed her strange clinking laugh. â€Å"I can feel the jealousy, the anger that burns in you al the time, Damon, and it burns so hot I can smel the hatred and despair that live in you, and your little petty hurts and rages are meat and drink to me. You clutch them to you and pore over them like treasure. You may have succeeded in casting out a tiny piece of the multitudes of hurts that burden you, but you'l never be free of me.† Around the phantom's feet, tiny blue lines of flame ignited and spread quickly across the floor of the garage. Elena watched in horror: Were these burning traces of oil left by Mrs. Flowers's ancient car? Or was it simply the phantom's maliciousness made solid, spreading fire among them? It didn't real y matter. What mattered was that the garage was on fire, and while the phantom might be impervious to the flames, the rest of them weren't. Smoke fil ed the musty space, and Elena and her friends began to cough. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand. Streaking past Elena, Damon snarled and leaped for the phantom's throat. Even in their current dire situation, Elena couldn't help admiring Damon's speed and grace. He col ided with the phantom and knocked it to the floor, then recoiled, protecting his face with his leather-clad arm. Fire, Elena remembered with a frisson of terror. Fire is one of the few things that can kill a vampire. Her eyes watered from the smoke, but she forced them to stay open as she moved closer, circling around behind the phantom, who was back on its feet. She could hear her friends shouting, but she concentrated on the fight. The phantom was moving more awkwardly than it had been earlier, and did not immediately attack Damon. Through the flames, Elena could see that thick greenish fluid was stil trickling down its solid torso from the wound Meredith had given it. Where the liquid touched the flames, they flickered with a greenish blue tint. Damon lunged for the phantom again, and it flung him off with a shrug. Snarling, they circled each other warily. Elena skittered around behind them, trying to stay out of Damon's way, trying to see how she could help. A crackling from across the room distracted Elena for a second, and she glanced back to see fire climbing the far wal , reaching for the wooden shelves set around the room. She missed seeing what exactly happened next, but suddenly Damon was skidding across the floor on his back, an angry red burn glowing on his cheek. He was up again in a second and prowling back toward the phantom, but his eyes had a slightly wild glint to them that made Elena nervous. Even injured, the phantom was stronger than Damon, and, after his long fight with Stefan, Damon's reserves must be waning. He was growing reckless. Elena gathered her courage and moved closer to the phantom again, as close to the flames as she could stand. The phantom glanced back at her for a second and then away, focusing on the stronger threat. It sprang forward to meet Damon, its fiery arms spread wide and a savagely joyous smile on its face. And suddenly Meredith was there beside Damon. She looked solemn and pale as a young martyr, her lips tight and her eyes wary, but she moved as fast as lightning. Her stave sliced through the air almost too quickly to see, leaving another long cut across the phantom's stomach. The phantom howled, and the flames on its torso hissed as more greenish fluid gushed from the wound. But the phantom remained upright. It snarled and reached for Meredith, who danced rapidly backward, just out of range. Meredith and Damon exchanged a wordless look and moved to flank the phantom, one on either side, so that it couldn't watch both of them at once. Damon cuffed Jealousy, a short, intense blow, and pul ed back a reddish, blistering hand. Meredith swung her stave again, nearly catching the phantom on the arm but instead cleaving only a wisp of smoke. There was a crash as a burning shelf col apsed onto the floor. The smoke grew thicker. Away from the fight, Elena could hear Bonnie and Matt coughing. Elena moved closer stil , again coming toward the phantom from behind, safely out of Meredith and Damon's way. The phantom's heat was like a bonfire. Meredith and Damon were moving in tandem now, as smoothly as if they had rehearsed, dancing in and back, sometimes catching the phantom with a blow, more often passing through a curl of smoke or mist as the phantom transformed its parts from solid to airy shapes. A voice rang out. â€Å"Impera te desistere.† Mrs. Flowers leaned against the supporting arms of Matt and Alaric. But her eyes were clear and her voice was steady. Power crackled in the air around her. The phantom slowed only slightly in its fight, perhaps no more than a half second behind in its thrusts and transformations. But this was enough to make at least a little difference. More of Damon's and Meredith's blows landed, and they were able to dodge a few more of the phantom's. Was it enough, though? The phantom flinched when a punch hit home, and it bled horrible green goo where the stave cut it, but it was stil steady on its feet as Meredith and Damon hacked and choked in the smoke and stumbled away from the flames. The rose in Jealousy's chest pulsed a steady dark red. Elena exhaled in frustration and immediately began to cough again. The phantom wasn't staying in one place long enough for Elena to get a good shot at grabbing the rose-heart. Meredith sliced at it with her fighting stave, and this time the stave slid through smoke, and the phantom grabbed the stave in one hand, swinging Meredith toward Damon. Col iding, they both fel heavily to the ground, and the phantom, stil slightly hobbled by Mrs. Flowers's spel , strained toward them. â€Å"I've envied Meredith for her brains!† shouted Bonnie. Her face was smudged with smoke and tears, and she looked incredibly smal and fragile, but she was standing straight-backed and proud, yel ing at the top of her lungs. â€Å"I know I'l never be as good at school as she is, but that's okay. I cast my jealousy out!† The phantom's rose dimmed to a dark pink for a moment, and it staggered ever so slightly. It glanced at Bonnie and hissed. It was only a tiny pause in the phantom's advance, but it was enough for Damon to spring to his feet. He stepped in front of Meredith, shielding her as she clambered up. Without even looking at each other, Meredith and Damon began circling in opposite directions again. â€Å"I've been jealous that my friends have more money than I do!† Matt shouted, â€Å"but I cast the jealousy out!† â€Å"I envy the way Alaric truly believed in something unproven, and turned out to be right!† Celia yel ed. â€Å"But I cast it out!† â€Å"I've envied Elena's clothes!† Bonnie cried. â€Å"I'm too short to look good in lots of things! But I cast that out!† Damon kicked at the phantom, pul ing his smoldering leg back quickly. Meredith swung her stave. Mrs. Flowers chanted in Latin, and Alaric joined her, his low voice in counterpoint to hers, reinforcing her spel . Bonnie, Celia, and Matt kept shouting: dredging up smal jealousies and hurts that they were probably usual y hardly aware of, casting them out to pepper the phantom with tiny blows. And for the first time, the phantom looked†¦ baffled. It swung its head slowly from one to another of its opponents: Damon stalking toward it, fists raised; Meredith, her stave swinging surely as she watched the phantom with a cool and considering gaze; Alaric and Mrs. Flowers reciting strings of Latin words, hands lifted; Bonnie, Matt, and Celia shouting confessions as if they were throwing rocks at it. Jealousy's glassy eyes passed over Elena without real y seeming to notice her: Standing stil and quiet among the entire hubbub, she was not a threat. This was the best chance Elena was going to get. She nerved herself to move forward, then froze as the phantom turned toward her. Then, miraculously, Stefan was there. He grappled at the phantom's back, throwing one arm around its neck as the flames licked at him. His shirt caught fire. The phantom, briefly, was pul ed backward past Elena, its torso toward her, unprotected. Without hesitation, Elena plunged her hand into the fire. For a moment, she barely felt the flames, just a gentle, almost cool touch against her hand as the flames flickered around her. Not so bad, she had a moment to think, and then she felt the pain. It was pure and agonizing, and dark fireworks of shock went off behind her eyes. She had to fight to overcome the almost irresistible instinct to pul her hand back out of the fire. Instead, she groped at the phantom's torso, searching for the cut Meredith had made just above its rose. It was slippery and smooth, and her hand fumbled. Where is it? Where is it? Damon had thrown himself into the flames alongside Stefan, yanking at the phantom's arms and neck, keeping its torso clear for Elena, preventing the phantom from ripping free and throwing her across the room. Meredith beat at Jealousy's side with her stave. Behind her, her friends' voices rose in a babble of confessions and spel s as they did their part to keep the phantom off balance and disoriented. At last Elena's hand found the cut and she pushed inside. It was icy cold in the phantom's chest, and Elena yelped at the contrast – the cold was excruciating after the heat, and the flames stil licked at her wrist and arm. The freezing liquid inside the phantom's chest was so thick, it was like feeling through gelatin. Elena shoved and reached, and the phantom screamed with pain. It was a horrible sound and, despite al that the phantom had done to her and her friends, Elena could not help flinching in sympathy. A moment later, Elena's hand closed on the rose's stem and a thousand thorns pierced her burned flesh. Ignoring the pain, she pul ed the rose out of the freezing liquid, out of the fire, and staggered backward, away from the phantom. She didn't know what she'd expected to happen, exactly. For the phantom to melt like the Wicked Witch of the West, perhaps, leaving nothing but a puddle of vile greenish water. Instead, the phantom stared at her, its mouth open, its pointed, shining teeth on ful display. The tear in its chest had expanded, and fluid oozed rapidly, like an untended faucet. The flames burned low and green where the liquid tracked down its body and dripped to the floor. â€Å"Give it to me,† Stefan said, appearing at Elena's side. He took the rose from her hand and ripped at its petals, now fading to a lighter pink, and scattered the petals into the fire burning up the sides of the garage. The phantom watched with a stunned expression, and gradual y its blazing fire thinned to smoke, its solid form slowly vaporizing. For a moment, a smoky, malevolent image hung in the air before them, its eyes fixed sul enly upon Elena. And then it was gone.

Accounting Principles and Practices Performed by Small Businesses in the Philippines

College of Business Administration Abstract: This research aims to gain the knowledge and awareness on the accounting practices done by small businesses. It aims to inform and learn about small businesses’ and their compliance to the standard practices of accounting in the Philippines, whether or not these businesses are following the basic accounting principles and what alternatives of accounting do they perform.And lastly, to provide recommendations to the businesses owners and other persons involved, on what accounting practice is more suitable for small businesses. Through the use a variety of reference materials, such as reference books, text books and internet sources, information related to the study has been compiled and put together to form the appropriate knowledge needed for the study.Through the findings, the researchers classified two types of accounting practices performed by small businesses: Formal Accounting, this accounting practice is based on the actual Phi lippine accounting standard provided by the IFRS, and a Semi-Formal Accounting, a combination of the IFRS accounting and the Single entry record system. Keywords: Accounting, Accounting Principles, Accounting Practices, Small Business, Small Business Accounting Introduction There are more than a million businesses spread throughout the Philippines.From high rising commercial entities in the big cities, to the smallest businesses found in the front yard of residential homes in rural or urban areas. Business can be defined as a person, partnership, or corporation that seeks to provide goods and services to others at a profit (Dias and Shah, 2009) Businesses are among one of the factors affecting the economic growth in the country. Generally, taxes and investments earned by these businesses, through the purchases of their consumers, are paid to the Government. Small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) play a significant role in developing economies.Among their contributions are as foll ows: (a) they address poverty by creating jobs and by increasing incomes; (b) they disperse economic activities in the countryside, and provide broad-based sources of growth; (c) they serve as suppliers and providers of support services for large enterprises; (d) they stimulate entrepreneurial skills among the populace; and (e) they act as incubators for developing domestic enterprises into large corporations. SMEs typically comprise the bulk of business enterprises in both developed and developing countries.They also employ a large segment of a country's workforce, and contribute significantly to national output (Habaradas, 2008) However, not all businesses contribute to the economic growth of the country especially for small independent businesses in private homes. Such examples are self-employed proprietors and street vendors whose businesses are not registered to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). Legally registered businesses (small businesses) on the other hand, contribute to the economic growth through payments of taxes collected by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.Such businesses record transactions or accounting information to keep track and allocate assets, liabilities and the owner’s equity. Through this accounting information, the owners will be able to allocate their assets for the expenses of tax payments. It may be said that the accounting practice is for formalities and usually performed by large business entities. However it is important for small businesses to apply the accounting practices in order to easily keep track and record important transactions especially those which concern large amounts of money.Accounting is important in achieving success in any business, especially a small one. Accounting is tied to the business’ financial well bing, without it, it will be hard to determine whether there is a positive or negative increase to the profit of the business. Accounting records must accurately reflect the changes occurrin g in the firm’s assets, liabilities, income, expenses and equity. The continued operation of a business depends on maintaining the proper balance among its investments, revenues, expenses and profit.Because profit margins are so critical to the success of a business, any decline should trigger an immediate search for the cause. Thus, the owner must rely on the accounting information to search this cause (Byrd and Megginson, 2009) The purpose of a business is to make a profit; proper business accounting helps determine how well the business runs. Accounting is the general process of tracking income and expenses and then using that data to examine the financial status of a business. (Strauss, 2005) The accounting practices performed by larger businesses are usually formal, specific and detailed and done by certified accountants.Small business accounting may be performed in various styles, with no formality and proper structure, and usually done by the owners themselves. A varie ty of accounting styles maybe derived from the informal accounting performed by small businesses. Some styles may have the same structure, making it similar to other businesses thus having slight uniformity. Review of Related Literature Small Businesses A small Business is any business that is independently owned and independently owned and operated, is not dominant in its field, and does not engage in many new or innovative practices.It may never grow large, and the owners may not want it to, as they usually prefer a more relaxed and less aggressive approach to running the business. They manage their business in a normal way, expecting normal sales, profits, and growth. In other words, they seek a certain degree of freedom and ideally a certain degree of financial independence. (Byrd ;amp; Megginson, 2009) Accounting Accounting is a service activity; Its function is to provide quantitative information, primarily financial in nature, about economic entities that is intended to be us eful in making economic decision.Accounting includes several branches, for example, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and government accounting. This statement deals with financial accounting for business enterprises, the branch of accounting that focuses on the general-purpose reports on financial position and results of operations known as financial statements. This Statement has two broad purposes: (A) to provide a basis for enhanced understanding of the broad fundamentals of financial accounting, and (B) to provide a basis for guiding the future development of financial accounting. n. d. , 1998) Financial statements are prepared and presented for external users by many entities around the world. Although such financial statements may appear similar from country to country, there are differences which have probably been caused by a variety of social, economic and legal circumstances and by different countries having in mind the needs of different users of financial sta tements when setting national requirements.The accounting conceptual framework, formerly known as the Framework for the Presentation of financial Statements by the IASC, serves as the foundation for the development of accounting standards by the International Accounting Standards board. It’s main objective is to narrow the differences in financial statements of different entities by harmonizing regulations, accounting standards and procedures relating to the preparation and presentation of financial statements. (Robles ;amp; Empleo, 2007) Structure of the Philippine AccountingThe Framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements adopted in the Philippines is based on the International Accounting Standards Committee’s (IASC) Framework for the Preparation and presentation of Financial Statements. This was approved in the Philippines on January 26, 2000 by the unanimous vote of the members of the Accounting Standards Council (ASC). The ASC was the fun ctioning accounting standard setting body in the Philippines, when the Philippines decided to adopt the International Accounting Standards.The same Framework was upheld by the International Accounting Standards Board, when the latter succeeded the International Accounting Standards Committee in 2001. In the Philippines, the ASC was succeeded by the currently functioning Financial Reporting Standards Council (FRSC). The FRSC assists the Board of Accountancy in the latter’s function of adopting and promulgating the International Financial Reporting Standards. Thus, both the IASB and the locally functioning FRSC in the Philippines are guided by the same Framework. Robles ;amp; Empleo, 2007) The IFRS for SMEs The Philippine Institute for Public Accountants (PICPA) now recognizes the International Accounting Standards Board's (IASB) recently released International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs), as an official set of accounting sta ndards to be audited against. (Brozovsky, Christie & Hicks, 2010) The IFRS for SMEs was adopted in the Philippines effective January 1, 2010, and is known as the Philippine Financial Reporting Standards for Small-Medium Entities (PFRS for SMEs).The Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted a definition of â€Å"small and medium-sized entities† that includes a size criterion. As defined by SEC, an entity is an SME if: it is not in the process of filing its financial statements for the purpose of issuing any class of instruments in a public market and, it is not a holder of a secondary license issued by a regulatory agency, such as bank (all types of banks), an investment house, a finance company, an insurance company, a securities broker / dealer, a mutual fund and a pre-need company.The Philippines has been acknowledged by political scientists and economists as a newly industrialize nation. The country is experiencing rapid economic growth usually export -oriented and on-going industrialization. The Accounting Standards Council (ASC) is responsible for establishing and improving generally accepted accounting standards. Development of such standards are based on existing practices in the country, as well as statements and studies issued by other standard setting bodies like the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) and the Financial Accounting Standard Board (FASB).The ASC, which was renamed as the Financial Reporting Standards Council (FRSC) decided to replace its US-based standards with International Accounting Standards (IAS), later referred to as IFRS. The Philippines also adopted the International Financial Reporting Standards in 2005. It modified its accounting practices slightly to adjust to Philippine policies making the Philippine Financial Reporting Standard (PFRS), and the Philippine Accounting Standards (PAS).Businesses are fully aware of the changes from GAAP to IFRS, which now apply the new IFRS procedures , and modifications that were implemented taking effect in 2009. These companies are now preparing their financial statements in compliance with the PFRS. The Philippines has fully implemented the IFRS. In April 2010, The Philippines adopted IFRS for SMEs referred to as Philippine Financial Reporting Standard for SMEs. These standards can be used by an entity that is not a listed company, a large unlisted company, and a financial institution or public utility. (Ibarra & Suez-Sales, 2011)The International Accounting Standards Board ( IASB ) was established in 2001 as part of the International Accounting Standards Committee ( IASC ) Foundation. One of the objectives of the IASC foundation and of the IASB is: to develop, in the public interest, a single set of high quality, understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that are require high quality, transparent and comparable information in financial statements and other financial reporting to help participants in the world’s capital markets and other users make economic decisions.The IASB also develops and publishes a separate standard intended to apply to the general purpose and other financial statements of, and other financial reporting by, entities that in many countries are referred to by a variety of terms, including small and medium-sized entities (SMEs), private entities, and non-publicly accountable entities. That standard is the International Financial Reporting Standards for Small and Medium-sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs).SMEs often produce financial statements only for the use of tax authorities or other governmental authorities. Financial statements produced solely for those purposes are not necessarily general purpose financial statements. (Alliance of Accounting and Auditing Researchers, n. d. ) Accounting Policies The IFRS for SMEs is indented for the use of small and medium sized entities (SMEs). Small and medium-sized entities are entities that do not have public account ability, and publish general purpose financial statements for external users.Examples of external users include owners who are not involved in managing the business, existing and potential creditors and credit rating agencies. Accounting policies are the specific principles, bases, conventions, rules and practices applied by an entity in preparing and presenting financial statements. If this IFRS specially addresses a transaction, other event or condition, an entity shall apply this IFRS. However, the entity need not to follow a requirement in this IFRS in the effect of doing so would not be material.If this IFRS specifically address a transaction, other event or condition, an entity’s management shall use its judgement in developing and applying an accounting policy that results in information that is relevant to the economic decision-making needs of users, and reliable, in that the financial statements represent faithfully the financial position, financial performance and c ash flow of the entity; reflect the economic substance of transactions, other events and conditions, and not merely the legal form; are neutral, i. . free from bias; are prudent; and are complete in all materials respects. An entity shall select and apply its accounting policies consistently for similar transactions, other events and conditions, unless this IFRS specifically requires or permits categorisation of items for which different policies may be appropriate. If this IFRS requires or permits such categorisation, an appropriate accounting policy shall be selected and applied consistently to each category.An entity shall change an accounting policy only if the change is required by changes to this IFRS, or results in the financial statements providing reliable and more relevant information about the effects or transactions, other events or conditions on the entity’s financial position, financial performance or cash flows. (Alliance of Accounting and Auditing Researchers, n. d. ) Need of Accounting Information for Small Businesses In order to operate a business effectively, the owner should be informed as to the nature and amount of each asset, each liability, and the amount of owner’s equity.For purposes of planning and controlling business operations, the owner should also know when, why and how frequently changes occurs in the various assets, liabilities and the owner’s equity of the business. Without written records, business owners are not able to keep track of the nature and the amount of the assets, liabilities, and owner’s equity and the changes that occur in their composition. A good record keeping system is usually essential to provide the necessary information.This system of record keeping should show the effect of each transaction on the assets, liabilities and owner’s equity of the business. (Taylor, 2003) Proper Business Records There are several reasons (and advantages) for keeping good business records, an d many of them are a real a real advantage: (1) to show financial standings, (2) to help make important financial decisions, (3) to help control VAT – collecting it in and paying it out, (4) to help audit in certain cases, and keep the auditing costs down, (5) to discuss your financial position with other people.Unless the owners decide otherwise, there is no legal need for an annual audit of the records of a sole trader or a partnership. There is, however, a legal obligation for an annual audit of the accounts of most limited companies. There will be some expenses which are partly for business and partly for private purposes. Recording of business transactions also depends on the size of the business. There can be no hard and fast categories for size of a business. But obviously a national chain store will have a more sophisticated accounting system than a local trader with a market stall.The point at which more complicated records needed, will also depend partly on the type of trade. There are three types of entity commonly found running a business. These are: Sole traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies. Sole traders are persons owning the business which he is running in his own right. Since the person is trading in his own right he is personally responsible for any debts his business incurs. Partnerships are groups of people owning and running the business. It is the individuals in the partnership who are responsible for the partnership debts.Limited Companies are businesses which are owned by at least two people who may or may not also be involved in the day-to-day running of the business. The owners have a limited personal liability for the debts incurred by the company which is a separate legal ‘person’ or entity. The day-to-day running of a limited company is entrusted to its directors. The directors of a company may also be the shareholders. (Taylor, 2003) Businesses can also be classified into three broad categories: public co mpanies, private companies, and small businesses.The distinction between the latter two is the size of the company. Though small, these businesses are important in the aggregate as the major creator of new jobs. Small businesses also constitute a major source of clients for local and regional CPA firms. The need for accounting reports varies among the three classes of businesses. Accounting reports are used to comply with various government reporting requirements. Primary among these is the need to report a business's income, personal property, and payroll to the necessary tax authorities.The relative importance of different uses of accounting reports varies with the size of the business. (Brozovsky, Christie ;amp; Hicks, 2010) Accounting Principles and Practices Most businesses typically use one of two basic accounting methods in their bookkeeping systems: cash basis and accrual basis. While most businesses use the accrual basis, the most appropriate method for a company depends on the sales volume, whether or not you sell on credit, and your business structure. The cash method is the most simple in that the books are kept based on the actual flow of cash in and out of the business.Income is recorded when it is received, and expenses are reported when they are actually paid. The cash method is used by many sole proprietors and businesses with no inventory. From a tax standpoint, it is sometimes advantageous for a new business to use the cash method of accounting. That way, recording income can be put off until the next tax year, while expenses are counted right away. With the accrual method, income and expenses are recorded as they occur, regardless of whether or not cash has actually changed hands. An excellent example is a sale on credit.The sale is entered into the books when the invoice is generated rather than when the cash is collected. Likewise, an expense occurs when materials are ordered or when a workday has been logged in by an employee, not when t he check is actually written. The downside of this method is that payment of income taxes on revenue are made before actually receiving it. The accrual method is required if annual sales exceed $5 million and the venture is structured as a corporation. In addition, businesses with inventory must also use this method.It also is highly recommended for any business that sells on credit, as it more accurately matches income and expenses during a given time period. The cash method may be appropriate for a small, cash-based business or a small service company. (Leonsky, 1998) Accounting is the general process of tracking your income and expenses and then using that data to examine the financial status of your business. The basic accounting tool is the general ledger. It is the place where you keep track of all the business’ financial transactions.That information is then used to create financial statements such as balance sheets and income statements. (Strauss, 2007) An accounting system structures the flow of financial information to provide a complete picture of a firm’s financial activities. There are two types of accounting systems performed by small businesses: (1) the single-entry system and (2) the double-entry system. The single-entry record-keeping system is occasionally still found in the very small business. It is not, however, a system recommended for firms that are striving to grow and achieve effective financial planning.A single entry-system neither incorporates a balance sheet nor directly generates and income statement. A single-entry system is a check book system of accounting reflecting only receipts and disbursements. A double-entry system is a type of accounting system that provides a self-balancing mechanism in the form of two counterbalancing entries for each transaction recorded. It can be done with the record-keeping journals and ledgers found in most office supply retail stores. However, the relatively simple accounting softwa re programs designed for small firms are preferable. Longenecker, 2006) Conclusion Based on the information gathered by the researchers, the researchers have come up with a conclusion to the stated problem. The researcher has classified two types of accounting practice/principles performed by small businesses namely: Formal Accounting and Semi-Formal Accounting. Formal Accounting practice are based on the standards of the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small and Medium-Sized Entities (IFRS for SMEs) The IFRS for SMEs is indented for the use of small and medium sized entities (SMEs).Small and medium-sized entities are entities that are defined as not having public accountability, and do not publish general purpose financial statements for external users. The Semi-Formal Accounting practice is a combination of the Formal Accounting Practice (based on the IFRS for SMEs), and the Single-entry record keeping or booking keeping system. In the Single-Entry system, mostly pe rformed by small businesses, business owners record only the most important or essential transactions for the business which usually contain only the following: cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable and taxes.However, by performing this system, the owners still apply some of the standards given by the IFRS for SMEs. Most businesses however, perform only the Single-entry system. It is a much easier and convenient accounting practice that is preferable by the owners of small businesses because of its comprehensiveness in storing only the important accounting information needed by such businesses. Recommendation The Single-entry system, for most business owners, is mostly performed for its convenience and completeness. The researcher recommends, however, for the owners to apply the Formal accounting practice.The IFRS for SMEs, established by the IASB, was made specifically for small businesses to use. This accounting standard is best recommended for small businesses to attain uni formity among all other businesses alike. This will not only provide advantage to the owners but also to the users of the accounting information. It is still reminded that smaller businesses; such as vendors, sari-sari stores, restaurants or eateries; are not recommended to perform such complicated accounting practice but, they are still advised to record accounting information.The recommended accounting practice for such businesses is the Single-entry system. The researchers provide further recommendations toward the persons involved: 1. To the Business Owners of small businesses, they must obey and follow the accounting standards of the International Financial Reporting Standard for Small-Medium Entities (IFRS for SMEs), mentioned in this research, to attain uniformity among other small businesses which practice the accounting standard of the IFRS. 2.To the College of Business Administration and its faculty members, in which they can use this research as an instructional material or instrument in teaching their students about topics relating to the research. 3. To the Graduates of the College of Business Administration, who plans to have their own business or put up a small business; that this research may serve as a reference and as a guide for their first steps in being entrepreneurs. 4. To the Students of the College of Business Administration, in which they can use this research as a reference material to their academic studies.Bibliography 1. Alliance of Accounting and Auditing Researchers. (n. d. ). International / Philippine Financial Reporting Standard for Small and medium-sized entities (IFRS / PFRS for SME’s). n. d. 2. Brozovsky, John, Nancy Christie, ;amp; Sam Hicks. (2010, July). Accounting for small businesses: the role of IFRS. Academic OneFile. Retrieved July 17, 2012, http://go. galegroup. com/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA234140898;amp;v=2. 1;amp;u=lyceumph;amp;it=r;amp;p=AONE;amp;sw=w 3. Byrd, Mary Jane ;amp; Megginson, L. C. (2009).Small Bus iness Management An Entrepreneur’s Guidebook. (Seventh Edition). New York: McGraw-Hill. 4. Dias, Laura ;amp; Shah, A. J. (2009). Introduction to Business. New York: McGraw-Hill. 5. Habaradas, Raymund B. (2008, March). SME development and technology upgrading in Malaysia: lessons for the Philippines. Academic OneFile. Retireved July 17, 2012, http://go. galegroup. com/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA204419292;amp;v=2. 1;amp;u=lyceumph;amp;it=r;amp;p=AONE;amp;sw=w 6. Ibarra, Venus and Suez-Sales, M. G. (2011, December). A comparison of the International

Free Essays on Fifth Business

â€Å"Carpe diem!† â€Å"question authority†, â€Å"live long and prosper.† If one lives long enough, one will encounter such clichà © statements. These statements become a part of life and many individuals acquire their lives to following them. The significance comes in why people adopt certain clichà ©. The answer may lie in that the world is composed of assorted people who think, and act in their own personal beliefs. And everybody plays their own role in the world: roles such as religious leaders, authoritative leaders, and materialistic leaders. This form of macrocosm is captured in the microcosm in the town of Deptford in Robertson Davies‘ Fifth Business. The roles of the characters in Fifth Business demonstrate how a small village in the first half of the twentieth century can represent the diversity of the entire world. Religion is a rather large role is our world, and is an unavoidable issue of contemplation. An obvious depiction of religion in Fifth Business, in a microcosm setting, is Sam West (the atheist)’s character. Although he was finely tuned in Christian theory, â€Å"as a boy (Sam) he had been kept hard at the Bible,†(54) he believed â€Å"that morality has nothing to do with religion† (54). This character is a symbol of those in reality who question orthodox religion and choose paths of self-righteousness. Of course there is more to religion than the atheist. Dunstan’s character represents those who are indifferent to the standard structures of religion. Although he was responsible for placing â€Å"the Devil’s picture book - into the hands of his (the Reverend) son Paul (42), Dunstan did not feel he had done wrong, â€Å"I had been a fool to forget how dead set Baptists were against cards. As for the stories about saints, they were tales of wonders, like Arabian Night, and when the Reverend Andrew Bowyer bade all us Presbyterians to prepare ourselves for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, it seemed to me... Free Essays on Fifth Business Free Essays on Fifth Business â€Å"Carpe diem!† â€Å"question authority†, â€Å"live long and prosper.† If one lives long enough, one will encounter such clichà © statements. These statements become a part of life and many individuals acquire their lives to following them. The significance comes in why people adopt certain clichà ©. The answer may lie in that the world is composed of assorted people who think, and act in their own personal beliefs. And everybody plays their own role in the world: roles such as religious leaders, authoritative leaders, and materialistic leaders. This form of macrocosm is captured in the microcosm in the town of Deptford in Robertson Davies‘ Fifth Business. The roles of the characters in Fifth Business demonstrate how a small village in the first half of the twentieth century can represent the diversity of the entire world. Religion is a rather large role is our world, and is an unavoidable issue of contemplation. An obvious depiction of religion in Fifth Business, in a microcosm setting, is Sam West (the atheist)’s character. Although he was finely tuned in Christian theory, â€Å"as a boy (Sam) he had been kept hard at the Bible,†(54) he believed â€Å"that morality has nothing to do with religion† (54). This character is a symbol of those in reality who question orthodox religion and choose paths of self-righteousness. Of course there is more to religion than the atheist. Dunstan’s character represents those who are indifferent to the standard structures of religion. Although he was responsible for placing â€Å"the Devil’s picture book - into the hands of his (the Reverend) son Paul (42), Dunstan did not feel he had done wrong, â€Å"I had been a fool to forget how dead set Baptists were against cards. As for the stories about saints, they were tales of wonders, like Arabian Night, and when the Reverend Andrew Bowyer bade all us Presbyterians to prepare ourselves for the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, it seemed to me...

The Power Above essays

The Power Above essays In the constant search for more efficient sources of energy, solar power surely shows much promise. The sun will last longer than any humans will, therefore this is one of the only renewable natural resources of energy that has been found. Solar cells, or photovoltaics, convert light energy into electrical energy. Although most of the energy is not converted to electricity, they run at a low enough cost that there mechanical efficiency basically becomes irrelevant. Photovoltaics offer some of the best opportunities currently available in the energy production field, at least weather-permitting. The remarkably high reliability of photovoltaic cells helps to keep them a viable option for alternative energy sources, if not the most viable. These cells originally were created for outer space, where repair of equipment is extremely costly, if even possible at all. Photovoltaics can operate though for years at a time with little or no maintenance whatsoever. In fact, solar cells remain the most often used power source in satellites for that very reason. Of course, the best part about sunlight is something every American, and probably every person in the world, likes very much. Sunlight is free, and as far as the world is concerned, unlimited! Due to the low maintenance and lack of moving parts on the photovoltaics, they are ideal for places where maintenance is costly or just not feasible for any reason. Therefore, solar power comes at a nominal cost to the consumer and to businesses. With global warming on the rise, the environment has become a major concern of not only America, but of nearly every country in the world. Fossil fuel emissions have damaged the atmosphere for decades, creating this greenhouse effect. Nuclear power presents the constant threat of nuclear meltdown. Surely few advanced countries would be willing to put all their power resources into another Chernobyl incident. ...

Attitude Formation And Stereotypes

Attitude Formation And Stereotypes ‘Stereotypes’, according to Hogg and Vaughan(2002:46), are impressions of people that are strongly influenced by widely shared assumptions of personality, behaviour and attitudes based on group membership for example, sex, race, ethnicity and nationality. These assumptions are a simplified evaluative image of someone or a social group and its members, mental representations influence impressions we form of a person or group and are seen as a social schema. As individuals stereotypes help us to deal with a large amount of social information we receive from a person or group of people. All this information helps us to simplify our social world to make it manageable, controllable and predictable. According to Pennington and McLoughlin (2008:184) Hogg and Vaughan (2002) have done many studies over the last 50 years and they summarise there research, the findings include; Stereotypes are quick to form and hard to change. Many stereotypes form in childhood and early teens. We show a tendency to rapidly stereotype others on the basis of a small number of traits and characteristics. Stereotypes are important as they influence impression formation, example when we first meet a person we assign them to a social group without finding any information out about them; from this we have formed a pre existing stereotype from our first impressions. Attitudes We cannot see or measure attitudes directly; the term attitude is used to represent a quite complex mental process. As individuals we continually seek to discover others attitudes, we tell others our views and try to change others opinions. According to Petty and Cacioppo (1986) say attitudes are a general evaluation we make about ourselves, others and issues, they go on to say ‘attitudes have a past, present and future; they were developed from past experience, they guide our current behaviour and can direct our development in the future’, (Pennington and McLoughlin, 2008:193). Through this defin ition it is thought attitudes strongly influence the way we behave. There are two different approaches to understanding attitudes; the structural approach and the functional approach. The structural approach (Katz 1960)- states that attitudes are an evaluation (positive or negative) of an attitude, i.e. It is expected for you to hold a positive attitude towards a close friend and you might hold a negative attitude towards a political issue, this approach is broken down into three components. (Pennington and McLoughlin 2008:193-194). Cognitive- our thoughts; Affective- our feelings and emotions; Behavioural- our behaviour The functional approach ties to understand and explains what the purpose of the attitude is for the individual; there are five different attitudes in this function. (Pennington and McLoughlin 2008:197). Adaptive function- helps achieve goal and avoids the undesirable. Self- expression- our opinion, attitudes and views. Ego- defensive function – protects self- esteem and promotes positive self image, Freudian theory. Knowledge function- helps with structure and organisation. Social adjustment function- helps manage social situation. Central traits – are pieces of information we latch onto whilst forming first impressions, these have disproportional influences over our final impressions. Primacy effect – information presented first has the strongest influence on impressions formed.

Are the media programming us to fear american life are they promoting Research Paper

Are the media programming us to fear american life are they promoting a world that is cold, heartless, violent, and dangerous - Research Paper Example The growth in the mass media resulted in the development of a strong entertainment industry, which thereafter began exporting mass media content. Additionally, the globalization and the subsequent rise of the concept of internationalization have expedited the need for the American media to increase the intensity at which it exports its media content (Jeffres and Richard 41). Some of these media contents include news, music, music videos, films and books among others. Consumers of mass media content react differently to the content depending on the information they communicate. A lot of mass media content circulating throughout the world thus affects people differently; this effect relies on the type of the media content that the numerous American media content export. Unfortunately, most of these include violence and extreme danger. This grooms fear of the country especially among its foreign audience most of whom have never been to the country. This forms fear within the audience, t herefore validating the claim that the American media is programming an international audience that is fearful of the country. However, this claim is contentious and therefore depends on the various viewpoints of every researcher. Media is elitist. This implies that only those with some basic education can access and understand the mass media contents. However, the traditional media which comprises of the radio, television and newspapers among others have gained significance reputation as being less segregated and are thus of relevance to any class in the society. The advent of the internet thus referred to as the new media presented major concerns for traditional media practitioners. The new media is arguably the fastest means of communicating with the masses; additionally the media overcomes the geographical barriers some of which hinders the operations of some of the traditional media. The invention of the social media further aggravated the role and effects of the mass media sin ce these made everyone a potential mass communicator without the institutions of gate keepers evident in the traditional media. The internet has therefore amassed all the advantages and disadvantages of each of the traditional media and created yet some new of these. The media performs a number of roles key among which is agenda setting. Under this, the media decides the issues that the public discuss. Several activities take place in the society; however, through the newsworthiness of every event, the media opts to favor some of the events thus giving them more prominence than they do others. Such events and their related issues thus become discussion topics in the public domain. More often than not, strangers meet at gas and train stations and begin discussing the national politics, the latest movie or a recent football match covered in the media. Additionally, the media forms public opinion. Public opinion refers to a thought shared among the public. Through the stories and other mass media content, people form opinions based on the level of the prominence that the media accords a story. Furthermore, through the professional analysis that some media house contract, the media thus form valid opinions in most of their aaudience All these coupled with the fact that most audiences always form a personal likeness to their favorite media personality, which makes them idolize them; the media thus becomes a strong tool of shaping the manner in which an audience views

Health Implications and Identifying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health Implications and Identifying - Essay Example The article stresses the role of the nurses in preventing the health impact on the vulnerable groups. Many victims of human trafficking are at risk of living with mental and physical health problems. The health problems that they experience will not stop as a result of lack of awareness of the health impact of trafficking and the sensitivity of the subject. In order to help save the victims of trafficking it is important for nurses to understand the intricacies of human trafficking and its impact on the victims. Notably, the nurse must strive to uncover hidden signs and symptoms of prospective victims of human trafficking to provide the necessary assistance. This will entail asking them the right questions that will go a long way to revealing their nature of work and further help liberate them from bondage. The journal by Eccleston (2013) presents a case of identifying the victims of human trafficking with an aim of establishing the health impact they face. There is a need to protect the victims of human trafficking from the evident health consequences. Health care workers, such as nurses fail to understand the signs and impact of human trafficking on the health of the victims. Besides, insufficient studies are conducted to establish the health impact of these victims of human trafficking. This is rooted in the sensitivity of the subject. Human trafficking is commonly an abusive process where the victims are forced or abducted fraudulently. The abduction is also through deception or by use of power, drugging and exploitation for numerous purposes, such as prostitution, drug peddling or enslavement/forced labour. The victims of trafficking are physically abused, placed in confinement, threatened or denied access to their travel documents. These victims may be psychologically affected as a result of the denial of basic needs, humiliation,

Middle range theories Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle range theories - Coursework Example Having mapped the full extent of the damages the patient had sustained in the accident, it became increasingly imperative that various technology be assembled to aid the patient surmount the challenges she faced with regards to feeding. As thus, a feeding tube was assembled to help achieve this objective. This was through a process medically referred to as gavage (Joanne, 2008). In medical practice, there are many tubes of this kind that, most of them made of polyurethane or silicon. In this case, other nurses and I promptly settled on a nasogastric feeding tube, which is technologically designed to enable feeding of a victim not able to feed normally by inserting the implement through the nose. In this nasogastric intubation exercise, we practically went about passing the feeding tube through the nostril, down the esophagus and into the stomach. The technology proved to be an effective temporary measure to directly help the patient through the challenge. The process is completely delicate and required an outstanding amount of precision with very little margin for era given the vital organs we had to keep watch on and the rather mechanical approach of the intervention. We had to be patient and show a practical depiction of the care required in the nursing profession. The response and commitment the nurses had shown in this procedure was very commendable and was instrumental for the success of the whole process. Having cared for a terminally ill lung cancer patient, I have had first-hand experience to care and stand up for a patient through the intrigues of his final moments of life. In caring for the patient, there were many complex issues involved and equal measure of effort on my side to fully attend to the patient and make him completely at peace and appreciated. To begin with, I implored on the patient to seek spiritual peace upon learning he had a religious personality. Upon research, I was able to give adequate guidance

Disability and education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Disability and education - Essay Example The most eminent AS characteristics include, Seizures, which start showing at the age of 2 to 3 years affecting approximately 80% of all children experiencing AS (Clayton-Smith, 2010). Speech impairment, which ranges from little to no words at advanced stages. Consequently, this forces some victims end up using gestures or picture communication systems while conversing with other people (Clayton-Smith, 2010). In adult stage, people experiencing AS usually develop facial distinct features commonly described as â€Å"coarse† Victims of this disorder exhibit hyperactivity and in some cases stiff limbs, which become hindrance to their mobility. Sleep disorder. Imbalance state especially when one is walking or trying to undertake certain personal tasks. Exuberant behavior coupled with happy demeanor (Dan, 2009). b. Incidence/prevalence Studies so far contacted cite AS is among the rarest diseases not only in US but also globally. Its prevalence is about one person in every populati on ranging from 12,000 to 20,000 people (Panayiotopoulos, 2010). However, this prevalence only represents estimates because the disorder’s exact data up to date is still unknown. ... d. Etiology Angelman Syndrome (AS) is a disorder normally caused by the anomalous functioning of the UBE3A gene, located on chromosome number 15. A child inherits a copy of the gene from each parent. The two copies are active in nearly all the body tissues but only the gene replica attained from the mother is active in the brain. The disorder occurs due to four major genetic mechanisms, which include chromosome 15q11 –q13 deletion. It involves deletion of a very small piece of DNA missing from the chromosome. The number of Angelman Disorder due to deletion range from 65% to 75% and the risk of recurrence rate being 1 %(Cassidy & Allanson, 2011). The second mechanism is the paternal uniparental disomy (UPD) whereby the patient posses two copies of the chromosome 15 and no copy of the same chromosome from the mother. The number of AS cases due to UPD accounts for 3 to 5 %of all reported cases where chances of recurrence is below 1 percent. The third mechanism encompasses Imprint ing Center (IC) mutations, which account for about 7% to 9% of the reported AS cases and has a significant recurrence of 50%. The IC works like a switch. It turns on the UBE3A gene copy inherited from the mother while at the same time turns off the copy of the gene inherited from the father in the central nervous system tissues. The fourth mechanism is the UBE3A mutations. It occurs irregularly in patients suffering from it and accounts for an approximately 6% to 20% of the total AS cases. Normally, the risk of recurrence is less than 1% but increases to 50% if the mother of the affected person has the UBE3A mutation on her inherited paternal chromosome 15. However, in

Evaluating the course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating the course - Essay Example Moreover, punctuations play an important role of ensuring that the intended information is communicated to the audience. Misuse or omission of punctuation marks could distort the intended communication. From â€Å"A Writer’s Reference,† I learnt the uses of various punctuation marks and can now use them appropriately. Even with the understanding of these rules, this course further provided knowledge on coherence in writing so as to give a flowing piece of work that arouses and sustains the reader’s interest. Generally, effective writing begins with an introduction into the topic which gives the thesis or objective of the writing. It would then be followed by subsequent paragraphs or sentences making up the body which give details to support the thesis. External credible sources provide the required information. Finally, the important points would be summarised in the conclusion where the writer gives personal perspectives and recommendations. Having successfully completed this course, my writing has greatly improved. I now give easily understandable and coherent pieces of writing and have greatly minimised my grammatical

Middle range theories Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Middle range theories - Coursework Example Having mapped the full extent of the damages the patient had sustained in the accident, it became increasingly imperative that various technology be assembled to aid the patient surmount the challenges she faced with regards to feeding. As thus, a feeding tube was assembled to help achieve this objective. This was through a process medically referred to as gavage (Joanne, 2008). In medical practice, there are many tubes of this kind that, most of them made of polyurethane or silicon. In this case, other nurses and I promptly settled on a nasogastric feeding tube, which is technologically designed to enable feeding of a victim not able to feed normally by inserting the implement through the nose. In this nasogastric intubation exercise, we practically went about passing the feeding tube through the nostril, down the esophagus and into the stomach. The technology proved to be an effective temporary measure to directly help the patient through the challenge. The process is completely delicate and required an outstanding amount of precision with very little margin for era given the vital organs we had to keep watch on and the rather mechanical approach of the intervention. We had to be patient and show a practical depiction of the care required in the nursing profession. The response and commitment the nurses had shown in this procedure was very commendable and was instrumental for the success of the whole process. Having cared for a terminally ill lung cancer patient, I have had first-hand experience to care and stand up for a patient through the intrigues of his final moments of life. In caring for the patient, there were many complex issues involved and equal measure of effort on my side to fully attend to the patient and make him completely at peace and appreciated. To begin with, I implored on the patient to seek spiritual peace upon learning he had a religious personality. Upon research, I was able to give adequate guidance

Evaluating the course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Evaluating the course - Essay Example Moreover, punctuations play an important role of ensuring that the intended information is communicated to the audience. Misuse or omission of punctuation marks could distort the intended communication. From â€Å"A Writer’s Reference,† I learnt the uses of various punctuation marks and can now use them appropriately. Even with the understanding of these rules, this course further provided knowledge on coherence in writing so as to give a flowing piece of work that arouses and sustains the reader’s interest. Generally, effective writing begins with an introduction into the topic which gives the thesis or objective of the writing. It would then be followed by subsequent paragraphs or sentences making up the body which give details to support the thesis. External credible sources provide the required information. Finally, the important points would be summarised in the conclusion where the writer gives personal perspectives and recommendations. Having successfully completed this course, my writing has greatly improved. I now give easily understandable and coherent pieces of writing and have greatly minimised my grammatical

Fast Food Nation Essay Example for Free

Fast Food Nation Essay In his essay, â€Å"Fast Food Nation† Eric Schlosser condemns the impact of fast food on human health and American economy. Schlosser detests the fast food chain because it causes thousands of independent business to come to an end. As a result, unemployment plays a major role among these small scale businessmen. In addition it creates social differences among the people due to food market being captured by fast food chain. In order to attain a monopoly and dominate the fast food industry, they employ low paid and unskilled work force which is a threat to the public and migrant farm workers. Every citizen has the right to know the ingredients being used in the food so they can avoid the deleterious effects of the fast food on their health. His assertion, â€Å"introduction of deadly pathogens† states the risk encountered by small children who are the future generation of the modern world ( 392). Addition of harmful chemicals to increase the taste and aroma of food leads to chronic diseases like cancer, stroke and heart diseases. Furthermore Schlosser’s fear about the fast food being a social problem and turning out to be a threat to the American economy is the pinnacle of this essay. Small scale farms and full-time farmers are in the risk of losing their livelihood with the emergence of the fast food industry. He also points out the inability of the Government to eliminate the lethal meat which paves its way into the fast food industry and pose health problems. Then he moves onto the consumers and asserts that, â€Å"Even the anticipation of consumer anger has prompted McDonald’s to demand changes from its suppliers,† – this reveals that the consumers should be provoked and created an awareness about the ins and outs of the food they are eating (396). The insight of the author about the fast food industry builds up in a gradual process and finally reiterates the need for the public to take immediate action and cease the use of fast food as their regular food and search for other healthy options like simple and healthy cooking which would help them retain a hale and a healthy life. Saying no to the fast food makes the fast food industry to rethink their formula of safe food and saves our precious life as well as the future generation. Let’s think about it.

Management Objectives for a Semi-natural Woodland

Management Objectives for a Semi-natural Woodland Niamh Fitzpatrick An effective and long term successful management plan of Derrybeg woodland is critical to conserve and protect the biodiversity of the site. To do this, the first and most important step is the implementation of a bassline study. This bassline study will provide information on the flora and fauna that is present on the site, allowing you to devise an appropriate management plan. The first management objective of Derrybeg Wood is to manage the mixed broadleaf woodlands which includes, oak-ash-hazel and wet willow-alder-ash. The management of these woodlands is imperative as they are natural or semi natural woodlands of high ecological importance. Throughout the management its vital that one firstly maintains and if possible restores the woodlands natural ecological diversity. The main technique for the management of these woodlands is coppicing. However, as Derrybeg Wood has not been actively managed for several decades, firstly it would be necessary for the standards to be thinned out. This will allow more light for the understory. By thinning the broadleaf species, it removes the less desirable or trees that are not as healthy as well as giving the remaining trees more space to develop (Betts Ellis, 2009). Thinning allows light onto the woodland floor, thus encouraging an understorey of small plants, shrubs and trees to grow. This generally occurs naturally in many woodlands i.e. as weaker trees die, thus this step is not causing any negative impacts on the surrounding flora and fauna and is simply working with nature (Betts Ellis, 2009). In terms of coppicing these broadleaved woodlands, all the multi-stemmed broadleaved trees and shrubs that occur together will be cut down to ground level. The size of the coppice coupes will need to be proportional to the woodland area (Betts Ellis, 2009). For this woodland, coupes of 1-2 ha would be suitable. For optimum coppice growth to be achieved, their density will be kept between 30% and 50% of the canopy. It is preferable to maintain coupes that are irregular and elongated in shape compared to those that are square or regular in shape because they create richer edge habitats (Betts Ellis, 2009). Coppicing works extremely well for the woodland on a whole. It creates ideal conditions for many different species. The influx of light is optimal for some wild flowers in the first few years after cutting. Also as the coppice grows and becomes denser, excellent conditions are created for nesting birds which are present on site (Betts Ellis, 2009) This is a long-term management objective that needs to be monitored and carried out over several years. According to a study by (Betts Ellis, 2009) the stools are expected shoot and in 5 to 20 years they will produce a crop of poles that will need to be cut again. As Red Deer are present in this woodland the advantage of the richer edge habitats may be lost unless they are kept out for the saplings to be able to regenerate. Deer can cause major problems as they are tall and the coppice takes a lot longer to grow beyond the reach of the Red Deers mouth (Betts Ellis, 2009). In order to prevent the deer from entering this site, a deer fence is the most effective form of protection. In terms of natural barriers, brash is an excellent and effective alternative. Objective two: The second objective is to remove the rhododendron that is present in approximately half of the woodland. From the bassline study, we found that the level of infestation varies throughout this woodland i.e. near the pools in the centre of the woodland and under the birch and oak, there is heavy infestation as well as near the eastern half of the woodland, within the conifer stands. These heavily infested areas are priority and will be cleared first. The bushes that are largest and most mature need to be removed first, therefore removal will begin in the middle and work outwards rather than starting on the edges with the youngest bushes. Its important to remove these bushes first because they have the highest yield of seeds, thus causing the biggest threat to the eradication of this area. Once these major seed sources have been tackled, the minor seed sources will become a priority. (Edwards, 2006) The technique chosen to remove the invasive will depend on many factors such as; the height in which its growing, the level of invasion and the accessibility to the area. for this site the removal of the invasive will be broken up into three different steps; The initial removal of the invasive the stumps will be cut therefore leaving no live shoots or branches. This will occur from September to March and the cut material will be removed to a suitable area to be burned. Only a small number of burning sites will occur as it creates more areas of bare ground, thus providing more areas for the seeds to thrive. (Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017) Controlling the stems and roots young bushes, residual seedlings and any regrowth will be treated using a foliar spray that contains an adjuvant to enhance the performance of the herbicide. This is necessary to remove the waxy layer that is present on the surface of the leaf (Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017). This will occur from May to October, preferably when the weather is dry. Mature bushes will then be treated using a stem injection treatment, i.e. cutting the main stem to allow a hole to be drilled enabling the use of the herbicide. (Edwards, 2006) Follow up treatments Its critical that these treatments are carried out thoroughly ensuring all ground is covered before moving on to a new site. If not, the invasive will re-establish. The rhododendron must be monitored and re surveyed at the end of every growing season to identify if there is any re-growth (Edwards, 2006). From this any follow up treatments can be established. Herbicides dont transport within the phloem of the plant, thus its necessary to repeat this process to ensure that the invasive is dead and cannot re-grow. (Betts Ellis, 2009) Its extremely difficult to achieve the complete elimination of rhododendron and it is a very time consuming process, however if its controlled until the surrounding trees close canopy then shading will halt its development (Betts Ellis, 2009). Additionally, as much of the rhododendron invasion occurs within the conifer stands, the dense evergreen crowns of these conifer species have a heavy shade, thus preventing the Rhododendron regenerating within the stand (Betts Ellis, 2009). In a report from the forestry commission (Edwards, 2006), it was recommended that the management plan should occur over a seven-year period, therefore these steps including the follow up treatments will take place over seven years to ensure the complete eradication of the invasion of rhododendron in this woodland. (Edwards, 2006) Objective three: The third objective for Derrybeg wood is the development of rides or glades. A ride is a linear open space within a wood that is formed for the need of access (Stephens, 2005). Rides generally have a hard-surfaced track which make up some of the width and they are usually made up of several zones. A path or track becomes a ride when it is wide enough for there to be an opening in the canopy, allowing sunlight to reach the ground (Stephens, 2005). The first step in this objective is to survey all potential rides to establish which rides to open or create. This step is critical to choose the ones with greatest potential. All archeological features i.e. wood banks will be carefully considered to prevent damage in the process of creating or widening a ride (Stephens, 2005). The depth of the ride will be equal to or greater than the height of the adjacent canopy. Rides that are less than this width quickly lose any benefit gained in the early years (Stephens, 2005). The rides will have a wavy edge as this has a greater wildlife benefit. The wavy edge maximises the woodland edge, thus increasing the habitat diversity. In areas where wood mice and red squirrel are present pinch points will need to be included at no more than 100-metre intervals (Stephens, 2005). This is important as they are arboreal mammals which generally dont like to travel along the ground. Thus, they require aerial runways to cross open spaces. Rides that are w ider can also cause disturbances to the population and subsequent decline if links across them are not provided. The rides will be opened out to ensure maximum sunlight. It will run on the east-west line rather than the north-south line because east-west lines are in the sunlight for longer (Stephens, 2005). They warm up earlier in the year and cool down later and warmth combined with sunlight will promote the greatest wildlife benefit. The sunny ride edges will rapidly develop grasses and several plants that may be scarce or not found elsewhere in the wood e.g. violets (Stephens, 2005). Shrubs may grow on ride edges and this is a great food source for many butterflies and other insects which are present in the wood. Many flowers and butterflies present favour open-space environments at the woodland edge and therefore should thrive from this being extended (Betts Ellis, 2009). The careful management of open habitats is significant as it introduces greater habitat diversity. It enco urages a larger range of species as many prefer the edge of habitats for feeding due to the higher level of herbs and the larger invertebrate population (Betts Ellis, 2009). Once the rides have been identified and created, its important that they are maintained and managed appropriately for the following 20 years by doing the following; Mowing the area where the greatest amount of sunlight occurs every year. Cutting a herb or shrub zone once every three to five years. Cutting a transition zone between the herb / shrub zone to the high forest on an eight to twenty-year coppice rotation. Controlling the presence of deer, as this is required over an extensive area, culling is the most practical method as opposed to fencing. (Stephens, 2005) Objective Four: The management of the wildlife present in Derrybeg Wood is another significant objective. Many species present in the wood are protected or threatened per the IUCN red lists for example the red squirrel and the lesser horseshoe bat. These species are protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. In addition, the lesser horseshoe bat is also protected under the EU Habitats Directive. Given the conservation importance of these species its important to follow guidelines in relation to their management and the overall management of the wood. The red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris, is a significant species present in this woodland, and it is critical that they are managed effectively to prevent their decline. As grey squirrels are not present in this woodland, food supply is one of the most important factors affecting the red squirrels population density. The management of the conifer species is important to provide a continuous food supply for the red squirrel. Generally, conifer species are of variable quality in terms of being a food source (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). The amount of seed produced depends on factors such as the age of the trees, thus conifers should be managed depending on the state of the woodland (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). The management of the conifer species in this wood will include; Sustaining a permanent proportion of the forest that is made up of stands of seed bearing age. This is important because conifer species dont generally produce cones every year. Many species can take up to seven years between cycles and some species dont start to cone until they are 15-20 years old. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017). Maintaining a significant amount of a variety of species, i.e. not just Sitka spruce. This is important to ensure diversity of species. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017) Ensuring a constant tree canopy that is not disturbed. To do this, the structure of the conifers will need to consist of stands of trees that are of a similar age. This will also help to reduce forest vulnerability to wind throw. (Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017) The lesser horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hipposideros is also protected under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000. As this species has such specific requirements i.e. needing dense vegetation to forage and linear sites to travel, it is given added legislative protection under the Habitats Directive (McAney, 2017). To protect this species, the woodland will firstly be surveyed to identify trees that contain roosts. This survey will be carried out in both summer and winter. This will be repeated every 5 to 10 years after this initial survey to evaluate any changes in the population (Foresty Commission , 2005). After surveying, a natural reserve will be created to provide security and permanency for the species. The careful management of the rest of the woodland is vital and will enhance the feeding areas of the bat species as well as other species present in the wood. The natural reserve will be monitored and reviewed every 5 years. (Foresty Commission , 2005) Objective Five: The final management objective that will occur in this woodland is the control of bracken encroachment. From the bassline study, a substantial amount of bracken was identified in the north-eastern part of the woodland. The presence of bracken is a sign of soil disturbance and will require a long-term management plan. Although bracken can be significant where it is mixed with other vegetation as well as providing an important larval food plant for some species of butterfly, its removal encourages primary habitats to re-establish which is of greater importance for wildlife. The complete eradication of bracken is not necessary nor desirable for this site, therefore the objective is to control the spread of bracken on a long-term basis for numerous reasons e.g. to protect other valuable habitats and vegetation (Farrell, 1999). Firstly, the presence of bracken should be identified and mapped by surveying its distribution between the months of July and October as this is when it is most visible. Then its vital to identify the target specific areas that need to be controlled and tackle the target areas first, i.e. those that are increasing rapidly. Initially the bracken will be controlled chemically, using a herbicide. The most common herbicide used is asulox which is favoured over roundup as it is specific towards certain plants e.g. ferns (Farrell, 1999). The site will be sprayed using a portable knapsack sprayer from the middle of July to August where weather is not too windy or wet, and a dye will be used to identify the fronds that have been treated. Spraying doesnt have any direct effects on the surrounding animals or to human health, however it will affect the taste of the bracken, thus all grazing animals will be fenced off for at least two weeks (Farrell, 1999). This treatment is expected to remove 98% of the bracken present in the area, however the other 2% will re-establish on the land over the following five years if an appropriate follow up plan is not prepared. This site will require a ten-year management plant which involves the continuous monitoring and treatment of the site. Initial spraying needs to be followed by cutting every 2-3 years for the foreseeable future (Farrell, 1999). Its important that a period of at least two years is left in between spraying. This is to allow buds that are dormant on the remaining bracken rhizomes to develop (Roberts MacDonald, 2017). Bracken encroachment can also be controlled by sowing heather cuttings, as the regeneration of heather is an excellent way to keep the encroachment of bracken under control. There will also be a period where animals cannot graze allowing new vegetation to grow from regeneration (Roberts MacDonald, 2017) References Betts, A. Ellis, J., 2009. So, you own a woodland?, Bristol: Forestry Commission National Office . Edwards, C., 2006. Managing and controlling invasive rhododendron, Edinburgh: Forestry Commission. Farrell, F., 1999. Bracken Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.esatclear.ie/~fionafarrell/html/technical_writing.html[Accessed 10 March 2017]. Forest Service , 2009. Forestry and Otter Guidelines, s.l.: Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food . Foresty Commission , 2005. Woodland Management for Bats , s.l.: Forestry Commission for England and Wales . Kent Wildlife Trust, 2017. Woodland management control of rhododendron and cherry laurel. [Online] Available at: http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/kwt_land_mgt_advice_sheet_9_-_woodland_management_-_control_of_rhododendron.pdf[Accessed 10 March 2017]. McAney, D. K., 2017. Vincent Wildlife lesser horseshoe bat (RHINOLOPHUS HIPPOSIDEROS). [Online] Available at: http://www.mammals-in-ireland.ie/species/lesser-horseshoe-bat[Accessed 27 February 2017]. Red Squirrels Northern England, 2017. Habitat Management in Red Squirrel Reserves and Buffer Zones in Northern England. [Online] Available at: http://rsne.org.uk/sites/default/files/Habitat%20Management.pdf[Accessed 27 February 2017]. Roberts, J. MacDonald, A., 2017. Bracken Control. [Online] Available at: http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/advisorynotes/24/24.htm[Accessed 10 March 2017]. Stephens, P., 2005. Managing woodland open space for wildlife, s.l.: Forestry Commission England.