Investigation and prevention of child abuse Essay Example for Free

Investigation and prevention of child abuse Essay Child abuse is one of the most common human right violations in the human community. According to UNCEF reports, at least one child dies every day as a result of child abuse. Nevertheless, the exact number of child deaths as a result of chilled abuse is hindered by the fact that most cases of child deaths in the communities goes without investigation. Still, an estimated over 30, 000 child in America are put under protection registers annually (American Prosecution Research Institute 12). The world is approximated to have over 100 million abused children most of whom are from the developing nations. However, these are just but a few of child abuse cases which are reported. There are numerous types of child abuse practices in the society. They range from infant shaking, to child battering, to child negligence, to child sexual abuse (Perona, Bottoms, and Vieth 42). Such practices are blamed for having a negative impact on the psychological, physical, and social development of the child. The process of preventing child abuse effectively dictates for the participation of all members of the community in ensuring early identification of such problems (Perona, Bottoms, and Vieth 51). Creating awareness among children as well as other members of the community on the rights of children plays an instrumental role in mitigating child abuse in the community. Investigation of child abuse for legal charges involves numerous methods depending on the type and magnitude of the act. For instance, Physical sexual abuse on kids can either be self evident or call for medical procedures to qualify (Myers 46). The history of family relations plays a crucial role in child abuse investigation practices by law enforcement. This paper seeks to give a detailed discussion on the prevention and investigation of child abuse. Prevention of child abuse The realization of effective child abuse prevention entails the creation of awareness on the forms and how to identify child abuse as well as engaging efforts in mitigating risk factors to child abuse in the community (Perona, Bottoms, and Vieth 51). The problem of child abuse in the community is increased by lack of awareness by the public. According to available statistics for example, child sexual abuse incidences in the American society has its peak between the onset of puberty and adolescence (American Prosecution Research Institute 67). At this age, most of the victims have mental capability to identify and avoid being victims of sexual abuse. Based on this reasoning, creating adequate awareness among the child can greatly aid in mitigating child abuse practice in the community. In this pursuit, since 1983, the American nation has set April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. In addition, the government funds child-abuse prevention initiatives through its Community-Based Grants for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (CBCAP) (American Prosecution Research Institute 71). Still on awareness, society cohesion factor plays an important role in preventing child (Myers 102). Just as is the case with other forms of crime prevention practices, the local community members find much advantage in the early identification and thus controlling of child abuse in their neighborhoods. This is because; they are the ones living close to the sources of child abuse; the family unit. Therefore, encouraging communal living among members of the community is instrumental in preventing child abuse. Another common practice of preventing child abuse is enforcing zero tolerance policies on domestic violence. According to numerous research findings, it is established that families marked with couple violence have a higher prevalence of child abuse; both physically and emotionally (Myers 112). There are numerous risk factors identified for causing child abuse practices. Such include the social and economic position of the family and the local community and the effectiveness of the law enforcement and criminal justice system in addressing child abuse cases (Myers 108). It has been sufficiently claimed that poverty in the in family plays an instrumental factor in perpetuating child abuse practices such as neglect. Financial constrains in the family also serves to cause stress and depression among parent, a factor that negatively impacts on the parent-child relationship. Still, an idle mind is the devils workshop. Therefore, the sustainable prevention of child abuse dictates for resolving eminent economic problems that affecting members of the local community. Also found to influence the level of child abuse is the character and gender of the child. Statistical evidence indicates that most mentally or physically disabled children are found to be at risk of child abuse (Perona, Bottoms, and Vieth 61). The statistics also establish substantial evidence connecting gender classification as a clear cause of child abuse in the community. In particular, the girl child is prone to child abuse and neglect. In some countries, the girl child is rarely provided with equal education as the boy child. This is a denial of the children right to education. In addition, girls are common victims to forced marriages as well as prostitution. On the other hand, the boy child is commonly marked with forced labor. They are also the main victims of corporal punishment compared to girls. These are the reasons behind the enactment and enforcement of numerous laws mitigating practices such as child pornography and prostitution and child labor (American Prosecution Research Institute 61). Many nations across the globe including the United States have banned corporal punishment of children both in the schools and in the family. This serves the purpose of limiting inhuman punishments on children. It is worth noting that the United Nations initiative on providing basic education to all children has taken cause in many countries across the globe. This initiative is quite instrumental in influencing prevention of anti-girl child education practices in the nation as much of its emphasis is on the girl child. Such an initiative is supported by numerous community based non-governmental organization. The war on drug abuse in the community is an important tool in mitigating child abuse. According to numerous research findings, drug abuse like alcoholism is among the leading causes of domestic violence as well as child sexual abuse in the community (Myers 121). This claim has been evidently supported by the fact that drugs function in compromising the reasoning and judgmental ability of an individual. Such can also be explained by the fact that drugs enhance aggression and temper of the victim. In a move to mitigate this practice of drug abuse as a potential cause for child abuse, the American nation is found to spend billions of dollars on the war against drugs in the society. Investigation of child abuse The process of investigating child abuse is heavily dependent on the availability of claimed evidence of physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. According to the available legal provisions; some forms of child abuse such as child labor neglect, and failure to provide education as well as some forms physical abuse of are self evident (Myers 132). Therefore, the investigation of such practices is mainly based on reported evidence rather than dictating for medical procedures. Also commonly involved in the investigation practices is identifying the history of a child abuse problem. According to psychological principles, human problems such as emotional stress and depression are a direct result of long term abuse in children. Based on this, the period over which such abuse on a particular child should be provided as qualifying evidence against the defendants charged with child abuse (Myers 136). As per the requirements of the law, this evidence can be self proclaimed by the victim, given by a member of the local community or from a doctor. The doctor should conduct an extensive diagnosis on the subject matter to give admissible evidence. Such might cover but not limited to the extent of physical or emotional damage impacted on the child. However, the laws protecting children against abuse prohibit against even the slightest form of action against a child that can compromise their social, emotional, academic and physical development. Conclusion Despite the numerous efforts by governments and other community-based non-governmental organizations, child abuse remains a major problem in the global community. There are various causes of child abuse in the community. Such include; domestic violence, cultural beliefs, economic status, and social practices in the community. The problem is further complicated by failure by the victims or members of the community to reports such cases to the relevant authorities for legal action against the perpetrators. Therefore, effective child abuse prevention strategies must take into account the need for creating public awareness on the problem. It should also devote much emphasis on resolving the main social and economic factors which promote child abuse. It is only through consulted cooperation among all stakeholders in the community that the war against child abuse can be successful.

Impact of the Internet on Developing Countries

Impact of the Internet on Developing Countries Abstract The Internet has completely changed the information management scene in developed countries. It has improved the communication systems and has developed user-friendly environments for information sharing and exchange. The benefits of the Internet in developed countries have inspired the developing countries to develop the Internet and use it to their benefit. The Internet is now changing the information practices in various sectors in developing countries. The impact of the Internet has caused developing countries to modify traditional methods of conducting information business by setting up new sources of information and new methods of communication on a global basis. The Internet has helped the developing countries to take advantage of access to global sources of information in order to improve their economic markets. In this paper we will discuss the evolution of the Internet along with the atmosphere, which initiated the growth of the Internet in developing countries. We will touch upon the constraints involved in promoting Internet growth, the models used to enhance Internet growth, the areas benefited by the Internet and the future of Internet in developing countries. We have focused our discussion on the impact of the Internet on the two most populous developing countries, India and China. Introduction In todays world where globalization is inevitable if you want to succeed, the Internet is your only respite. The Internet has revolutionized information technology and made information access across boundaries very easy. It has spread in all spheres of life and you cannot think of life without the Internet. Come to think of it, how did the Internet evolve and how did it become such an essential part of our lives? The Internet has created competition by bringing many international and indigenous information technology vendors on to the same platform and has raised the standards of quality of services. Even though the Internet has its advantages, the developing countries are facing a lot of issues in using it to achieve maximum benefits. Some concerns are related to the infrastructure costs, language and cultural barriers, political barriers and economic costs. If the issues related to the growth of the Internet can be tackled, there would be phenomenal growth in the economy of the developing countries due to the benefits of the Internet. Statement of Purpose The three major aspects involved in the overall development of a country are economic, political and social. As it is evident from the success of the Internet in developed countries, and will be clear from the examples stated in the paper, we can see that the Internet plays a very important role in all these aspects. It is evident from the extent of usage of the Internet in our daily lives that it has and will continue to change the way we live. How it has changed, and how it will continue to change our lives, is the reason for discussion on the topic of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Impact of the Internet in Developing Countriesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . We are discussing the impact of the Internet specifically on developing countries because the awareness and number of users of the Internet is still growing. As compared to the number of users of the Internet, the effect of the benefits of the Internet has been phenomenal. Evolution of the Internet The idea of the Internet originated about 25 years ago at the US Defense Department Advanced research Projects Agency (ARPA), to keep track of data through computer hardware and software. The Internet is now a complex web of networks connected with high-speed links cutting across countries. There are no set boundaries for the Internet in cyberspace. Recent statistics show 50,000 networks in more than 100 countries with more than 50 million users (MIDS press release). It is estimated that the rate of growth in Internet use is around 20 per cent a month. Currently the Internet is not proprietary and is available to anyone with computer access connected to the external world. Since the USA launched the information superhighway in 1994, the Internet has come to play an ever-increasing role in the vast information market in many countries. Malaysias Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammed, once said: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“It can be no accident that there is today no wealthy developed country that is information poor, and no information rich country that is poor and underdevelopedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  This statement emphasizes the importance of the Internet for developing countries. From an international perspective access to and use of the Internet is unbalanced; there are obvious gaps between developed and developing countries in terms of the numbers of nets, hosts and users. Information Environment in Developing Countries China and India have the highest population among the developing countries. With the vast population, the market for the Internet in these countries is huge. Both India and China are information-rich countries with a long tradition of learning and applying their knowledge. Both countries have had phenomenal growth economically and are utilizing information technology and information management for the same. The reduction in the price of personal computers and the multimedia influx only accelerated the growth in Internet usage. For countries with vast information centers, the Internet proves to be the most valuable resource. Chinese general information systems are divided into six categories: (1) Information centers affiliated with the National Scientific and Technical Commission (2) Information centers belonging to central government ministries (3) Information centers of a provincial nature (4) Information centers of a specialized nature affiliated to regional governments (5) Information centers affiliated with state enterprises, universities and other research institutions (6) Information centers of non-governmental, regional, professional and similar bodies In India, at the national level the main sources of information include: (1) Various line ministries; (2) The Central Statistical Organization (CSO) (3) The National Sample Survey Organization (4) The Registrar-General of India (RGI) (5) The National Information Center (NIC) (6) The Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) (7) The Federation of India Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) (8) Tata Energy Research Institution (9) The Center for Science and Environment Given such huge information centers in both countries, the public need for the Internet and its potential are vast. Areas of concern in Developing Countries Three major areas of concern about the Internet in developing countries are: (1) National information policy (2) Regulatory framework and information infrastructure (3) Proper education and training National information policy Awareness of various information sources in developing countries is limited to oral form. Awareness in print is negligible. The national information policies in developing countries concentrate on trade, international relations, national security and technology, but they barely concentrate on electronic access of information through the Internet to achieve maximum benefits. For rapid economic growth, official documents of developing countries should include high priority plans to implement electronic information delivery systems. National policy documents, like five-year plans, should contain policy statements and should be implemented on time. Sufficient funding should be available during planning and implementation phases of electronic information access models. Regulatory framework and information infrastructure Developing countries have a regulatory framework in place, which makes protection of investment, intellectual property and individual privacy compulsory in the information market. Developing countries have legal frameworks in place, which deals with private sector involvement, skilled human resources, standards and implementation. Regulatory frameworks for information do not exist. Even though information technology and telecommunications have made a way into all the markets in a developed country, in developing countries, information technology is still seen only as a means to support information management systems, finance and accounting facilities and data processing. As compared to the population numbers, the per capita penetration of computers in both India and China in the area of small office/home office (SOHO) is very insignificant. Telecommunications has also not yet picked up in India and China. If the information infrastructure were to cover the wide Indian and Chinese markets, and if technology was used for global access to information through the Internet, there would be a phenomenal economic growth in these countries. Both the countries need to urgently address the awareness of the Internet and its importance for policy makers at the political level. Proper education and training As in developed countries, workforces in developing countries are also adopting knowledge-based methodologies rather than labor intensive ones. Surveys have shown that Internet use is associated with higher education in developed countries. The same applies to developing countries. Literacy rates in developing countries needs to be improved to a great extent. The governments, central, state and local and learning institutions and civic associations should take responsibility and should work together to raise the literacy levels in developing countries. Information professionals should be trained on priority. Trained information professionals can make better use of the Internet and will be more efficient in acquiring, organizing and propagating information. Developing countries are often concerned about preserving language and culture heritage and supporting political systems. They are weary of foreign economic formats. Thus, proper trainings and seminars for information professionals is a must. These trained professionals can help educate the masses and can take advantage of the benefits of the Internet. This would help in sharing of knowledge through cyberspace and would help in increasing the value of the global information sector. The Internet will support development in the following ways: * Assess the information capacity of the country and determine the needs of users, organize and synthesize information and provide access to internal and external information * Disseminate information to meet the public needs and private sectors and the daily information needs of the general public The governments role in utilizing the Internet is very critical. It influences the appropriate use of the Internet for social and economic change in the shift from labor-intensive production to knowledge based information industries. Also, it reveals the market to a strong private information sector by defining public and private sector relationships. In order to destroy monopolies and encourage competition among international and indigenous vendors, it redefines telecommunication policies. Internet Growth in India Internet service in India started in 1994 with government being the monopoly provider. Service was costly and unreliable and by 1996 there were only 4,000 subscribers nationwide. In 1998, the ISP market was deregulated. By 2000, there were 225 ISPs (India Infoline 2001) and prices had dropped 60%. PC prices also dropped significantly owing to lowering of import duties. The subscriber base then grew rapidly, reaching 1.8 million in January 2001. E-mail and chat are the most popular applications (Natarajan 1999). E-commerce is yet to find wide acceptance but is expected to touch $2.3 billion by 2002 (Pai 2000a). PC penetration in urban middle class households has increased in recent times (Dataquest 2000; Pai 2000b), and has led to an increase in the Internet subscribers. The popularity of the Internet has also had a feedback effect on PC sales (Dataquest 2000). The demand for bandwidth outstrips supply thirty-fold (Desai 2001). As of December 2000, there were only 28 million telephone lines equal to a tele-density of 3.5/100 persons. Alternatives to analog modems, such as ISDN lines or cable modems, are limited. Regulations have also stifled Internet growth. The ban on Internet telephony and the requirement to obtain security clearance before setting up an international gateway are two examples. In short, Internet diffusion in India started very recently and is characterized by high telephone charges, limited customer acceptance of E-commerce applications, limited telecommunications infrastructure, and restrictive regulations. These characteristics are prevalent in many other developing countries as well. The VSNL, is still by far the dominant player in the ISP market, and maintains the backbones that most private firms will have to use to provide access to consumers. There is currently one Level 1 gateway owned by VNSL, as well as a Level 2, through which most private companies will have to connect. 1995/96 1996/97 1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/2001 2001/2002 States Popn CAGR (81-91) Estd Popn CAGR of Lines Actual Lines à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"000 Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines Lines/100 Estd Lines AP 2.19 696.98 20.44 797 1.35 959 1.59 1155 1.87 1391 2.20 1675 2.60 2017 2.58 2044 Assam 1.20 227.37 21.59 107 0.56 130 0.68 158 0.81 192 0.98 233 1.17 283 1.16 284 Bihar 2.14 903.30 19.97 280 0.36 335 0.43 401 0.50 481 0.59 577 0.69 692 0.68 694 Gujarat 1.94 428.65 16.52 916 2.44 1067 2.79 1243 3.19 1448 3.64 1687 4.16 1965 4.18 2012 Haryana 2.45 174.52 21.31 295 2.00 357 2.36 433 2.80 525 3.31 636 3.91 771 3.90 786 Himachal 1.91 53.60 28.27 110 2.58 141 3.23 180 4.06 230 5.10 295 6.42 378 6.45 387 JK 2.57 82.29 13.61 53 0.71 60 0.79 68 0.87 77 0.96 87 1.05 98 1.02 98 Karnataka 1.93 466.52 20.32 784 1.98 943 2.34 1134 2.76 1364 3.26 1641 3.85 1974 3.85 2013 Kerala 1.35 307.74 22.24 681 2.67 832 3.22 1017 3.88 1243 4.68 1519 5.64 1856 5.71 1905 MP 2.41 700.25 22.47 623 1.06 762 1.27 933 1.52 1142 1.82 1398 2.17 1712 2.14 1730 Maharashtra 2.32 831.86 18.70 2425 3.38 2878 3.92 3416 4.55 4054 5.28 4812 6.12 5711 6.19 5904 Orissa 1.85 327.44 19.68 166 0.59 198 0.69 236 0.82 282 0.96 337 1.12 403 1.11 405 Punjab 1.91 210.22 25.23 571 3.34 715 4.1 895 5.03 1120 6.18 1402 7.60 1755 7.70 1813 Rajasthan 2.53 468.70 28.14 494 1.32 633 1.65 811 2.06 1039 2.57 1331 3.21 1705 3.17 1727 TN 1.44 570.17 22.01 1014 2.14 1237 2.57 1509 3.09 1841 3.72 2246 4.47 2740 4.50 2798 UP 2.30 1464.71 25.53 810 0.68 1016 0.83 1275 1.02 1600 1.25 2008 1.54 2520 1.51 2537 WB 2.23 714.44 15.56 610 0.96 704 1.09 813 1.23 939 1.39 1085 1.57 1253 1.55 1265 à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"The above table represents an extrapolation based on the s available at the end of the 1995-96 fiscal year. The s show that the penetration of phone lines is in fact growing faster than the population. In addition, the s represent only the penetration of public services, whereas the latest telecom policy calls for added investment in the private sector. Nevertheless, it is clear that the current trends in growth will not result in the planned telephony penetration into India (7% by 2005 and 15% by 2010). In addition, in many cases the s are skewed towards the urban regions within the states, and mask a poorly developed rural sector. Thus, the general indication at this juncture is that there is a clear need for dedicated infrastructure developed throughout india. The Impact of the internet in developing countries http://cse.stanford.edu/classes/cs201/projects-00-01/third-world/india-overview.html Modeling Internet Growth To get a thorough understanding of the technicalities of Internet diffusion in developing countries, we will discuss a model, which combines contagion effects and their interaction with external factors. There are a variety of methodologies available in the market to represent dynamic processes. We will be discussing the SD (Sterman 2000) model. Some of the reasons for choosing this model are listed below: * The feedback loop, which is the main structural element in an SD model, makes the model well suited for capturing the interaction among different drivers of diffusion over time * The SD model not only represents quantifiable variables, but also soft variables, which help in understanding because the diffusion context has both social as well as technical aspects * System behavior in SD models results from interaction among its feedback loops When you build an SD model, you start with the development of a causal loop graph that consists of a collection of causal links. Each of these causal links has a certain polarity. A positive (negative) link is associated with a reinforcing (balancing) relation. A positive (negative) change in the cause in this scenario leads to a positive (negative) change in the effect. Small lines intersecting causal links represent the delays in an effect. A causal loop is the result of a closed sequence of causal links and the loop polarity can be easily understood from the individual link polarities. The causal loop graph results in a mathematical model in which relationships are illustrated by means of time varying difference equations. A what-if analysis is conducted by simulating the mathematical model under different parametric and structural alternatives. The given above depicts the causal loop diagram for our diffusion model. The first of validation is the verification of each of the structural components involved. We will be discussing the foundation for the core component, followed by the selected components that capture external factors that are typical of developing countries. At the heart of the diagram lies the contagion based Internet Adoption, which helps PC owners become Internet subscribers. Innovation Coefficient and Imitation Coefficient drive Contagion in the same manner as in Bass 1969. The causal loop structure consisting of the above five variables would result in the familiar S-shaped diffusion curve, if it did not have any other structural components. The basic contagion mechanism is augmented by external factors typical of developing countries. In the above , this is accomplished by driving the contagion parameters by external factors like PC price, tele-density and the level of competition allowed by regulation. Model validation Replicating observed behavior Replicating the observed behavior is the second stage involved in validating an SD model. The given above was transformed into the corresponding difference equations and was then implemented using the iThink package. The s given below provide a comparison of the simulated and observed behavior of subscriber base and growth rates respectively, using quarterly data for India from 1996 to January 2001 (Dutta. A, Roy. R, 2001) (Dutta. A, Roy. R, 2001) Conclusions from this model The validated model offers a synthetic environment that helps us in analyzing the effect of different external factors. Loop dominance analysis (LDA) was used in SD parlance in order to analyze the external factors. A dominant loop is one, which is mainly responsible for model behavior over a particular time interval. The relevance of LDA is that it helps in identifying which loops need to be strengthened and/or weakened, through policy actions, so that we can achieve maximum desirable behavior. Two conclusions analyzed from our model, using LDA, are listed below: * Low infrastructure facility, high hourly usage costs and low geographic dispersion are dominant in the diffusion process. Regulatory policies would help in weakening these variables and therefore would dominate the future diffusion processes. * Besides the industrial countries, security concerns have not spread intensely in developing countries. One explanation for this could be that e-commerce has not yet got a hold in developing countries. Political barriers hindering the growth of the Internet The political atmosphere in India is to blame for the slow growth of both, the Internet access and the telecom infrastructure. In spite of the liberalization of Indian economy in 1991, the telecommunication sector remained in tight control of the government. This resulted in a number of problems for both, private firms as well as consumers. Even though the government has increased its interest in promoting the growth of the Internet throughout India, there is still a need for the review and/or removal of regulations still in place if we want the telecom industry to flourish. The government should rethink its current policies on telecommunications, take into account the global changes brought the about by the advent of new technology, and work to create a market environment that is favorable for investment by both local and international IT firms. Impact of the Internet on various sectors in developing countries The Internet has considerable potential in various sectors in developing countries: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Education à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Banking and Finance à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Government à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Telecommunications à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Travel and Tourism We will discuss the impact of Internet on some sectors in detail. a) Impact on Education The world of education is undergoing some major changes, the most important of which is the use of the Internet in teaching and learning. Before the advent of the Internet the main sources of information for students were the teachers and the books available in the libraries. Now, thanks to the Internet, teachers are just one of the sources of information. Global access to information has widened their horizons to gain maximum knowledge. In this à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Information ageà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ , the Internet has helped involve students in active learning. They are more interested in hands-on learning, which presents them with practical, real-life experience. Studies have revealed that this style of learning results in better retention and understanding of topics. Also, learning is now not confined to the walls of the institutions. The easy and quick access to infinite resources of information has encouraged out of the box thinking. Besides these benefits, the Internet has helped in personal development of students. Social interaction over the Internet has helped students who are shy to interact and improve their communication skills. With the advent of the Internet, the concept of online exams has also evolved. It has become easier to appear for exams like GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, technical certification like SCJP etc. These exams are now conducted online, which has helped people in developing countries to enhance their knowledge. It has reduced the overheads and hassles involved in personally going to exam centers. One of the best examples would be CISCO human network which has promoted education in remote areas of almost all developing countries like India, Africa etc. by using the Internet for teaching through virtual classrooms which use video conferencing. b) Impact on Banking and Finance Around the clock banking is one of the biggest advantages of Internet use in banking. With the help of the Internet, we have remote access to the banks, which helps in transfer of money overseas with concepts like RTGS from RBI, India. It has reduced daily visits to the banks because we can get regular updates about our bank details online. Expenditure on administration services, paper, stationery etc. has been reduced which has helped in increasing the profit margins of banks besides being environment friendly. Internet has eliminated the tedious paperwork involved in banks, and has provided easy and fast access, making life much easier for bankers as well as customers. The concept of digital signatures has also picked up and it will only enhance the benefits of Internet banking. Tedious and monotonous process of dealing with brokers has been eliminated with the help of Online Trading. Demat accounts have eliminated the concept of physical shares. c) Impact on Business The Internet has provided a global source of information, which helps in developing new strategies and methodologies to enhance businesses. Even for the smallest of traders, constant updates of the prices of commodities are available online. Some companies use the Internet to build direct associations with their customers. Others are using the Internet to bring together buyers and sellers in the new tremendously efficient marketplaces. The Internet has taken the concept of e-Commerce to e-Business. The growth of the Internet has promoted inter-company trade of goods over the Internet. The best examples would be of online websites like e-Bay and other companies promoting online gifting systems. Airline industries have also benefited a lot from the Internet. Tickets can be booked online at any time of the day. d) Impact on Advertising The companies attract customers by building brand awareness and by providing market information over the Internet. This can be seen in the recent IPO (Initial Public Offerings) releases like those of Reliance Petronet. In e-business, the profits are generated not only by speeding up and automating the companys own internal processes but also by recognizing its ability to spread the efficiency benefits to the business systems of its suppliers and customers. The capability to team up with others may be just as much of a competitive advantage as the ability to deploy the technology. e) Impact on e-Governance With the growth of the Internet, people have realized that the use of information and communication technology to provide and improve the government services can be highly beneficial. Using the Internet for e-Governance is a convenient and cost effective method to provide people access to current information. Internet can promote greater citizen participation in the nations capital. It will encourage people all over the country to interact with politicians to make their voices heard so that the political situation can improve and the countries can progress. E-Governance would make the political system more efficient, provide improved services, better accessibility of public services and would make the processes more transparent and accountable. Nowadays, online counseling for entrance exams has reduced the overhead for the government institutions. Developing countries are now using the Internet to manage the biggest networks like railways. All travelling transactions can now be done online on websites like www.irctc.co.in (India). f) Impact on Telecommunications Internet has helped the developing countries in reducing the national as well as international call rates. The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations have all taken up the concept of VOIP (Voi

Valedictorian Speech :: essays research papers

First of all I would like to congratulate my fellow classmates Hello my name is Sarah and I am very proud to say I am valedictorian of this program. When I first started classes at this college I was afraid I wasn’t even going to pass let alone be standing here today. It had been a long time since I sat in a class room. I thought I was too old to go back to school. But I was wrong. Coming to this school has been one of the most fulfilling decisions I have made in my life. When I am at home watching tv and a commercial for this college comes on my 4 year old will start yelling that my momma’s college with a big smile on his face it makes me feel proud to be a part of this class. These past eight months have been tough. Especially for those of us with children who know its not easy to do our homework when our kids are trying to color in our text books. Or study for a test when the baby is crying. at first I felt a guilty, not having any time to spend my son. But I just kept remembering the banner we have over the stair case on our campus. It says sacrifice is temporary but I will be a college graduate forever. As I stand up here today and all my hard work has paid of I know my children and my family are so proud of me. As I am sure all of you are as proud of all your graduates standing up here today. I would like to thank you all for giving us the ext ra help, support and understanding we have needed to succeed these past eight months. I would like to thank my teacher Mr. S, for making my learning experience at this school a fun and exciting one. Even thought at times it seamed like he thought we were marines instead of student, Never the less he is just a great teacher I would like to take the time to thank my in-laws for letting me use their car to get to class when mine broke down.My other half for being so helpful with the kids when I had homework or a test to study for.

Biography of the Literary Works of Dylan Thomas Essay -- Dylan Thomas

"Drunk with melody, and what the words were, he cared not." This was a very common view among early commentators about Dylan Thomas (Cox 1). Thomas was a poet who was either loved or hated. It depended on the individual, and how they viewed his poetry. He was very famous for his poetry because it contained visions of life, aspects of birth and death, fear, grief, joy, and beauty. At a younger age, Thomas was a very violent poet. As he grew older, he spoke for all men greatly when he wrote. He wrote his poems referring to the qualities and sensations of life. The strength of feelings, which were expressed in his writings, gave many different impressions about Thomas’ attitudes toward religion and spirituality, relationships, and the passion in his poetry. Thomas published his first book, Eighteen poems, in 1934. He then moved to London, and wrote his second book, Twenty-Five Poems, in 1936 (Locher 471). The two books were written similar to each other. In one of his poems, "Twenty One", he complains that there is a time when sun or moon is not visible. The mystic elements were "light," and perceiving that night also sheds light. This is an example of his spiritual discipline. In a later poem, "Thirty Two," Thomas writes with mature mysticism. He then included in his poem contraries like life and death or pleasure and pain, so that they are tangible in nature. He did this when he explained that he was suffering with Jesus, and that all things are sensible. He then included in his poem contraries like life and death or pleasure and pain, so that they are tangible in nature. In a number of his later poems Thomas started them with "For the love of man and in the praise of God" (Korg 33-34). This shows how Thomas perceived h... ...y read his works. His works re-illustrate how he wrote through the eyes of an adult, and the innocence of a child. Critics state that the when Dylan Thomas died at the age of 39, the poems he had written, were the best of his time. Bibliography: Cox, C.B. ed. Dylan Thomas: collection of critical essays. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1996, Pg. 1-75. Ferris, Paul. Dylan Thomas: A Biography. New York: The Dial Press, 1977, Pg.166-233 Knepper, B.G. "Dylan Thomas". Critical Survey of Poetry. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs; Salem Press, 1982, Pg. 2878-2888. Korg, Jacob. Dylan Thomas. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1965, Pg. 33-55. Locher, Frances C. Ed. "Dylan Thomas" Contemporary Authors. Vol 104. Gale Research Company, 1982, Pg. 471. Magill, Frank N. "Dylan Thomas" Collected Poems. Ed. J.M. Dent; New Directions,1982, Pg. 53-55.

Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy Essay -- Government Political Ess

Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy Although the aspirations and goals of states are often motivated by external political pressures, analysis of recent foreign policy decisions demonstrates how internal political forces can play equally crucial roles in the pursuit and execution of these objectives. Thus, it would be invalid to claim that domestic politics and the nature of regimes play minor roles in either the goals a state pursues or the means it employs to reach them. By understanding how the diffusion of power in governments affect policy decisions, one can develop increased awareness of the linkages that exist between the internal pressures of domestic politics and the external forces of foreign politics. Before discussing the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy objectives and their execution, one must first understand the different types of policies that states pursue. The foreign policy of states can be directed toward the protection and enhancement of valued possessions (â€Å"possession goals†) or intended to improve the environment in which it operates (milieu goals). More specifically, possession goals pertain to national possessions where states aim to enhance or preserve one or more things they value such as territory, permanent membership in international organizations like the UN Security Council, or access to trade areas. And while milieu goals are different from possession goals in that states that work towards achieving them are not seeking to defend or increase their possessions but instead attempting to shape conditions beyond their national boundaries, milieu goals can be seen as an indirect way of achieving possession goals. A nation that pursues a mi lieu goal—such as the promotion of peace through the signing of international treaties—provides clear benefits for the international community but ultimately serves to enhance its own national security by creating a safer environment where its national possessions are protected from external threats. But for many states, whether their foreign policy objectives assume the form of possession goals or milieu goals, the pursuit and execution of these goals are often constrained by the powers of domestic politics. And in the case of American foreign policy, the Constitution of the United States as well as recent history provides compelling support to this claim. American foreig... ...reted without reference to domestic politics or leadership. Realists argue that the interests of states transcend domestic politics and leadership change because that the broad orientation of foreign and defense policies are unchanging. Although the realist model may be most appropriate for analyzing actions when vital interests are at stake such as in times of crises, it seems to have little explanatory power for national security policy making in times without crisis. Although the aspirations and goals of states are often partially motivated by external pressures, it is important to recognize that internal forces also play equally crucial roles in the pursuit and execution of these objectives. The decisions of foreign policymakers must take into account domestic political considerations. This fact is especially evident in the political landscape of the United States, where the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branch allows Congress to act as a counterweight to the power of the president. All states, whether their governments are democratic or authoritarian, must contend with domestic political considerations when evaluating foreign policy decision.

Adoption of Ifrs

ADOPTION OF IFRS: IT`S BENEFITS AND IMPACTS ON FIRMS AND COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD The IASB was established in 2001 and since have assumed the responsibility of the standard setting from its predecessor body, the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC) and began issuing International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). IFRS has recently been dominating the regulatory changes in accounting for listed companies around the world. Through the years, over 100 countries have adopted IFRS reporting, some of which include Australia, the European Union, India, Japan, South Africa, Russia and most recently Canada.In addition, the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are working towards the final element of a work plan to incorporate IFRS into the U. S. financial reporting jurisdiction. In November 2007, the SEC voted to allow foreign issuers that report in IFRS to file their financial statements with the SEC without reconciling to U. S. generally accepted accounting st andards (GAAP). Accounting standard setters anticipate that the use of IFRS will improve the comparability of financial statements, improve reporting transparency, and increase the quality of financial reporting which in turn will lead to greater investor confidence.From an economic perspective, some believe that it’s challenging to perceive that such expectations will be achieved as a result of converting to IFRS. However according to proponents of IFRS, publicly traded companies believe that applying these principles will allow for a single set of high quality accounting standards as this will contribute to better functioning of the capital markets (Quigley 2007).In the following paper I will discuss the reasons why firms around the globe have adopted IFRS in relation to the financial reporting and disclosure quality, comparability across firms and countries, and the costs and benefits associated with reporting improvements. Most countries are in favor of adopting IFRS, fro m the viewpoint that IFRS standards are more capital market oriented, which in turn provides higher quality information that will benefit constituencies of financial statement users as supposed to local GAAP (Daske and Gebhardt 2006).If this statement is true, one way to validate it is through recommendations by empirical studies that suggest firms engaging in IFRS implementations should see an increase in market liquidity followed by a decrease in the firm’s value of cost of capital. According to Leuz and Wysocki (2008), they have provided some evidence in relation to the effects of reporting quality on market liquidity. They indicate the issue regarding information asymmetry, where investors who possess less knowledge of a firm’s reporting structure or policies, are concerned about trading with the better informed investors.They indicate how these non-informed investors are to lower the price at which they are willing to buy, to protect themselves from losses incurre d from trading with better informed investors. Hence investors that possess less information about a stock are less likely to trade. These effects of adverse selection and information asymmetry reduce the liquidity of securities market. Therefore, IASB strongly encourages essential financial disclosure. This will alleviate the adverse selection problem and will result in increased market liquidity by leveling the playing field among all market participants.In addition, other studies have shown that improvements in financial reporting and disclosure can affect the cost of capital in a variety of ways. Some of which include, investors that require a higher return from less liquid securities and lower estimation risk as this makes it easier for the investor to estimate a firm’s future cash flow. This in turn, will improve risk sharing in the economy by making investors aware of certain securities or by making them more willing to hold them (Leuz and Verrecchia, 2004). Hence redu cing the cost of capital.As important as it can be for firms to disclose essential information to investors, other firms can also benefit from these disclosures for the purpose of decision making and will help reduce the agency problem existing between shareholders and management. For example, â€Å"disclosure on operating performance and governance arrangement provides useful benchmarks that help outside investors to evaluate other firms managerial efficiency or potential agency conflicts and, in doing so, lower the costs of monitoring† ( Leuz and Wysocki, 2008).In addition, the information environment has improved as firms switch over to IFRS, which has also contributed to the increase in higher quality financial reporting. According to Mary E. Barth (2006) firms that voluntarily adopted IFRS generally seek lower earning management, lower cost of capital, and more value relevant of earnings. All of which interpret evidence of higher accounting quality. Barth indicates that the accounting quality could be mproved by removing other accounting methods that are not reflective of a firm’s performance and which are used by managers to manage earnings. As part of his testing, he compared firm’s earnings management between those firms reporting under IFRS and firms reporting according to their local GAAP. As a result of his study, it was indicated that after firms had adopted IFRS, they had larger volatility swings in net income, increase ratio of variance in cash flows, higher correlation of accruals and cash flows, small positive net income, and increased occurrence of larger losses.Opponents argue that a single set of internationally accepted high quality financial reporting standards may not be appropriate for certain firms as they are exposed to different cultural, political and legal differences as this might continue to impose major obstacles in the progress towards the harmonization of standards. These differences however may not provide for any greater value relevance and reliability. For example a study conducted by Ball (2006) indicates that pension accounting may be subject to earnings management in countries that have less developed pension systems.Another empirical study indicates that managers can take advantage and use different assumptions to manipulate financial statements (Soderstorm and Jialin Sun, 2006). Proponents of IFRS argue that using common accounting standards across countries will make it more cost efficient for investors to identify earnings management. When accounting standards are uniformed and relevant disclosure is provided, investors are more likely to understand the different assumptions used by management to calculate such pension accounting, which will limit the chances of management to engage in earnings management.The second important factor as to why countries have chosen to adopt IFRS, is mainly because of its increase in accounting comparability across firms. The advantage of a gl obal movement towards IFRS reporting makes it easier for investors and stakeholders to compare different firms and the relevant information to help them assess the company objectives. Comparative reporting will enable users of financial statements in identifying which firms are more or less profitable.Firms that are exposed to high or low risk of return as a result, will reduce investors information asymmetries and lower estimation risk. Moreover, the improvement in comparability across firms allows for increase market liquidity and reduces firms cost of capital (Luez et al. 2008). Studies have suggested that prior to adopting IFRS, firm’s local GAAP standard which were tailored to the needs of analysts and investors would in theory reduce biased information and build investor confidence.A study conducted by Tan, Wang and Welter in 2009, indicated that once firms had adopted IFRS, their foreign analysts had increased significantly more for those who had the greatest level of GAAP differences. There have been a number of studies conducted to test whether IFRS adoption does in fact increase comparability. The outcome of these studies are mixed. Bielstein et al. (2007) concluded that IFRS adoption, results in greater foreign investment for countries that have strong reliability and comparability.Other empirical studies claim that cultural, political and business differences continue to impose significant obstacles in increasing the comparability of accounting information. Lang Maffet and Owens (2010) find that accounting comparability does not improve for IFRS adopters relative to a control group of non-adopters. The two conclude that there is little evidence that IFRS adoption increases comparability. Overall, from the research obtained, there is little empirical evidence proven on the effects of reporting comparability than reporting quality.The third important factor for countries adopting IFRS, are the costs and benefits associated in producing high qu ality accounting standards and the improvement in comparability across firms. As mentioned previously, the ultimate benefit a firm receives by adopting IFRS reporting is from the increase in market liquidity followed by a lower cost of capital. In order to achieve this high standard, there are costs that a firm is exposed to. Such incurred costs include transitional costs, ongoing costs of compliance to the firms, and enforcement costs relevant to government agencies (Standish, 2003).Standish summarizes his findings in relation to cost and benefits of firms moving to IFRS that will tend to see lower transaction costs when preparing financial reports. They will only be reporting against a single set of accounting standards instead of multiple sets. In addition, he makes note of a â€Å"positive network externality† that arises through the use of a single set of accounting standards by all constituencies. This will save market participants from requiring additional time and ene rgy of having to learn, apply and understand multiple sets of standards.Other benefits that result from the transition to IFRS will improve comparability between firm’s financial statement for investors and shareholders. Thereby, making investment decision’s easier. According to Leuz and Wysocki (2008), there are direct and indirect costs associated with improving reporting. The direct costs include preparation, validity and circulation of accounting reports. These costs can vary and increase significantly. In addition, firms will require assistance and hire consultants that have expertise in IFRS reporting.These specialists help train key personnel in the organizations so that they are able to produce financial statements that are in accordance to IFRS reporting. The costs tend to be more difficult for smaller companies to finance such activities for disclosures and reports, as their profitability margins are small. Disclosure costs have characteristics of indirect co sts. Whereby a firm can reduce its monopoly power by providing too much detail to the market, as sensitive profitability information is assimilated to its competitors.Other empirical studies have noted that with these costs and cost-benefit trade-offs that firms are undergoing, it may not be suitable for them to obtain high quality reporting. Rather, encourage firms to provide certain disclosures which the cost of disclosing such information does not exceed their benefit. Moreover, it is of importance that the standard setters recognize the net benefits obtained from the high quality reporting and comparability, as they differ across firm industries and countries (Leuz and Wysocki, 2008).It’s relatively evident why most companies would like to switch over to IFRS due to the number of benefits that are associated with the transition as described above. One would automatically presume that a single set of accounting standards that are used universally by most firms within diffe rent countries would deliver comparability, increase reporting transparency, allow for foreign investments, hence increasing market liquidity and low cost of capital. However, there is very little empirical evidence that claim these characteristics as being true after conversion.Having said that, Ball (2006) has noted that IASB has been successful in serving the public by developing comprehensive set of high quality standards that have convinced over 100 countries to adopt these principles for the purposes of financial reporting. There are some advantages of having a single set of accounting standards unified. As such, these standards contain characteristics of a â€Å"public good†, for example, the investor can use this information in an annual report without eliminating its usefulness to other investors. In other words, the marginal cost for another investor viewing these annual reports would be zero.A second advantage of unifying accounting standards and disclosure practic es is to reduce management from using their own judgement in financial reporting, by reducing the risk of altering the reports to mislead capital market participants. Moreover, these uniform standards provide protection for auditors against firms. These standards are to also be enforced by auditors, whereby the firm has very little opportunity to shirk, hence reducing information asymmetry and increasing investors and stakeholder’s confidence of the firm. Lastly, unifying these standards will increase the accounting comparability across firms.If each firm or country were to implement different local accounting standards, this can impose high costs for both the firm and its external users, such as investors as this will create negative externalities and will reduce domestic investments which can impact countries trade volume profitability, where the majority of countries main source of income is driven from. Opponents of IFRS adoption feel that a single set of accounting stand ards do not benefit all firms and countries. These differences in countries arise from cultural, economic, political and legal systems.For example, firms may have to respond to political pressures from the government due to balance sheet volatility, as a result of fair valuing. The IASB should review accounting standards as they are released to eliminate the possibility of political pressures on countries that are exposed to such tight regulation. One of the main reasons why countries and firms around the world adopt IFRS is due to the results achieved from reporting quality and disclosure practices. However, IFRS can occasionally produce ineffective reporting quality and disclosure.For instance, IFRS can lack in setting descriptive details in their guidelines that make it difficult for countries to follow. Some countries find their local GAAP easier to read and understand due to the level of detail and examples provided. These complexities in the rules creates havoc for firms that would like to report in IFRS, but find it challenging to exclusively follow these guidelines outlined by the IASB. As a result, this can lead to poor financial reporting quality. Other countries and firms conclude that fewer rules and guidelines will encourage management to produce effective accounting policies that will rompt them to make appropriate judgement calls. Information asymmetry and agency costs play a significant role in relation to the disclosure and financial reporting quality. The key motivating factor for any firm is, the more disclosure provided will create a positive signal to investors and hence, will reduce the information asymmetry and agency costs. Companies will see increases in investor confidence while earning high profitability levels. Moreover, firms adopting IFRS, chances are that they are subject to fewer opportunities to part take in earnings management or deceive investors.Studies have indicated that countries which have adopted IFRS do not all achieve the same degree of benefit. The study implies to those countries which have a weak structure in place for investor protection, will tend to see the most benefits from adopting of IFRS. In contrary, countries that have a strong structure in place for investor protection will see marginal benefits. The increase in benefits received by a country whether small or large will improve investor protection and provide for more comparable and comprehensive financial reporting.The cost and benefits of a firm converting to IFRS can be substantial depending on how one views it. The benefit driven through the implementation of IFRS will include lower cost of capital, increases firm value and creates a stable level of investors’ confidence. In addition, as discussed above, the benefits will also increase as a result of better financial reporting quality and cross country comparability for foreign investors, auditors and other constituencies. These benefits obtained through adoption of IFRS are not free. The cost of implementing such an accounting standard can cost firms millions.There are various types of costs that are incurred in the different processes a firm undergoes. The transition costs can be significant in relation to auditing fees. The cost of auditing work will increase, due to testing and validating accounting data as most of the assumptions used by firms are judgemental. Other costs involve training key personnel to apply applicable standards in practice. Companies tend to have shortages of staff that have ever been exposed to IFRS accounting, this is more apparent in Canada. As a result, these companies struggle as they need to learn and apply these new standards.Moreover, the cost related to the risk involved of manipulation of accounting standards, as these standards do not provide strict reporting rules for companies to follow, can impose a huge cost on the firm, if the auditor refuses to provide an unqualified opinion on the firm. Overall, the costs are generally higher during the first couple of phases through the transition. In the long run, costs tend to decline as employees are more aware of the standards and a basic foundation has been developed by IFRS consultants and auditors. At the present moment IFRS reporting is widely used by many countries across the globe.Based on the studies gathered above, countries and firms are optimistic about replacing their local GAAP to IFRS accounting standards. By moving towards a universal set of high quality accounting standards this will lead to improving the firm’s performance, by increasing shareholders wealth though investors’ confidence, lower cost of capital hence reducing information asymmetry. In addition, other benefits include comparability across all nations, this will help facilitate in better understanding by investors of accounting information released in public financials.Comparability will result in an increase of auditors understanding in the types of po licies and assumptions companies implement. This will help ensure that companies are not partaking in earnings management. Comparative accounting standards can be most beneficial to analysts. This will enable analysts to predict the firm’s future forecast of cash flows in comparison to the industry average. As mentioned above, the IFRS accounting standards are costly to implement. Studies have made reference to these transition costs as extremely pricy to develop, however, in the long run their costs tend to decline.This may in fact be true, however, for those companies that have incorporated IFRS standards, will continue to see new accounting pronouncements issued by the IASB, as they work to improve their guidelines. As a result, firms will continue to spend in areas of training and seeking professional advice on how these new standards will impact their firm. References 1. Bielstein , 2007. How the IFRS movement will affect financial reporting in the U. S. : Article: KPMG 2. Daske andGebhardt, 2006. Discussion of Daske and Gebhardt, Journal ofAccounting Finance and Business Studies. 3. Lang, Maffet and Owen, 2010. Earnings Movement and Accounting Comparability, the Journal of Accounting Research 4. Leuz and Verrecchia , 2004. Firms Capital Allocation Choices, Information Quality and the Cost of Capital 5. Luez and Wysocki, 2008. Economic Consequences of Financial Reporting and Disclosure Regulation, Journal of Accounting Research 6. Mary E. Barth, 2006. Accounting Quality : International Accounting Standards, The Journal of Accounting Research 7. Ray Ball, 2006.International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS): Pros and Cons for Investors, Journal of Accounting Research 8. Soderstorm and Jialin Sun, 2007. IFRS Adoption and Accounting Quality: A review, The Journal of Accounting Research 9. Standsih, 2003. Evaluating National Capacity for Direct Participation in International Accounting Harmonization, Journal of Accounting Research 10. Tang, Wang and Welkor, 2011. Analyst Following and Forecast Accuracy After Mandated IFRS Adoption. Journal of Accounting Research. 11. William R. Scott, Fifth edition , 2009. Financial Accounting Theory

Occupational Psychology

Theories of motivation provide those that are in managerial positions with greater understanding of what makes employees perform to their peak performance. The practice of comprehending motivation can result in influencing and managing the behaviour of a workforce effectively. Motivation is intrinsic or extrinsic and is seen as a desire or need that gives an individual focus and drive in their role, tasks they are employed to do and controls an individual's behavior. We are all motivated by different things and in different ways. Some people are motivated by doing a good job and look for personal recognition and personal growth, whereas others are motivated by money and promotion. When applied to the workplace it is about getting the most from an employee through encouragement in order for them to give the best performance in their role. Two theories that have influenced organizations and are used to date are Maslow's theory ËÅ"hierarchy of needs' and Locke's theory on goal setting'. Maslow's theory is referred to as a content theory of motivation and suggests how an individual behaves in a workplace is dependent on the need or requirement to fulfill certain needs. If an individual does not accomplish these needs they encounter an imbalance which they will try to rectify. The theory suggests we are motivated by basic needs and as these needs are met we move to another level of the hierarchy of needs until we reach the pinnacle of the pyramid. The levels that Maslow proposes we all go through are, basic needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem needs and self-actualization. Once individuals reach the self actualization level, the need continues to act as a motivator, the more they experience the need, the more they want to experience further growth and satisfaction. A study by Parker et al (1991) looked into motivation needs and their relationship to life success. The study looked at the responses of managerial and non-managerial industry workers. It showed that the need to achieve was positively related to success. This included status-wealth, contribution to society and professional fulfillment, but was negatively related to security and when carried out the type of role i.e. managerial and non managerial was an essential predictor of power needs and accomplishment. C.L. Cooper (2001) also supported Maslow's theory of needs believing that they are extremely important because the nature of work is changing, as employment is now insecure or short term contracts. British employment structure is becoming more Americanized, having longer hours, intrinsic job insecurity and employing a bottom line management approach. Cooper proposed that Maslow's theory is far more important today with the British workforce than it was in the last century. P.E. Ajang (2012) also supports the theory that Maslow's hierarchy of needs have been useful in organisations in motivation, believing that in order for them to be effective and efficient, managers and the organisation must be willing to understand and provide factors that motivate employees within their roles and duties. Greenberg & Baron (2003) support the distinction between the growth needs and deficiencies in Maslow's theory but proposed that not all individuals are able to satisfy their higher order needs in employment. Their research found that managers from higher ranks in organisations were able to satisfy both their growth and deficiency needs whereas managers at a lower level were only able to satisfy their deficiency needs at work. Nadler & Lawler (1979) cited in Graham & Messner (1998) believed there were three major criticisms of Maslow's theory arguing that the theory makes assumptions about employees in general. These are that employees are similar, all situations are similar and that there is only one best way to meet their needs. Locke's theory is referred to as a process theory of motivation and proposes that employees are motivated by having specific goals set them and being given the necessary feedback. He suggests that if we are given goals it motivates an individual to achieve a goal which improves overall performance. Goal setting employs key points, referred to as SMART. These are specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time bound. Goals should be specific (so an individual knows what to do), measurable (so an individual knows when they have to be completed), agreed upon (this way an individual has a joint/vested interest in their success), realistic (difficult but realistic to accomplish in period allotted, making sure they are not impractical objectives as this will demotivate them) and time constrained (having a time limit ensures individuals complete the task). Morisano et al (2010) investigated whether goal setting would enhance academic performance for struggling students, following the conclusion that in universities twenty five percent never complete their course. The study found that the students who followed the goal setting intervention showed extensive improvements in their performance compared to those that had not had goals set. They propose that if they are standardized, easily administered and time limited that enhancement in academic performance can be attained in struggling students. Steele-Johnson et al (2000) found in their analysis of goal orientation and task demand effects on motivation, affect and performance that participants with performance goal orientation were more satisfied with their overall performance on an simple task as this offered a better possibility for them to demonstrate their capability. Their results showed that advantages of goal direction were dependent on the type or intricacy of task given. Job complexity affected goal orientation on affect and performance and task consistency moderated goal orientation on intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. In Latham & Steele's (1983) study on college students performing toy assembly, and whether work strategies or goal setting would boost performance, the results showed that specific goals set by a supervisor led to elevated performance rather than generalized ‘do best' objectives. The study found and supported Locke's theory of goal setting as did other studies by Mento et al (1987), Locke & Latham (1990) and Locke & Latham (2002). Grant's (2012) study on goal setting in teaching and practice saw goal setting as an ideal structure in order for individuals to explore, recognize and modify unhelpful implicit goals. This would promote positive change and a motivational effect on behaviour, but he also felt that it could hinder performance, especially if the task allotted was too complicated, was too exigent or the individual was inexperienced, had low self-efficacy and resources were limited. He also proposed that individuals were more likely to cheat and be unhelpful with peers if there were highly competitive situations or high performance goals. He felt that SMART goals suppress the development of sophisticated comprehension and knowledge. He stated that unclear managerial perception or knowledge of Locke's theory could result in ill informed decision making and incorrect practice. In conclusion the level of influence on performance and motivation is dependent on how a theory is applied and by whom and whether they are proficient at applying the theory. When using Maslow's theory if an individual is inexperienced in teaching or training methods (i.e., supervisors, managers, etc) the theory is absolutely ineffective, although if they are a trained teacher or academic they may have some success in its application. Employers need to be able to work out which level of the hierarchy of needs an individual is at in order to motivate them i.e. if someone is on a low salary and are struggling to get by they are unlikely to be motivated be receiving a credential for a job well done, they are more likely to be motivated with the offer of a salary increase. Problems exist with the theory as individuals aren't always predictable, they can also sometimes be driven to do well by what they feel strongly about and not necessarily by what they require. In contrast Locke's theory seems to have more success and is an established method used in organisations today. It has been shown to be a reliable and effective way of motivating employees. Studies have shown that performance improvements that are related to goal setting can be between ten and twenty percent. Goal setting works because it gives individuals objectives, energizes individuals, provides a challenge and encourages creativeness in an individual in their workplace. To managers and supervisors it is easy enough to employ and can be very useful as the results can be easily understood and supervised. In academics and teachers who are highly proficient it can be very useful as can show levels of attainment and can be a good indicator on how to progress and improve an individual's overall performance and if applied correctly will have great advantages. In summary we all require motivation to work hard, but individual differences in motivation are due to factors such as locus of control and personality. We are all motivated in different ways and by different things, such as personal gain, money, reward or by achievement and personal success. These motivations can alter depending on our circumstances. Locke's theory seems the most useful in addressing human problems in motivation but ultimately it is down to the organisation and which method they employ, that determines whether a theory has been helpful or unhelpful. The competency on the individual using the theory will evidently determine whether motivation of an individual is successful or not in the workplace.