Wednesday, July 31, 2019
Product life cycle and its stages Essay
In today’s world, where market is unpredictable, strategies play crucial role in defending a firm’s product position. â€Å"The main reason why companies must continually develop new products is because products have life cycle†, (Bittel, 1980). Just as operation managers must be prepared to develop new products, they must also be prepared to develop strategies for both new and existing products. First and foremost, before proceeding into the product life cycle strategies, lets define what a product life cycle is. According to Griffin and Ebert (2002), a product life cycle is a series of stages through which it passes during its profit -producing life. Depending on the product’s ability to attract and keep customers over time, a product life cycle may be a matter of months, years, or even decades. Anyway, there are four phases that every product undergoes in a market since it was produced and launched to its out-of market position. They are the introductor y, growth, maturity and decline phases. Below follows the figure of a product life cycle and all phases’ detailed descriptions shall be described later. Also, considerations must be given to how far the product is along the product life cycle. A new concept / product just entering the product life cycle may require intensive distribution to start with to launch it on to the market. As it becomes more established, perhaps the after sales-service will play a more important role which leads to a more selective distribution, with only those dealers that are able to offer the necessary standard of after sales-service being allowed to sell the product. In simpler words, in every phase of a product life cycle, a product should undergo different, suitable strategy in order to stay competitive in the ever changing market. Below follows the product life cycle stages along with their definitions and beneficial strategies†¦ Introductory Stage: According to Stevenson (1999), the introduction stage begins when a product reaches the market place. When an item is first introduced, it may be treated with curiosity by the buyers. Demand is generally low as buyers are not yet familiar with that item. This often leads to the drop of the product’s price. Therefore, along with time, production and design improvements, many new products became more reliable, less costly, and also the increase in awareness in buyers lads to the increase in demand. Also, according to Griffin and Ebert (2002), during this stage, marketers focus on making their target markets aware of the products and their benefits. Also, during this stage, the particular product is represented with innovation (diffusion of innovative curve), product development (Ansoff Growth Matrix) and problem children (Boston Consulting Group). Among the common characteristics, according to Smith et al – 1997 are: – new products; – low sales; – low market share; – Specific type of customers willing to buy new products. During this phase, as compared to the other phases, profits are negative or low because of low sales and high distribution and promotional expenses. Promotional expenditures are high as the company is eager to inform customers’ about the product’s availability and get them to try it. Since the market is not ready for new products at this stage, the firm focuses on selling such items to those who are the readiest to buy. A company that wishes to be a market leader for its product must choose to launch a strategy that is consistent with the intended product positioning. The company, when deciding on which strategy to implement for the product’s long-term, life and will have to continuously formulate new pricing, promotion and other marketing strategies. Growth Stage: It is the second stage of product life cycle process. Only if the new product satisfies the market’s demand and need, it will enter this stage. According to Heizer and Render (2001), in the growth phase, product design has begun to stabilize, and effective forecasting of capacity requirements is necessary. Adding capacity or enhancing existing capacity to accommodate the increase in product demand may be necessary. Also, customers who have tried the product earlier may remain loyal. In the face of such opportunity, new competitors will start entering the market and they will introduce new product features and hence, expanding the market, leaving the product’s price constant or fall slightly. Here, a company, in order to stay competitive in the market, should keep on promoting its product. In addition, profits start to increase. The firm has several strategies to stay in the rapid growing market as long as possible. Also, the firm improves the product quality, adds more distribution channels, changing the advertising theme – from promoting the product to the market to reminding the market on the availability of the product as well as to increase awareness. The firm also lowers the price in order to attract more buyers. During this stage, usually firms that have successfully passed their product’s introduction stage have high market share and are highly profitable. On the whole, as said by Smith et al – 1997, this phase is represented by: – sales and profits growth; – more widespread usage; – development of the market; – high market share; – Increasing competition. Maturity Stage: The third stage for a product to go. As stated by Pride et al, (1988), sales are still increasing at the beginning of the maturity stage, but the rate of increase has slowed. Later in this stage, the sales curve peaks and begins to decline. Many products maturity stages lasted longer than the previous stages. Industry profits decline throughout this stage. During this stage, sales growth starts to slow down. Hence, the firm as well as its market competitors starts lowering down their prices, increases advertising and sales promotions. Also, the intense market led weaker competitors to quit. Only those strong enough will be able to precede the competition. A company should consider a different strategy when its product cines ti maturity, either by redesigning the market or its product. Modifying market is when the company tries to increase consumption if the current product. The currently matured product can also be redesigned its package or style. It is an effective way of strengthening a firm’s market share. Consumers may also be encouraged to use the product more often or in new ways. Pricing strategies are flexible during this stage, such as markdowns pr price incentives. Marketers may offer incentives and services to declare offering such matured products, especially from competitors. Sales promotions and aggressive personal selling can e effective during this period, when competition may require large promotional expenditures. On the whole, just as adopted from Smith et al (1997), this phase is represented by: – market maturity and a slow-down in sales growth’ – conversion of late majority of customers, and – trying to increase market penetration and share. Decline Stage: The final stage of the product life cycle. According to Lancaster and Jobber (1994), it is when sales begin to fall and already slim profit margins are depressed even further. Customers have begun to become bored with the product and are looking forward to newer, latest products. Dealers begin to de-stock the product in anticipation of reduced sales. Here, sales and profits sank lower, due to various reasons such as advancement in technology, shifts in consumer tastes or intense competitions. Such factors have forced many companies to quit the market and for the other remaining companies, they may have to redesign their strategies to stay longer in the market by raising the price to cover cists, re price to maintain market share, or lower the price to reduce inventory. The firm can also cut down or tighten the product’s advertising and promotional budget so it will be easier for the company to lower down the price. In addition, the company can also â€Å"downsize†its market and focuses on smaller segment as well as their trade channels. In other words, distribution of the declining product will be narrowed to te most profitable existing market. Also, the product will not be highly promoted, although advertising and promotions may be used to slow down the decline. Instead, the firm may even decide to drop the product entirely at the end. Just like the above three phases, this stage is also represented by: – declining sales and profits; – rationalism in the marketplace through mergers, acquisitions and take-over; – some products will be milked for the profits; – often products may need to be harvested; and – in a few cases, product extensions can be developed. Detecting Maturity and Decline: â€Å"The need in strategy development is to detect changes in the trend of industry sales, to detect when the product life cycle will enter a new phase†, (Asker, 1984). In other word, it is very essential for a firm to view and analyze all market factors involved when its product’s growth phase of the product life cycle changes to a flat maturity phase and when the maturity phase changes into a decline phase. Below are some factors that supply as market indicators that serve as an aid for a firm in detecting its product maturity and decline†¦ – Price pressures caused by overcapacity and the lack of product differentiation; – As the product matures. Buyers have become familiar with the related product and hence, they are unwilling to pay finest price for the product in order to obtain brand security; – Technology advancement and substitute products may lead to the decline of a product. A suitable example for this case is the black and white television sets which due to technological development have lead to the production of color televisions – a definite unpredictable effect on sales of black and white television sets; – When the number of potential first time buyers for a particular product decreases, the market along with the company sales and profits happen to decline; – The market is fully penetrated and there are no sources of growth from existing and new users; and – Existing customers may start to be disinterested in the product and are probably looking forward to switch brands. Actually a product life cycle is conceptually simple yet powerful. However, it is not easily applied. The stages described above are not easily forecasted or predicted or even easily determined. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine and analyze the product definition and finally, even if the stages in the life cycle are determined, the strategy implications are not always obvious. Therefore, on the whole, I would like to conclude that a company should be aware of the life cycle stages of each product it is responsible for. The company should also predict on how long the product is expected to linger in that stage. Such thinking is very important for setting up strategies such as let say, if the product is expected to remain the maturity stage for a long time; a replacement product might be introduced later in the maturity stage. On the other hand, if the maturity stage is expected to be short, however, a new product should be introduced much earlier.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
El Filibusterismo 10 Kabanata
1  Velocity, Speed, Acceleration, and Deceleration The goal for today is to better understand what we mean by terms such as velocity, speed, acceleration, and deceleration. Let’s start with an example, namely the motion of a ball thrown upward and then acted upon by gravity. A major source of confusion in problems of this sort has to do with blurring the distinction between speed and velocity. The speed s is, by definition, the magnitude of the velocity vector: s := |v|. Note the contrast: – velocity –|  | – speed –| The change in velocity is uniformly downward.  | The speed is decreasing during the upward trajectory, and increasing during the subsequent downward trajectory. | The laws of physics are most simply written in terms of velocity, not speed. Physics uses a technical definition of acceleration that conflicts with ordinary vernacular use of the words â€Å"acceleration†and â€Å"de celeration†. That’s tough. You’ll have to get used to it if you want to do physics. In physics, acceleration refers to a change in velocity, not speed. If you want to be really explicit, you can call this the vector acceleration.  | In the vernacular, â€Å"acceleration†commonly means speeding up, i. e. an increase in speed. If you insist on using the word in this sense, you can remove the ambiguity by calling it the scalar acceleration. | |  | The scalar acceleration can be considered one component of the vector acceleration, namely the projection in the â€Å"forward†direction (although this is undefined if the object is at rest). | In physics, the word â€Å"deceleration†is not much used. In particular, it is not the opposite of acceleration, or the negative of acceleration.Any change in velocity is called an acceleration. |  | In the vernacular, â€Å"deceleration†commonly means slowing down, i. e. a decrease in speed. | Do not confuse the vector acceleration with the scalar acceleration. | In physics, acceleration does not mean speeding up. | | |      | To repeat: In physics, the term acceleration is defined to be the change in velocity, per unit time. It is a vector. This term applies no matter how the acceleration is oriented relative to the initial velocity. There are several possible orientations.The following table shows how to convert vector language to scalar language in each case: – Vector language –|  | – Corresponding scalar language –| Acceleration in the same direction as the velocity. |  | Speeding up. | Acceleration directly opposite to the velocity. |  | Slowing down. | Acceleration at right angles to the velocity. |  | Constant speed. | Note: Sideways acceleration corresponds to turning. In the case of uniform circular motion, the magnitude of the acceleration remains constant, and the direction of acceleration re mains perpendicular to the velocity.This is a classic example of a situation where the scalar acceleration is zero even though the vector acceleration is nonzero. | Acceleration at some odd angle relative to the velocity. |  | No good way to describe it in terms of scalars. | Acceleration of an object at a moment when its velocity is zero. |  | No way to describe it in terms of scalars; the scalar acceleration formula produces bogus expressions of the form 0/0. | 1. To decrease the velocity of. 2. To slow down the rate of advancement Problem #1:   A skater goes from a standstill to a speed of 6. 7 m/s in 12 seconds.What is the acceleration of the skater? | | Step 1:   Write down the equation needed for solving for acceleration. | a =  vf – vi   =  v           t              t| Step 2:   Insert the known measurements into the equation. | Known :  The initial speed of the skater was zero since he was not in motion. The skater finally reached a speed of 6. 7m/s in 12 seconds, which is the final speed or velocity. The equation will look like this:a = 6. 7m/s – 0m/s = 6. 7m/s =               12s              12s| Step 3:   Solve. Carefully put all measurements into your calculator.You must solve the change in velocity portion of the equation before you can do the division portion to solve for acceleration. Don't forget that the SI unit for acceleration is m/s2  . | SOLUTION:  The skater had an acceleration of  . 56m/s2 . a = 6. 7m/s – 0m/s = 6. 7m/s = . 56m/s2              12s              12s| PRACTICE PROBLEMS: 1. As a shuttle bus comes to a normal stop, it slows from 9. 00m/s to 0. 00m/s in 5. 00s. Find t he average acceleration of the bus. 2. During a race, a sprinter increases from 5. 0 m/s to 7. 5 m/s over a period of 1. 25s.What is the sprinter’s average acceleration during this period? 3. A baby sitter pushing a stroller starts from rest and accelerates at a rate of  0. 500m/s2. What is the velocity of the stroller after it has traveled for 4. 75 minutes? * A bicyclist accelerates at 0. 89ms2 during a 5. 0s interval. What is the change in the speed of the bicyclist and the bicycle? * A freight train traveling with a speed of 18. 0m/s begins braking as it approaches a train yard. The train’s acceleration while braking is -0. 33m/s2. What is the train’s speed after 23 seconds? * A skater travels at a constant velocity of 4. m/s westward, then speeds up with a steady acceleration of 2. 3m/s2. Calculate the skater’s speed after accelerating for 5. 0s. | * Practice Problems: Solving for Time Solving for Time:| | * * Marisa’s car accelerates at an average rate of 2. 6m/s2. Calculate how long it takes her car to accelerate from 24. 6m/s to 26. 8m/s. * If a rocket undergoes a constant total acceleration of 6. 25m/s2, so that its speed increases from rest to about 750m/s, how long will it take for the rocket to reach 750m/s. * A dog runs with an initial speed of 1. 5m/s on a waxed floor. It slides to a stop with an acceleration of -0. 5m/s2. How long does it take for the dog to come to a stop? | Additional acceleration problems (with answers) 1. A body with an initial velocity of 8 m/s moves with a constant acceleration and travels 640 m in 40 seconds. Find its acceleration. 2. A box slides down an inclined plane with a uniform acceleration and attains a velocity of 27 m/s in 3 seconds from rest. Find the final velocity and distance moved in 6 seconds (initially at rest). 3. A car has a uniformly accelerated motion of 5 m/s2. Find the speed acquired and distance traveled in 4 seconds from rest. 4.A marble is dropped from a b ridge and strikes the water in 5 seconds. Calculate the speed with which it strikes and the height of the bridge. 5. A ship starts at rest and reaches a speed of 83 km/h. Suppose it took 2. 0 minutes for the ship to reach that speed. What is the acceleration of the ship? Answers 1. A body with an initial velocity of 8 m/s moves with a constant acceleration and travels 640 m in 40 seconds. Find its acceleration. (a = 0. 4 m/s2) 2. A box slides down an inclined plane with a uniform acceleration and attains a velocity of 27 m/s in 3 seconds from rest.Find the final velocity and distance moved in 6 seconds (initially at rest). (Vf = 54 m/s, d = 162 m) 3. A car has a uniformly accelerated motion of 5 m/s2. Find the speed acquired and distance traveled in 4 seconds from rest. (Vf = 20 m/s, d = 40m) 4. A marble is dropped from a bridge and strikes the water in 5 seconds. Calculate the speed with which it strikes and the height of the bridge. (Vf = 49 m/s, d = 122 m) 5. A ship starts at res t and reaches a speed of 83 km/h. Suppose it took 2. 0 minutes for the ship to reach that speed. What is the acceleration of the ship?
Monday, July 29, 2019
Challenges of Harmonization of Accounting System
Accounting Standards in other words can be stated as rules which govern the preparation of financial statements. They are the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Where by accounting practices are the actual used practices by accountants. They are influenced by Accounting Standards, which govern the preparation of financial reports. Harmonization of accounting standards†can be defined as the continuous process of ensuring that the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are formulated, aligned and updated to international best practices (GAAPs in other countries) with suitable modifications and fine tuning considering the domestic conditions. Harmonization is the process of increasing compatibility of accounting practices by setting bounds on their degree of variation. Harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries are prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure†(Haskins et al. 1996:29). According to Wolk et al. described harmonization of Accounting Standards as â€Å"the co-ordination or similarity among the various sets of national Accounting Standards and methods and formats of financial reporting†. (Kleekamper et al. , 2002) Kleekamperet al. xplain, that the aim of the international harmonization process of Accounting Standards is to reduce or overcome differences world-wide, in order to reach a better international Comparability of financial statements. International accounting harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries ar e prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure†(Haskins et al. 1996:29). This harmonization is needed due to the globalization of businesses and services and increase in cross-border investments and borrowings and academicians, regulators and governments have been constantly striving to harmonize the local/domestic Accounting Standards(AS), also referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with the International Accounting Standards (IAS) issued by the UK based International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) (formerly the International Accounting Standards Committee-IASC). The IASB has been trying to harmonize international accounting principles since 1973. Further, the IASB and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) have been jointly working on harmonization since July 1995, and in May 2000 the IOSCO finished its review of the IAS and recommended usage of certain IAS, supplemented with reconciliation, disclosure and interpretations. Some benefits of harmonization of accounting practices is as follows * It ensures reliable and high quality financial reporting and disclosures. In certain cases, it can prove to be crucial to the economic and financial development of a country * It enables a systematic review and evaluation of the performance of a multinational company having subsidiaries and associates in various countries wherein each country has its own set of GAAP * It makes the comparison of the performance of a company against its domestic and international peers easier and more meaningful * It is a precursor for accessing international capital markets which can, in turn, reduce the capital cost and consequently, improve the performance of a company * Multinational companies, the multinational companies benefit from closer harmonization for the following reasons a) Access to international finance is easier, the international financial markets understand the financial information presented to them more easily. If the information is provided on a consistent basis between companies irrespective of their country of origin. b) Improved management control, in a business operating in several countries management control is improved. Internal financial information is more easily prepared on consistent basis if externally required financial information is required on a uniform basis. c) Consolidation of financial statement is easier ) A reduction of auditing cost due to harmonized accounting practices and standards. e) A transfer of accounting staff across national borders would be easier f) It would be easier to comply with reporting requirements of overseas stock exchanges. g) Appraisals of foreign entities for take over and mergers would be more straightforward. * International economic groupings, international groupings like EU (European Union) could work more effectively if there were international harmonization of accounting policies. Part of the function of international groupings is go make cross-border trade easier. Similar to accounting regulation would help this process. Government of developing countries would save time and money if they would adopt international standards and, if these were used internally, governments of developing countries could attempt to control the activities of foreign multinational companies in their own country. These companies could not hide behind foreign accounting practices which are difficult to understand. * Tax authorities, it will be easier to calculate the tax liability of investors, including multinationals who receive income from overseas sources. * Large accounting and auditing firms would benefit as accounting and auditing would be much easier if similar accounting practices existed throughout the world. Despite the importance of harmonizing accounting standards, there still challenges facing harmonization of accounting standards between the member countries using IFRS (international financial reporting standard) and also between United States using US GAAP. These challenges are brought about different tax laws, different culture, different legal requirement, nationalism and different needs of financial statements. Speaking of harmonization we should put in consideration of International accounting standard board (IASB) based in UK and Financial accounting standard board (FASB) based in US. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the independent, accounting standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation. The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001 as the successor to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). It is responsible for developing International Financial Reporting Standards (the new name for International Accounting Standards issued after 2001), and promoting the use and application of these standards. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a private, not-for-profit organization whose primary purpose is to develop generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) within the United States in the public’s interest. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) designated the FASB as the organization responsible for setting accounting standards for public companies in the U. S. It was created in 1973, replacing the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) and the Accounting Principles Board (APB) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The FASB’s mission is â€Å"to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. †To achieve this, FASB has five goals. * Improve the usefulness of financial reporting by focusing on the primary characteristics of relevance and reliability, and on the qualities of comparability and consistency. * Keep standards current to reflect changes in methods of doing business and in the economy. Consider promptly any significant areas of deficiency in financial reporting that might be improved through standard setting. * Promote international convergence of accounting standards concurrent with improving the quality of financial reporting. * Im prove common understanding of the nature and purposes of information in financial reports. The two boards have been making efforts to harmonize the accounting principles, as of September 2011, there was a push to harmonize, or integrate, the accounting standards of the United States, which operates under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with International Accounting Standards (IAS). The rationale is that it would level the playing field for global businesses by providing regulators, auditors and decision-makers (investors) uniform information based on the same accounting methodologies. Supporters believe that this would improve accountability, reduce international transactional and exchange rate risks and improve information transfer to enhance economic policy decision-making. The difference between IAS and US GAAP is that the former is more principle based and the later is rule based. The following are Challenges to harmonization of accounting systems. Licensing and Enforcement, Individual accountants, CPAs and tax lawyers worldwide would need to comply with and obtain licensing through an internationally accepted rules-making body. If he international body lacks enforcement authority, there is no prosecutorial authority for breaking international laws. However, if the international body does have prosecutorial authority over a U. S. citizen, there would arise jurisdictional and constitutional issues regarding the rights of an international body’s rights to prosecute an American under international law. Finally, issues arise from the perspective of U. S. -only based businesses regarding forced compliance IASB standards are principles-based. Thus the countries that have rules-based standards are expected to experience considerable difficulty in harmonization of their standards with IFRS. There are challenges that IASB and nations adopting IFRS need to address in the coming days. One big challenge for countries adopting IFRS is the shortage of manpower and more particularly, IFRS-trained manpower. For case in point, with just six months to go before China’s listed companies adopt IFRS, demand for accountants is rising and could run into millions in the coming years, if the new standards are rolled out for all of the country’s companies and not just the listed ones. Accountants say that the challenge for China, as it scrambles to meet the accounting shift deadline, will lie in getting its over-1,100 listed companies to establish the appropriate financial reporting systems and in training enough qualified accountants by January. The risk is that some of these companies may fail to make the transition on time. Estimates reveal that China has a shortfall of 300,000 qualified accountants and is likely to require a further three million over the coming years to keep pace with its current rate of economic growth Difference purpose of financial reporting, in some countries the purpose is solely for tax assessment, while others it is for investor decision making, Different legal systems, these prevent the development of certain accounting practices and restrict options available. The Accounting world can be divided into â€Å"those countries which have a ‘legalistic’ orientation toward accounting and those with a ‘non legalistic’ orientation†(Nobes et al. , 1997:8). The non-legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use common law. In Common law countries, Accounting does not depend upon law. Accountants (professional organizations) arrange accounting rules. Hence, it is the private sector, which determines Accounting and not the law (Choi et al. , 200 2). The task of the legal system is to give an answer to a specific case rather than to formulate general rules for the future (Choi et al. 2002). The legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use the so called code (or codified) law. In contrary to the common law, the codified law system needs to develop rules in detail for the Accounting and financial reporting (Nobes, 1994). This means that â€Å"Accounting rules are incorporated into national law and tend to be highly prescriptive and procedural†(Choi et al. , 2002:43). In these countries the role of law is to describe behavior, which isconsidered to be acceptable in the society (Choi et al. , 2002). Different user groups, countries have different ideas about who the relevant user groups and their respective importance. In USA investor and credit groups are given prominence, while in Europe employees enjoy a higher profile. Provider of finance, there three main sources for external capital are shareholders, banks and government (Hill, 1999). It varies from country to country, which of these three provides most of the financial capital to companies. In countries like Germany and Italy banks provide companies with capital. In countries like England and the United States shareholders provide companies with capital. The government is the provider of capital in countries like France and Sweden. (Hill,1999) This diversity of capital providers means that Accounting Practices differ in order to satisfy needs of capital providers. In the case of shareholder ownership, (e. g. in the U. K. and the U. S. ), information disclosure will be more important than in countries, where capital is raised from banks or governments. This is explained by the fact that in the latter countries information will be transmitted more directly. (Radebaugh and Gray, 1997) It is impossible for a company to inform each shareholder with its specific information needs, because they are a big and unorganized group. Therefore financial statements in the US and UK are â€Å"oriented toward providing individual investors with the information they need to make decisions about purchasing or selling corporate stocks and bonds†(Hill, 1999:593). Tax laws, the key question here is to ask, how much taxation regulations determine Accounting measurements. In countries like the U. S. , U. K. and Netherlands there is no interplay between tax and Accounting law. When Accounting Standards are developed, the only focus is how to conduce the information function. Questions about taxation are not considered in those countries (Achleitner, 2000). In contrary, in nations as France and Germany, tax and Accounting Systems are ruled equal (Nobes and Parker, 2000). There is the principle of decisiveness in continental European countries. This means that the profit of the balance sheet is at the same time the foundation to snap income taxes (Achleitner, 2000). In Tanzania income tax act is in dis agreement with some accounting procedures like computation of depreciation, Bad debts and therefore disagree on how accountant compute organization profit and therefore in Tanzania should prepare to set of financial statement one for tax purposes and the other for other users of accounting information. Cultural differences result in objectives for accounting systems differing from country to country for example Islamic laws does not recognize the use of interest rate. The lack of strong accountancy bodies, many countries do not have strong independent accountancy or business bodies which would press for better standards and greater harmonization. Unique circumstances, some countries may be experiencing unusual circumstances which affect all aspects of everyday life an d impinge on the ability of companies to produce proper reports, for example hyperinflation, civil war, currency restriction. Nationalism is demonstrated in an unwillingness to accept another country’s standard. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the U. S. is responsible for setting accounting standards based primarily on â€Å"Federal securities laws and state CPA licensing laws. †All countries have specific securities laws, tax laws and banking and financial regulations that dictate accounting principles. Furthermore, in the United States, there are individual state laws that govern business, banking and insurance activities. Adopting international accounting standards would not only conflict with U. S. tatute law, but also constitutional law associated with â€Å"states’ rights. †Stable Platform, Beginning in 2005 , all 7,000 EU publicly traded companies are required to apply IFRS in the preparation of their consolidated financial statements. This represents yet another challenge as preparers of financial statements from Latvia to Portugal and from Poland to Sweden grapple with unfamiliar requirements. In preparation for this sweeping change, the IASB completed its â€Å"stable platform†of standards in March 2004. New and revised standards included five new IFRSs and 17 amended IASs, resulting from the IASB’s Improvements Project and Phase I of its Business Combinations Project. Some of the more significant revisions to IFRS that resulted from these projects include: * The LIFO method for costing inventories is no longer allowed; *  The concepts of â€Å"fundamental error†and â€Å"extraordinary items†are eliminated; *  Trading securities are now included in a larger defined category of financial instruments â€Å"at fair value through profit or loss†and entities may designate any financial asset or liability into this category (commonly referred to as â€Å"the fair value option†); *  Fair value hedge accounting may now be used more readily for a portfolio hedge of interest rate risk; *  Guidelines for share-based payments have been added;  The pooling-of-interests method for business combinations is no longer allowed; *  Goodwill is no longer amortized, and negative goodwill is not recorded in a business combination World wide acceptance, National accounting standards are highly politicized and there is ofte n a natural tendency to place the interests of the national economy ahead of those of the global economy. Private sector businesses and professional accounting bodies also have a vested interest in accounting practices and financial reporting. Pressure from these groups to change or reject certain standards can carry a lot of weight with political decision makers. Adopting international financial standards is met with additional challenges in developing countries. They often lack the resources and infrastructure to adapt national legal and legislative frameworks in which to house the standards, making proper implementation difficult. Training and Retraining, When a country decides to harmonize with the international standards, its companies, accountants and auditors need to be retrained in the new standards and reporting procedures for financial statements. College and university programs in this field also have to undergo significant changes in order to educate new people entering the profession. Before any of this can happen, trainers and professors will require training so they can instruct professionals and students. This will require the development of new learning materials and curricula, new examinations for professional licensing and new accounting software and reporting systems. To further complicate matters, the adoption of harmonized standards has to be phased in, so for a number of years, two different systems are in operation. Such a omplex transition requires a lot of safety mechanisms to ensure it achieves uniform results. To sum up with, Harmonization of financial statement is very crucial for acc ounting profession and also for the global business growth especially for multinational companies which will now find easily in preparation of parent and subsidiary financial statement since have to be prepared according to IFRS. IFRS IS very important to developing countries like Tanzania such as increasing confidence of investors, reduce cost of doing business, facilitate smooth operation of international groupings like EAC and the countries accountant become competitive worldwide. REFERENCES WORD LENGTH: 3517 words Arbnor, I. Bjerke, B. (1997): Methodology for Creating Business Knowledge, Sage Publications, Thousands Oaks, 2nd edition. Ghauri, P. ; Gronhaug, K. (2002): Research Methods in Business Studies, Prentice Hall, London. Choi, F. ; Frost C. ; Gary, K. (2002): International Accounting, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 4th edition. Choi, F. ; Mueller, G. (1992): International Accounting, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2nd edition. Epstein, B. ; Mirza, A. (2001): IAS, Interpretation a nd Application, John Wiley ; Sons, New York. Ghauri P. ; Gronhaug, K. ; Kristianslund, I. (1995): Research Methods in Business Studies: A practical guide, Prentice Hall, Bodmin. Gummesson, E. 2000): Qualitative Methods in Management Research, Sage Publications, Inc, Thousand Oaks, 2nd edition. Helgesson, T. (1996): Culture in International Business: an Introduction, Academia Adacta, Lund. Hill, C. (1999): Competing in the Global Marketplace; Irwin McGraw Hill, Boston, 3rd edition. Hofstede, G. (1991): Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Howard, K. ; Sharp, J. (1983): The Management of a Student Research Project, Gower Publishing Company Ltd. , Aldershot. Johansson, L. (2000): Introduktion till Vetenskapsteorin, AIT Falun AB, Stockholm. Kam, V. (1990): Accounting Theory, John Willey and Sons, New York, 2nd edition. 70 Kleekamper, H. ; Kuhlewind, M. ; Alvarez, M. 2002): Grundlagen, Ziele, Organisation, Entwicklung und Bedeutung des IAS B, in: Rechnungslegung nach International Accounting Standards (IAS), editedy by Baetge, D. ; Kleekamper, H. ; Wollmert, P. ; Kirsch H. (2002), Schafer-Poeschel, Stuttgart, 2nd edition. Naciri, A. ; Hoarau C. (2001): A comparative analysis of american and french financial Reporting philosophies: the case for international Accounting Standards, in: Advances in International Accounting, edited by Sale, J; Salter, S; Sharp, D. (2001), Elsevier Sience Ltd, Oxford. Nobes, C. ; Parker, R. (2000): Comparative International Accounting, Financial Times – Prentice Hall, Hartlow. Nobes, C. 1999): Towards a General Model of the Reasons for International Differences in Financial Reporting, in: International Accounting and Comparative Financial Reporting, edited by Nobes, C. (1998), Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Cheltenham. Nobes, C; Mueller, G; Gernon, H; Meek, G. (1997): Accounting an International Perspective, Richard D. Irwin, Inc; Chicago, 4th edition. Nobes, C. (1994): Accounting Harmonisation in Europe: Process, progress and prospects, FT Business Information Ltd, London. North, D. (1990): Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Miles, M. ; Huberman, A. (1994): Qualitative Data Analysis – An expanded source book, Sage Publications, Inc, Thousands Oaks, 2nd edition. Mueller, G. 1997): Harmonization Efforts in the European Union, in: International Accounting and Finance Handbook, edited by Choi, F. (1997), Wiley and Sons, New York, 7th edition. Mueller, G. ; Gernon, H. ; Meek, G. (1991): Accounting – an International Perspective; Richard D. Irwin, Inc; Homewood, 2nd edition. Radebaugh, L. ; Daniels, J. (2001): International Business, Environment and Operations, Prentice Hall, London, 9th edition. Radebaugh L. ; Gray S. (1997): International Accounting and multinational enterprises, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 4th edition. Remenyi, D. ; Williams, B. ;Money A. ; Swartz E. (1998): Doing Research in Business and Management: An Introduction to Process and Method, SAGE Publications, London. 71 Riahi-Belkaoui, A. 2000): Accounting Theory, Thomson Learning – Business Press, Padstow, Cornwall, 4th edition. Roberts, C. ; Weetman, P. ; Gordon P. (1998): International Financial Accounting – a comparative approach, Financial Times Pitman Publishing, London. Samuels, J. ; Piper, A. (1985): International Accounting: A survery, Croom Helm, London. Wolk, H. ; Tearney, M. ; Dodd, J. (2001): A Conceptual and intestinal Approach: Accounting Theory, South-Western College Publishing, 5th edition. Wollmert, P. ; Achleitner A. (2002): Konzeption der IAS: Rechnungslegung, in: Rechnungslegung nach International Accounting Standards (IAS), edited by Baetge, D. ; Kleekamper, H. ; Wollmert, P. ; Kirsch, H. (2002):, Schafer-Poeschel, , Stuttgart, 2nd edition. Challenges of Harmonization of Accounting System Accounting Standards in other words can be stated as rules which govern the preparation of financial statements. They are the generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Where by accounting practices are the actual used practices by accountants. They are influenced by Accounting Standards, which govern the preparation of financial reports. Harmonization of accounting standards†can be defined as the continuous process of ensuring that the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) are formulated, aligned and updated to international best practices (GAAPs in other countries) with suitable modifications and fine tuning considering the domestic conditions. Harmonization is the process of increasing compatibility of accounting practices by setting bounds on their degree of variation. Harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries are prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure†(Haskins et al. 1996:29). According to Wolk et al. described harmonization of Accounting Standards as â€Å"the co-ordination or similarity among the various sets of national Accounting Standards and methods and formats of financial reporting†. (Kleekamper et al. , 2002) Kleekamperet al. xplain, that the aim of the international harmonization process of Accounting Standards is to reduce or overcome differences world-wide, in order to reach a better international Comparability of financial statements. International accounting harmonization can be defined as â€Å"the process of bringing international Accounting Standards into some sort of agreement so that the financial statements from different countries ar e prepared according to a common set of principles of measurement and disclosure†(Haskins et al. 1996:29). This harmonization is needed due to the globalization of businesses and services and increase in cross-border investments and borrowings and academicians, regulators and governments have been constantly striving to harmonize the local/domestic Accounting Standards(AS), also referred to as Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with the International Accounting Standards (IAS) issued by the UK based International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) (formerly the International Accounting Standards Committee-IASC). The IASB has been trying to harmonize international accounting principles since 1973. Further, the IASB and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) have been jointly working on harmonization since July 1995, and in May 2000 the IOSCO finished its review of the IAS and recommended usage of certain IAS, supplemented with reconciliation, disclosure and interpretations. Some benefits of harmonization of accounting practices is as follows * It ensures reliable and high quality financial reporting and disclosures. In certain cases, it can prove to be crucial to the economic and financial development of a country * It enables a systematic review and evaluation of the performance of a multinational company having subsidiaries and associates in various countries wherein each country has its own set of GAAP * It makes the comparison of the performance of a company against its domestic and international peers easier and more meaningful * It is a precursor for accessing international capital markets which can, in turn, reduce the capital cost and consequently, improve the performance of a company * Multinational companies, the multinational companies benefit from closer harmonization for the following reasons a) Access to international finance is easier, the international financial markets understand the financial information presented to them more easily. If the information is provided on a consistent basis between companies irrespective of their country of origin. b) Improved management control, in a business operating in several countries management control is improved. Internal financial information is more easily prepared on consistent basis if externally required financial information is required on a uniform basis. c) Consolidation of financial statement is easier ) A reduction of auditing cost due to harmonized accounting practices and standards. e) A transfer of accounting staff across national borders would be easier f) It would be easier to comply with reporting requirements of overseas stock exchanges. g) Appraisals of foreign entities for take over and mergers would be more straightforward. * International economic groupings, international groupings like EU (European Union) could work more effectively if there were international harmonization of accounting policies. Part of the function of international groupings is go make cross-border trade easier. Similar to accounting regulation would help this process. Government of developing countries would save time and money if they would adopt international standards and, if these were used internally, governments of developing countries could attempt to control the activities of foreign multinational companies in their own country. These companies could not hide behind foreign accounting practices which are difficult to understand. * Tax authorities, it will be easier to calculate the tax liability of investors, including multinationals who receive income from overseas sources. * Large accounting and auditing firms would benefit as accounting and auditing would be much easier if similar accounting practices existed throughout the world. Despite the importance of harmonizing accounting standards, there still challenges facing harmonization of accounting standards between the member countries using IFRS (international financial reporting standard) and also between United States using US GAAP. These challenges are brought about different tax laws, different culture, different legal requirement, nationalism and different needs of financial statements. Speaking of harmonization we should put in consideration of International accounting standard board (IASB) based in UK and Financial accounting standard board (FASB) based in US. The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is the independent, accounting standard-setting body of the IFRS Foundation. The IASB was founded on April 1, 2001 as the successor to the International Accounting Standards Committee (IASC). It is responsible for developing International Financial Reporting Standards (the new name for International Accounting Standards issued after 2001), and promoting the use and application of these standards. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) is a private, not-for-profit organization whose primary purpose is to develop generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) within the United States in the public’s interest. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) designated the FASB as the organization responsible for setting accounting standards for public companies in the U. S. It was created in 1973, replacing the Committee on Accounting Procedure (CAP) and the Accounting Principles Board (APB) of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). The FASB’s mission is â€Å"to establish and improve standards of financial accounting and reporting for the guidance and education of the public, including issuers, auditors, and users of financial information. †To achieve this, FASB has five goals. * Improve the usefulness of financial reporting by focusing on the primary characteristics of relevance and reliability, and on the qualities of comparability and consistency. * Keep standards current to reflect changes in methods of doing business and in the economy. Consider promptly any significant areas of deficiency in financial reporting that might be improved through standard setting. * Promote international convergence of accounting standards concurrent with improving the quality of financial reporting. * Im prove common understanding of the nature and purposes of information in financial reports. The two boards have been making efforts to harmonize the accounting principles, as of September 2011, there was a push to harmonize, or integrate, the accounting standards of the United States, which operates under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), with International Accounting Standards (IAS). The rationale is that it would level the playing field for global businesses by providing regulators, auditors and decision-makers (investors) uniform information based on the same accounting methodologies. Supporters believe that this would improve accountability, reduce international transactional and exchange rate risks and improve information transfer to enhance economic policy decision-making. The difference between IAS and US GAAP is that the former is more principle based and the later is rule based. The following are Challenges to harmonization of accounting systems. Licensing and Enforcement, Individual accountants, CPAs and tax lawyers worldwide would need to comply with and obtain licensing through an internationally accepted rules-making body. If he international body lacks enforcement authority, there is no prosecutorial authority for breaking international laws. However, if the international body does have prosecutorial authority over a U. S. citizen, there would arise jurisdictional and constitutional issues regarding the rights of an international body’s rights to prosecute an American under international law. Finally, issues arise from the perspective of U. S. -only based businesses regarding forced compliance IASB standards are principles-based. Thus the countries that have rules-based standards are expected to experience considerable difficulty in harmonization of their standards with IFRS. There are challenges that IASB and nations adopting IFRS need to address in the coming days. One big challenge for countries adopting IFRS is the shortage of manpower and more particularly, IFRS-trained manpower. For case in point, with just six months to go before China’s listed companies adopt IFRS, demand for accountants is rising and could run into millions in the coming years, if the new standards are rolled out for all of the country’s companies and not just the listed ones. Accountants say that the challenge for China, as it scrambles to meet the accounting shift deadline, will lie in getting its over-1,100 listed companies to establish the appropriate financial reporting systems and in training enough qualified accountants by January. The risk is that some of these companies may fail to make the transition on time. Estimates reveal that China has a shortfall of 300,000 qualified accountants and is likely to require a further three million over the coming years to keep pace with its current rate of economic growth Difference purpose of financial reporting, in some countries the purpose is solely for tax assessment, while others it is for investor decision making, Different legal systems, these prevent the development of certain accounting practices and restrict options available. The Accounting world can be divided into â€Å"those countries which have a ‘legalistic’ orientation toward accounting and those with a ‘non legalistic’ orientation†(Nobes et al. , 1997:8). The non-legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use common law. In Common law countries, Accounting does not depend upon law. Accountants (professional organizations) arrange accounting rules. Hence, it is the private sector, which determines Accounting and not the law (Choi et al. , 200 2). The task of the legal system is to give an answer to a specific case rather than to formulate general rules for the future (Choi et al. 2002). The legalistic approach can be found in countries, which use the so called code (or codified) law. In contrary to the common law, the codified law system needs to develop rules in detail for the Accounting and financial reporting (Nobes, 1994). This means that â€Å"Accounting rules are incorporated into national law and tend to be highly prescriptive and procedural†(Choi et al. , 2002:43). In these countries the role of law is to describe behavior, which isconsidered to be acceptable in the society (Choi et al. , 2002). Different user groups, countries have different ideas about who the relevant user groups and their respective importance. In USA investor and credit groups are given prominence, while in Europe employees enjoy a higher profile. Provider of finance, there three main sources for external capital are shareholders, banks and government (Hill, 1999). It varies from country to country, which of these three provides most of the financial capital to companies. In countries like Germany and Italy banks provide companies with capital. In countries like England and the United States shareholders provide companies with capital. The government is the provider of capital in countries like France and Sweden. (Hill,1999) This diversity of capital providers means that Accounting Practices differ in order to satisfy needs of capital providers. In the case of shareholder ownership, (e. g. in the U. K. and the U. S. ), information disclosure will be more important than in countries, where capital is raised from banks or governments. This is explained by the fact that in the latter countries information will be transmitted more directly. (Radebaugh and Gray, 1997) It is impossible for a company to inform each shareholder with its specific information needs, because they are a big and unorganized group. Therefore financial statements in the US and UK are â€Å"oriented toward providing individual investors with the information they need to make decisions about purchasing or selling corporate stocks and bonds†(Hill, 1999:593). Tax laws, the key question here is to ask, how much taxation regulations determine Accounting measurements. In countries like the U. S. , U. K. and Netherlands there is no interplay between tax and Accounting law. When Accounting Standards are developed, the only focus is how to conduce the information function. Questions about taxation are not considered in those countries (Achleitner, 2000). In contrary, in nations as France and Germany, tax and Accounting Systems are ruled equal (Nobes and Parker, 2000). There is the principle of decisiveness in continental European countries. This means that the profit of the balance sheet is at the same time the foundation to snap income taxes (Achleitner, 2000). In Tanzania income tax act is in dis agreement with some accounting procedures like computation of depreciation, Bad debts and therefore disagree on how accountant compute organization profit and therefore in Tanzania should prepare to set of financial statement one for tax purposes and the other for other users of accounting information. Cultural differences result in objectives for accounting systems differing from country to country for example Islamic laws does not recognize the use of interest rate. The lack of strong accountancy bodies, many countries do not have strong independent accountancy or business bodies which would press for better standards and greater harmonization. Unique circumstances, some countries may be experiencing unusual circumstances which affect all aspects of everyday life an d impinge on the ability of companies to produce proper reports, for example hyperinflation, civil war, currency restriction. Nationalism is demonstrated in an unwillingness to accept another country’s standard. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in the U. S. is responsible for setting accounting standards based primarily on â€Å"Federal securities laws and state CPA licensing laws. †All countries have specific securities laws, tax laws and banking and financial regulations that dictate accounting principles. Furthermore, in the United States, there are individual state laws that govern business, banking and insurance activities. Adopting international accounting standards would not only conflict with U. S. tatute law, but also constitutional law associated with â€Å"states’ rights. †Stable Platform, Beginning in 2005 , all 7,000 EU publicly traded companies are required to apply IFRS in the preparation of their consolidated financial statements. This represents yet another challenge as preparers of financial statements from Latvia to Portugal and from Poland to Sweden grapple with unfamiliar requirements. In preparation for this sweeping change, the IASB completed its â€Å"stable platform†of standards in March 2004. New and revised standards included five new IFRSs and 17 amended IASs, resulting from the IASB’s Improvements Project and Phase I of its Business Combinations Project. Some of the more significant revisions to IFRS that resulted from these projects include: * The LIFO method for costing inventories is no longer allowed; *  The concepts of â€Å"fundamental error†and â€Å"extraordinary items†are eliminated; *  Trading securities are now included in a larger defined category of financial instruments â€Å"at fair value through profit or loss†and entities may designate any financial asset or liability into this category (commonly referred to as â€Å"the fair value option†); *  Fair value hedge accounting may now be used more readily for a portfolio hedge of interest rate risk; *  Guidelines for share-based payments have been added;  The pooling-of-interests method for business combinations is no longer allowed; *  Goodwill is no longer amortized, and negative goodwill is not recorded in a business combination World wide acceptance, National accounting standards are highly politicized and there is ofte n a natural tendency to place the interests of the national economy ahead of those of the global economy. Private sector businesses and professional accounting bodies also have a vested interest in accounting practices and financial reporting. Pressure from these groups to change or reject certain standards can carry a lot of weight with political decision makers. Adopting international financial standards is met with additional challenges in developing countries. They often lack the resources and infrastructure to adapt national legal and legislative frameworks in which to house the standards, making proper implementation difficult. Training and Retraining, When a country decides to harmonize with the international standards, its companies, accountants and auditors need to be retrained in the new standards and reporting procedures for financial statements. College and university programs in this field also have to undergo significant changes in order to educate new people entering the profession. Before any of this can happen, trainers and professors will require training so they can instruct professionals and students. This will require the development of new learning materials and curricula, new examinations for professional licensing and new accounting software and reporting systems. To further complicate matters, the adoption of harmonized standards has to be phased in, so for a number of years, two different systems are in operation. Such a omplex transition requires a lot of safety mechanisms to ensure it achieves uniform results. To sum up with, Harmonization of financial statement is very crucial for acc ounting profession and also for the global business growth especially for multinational companies which will now find easily in preparation of parent and subsidiary financial statement since have to be prepared according to IFRS. IFRS IS very important to developing countries like Tanzania such as increasing confidence of investors, reduce cost of doing business, facilitate smooth operation of international groupings like EAC and the countries accountant become competitive worldwide. REFERENCES WORD LENGTH: 3517 words Arbnor, I. Bjerke, B. (1997): Methodology for Creating Business Knowledge, Sage Publications, Thousands Oaks, 2nd edition. Ghauri, P. ; Gronhaug, K. (2002): Research Methods in Business Studies, Prentice Hall, London. Choi, F. ; Frost C. ; Gary, K. (2002): International Accounting, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 4th edition. Choi, F. ; Mueller, G. (1992): International Accounting, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, 2nd edition. Epstein, B. ; Mirza, A. (2001): IAS, Interpretation a nd Application, John Wiley ; Sons, New York. Ghauri P. ; Gronhaug, K. ; Kristianslund, I. (1995): Research Methods in Business Studies: A practical guide, Prentice Hall, Bodmin. Gummesson, E. 2000): Qualitative Methods in Management Research, Sage Publications, Inc, Thousand Oaks, 2nd edition. Helgesson, T. (1996): Culture in International Business: an Introduction, Academia Adacta, Lund. Hill, C. (1999): Competing in the Global Marketplace; Irwin McGraw Hill, Boston, 3rd edition. Hofstede, G. (1991): Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York. Howard, K. ; Sharp, J. (1983): The Management of a Student Research Project, Gower Publishing Company Ltd. , Aldershot. Johansson, L. (2000): Introduktion till Vetenskapsteorin, AIT Falun AB, Stockholm. Kam, V. (1990): Accounting Theory, John Willey and Sons, New York, 2nd edition. 70 Kleekamper, H. ; Kuhlewind, M. ; Alvarez, M. 2002): Grundlagen, Ziele, Organisation, Entwicklung und Bedeutung des IAS B, in: Rechnungslegung nach International Accounting Standards (IAS), editedy by Baetge, D. ; Kleekamper, H. ; Wollmert, P. ; Kirsch H. (2002), Schafer-Poeschel, Stuttgart, 2nd edition. Naciri, A. ; Hoarau C. (2001): A comparative analysis of american and french financial Reporting philosophies: the case for international Accounting Standards, in: Advances in International Accounting, edited by Sale, J; Salter, S; Sharp, D. (2001), Elsevier Sience Ltd, Oxford. Nobes, C. ; Parker, R. (2000): Comparative International Accounting, Financial Times – Prentice Hall, Hartlow. Nobes, C. 1999): Towards a General Model of the Reasons for International Differences in Financial Reporting, in: International Accounting and Comparative Financial Reporting, edited by Nobes, C. (1998), Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Cheltenham. Nobes, C; Mueller, G; Gernon, H; Meek, G. (1997): Accounting an International Perspective, Richard D. Irwin, Inc; Chicago, 4th edition. Nobes, C. (1994): Accounting Harmonisation in Europe: Process, progress and prospects, FT Business Information Ltd, London. North, D. (1990): Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Miles, M. ; Huberman, A. (1994): Qualitative Data Analysis – An expanded source book, Sage Publications, Inc, Thousands Oaks, 2nd edition. Mueller, G. 1997): Harmonization Efforts in the European Union, in: International Accounting and Finance Handbook, edited by Choi, F. (1997), Wiley and Sons, New York, 7th edition. Mueller, G. ; Gernon, H. ; Meek, G. (1991): Accounting – an International Perspective; Richard D. Irwin, Inc; Homewood, 2nd edition. Radebaugh, L. ; Daniels, J. (2001): International Business, Environment and Operations, Prentice Hall, London, 9th edition. Radebaugh L. ; Gray S. (1997): International Accounting and multinational enterprises, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 4th edition. Remenyi, D. ; Williams, B. ;Money A. ; Swartz E. (1998): Doing Research in Business and Management: An Introduction to Process and Method, SAGE Publications, London. 71 Riahi-Belkaoui, A. 2000): Accounting Theory, Thomson Learning – Business Press, Padstow, Cornwall, 4th edition. Roberts, C. ; Weetman, P. ; Gordon P. (1998): International Financial Accounting – a comparative approach, Financial Times Pitman Publishing, London. Samuels, J. ; Piper, A. (1985): International Accounting: A survery, Croom Helm, London. Wolk, H. ; Tearney, M. ; Dodd, J. (2001): A Conceptual and intestinal Approach: Accounting Theory, South-Western College Publishing, 5th edition. Wollmert, P. ; Achleitner A. (2002): Konzeption der IAS: Rechnungslegung, in: Rechnungslegung nach International Accounting Standards (IAS), edited by Baetge, D. ; Kleekamper, H. ; Wollmert, P. ; Kirsch, H. (2002):, Schafer-Poeschel, , Stuttgart, 2nd edition.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Crime and punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Crime and punishment - Essay Example Christian’s study was ethnographic in nature. The study involved observation of families as they travel to various New York prisons to visit their loved ones. The study also involved observation of family members during family support group meetings for prisoners’ families and related activities for a period of 200 hours (Christian 35). In addition, the study involved open-ended interviews with prisoners’ family members. The interviews featured 19 family members with the samples comprising girlfriends, wives, one brother, and mothers (Christian 35). The study established that many prisoners are never visited by their family members for a variety of reasons. Some of the main reasons behind this trend include financial constraints, distance between home and prison, severed or strained relationships with the person incarcerated, and issues related to prison bureaucracy. As such, the study reveals that visiting a prisoner involves the expenditure of finance, time, energy, and other resources (Christian 44). The study established that the family members that visit their loved ones in prison do so for a variety of reason including: to provide moral support to the prisoner; to watch over the prison system against mistreating prisoners; to secure hope for a different future (parole), and to provide basic needs to the prisoners (Christian 40-44). The study further established that the relationships between prisoners and their family members are fluid and change over time. The research reveals that incarceration has unintended consequences on families as some people end up severing their relations with prisoners (Christian, 46). The relations are also affected due to the high demands associated with prison visits. Yet another factor that affects families’ visits relate to their relationship with the prisoner before incarceration and the prisoner’s efforts toward self rehabilitation. Christian’s study which
Make a Difference Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Make a Difference Paper - Essay Example The easiest way is tapping the existing parents and teacher's organizations in the schools and other important personalities are to be added as long as necessary. Proper alignment of responsibilities will be identified and focus shall be on major tasks identified. These tasked includes: research and baseline data gathering, program designing and testing, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. This step can be carried out through survey and direct evaluation. Questionnaires can be devised through assistance of experts to collect data such as: current participatory practices, what practices are effective or not, what is the extent of involvement of the parents, what are the problems encountered with current participatory programs. In other words, a thorough analysis of the weaknesses and strengths (the inner resources of those directly involved), and the opportunities and threats (the uncontrollable external factors) within the society in general must be undertaken. There are systematic means in doing this and a lot of experts can be tapped to do effective participative SWOT analysis. After examining everything under the SWOT analysis an effective program can be designed.
Saturday, July 27, 2019
Fashion designs by Gabrielle Coco Chanel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Fashion designs by Gabrielle Coco Chanel - Essay Example The essay "Fashion designs by Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel" analyzes the role of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel's fashion design in the fashion history. She did not stop there as she proceeded and built a large fashion house with branches across Europe, for example, in Paris and London. Her earlier career in cloth fashion was her boutique, where she could sell casual clothes used during leisure time or designed for sporting activities. She also sold sweaters and jackets, which became very popular around the world due to the innovative stylish features she came up with. During the twentieth century, social, cultural and historical events and practices had a lot of impact on fashion and design. The designers could easily access the styles, desired designs, and the required materials. The good thing was that during the time, communication and travel across continents had been eased and one could travel across the continents. Fashions across many regions were designed in ac cordance to the tradition and believes, for example in America during the early years of republic. People preferred to reveal themselves through clothing. These people embraced liberty and democracy; their mode of expression was through fashions. As time progressed, women desired clothing that was less restrictive, offered a lot of comfort, and were reasonable. It was during these moments of fashion design revolution that Gabrielle Chanel Coco emerged; her life is funny in the way she could live in an image of herself. She changed her life story. spent most of her life perpetually changing her life story. She at times denied that she did not have brothers and sisters. She lied about her father and sometimes pretended not to remember anything about her clients. Her life was generally an interesting one. Her mind was full of fabrication (Madsen 1990). Chanel’s designs represented the desires of women and reflected the changing lives. Her work was modern and her designs contradi cted those of former designers, who often sought themes of fantasies. Hers were intended for excitement. Before Chanel’s entrance into the fashion design industry, there were others like Paul Poiret, whose designs had manifested changes in the new century; his designs did not embrace the modern life, unlike those of Chanel, who optimized hers to fit a youthful life. Her designs valued comfort and simplicity. The designs made for females could appropriately accommodate their form, since they were somewhere between being tight and loose (Koda 2005). Chanel’s wares were similar to her dressing mode; she could wear what made her look smart and clothing that brought revolution to women wear. To describe, she could wear a skirt; a trim one and a matching jacket that could stretch to the hip, had a notched collar, and squeezed slightly at her waist. It is highly notable that her costumes were recognizable just as her identity was. Her presence in a production was anonymous as she could boost ticket sales. She knew well how to make her clothing with jewelries and scuffs, something that became admirable to the young generation. She was on her style, unique from the previous fashion designers. Chanel Coco was described to be a realistic designer. In her early design life, she had decided to be wearing jersey because it was cheap. The steps Chanel had taken were amazing; from a hat designer to apparel designer. She used to borrow her design style from the men’s wear. Her approach was simple; to design clothes out of
Friday, July 26, 2019
Corporate governance and business ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
Corporate governance and business ethics - Essay Example They are respecting and encouraging the shareholder rights, protecting the interests of all stakeholders, performing the board’s responsibilities properly, following integrity and ethics, and having transparency in transactions. Business ethics too has become an important subject at academic level and also within major organisations. This interest in business ethics is visible in the big organisations’ evident emphasis on promoting non-economic social values. In simple terms, business ethics aims at handling situations where there is a possibility of business going unethical. In other words, as businesses function in social and natural environment, they are supposed to be accountable towards the environment and society they exist in. In the present business climate where there are multinational giants, the paths chosen by these companies have huge impact on the lives of people. There are a number of subjects that come under the purview of general business ethics. The fi rst one is corporate social responsibility that deals with the ethical rights among companies and also towards society. In addition, it deals with the moral responsibilities and rights that exist between a company and its stakeholders. Another matter is the relation among different companies, especially during takeovers, and espionage. Another factor is the issues associated with corporate leadership, and political contributions by the company. A look into history will prove that the rise in interest in business ethics has its beginning in 1970s. Before the world wars, the business world was full of unethical practices ranging from colonialism and slavery. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the obligation of a company to be responsible to all of the stakeholders in its operation to achieve sustainable development, not only economically, but also in social and environmental dimensions. In other words, corporate responsibility means the responsibility of the company towards all its stakeholders ranging from owners, investors, employees, customers, government, suppliers, competitors and the community. In the words of Kotler, and Lee (2008, p.3), corporate social responsibility is the commitment of a company to improve community well-being through its operations and contributions. Nokia: The Company in Concern The company that is considered for analysis of corporate governance is Nokia. The company had its beginning in the year 1865 in South-Western Finland as a forest industry enterprise, and the founder was a mining engineer named Fredrik Idestam. By the beginning of 1989s, Nokia strengthened its hold in telecommunications and consumer electronics markets. As Parthasarthy (2006, p. 338) reports, there were number of acquisitions ranging from Mobira, Salora, Televa and Luxor. In addition, it acquired parts of the German Standard Elektrik Lorenz, French company Oceanic, and Dutch company NKF; and in the case of corporate governance, Nokia follows Helsinki, N ew York, Stockholm, and Frankfurt stock exchange rules and recommendations as applicable (ibid). The company runs in accordance with the provisions of Finnish Companies Act, and the control and management of Nokia, the Articles of Association, is divided among the shareholders, the Board of Directors, the President and the Nokia
Thursday, July 25, 2019
MARKETING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2
MARKETING - Essay Example Marketing is not necessarily intrusive always. Marketing through a search engine, for instance, does not disrupt the behavior of the client as opposed to the advertisements that throng newspapers and web pages; in fact search engine marketing promotes non-intrusive marketing as it encourages consumers to search for the advertised product only. However, there is a general resentment towards marketing. This mainly stems from the power of advertisements and its manipulation of customers. The purpose of marketing is to improve the company’s performance by advertising its services or products. Marketers often do that cunningly manipulating the target groups into buying the products. Stealth advertising, i.e. tricking people into using a service by product placements in media that people use widely, is disliked by people since it infringes upon the ethical rights of the consumers and fails to protect their interests. This can be broadcasted on the television or through the Internet on websites and by spam mail. One can see that it is not the marketing concept itself that is creating animosities; rather, it is the way through which the model is being executed that is giving rise to intrusive marketing. For marketing to be effective, it needs to have a customer-focused approach. This is achieved by the close collaboration of the top managerial figures. These managers play a role in promoting marketing by removing any cultural factors that impede organizational coherence and in turn affect the customer-focused marketing strategy. An example of the relationship between marketing and the authorities is the organization International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). The IEC has a Council Board, made of top executive managers, which oversees and supervises all marketing strategies and regulates quality standards. There is a disparity in marketing theory and in marketing practice today. This is primarily due to the shift in marketing Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words Marketing - Essay Example The address of Coventry Business School is at the William Morris Building in the central campus. â€Å"The building was established in 1916. William Morris bought it in 1923 for manufacturing car engines†(Rhodes et al., May 2004). It has been acquired by the university about a decade ago, its top two floors had been destroyed by a fire explosion in 1964. These were rebuilt and the whole space refurbished to include computer labs, lecture theatres and specialist post-graduate teaching facilities (The Independent, 17 Dec. 2006). Now, it is the largest business school in Europe. The school has over 4,000 students and they come from around 40 countries to study in various programs of the school. â€Å"Coventry Business School was established in 1989 and students prior to this date were studying in the Faculty of Business†(Coventry University Business). The courses offered by the faculty were legal studies, economics, business and management studies. The School initially o ffered courses in economics, business studies, business administration, leisure management and general management. Among the courses offered to various students, the first was the business administration. The present Vice Chancellor of the institution is Professor Madeleine Atkins. Coventry Business School always maintain an excellent communication with different reputed universities of the world and with national and international organization; such as, Ford, Cable and Wireless, Jaguar, Nokia, Peugeot, major banks and the National Health Service etc. and also with different universities in the world. Consequently, students can simultaneously avail both the opportunities of working as well as studying in CBS which is an active member of the Network of International Business Schools. â€Å"The Network of International Business Schools (NIBS) is a group of business schools from around the world which
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Foreign Market Entry and Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Foreign Market Entry and Diversification - Essay Example Participation in the hospitality industry is proposed as the appropriate diversification destination for the company as contained in this discussion. This report highlights the details of conducting a diversification plan for the business into a relatively related business line, owing to the growth status of the mainstream business. Justification As illustrated, shifting from the transport portfolio into the hospitality component as proposed for purposes of business congruence in terms of succession of operations demonstrates the logic behind the proposal. Considering the operations standing and status in the American market coupled with the present expansion ambitions across the borders, the hospitality industry appears to support growth as anticipated. The role of business complementarity for the two portfolios is for purposes of soaking up risk exposure and provides nurturing to the developing business in a direct version (Lawton & Weaver, 2009). Due to the demands of a new busine ss line of operations with respect to overseas presence as a long-term diversification concept, providing the nexus in synergies of related business in the complementarity concept augurs well with growth prospects. Similarities of the travel industry and hospitality business in terms of services needed for both private and business packages provide synergies in business operations. Exploiting the nature of opportunities availed by the hospitality industry to the travel component offered by the travel agency line of current operations present upward trajectories in growth projections (Borein, Rowe & Smith 2002). As an illustration, visitors into the City of New York require accommodation, meals, entertainment and leisure products that have traditionally originated from other hospitality businesses with which the company partners. Hospitality component entails venturing into property ownership across the world’s target cities in America, Europe, Middle East and Africa as well a s Asia Pacific to support the business model. Rolling out property ownership pushes the diversification component into a long-term consideration, apart from a few New York City pilot project considerations. Diversification of the hospitality and travel agency components will require a couple of years and extensive property market research across the world. The first foreign market for entry with the new model as deliberated is India, due to the vibrant economic and tourism growth coupled with relatively affordable property transactions. India as an emerging economy in the world today provides excellent attention to investors that provided a lucrative opportunity for business travel for the vast business territory. The centrality of India for Asian markets extending to the Pacific region will facilitate future diversification of the transport component into the sea and luxury travel component involving yacht and cruise ship famous as central regional business lines. Growth supported in the vibrant economy will facilitate entry into Middle East and Africa as other potentially beneficial opportunities (Lovelock && Wirtz, 2009). As expected in certain markets to provide an opportunity for a single functionality, entry with one component will also form part of the expansion and diversification strategy. As an illustrati
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Practice based project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
Practice based project - Essay Example It is also important to determine the implications of this change for future practice. Lastly, how this change would be disseminated in the organization is a concern that must as well be given focus. Leadership is a process of getting things done through people (Dudley and Bonney 2002). It is also a process by which a person influences others in accomplishing objectives and directs the organization towards making it more effective and cohesive. Bass (1989) claims that leaders are made, not born. An effective leader is one who has the desire to lead people and willpower to perform the needed tasks. Good leaders develop themselves out of a never-ending process of experience, self-study, education, and training. Higher levels of teamwork must be ensured by the leader in ascertaining that jobs are performed by members in a collective effort and that everybody participates in these tasks. In addition, good leaders are not resting on their laurels, but are continually learning and studying to improve their skills (Bass, 1989). The concept of leadership is relevant in many aspects, particularly when ensuring effectiveness in an organization and in managing organizational change and dev elopment. A good leader would make the members/followers want to achieve defined goals instead of bossing people around. Bass says that there are three basic ways for which people become leaders. The Trait Theory explains that some personality traits may naturally lead people into leadership roles. The Great Events Theory explains that due to a crisis or important events in one’s life, a person is driven to perform extraordinary leadership qualities. The Transformational Leadership Theory says that people can choose and learn to become leaders by learning leadership skills. The latter is the most widely accepted theory on leadership today (ibid). In health care development, the basis of true
True Cost of Mega-Retailers Essay Example for Free
True Cost of Mega-Retailers Essay The phenomenon of big box economics brings with several ethical concerns that taint its most favorable effect, that of bringing lower-priced goods to the American market. Whether manufacturers who produce these goods keep their factories on United States soil or abroad, many of the persons who work within them suffer under conditions that no American would be required to endure. On American soil, such workers (who are likely to be illegal immigrants) are often paid at the lowest rates possible, and along with this comes the lack of accompanying benefits, such as health or accident insurance (Mitchell, 36). Many manufacturers are often drawn to foreign soil because minimum wages are much lower in some countries, making the costs of production fall to a level that increases their profit margins significantly. Despite the fact that higher profit margins lead to greater overall taxes paid to the government, these practices do impact negatively on the American economy. One way in which this negative impact is felt is through the removal of jobs from the American arena into other countries. Many of these factories employ thousands of workers, and each of them represents one unemployed American that would otherwise be contributing to the overall national income (GDP) of the country. This negatively affects the unemployment rate within the country, and therefore counteracts the aforementioned positive benefits in the area of taxes by making it necessary for the government to pay out unemployment benefits. The employment of low-paid immigrants or the outsourcing of jobs also forces Americans to settle for lower wages, as any refusal to accept these would simply induce manufacturers to apply to the overabundance of these foreigners. This leads to a lower standard of living for Americans. One researcher has also shown that big-box retailers whose low-cost commodities put local retailers out of business also hurt the local banks, which traditionally have strong relationships with the small retailers (Mitchell, 42). In America’s banking crisis today, such retailers are likely to continue exacerbating the economic problem, making it that much more difficult for the economy to recover from recession. Reference Mitchell, S.. Big-box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America’s Independent Businesses. Boston: Beacon Press, 2006
Monday, July 22, 2019
Children’s Functional Health Pattern Essay Example for Free
Children’s Functional Health Pattern Essay Toddlers believe rules are absolute and behave out of fear of punishment. The toddler will respond with good behavior for positive feedback. These values and beliefs are learned. Preschoolers frequently express their values by stating who or what they like or what they want to be when they grow up. Preschoolers receive modeling of values from involved adults, peers, as they develop their morality. School-Age children’s values come from religion, cultural, and parental values influences. These factors shape a child’s moral development, and concept of right and wrong. School-age children are able to make decisions related to moral and ethical issues. Parents may cater to their toddler when they are misbehaving, giving them more attention when they are bad than when they are good. This make the toddler believe that behaving badly gets their parents attention. Parents need to remember to reward good behavior, and to emphasize rewards for acceptable behavior and minimizing attention for unwanted behavior. Parents may not have firm and established rules, making it confusing for the toddler to distinguish right from wrong. Peers or inappropriate content on television can negatively influence preschooler’s values and beliefs. Parents may have a poor morals and value system themselves, inadvertently teaching their preschoolers the same behaviors. School-age children may bend to peer pressure to gain the acceptance of their peers. School-Age children may cheat due a desire to win, or pressure from their parents and peers to be great. Short Answer Questions Address the following based on the above assessment findings. Expected answers will be 1-2 paragraphs in length. Cite and reference outside sources used. 1) Compare and contrast identified similarities as well as differences in expected assessment across the childhood age groups. Across the stages of development from toddler up to school age children there is a significant difference in the amount of guidance needed and the amount independence required. The differences are evident when examining how each developmental phase interacts and responds within each health assessment pattern. Toddler and preschool children need more structure and routine, whether it’s brushing their teeth or bedtime rituals. School-aged children, on the other hand, require more independence and trust in decisions while still being guided and reassured as the develop their own sense of identity. There are similarities as amongst the age groups as well, such as all of the children moving towards a state of autonomy and the ability to express themselves adequately and be heard by either their parents, their peers, or both. Additionally, all of the different age groups have the need for a structured and healthy home environment in order to grow and develop. 2) Summarize how a nurse would handle physical assessments, examinations, education, and communication differently with children versus adults. Consider spirituality and cultural differences in your answer. When the nurse is caring for a child, the nurse must remember that they are essentially caring for the child and the parent (Jarvis, 2012). For a nurse, the assessment, examination and interaction with a child patient offers its own set of challenges and requires a different approach from that of an adult. When dealing the toddler and preschooler, the nurse should visit with the parent first, letting the child size the nurse up. The nurse can assess child on how they interact and react to the parent and the nurse. This allows the child to see that the caregiver has accepted and trusts the nurse. For the toddler and the preschooler, the parent will be providing most, if not all of the health history. When beginning the physical assessment on the child, move slow and approach them slowly while seeming happy and unthreatening. The nurse should allow the child to hold instruments, like a stethoscope, during the physical exam to help them feel like they are involved in their own care. Having parents there add security and support for children, and also can help with the ease of assessing the child without them realizing that they are being assessed. With children of each stage of development, the nurse must be cognizant of verbal and non-verbal cues provided by the child. The nurse should be mindful that there could be cultural and/or spiritual considerations to take into account, like when undressing a child of the opposite sex. The nurse needs to ensure that the caregiver and the child feel comfortable. With both children and adults, assessment should start with least invasive and progress leaving most invasive last. School-Age children should be assed like either children or adults depending on their developmental age. Adult assessment can be more direct than that of a child. Ask adults open ended questions, listen to their complaints, and educate as needed. References Current Nursing. (2012). Theory of Psychosocial Development: Erik H. Erikson. Retrieved From http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/theory_of_psychosocial_development.html Edelman, C., Kudzma, E., Mandle, C. (2010). Health Promotion throughout the Life Span [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books /9780323056625 Jarvis, C. (2012). Physical Examination and Health Assessment [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved from http://pageburstls.elsevier.com/books/978-1-4377-0151-7
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Essay on theories and models of health promotion
Essay on theories and models of health promotion The word health came from the old English word for heal (hael) which means whole, indicating that health concerns the whole person and their integrity, soundness, or well-being (Crafter 1997). Health can be defined as a state of well-being, interpreted by the World Health Organisation as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO 1946). Health promotion (HP) is the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health. HP is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capacities. WHO (1984) In this assignment I will discuss health, HP principles, changing peoples behaviour and attitudes and I will also apply the application of a HP strategy (Beatties model). Beattie (1991) identifies three areas, health persuasion, personal counselling and community development. It also incorporates the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB model) which helps to support Beaties theories. His model offers a structural analysis of HP approaches. This model involves advice and information that is evidence based, insuring that the correct information is available to the client so she can make an informed choice, as the Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC 2008) stipulates. The KAB model, when applied, concentrates on what makes a person want to change. Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) discuss the layers of influence on health and its social and ecological theory. They also attempted to link the relationship between the individual, their environment and disease. Individual people are at the centre, with a set of fixed genes. Surrounding them are influences on health that can be changed or modified. The first layer is personal behaviour and ways of living that can promote or damage health. e.g. ones choice to drink alcohol. Individuals are often affected by friendship patterns and their communities. The next layer of Dahlgren and Whiteheads theory is social and community influences, which provide mutual support for members of the community in unfavourable conditions. But they can also provide no support or have a negative effect. The third layer includes structural factors such as housing, working conditions, access to services and provision of essential facilities. Festinger (1957) used the term cognitive dissonance to describe a persons mental state when new information is given. This prompts the person either to reject the new information (as unreliable or inappropriate) or to adapt attitudes and behaviour, which could fit with it. Bradshaws needs also plays a critical role in HP. The schedule of antenatal care is dominated by a medical model. When providing care, the needs of women must be heard and incorporated into their care. Bradshaws needs can be used by midwives and other professionals to identify womens needs in pregnancy. This can lead to the type of healthcare which is more likely to address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes for pregnant women. Normative Need: As defined by an expert, to be a need that all require. Such as the advised number of antenatal visits. Felt Need: an individual or groups own personal need. Expressed Need: A felt need which turns into an expression for help Comparative need: Comparing the needs of different groups and finding a common occurance. Bradshaws concept has four different types of need: My HP strategy focuses on Bradshaws comparative need. To educate women of 30yrs+ to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy. This is evidence based on research showing the link between alcohol and FAS. HP is a key part of the midwifes role. However, the effectiveness of its practice is often not easily recognisable. The document, Saving Lives-our healthier nation, (DOH 1999), suggests that individuals are not solely responsible for their own ill health. Health professionals i.e. Midwife and the government all play an important part in working towards achieving health for all and reducing inequalities in health and health care provision. The report also states that Healthcare authorities and primary care groups have a responsibility towards public health. (DOH 1999) The Royal College of Midwives (RCM 2000) suggests that maternity care is not just a delivery service. Midwives make a major contribution to family well-being and the wider public health and its contribution is yet to reach its full potential. HP is often used to describe behaviour or actions, which directly or indirectly influence the health of others. This may include preventing ill health, maintaining positive health, raising public awareness of health issues, protecting the public from harm, educating people to make healthy lifestyle choices and reducing inequalities in health and provision of healthcare (Dunkley 2000). HP within midwifery, involves enhancing positive health and reducing the risk of ill health through education. For expectant mothers it is a time of immense psychological and physiological development. During this time the woman acquires a great deal of new and sometimes confusing information from family, friends, magazines and health professionals. Midwifes have a duty of care to inform women about health damaging behaviour where this may occur. They also have a duty to encourage discussion on such topics i.e. alcohol in pregnancy, nutrition and choices of feeding. Following articles written in the Guardian and Telegraph newspaper in February 2010 stating that the Department of Health advice is that women should not drink at all when trying to conceive or when pregnant, but if women do chose to drink they should not have more than one or two units once or twice a week and not drink enough to feel drunk is what inspired my decision to look at Alcohol in pregnancy for this HP. The National Institute on Alcohol and alcoholism (NIAA) clearly states that NO alcohol should be consumed in pregnancy. The Telegraph newspaper in January 2009 reported that OLeary (an Australian scientist) states Women who drink five small glasses of wine during the course of a week in the first three months of pregnancy increase their risk of a premature birth by 70 per cent, even if they stop later. Research from the Infant feeding survey 2005 shows that drinking alcohol socially when pregnant has a higher occurrence in women in the 30-35 year age range and above. The Royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists (RCOG) 29th June 2010 stating there is no evidence that a couple of units of alcohol once or twice a week will harm an unborn baby. These contradicting reports led me to research the need for a HP on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Professor Phillip Steer of the RCOG believes that if women ate and drank a more healthy diet this would result in healthier babies thus a healthier nation. Another specialist, Dr Raja Mukherjee, consultant psychiatrist and expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, stated that if a wealthier woman who has previously consumed wine on a regular basis, continues into her pregnancy, she is in the high risk group. He reports that they are actually putting their babies at risk before they even know they are pregnant, in some cases. Mukherjee (NOFAS) also reported that one of the most severely affected children he has seen, was born after a wealthy woman continued to consume half a bottle of wine 2 to 3 times a week. In my HP plan I wanted to target women in the older age ranges. Using the media to publicise the damage caused by alcohol consumption in pregnancy. My idea constituted a run of billboard posters depicting babies being forced to consume alcohol as well as television advertising. The adverts would be hard hitting with a simple dont drink slogan. The campaign would be called the you drink, I drink campaign. The primary aim would be to stop women drinking alcohol in pregnancy. The secondary aim would be to at least educate and inform women of the concerns related to drinking alcohol. Both aims would hope to have an effect in reducing the cases of fetal alcohol syndrome, currently 1:100, (NOFAS 2010), caused by drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Models have been used in HP for some time, but can they be a part of midwifery? It could be claimed that the unique and individual situations of pregnancy and birth do not lend themselves to categorising women and their needs. Every woman and every pregnancy is different. Could it be possible to apply a standard package of professional care? If midwifery is viewed as a health-promoting activity, then it may be that HP models and approaches can enhance the way that midwives deliver care by developing an agreed research-based framework, which, rather than labelling women, standardize good practice (Crafter 1997). The NHS plan, (NHS 2000), which seeks to develop an NHS that is patient-centred and fit for the 21st. Century, suggests that the role of the midwife should be developed in public health and family well being. Whilst researching my strategy I found that the first reported association between maternal alcoholism and a characteristic pattern of cranio-facial, limb and cardiovascular defects in the offspring was published in The Lancet Saturday 9 June 1973. Since then the results of a large body of research have been published. This is clearly an indication that a new HP aimed at pregnant women is needed! In 1996 the RCOG published a guideline on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. They wrote that there was no conclusive evidence of effects in either growth or IQ at levels of consumption below 120 gms per week. Nonetheless, they recommended that women should be careful about alcohol consumption in pregnancy and limit this to no more than one standard drink (8 gms of alcohol) per day. This disagrees with the recommendations from NICE. Who state that if a woman does decide to drink alcohol, she should drink No more than one or two units, once or twice a week. It is clear that the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy cannot be deemed without risk, however, controversy continues as to whether there is any safe level which women should be advised not to exceed. According to The National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), the medical and scientific literature overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that there are risks of alcohol related brain damage from drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy. Based on these findings, NOFAS position is that there is no safe time, no safe amount, and no safe alcohol during pregnancy. (NOFAS 2007) The obvious way forward is to re-educate women through HP. There are key drivers in health matters such as the National institute of clinical excellence (NICE) and the Acheson Report for the Department of Health, which was a report to contribute to the development of the Governments strategy for health and an agenda for action on inequalities in the longer term. The publication in February 1998 of the consultation paper Our Healthier Nation; a Contract for Health was an important landmark. It identified the need to improve the health of the worst off in society and to narrow the health gap as an overriding principle. (DOH 1998) The report took into account the main features of Our Healthier Nation as they affect inequalities. It discussed tackling inequalities in the settings of schools, the workplace and neighbourhoods. The section on the NHS included an element on the reduction of inequalities through local partnerships taking into account plans for Health Improvement Programmes and Health Action Zones. It also takes into account the changes outlined in the White Paper The New NHS: Modern and Dependable. Whilst developing my HP strategy I looked for current Local and National strategies. The key strategy is that of the National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). They offer an extensive service, including conferences, support group meetings, publications and in particular the Baby Bundle Project. The training for Midwives Project is an initiative of NOFAS-UK to provide useful and positive health information about the consumption of alcohol in pregnancy. Midwives play an important role and can help prevent FASD. Another key strategy is Drinkaware. Drinkaware aims to change the UKs drinking habits for the better. They promote responsible drinking and find innovative ways to challenge the national drinking culture to help reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol-related harm. They are an independent, UK-wide charity, who are supported by voluntary donations from across the drinks industry to equip people with the knowledge they need to make decisions about how much they drink. Drinaware also helps tackle alcohol misuse. As well as working with other organisations and individuals across the UK to fulfil the educational, community and awareness campaigning function envisaged in the Governments Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. They also provide easily accessible, evidence-based information about alcohol and its effects, to employers, young people, teachers, parents and community workers, such as Midwives. They use a range of advertising mediums, such as film, multimedia and TV. Another National strategy is NICE. Their current recommendations on alcohol in pregnancy is that Pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy should be advised to avoid drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy if possible, because it may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. But as previously discussed they also advise that women planning a pregnancy or in the first 3 months should not drink at all. The negative theory of this is that the government is presuming that all women will know what 8g of alcohol is, or 1.5 units. Should the government be advising women in a more user friendly way? The HP strategy advising women what they should or should not do will fail as not all women will know how much is too much. This creates a concerning risk. The government need to re-address the strategy to be usable by midwives and pregnant women alike. They should be re-thinking ways to educate women as to what a measure of alcohol is. Nice is also adding to the confusion in saying avoid alcohol then expressing that it can be drunk but in moderation. This sends a very confusing message to health promoters and pregnant women. According to NICE it is the responsibility of the midwife to educate their clients in the safe levels of alcohol consumption at their first meeting. At the expectant mothers first visit to the antenatal clinic the midwife should explain how the pregnant woman will be monitored with regular examinations and tests to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing normally. It should also be emphasised that the womans health inevitably influences that of the fetus and can have major impact on health in childhood and later life. Midwives need to advise their clients on what is safe. Would it be safer and clearer to advise all women, all of the time, not to drink alcohol at all? But the midwife would then not be offering the woman informed choice. It is the role of the midwife to offer lifestyle advice and to tell women of the implications of what alcohol consumption can do to a fetus. Then as Beatties model states, its the clients prerogative to choose what their actions are but it is the midwives role to try to encourage a change in previous unhealthy behaviour. During the development of my HP strategy i gained a peer review. (See appendix A). The positive feedback was tremendous. Confirming that I had correctly assessed the need for the target audience to be women aged 30-35 years+ and that a hard hitting advertising campaign was the right route to take. It highlighted the need to define which health models i would use and I decided on Beatties and KAB rather than Tannahill, which is another well know model. Although I did realise the need to decide on a primary and secondary aim for my promotion. The review also highlighted the need to be able to assess the success of this strategy. This would be easily measured by seeing a reduction in babies born with FAS. During antenatal care Midwives impart relevant information in a teaching way, but it is of no value if that teaching is facilitated in a lecturing style. Women wont learn if spoken at. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive coverage of pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period during a set of 3/4 classes. A childbirth educator can boost her clients self esteem by valuing everyones comments and creating an atmosphere in which learning is a shared experience. The aim of childbirth education, therefore should be to help the women understand the importance (for their mental health) of getting the information they need, and to empower them to ask questions when and of whoever they want. It has been clearly demonstrated that a womans mental health after delivery has been closely linked to the amount of information she received during her labour (Oakley 1980). Health promoters are not always effective at providing information. Hillan (1992) suggests many women feel that there are a variety of ways during an antenatal class to empower women to ask questions of their caregivers. Women can be empowered by the attitude of their teacher. In Beattie (1991) Strategies for HP, he incorporates empowerment as an important aspect of his model to empower individuals to have the skills and confidence to take more control over their health. Analyses of empowerment shows there is a need to distinguish between self-empowerment and community empowerment. Self empowerment is used to describe HP strategies which are based on counselling and which use non-directive, client centred approaches aimed at increasing peoples control over their lives. Midwives frequently engage in client-centred work, as they are concerned with facilitating client autonomy. The client sets the agenda and the health professionals role is facilitating, guiding, supporting and empoweri ng the client to make informed choices (Dunkley 2000). Community empowerment is used to describe a way of working which increases peoples power to change their social reality. It is also a way of working which seeks to create active participating communities who are empowered and able to challenge and change the world about them. This approach helps people identify their own concerns and gain the skills and confidence to act upon them. It is unique as a bottom-up strategy and calls for the different skills from the health promoter (Kendall 1998). The midwife, becomes a facilitator whose role is to act as a catalyst. Carl Rogers has also developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise of this theory is that learning will occur by the educator (in this case, the Midwife) acting as a facilitator, thus establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. When teaching adults we must be aware of their different learning styles. Adult learners are a very diverse group. Andragogy (the teaching and learning of adults) was first developed by Alexander Knapp in 1833. Then in 1984 Knowles used Knapps theory and expanded on it. Knowles emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. Adult learning programs must accommodate this fundamental aspect. Knowles himself changed his position on whether andragogy really applied only to adults and came to believe that pedagogy-andragogy represents a continuum ranging from teacher-directed to student-directed learning and that both approaches are appropriate with children and adults, depending on the situation. (Knowles 1984) Beattie offers a structural analysis of the HP approaches. He suggests that there are four paradigms for HP. These are generated from the dimensions of mode of intervention which ranges from authoritative (top-down and expert-led) to negotiated (bottom-up and valuing individual autonomy). Most HP work involving advice and information is determined and led by practitioners, or midwives in this case. The work and thoughts of Carl Rogers in the 1960s have been formative in understanding the importance of self-awareness and the experiential learning in helping individuals to understand and make decision. It is therefore important before commencing adult education to examine the structure of the model and look at whom it is aimed at. It is important when working within a team that certain values are shared and made explicit so that the carers can work towards the same goals and the recipients of care can be clear about the standards and outcomes to expect. Developing and working with unified models and approaches in health promotion and midwifery can therefore help midwives to communicate with each other more effectively and strengthen initiatives, which benefit everyone (Crafter 1997). The transition to parenthood is an emotional time for both the pregnant woman and her partner. The shift from marriage or partnership to the first pregnancy is a major transition point in a womens life. It is also the time that HP can have its biggest effect. Women are open to learning new things and hearing from many different sources about whats best for them during this time. A number of studies have suggested and therefore confirm this theory that the most difficult transition for couples to make is the birth of the first child (Cowan Cowan, 1992). All major transitions involve making changes and a period of disequilibrium. A professional career woman may find the whole process out of her control and be left reeling. Motherhood can significantly challenge a womans sense of identity, revealing a tension between personhood and parenthood. Antenatal classes, media, books etc all play a part in acclimatising the woman to her new role. Other outside influences are the social surroundings. Pregnant women from lower or working classes may not feel they have the same support as those from middle or upper class social areas. They may not reach out to areas of support, including what we consider basic antenatal care. Younger mothers may look at parenthood through rose tinted spectacles, imagining their baby will sleep through the night. While the more mature first time mother is more realistic in her outlook. This is where HP again plays an integral part in educating the woman through sources of media, care and through learning in the community. Expectations and theories have changed greatly over the last 40 years. Older mothers are more common as are teenage mothers. Teenage mothers in the 1960s were sent away to discreetly have their babies, now they are a common part of the community with different needs to that of the older mother. HP has to be aimed at all groups all of the time. It is up to the care giver to facilitate this information at the right level for each individual case. Good quality teaching, support and HPs received well, all contribute to the transition to parenthood, thus increasing the confidence of the new parent. After all, it is one of the most vulnerable times in their life. With successful antenatal learning in place this would then enhance the transition to parenthood and that of attachment. Bowlby (1969) devoted extensive research to the concept of attachment, describing it as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings Proximity Maintenance The desire to be near the people we are attached to. Safe Haven Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat. Secure Base The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment. Separation Distress Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure. Bowlby (1969)Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment: These characteristics are learned as children and are what we use when moving from childhood to parenthood. Without a good base we cannot expect new parents to successfully proceed into parenthood without some re-education and the support of quality care givers. In conclusion, the RCM Vision 2000 describes the midwife as a public health practitioner. Midwives have always enhanced, facilitated and supported factors, which promote physical health, psychological, social and spiritual well being for the woman and her immediate family. Some of the key points that should be considered for the future of midwifery HP practice, is that it needs to be clearly defined, national and political recognition of the midwives contribution to public health should be improved and midwives should promote health within the socio-culteral and economic context of how individuals live their everyday lives (Dunkley 2000). Providing antenatal care to woman and fetus demonstrates a unique opportunity to enhance holistic health through advice, guidance, support and social networks where the woman can be offered further specialised care if needed. This assignment has discussed the concept of health and HP, the value of alcohol avoidance and briefly the effects on the pre gnant woman. Beatties and KAB model was used to show the importance that a supportive environment is created in which people can challenge ideas and question beliefs. Beatties model is adaptable and could be applied to many scenarios, the model shows a knowledge of awareness of adult education by provoking a deep understanding of processes and problem solving, and therefore the quality of teaching and the learning process. There are a number of ethical issues involved in parent education. Participants need to be listened to carefully and their questions answered truthfully, which gives a positive effect on the woman and leads to the skills and confidence to take more control over their health.
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