Example of school report for facilities Essay

I am writing regarding an article published in your magazine last week entitiled †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ I strongly disagree with the writer for a number of reasons. see more:importance of school facilities Firstly, as Socrates wrote, work makes the man. However, in Plato’s Dialectics he argued that, on the contrary, one must have sufficient rest to Secondly, I believe that we need to ‘recharge our batteries’ in order to have the energy to work efficiently. For example, as an IB student I have so much work to do with CAS, ToK, Extended Essays and all the other portfolios, fieldwork, internal assessments, oral exams that I cannot devote enough attention to one alone. Instead, with exams today I am left tired and unmotivated. If I do not have time to relax and unwind, I cannot possibly do the work properly. Therefore leisure is necessary for doing a good job in whatever field. Lastly, In conclusion, Yours Faithfully, Zorg Last Friday I went to the swimming pool the school said it owned before I moved here to see what it was like. Well, guys, here’s my report: Size- The size is its biggest asset. It is an Olympic-Sized pool which will allow all you fat, physically challenged pre-IB kids to get in shape for 2008. In fact, it also is designed to accommodate disabled children like you Vincent. Even during the weekend it’s open with enough room for you to play with your parents, grandparents, and all the uncles currently staying with you. Price The pool is expensive (if you buy tickets from the school) but there is a discount card for students which gives 15% to orphan children suffering from Bird Flu. Location- Perfectly sited near an industrial dump. Is a problem because it was nuclear industry before the swimming pool located there, so radiation sometimes forces the pool to close on smoggy days. The road is new- it’s being built right now. Facilities- There is a change room in 21st Century Hotel which is a problem in winter. The showers work but the water is greenish and cold. Finally, there is no chlorine in the water so it smells and has algae on the surface. The sauna is equipped with coal but there is no ventilation so get a tan but die of suffocation. Happy Hour- With new management, the owners have now added a bar to the pool allowing you to be totally relaxed swimming in the deep end or jumping off the diving board. Free drinks every time you jump! Doctors- After this new facility, trained medical staff are on standby with dogs trained to swim and rescue disabled children. I highly recommend this pool because it is the only one in Chaoyang apart from the pond behind Annie’s restaurant (during the rainy season).

Short Story of Roald Dahl

â€Å"A Connoisseur's Revenge† Plot/Description This is one of my favorite Dahl stories, and the one with (I think) the most potent twist in the tail of all. It's not until the very last sentence that you understand the true story. Spoiler warning! Lionel Lampson is a wealthy older gentleman who enjoys fine art and the company of the upper classes. One night he escorts a vulgar woman named Gladys Ponsonby home from a dinner party. Gladys, who is a little drunk, shows off a new portrait of herself that she had commissioned. She tells Lionel a secret – the artist, John Royden, paints all his subjects first in the nude, then in their underwear, and lastly in their clothes. He is shocked and correctly deduces that this is why all the wealthy women in town are rushing to have their portraits painted by him. Gladys then changes the subject and asks Lionel about his relationship with a young beauty named Janet de Pelagia. Lionel is embarrassed until Gladys relates that earlier that afternoon Janet had called him a â€Å"crashing bore†. Lionel is outraged and forces Gladys to repeat the entire conversation. He is so upset to hear what Janet thinks about him that he swoons. The next day he wakes and vows revenge. He hits upon the perfect plan and calls up this artist Royden. He tells him that he'd like a picture of Janet, but doesn't want her to know about it. He pays Royden a handsome amount for his services, and then goes off to Italy for four months. By the time Lionel returns, Royden has finished the painting and it's the talk of the Royal Academy. Royden delivers it to Lionel, who can't wait to move on to the second part of his plan. He is an expert clearner and restorer of paintings, and very carefully he begins to remove the top layer (the clothing) of the painting. By the time he has finished, Janet de Pelagia is standing before him almost life-size in nothing but her underclothes. Lionel then invites Janet and all the top members of society to his home for a dinner party. He keeps the dining room dark and they eat by candlelight. At the very end, he has the maid turn on the light. As he slips from the room, he has the pleasure of seeing on Janet's face the â€Å"surprised, not-quite-understanding look of a person who precisely one second before has been shot dead, right through the heart†. As the outraged guests begin to exclaim over the painting, Lionel gets into his car and speeds off to his other house. Two days later, he receives a phone call from Gladys Ponsonby that kills his good mood. She tells him that all his old friends are against him and have sworn never to speak to him again. Lionel begins to feel quite bad. Then, in the post arrives a letter from Janet forgiving him and saying that she knew it was a joke and that she's always loved him. She also sends him a jar of his favorite food, caviare. As the story ends, Lionel mentions that he might have eaten too much of it, as he isn't feeling too well right now. In fact, he says, â€Å"come to think of it, I really do feel rather ill all of a sudden. † (If you don't get it, she sent him poisoned caviare as her revenge

About Time Essay

When introducing his book, author Adam Frank tells us that he is setting out to â€Å"unfold the grandest conception of the universe we human beings have been able to imagine and explore. At the same time embracing our most intimate and most personal experience of the world — the very frame of human life. † â€Å"This book is about time, both cosmic and human. † For those interested in the complex journey of humanity through the cosmos, Frank does not fail in his quest to unravel the unique web of ‘time’ into a thread of understandable science. That is if you can take a partially solved puzzle and write a book that connects the proverbial dots of known science and cultural anthropology with the partially understood theories of cosmology and related sciences. Mission accomplished by Frank. Upon first receiving this book, I was hopeful that Frank would present the material of thousands of years of science in a unique and interesting way; setting his writing apart from the hundreds of other astronomy books I’ve read. See more: Strategic Management Process Essay Frank, being a seasoned writer and astrophysics professor, did not disappoint. Frank takes you on a conversational journey, filled with real life examples, both personal and historical, to share his view of some of the most multifarious ideas being considered in our galaxy today. The first few chapters are a review of compound science related to our galaxy, but Frank quickly dives into a discussion of how culture has been affected by the world around it. From there Frank draws a picture from intricate ideas and theories of how society fits in the larger puzzle of cosmology. All while focusing on the measurement of time. If you are looking to take your perspective of cosmology to a new and deeper level, allow Adam Frank to steal some of your time and read his book â€Å"About Time†. Frank will surely have you viewing your society, history, and clock in a whole new perspective. Not to mention putting you on the forefront of scientific theories and cultural progress being considered in the world of cosmology.

In a World of Pay by Fryer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

In a World of Pay by Fryer - Research Paper Example The contribution of this article in the study of human resources is significant in the sense that the article is sufficient enough to enable the HR students gain a real-world insight on how to apply HR theories and practices. The article also allows the students to have an idea concerning the level of competition in the real world of business. Likewise, the article revealed how HR managers should plan on designing effective work compensation packages based on the Coming up with a win-win situation between the employer and employee is very important. Since Anne as a job applicant is a well-known individual who has marked a competitive marketing performance within the ERP software industry, the HR manager should consider the fact that Anne is paying a fee of US$3,000 per month for the assisted living facility of her mother, a competitive health care plan for her 7-year old son who is suffering from asthma and allergies (Fryer, 2003, p. 32, 34). The HR manager also needs to consider that Anne is a single mother. Therefore, transferring her to Germany could be very costly since Anne may need some support on house rent, day care services, cultural training for her and her son, and the annual tuition for her son’s education (p. 37). Knowing the major concern of Anne as a potentially competitive marketing employee, the HR manager should come up with a better working arrangement option or work compensation package that will directly address the main concerns of Anne. With this in mind, the HR manager should weigh the proposed work compensation packages with the market potential and business profitability Anne could contribute to the company. Â  

Oil and Gas Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Oil and Gas Prices - Essay Example History has been riddled with many incidents of oil price increases due to conflicts and fighting between and among countries. Emily Witten (2008) documents the history of oil price increase and is hereinafter summarized. In the 1970s, oil price increased to as much as $46 a barrel when the OPEC imposed an embargo on the U.S. and its allies for the latter’s support of Israel in the Yom Kippur War. In order to keep up the high prices of oil, the OPEC even decreased oil production. In 1978, when the Shah of Iran was deposed from power and a radical Islamic government was installed, oil prices rose to $42. In the 1980s, oil prices decreased as many Western countries made an effort towards conservation, however, these efforts were thwarted when Iraq invaded Iran and oil prices rose to $86 per barrel. Following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, oil prices increased from $21 to $26. The U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 sparked another increase in oil prices from $32 in 2004 to $60 in 2006. Interspersed in these oil price increases were efforts towards conservation and peace which noticeably settled or decreased oil prices. However, the trend became clear, whenever there were conflicts between nations, oil prices went up. In the case of Colombia, oil facilities have been under constant threat of attack by guerilla groups in the region. Attacks on oil installations and civil conflicts in the region have made oil-importing countries like the United States concerned about oil supplies. These oil importing countries opined that â€Å"attacks on energy infrastructure in Colombia, and especially the implications of Colombian instability for the broader energy-rich Andean region, pose a threat to a key source of oil supplies† (Dunning & Wirpsa, 2004). These conflicts, in the light of the September 11 attacks on American soil gave license to the US to

Pedagogic and Syllabus Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pedagogic and Syllabus - Case Study Example Mr. O’Bryan was diligent in discussing the exercises from the textbook and could fairly assess the progress of the students through the students’ participation in class, as well as in results of the examination. Mr. O’Bryan could gauge the level of competencies of the current students based on their cultural orientations, exposure to English as their second language, as well as in the predominantly similar cultural background. Likewise, from the topics that have been covered so far, students and the course supervisor are accorded with opportunities to assess the progress and competencies of the class, in general; and of any particular student who could manifest higher or lower proficiencies in the subject matter. For one’s scheduled teaching activity, the subject is on Reflexive pronouns. At the end of one’s session on Reflexive Pronouns, the students should be able to have a greater understanding of the use of pronouns such as me, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves; and be able to apply these in different sentence structures with greater competencies. In teaching the verb tenses, Mr. O’Bryan relied predominantly on discussing the exercises from the textbook. He uses the examples contained therein and solicits the response from the class according to what is thought to be the correct answer. Likewise, Mr. O’Bryan gives other examples and asks further questions from the class to determine if they have already clearly understood the lesson or subject matter being discussed. For instance, in the lesson on irregular verbs, Mr. O’Bryan determined if the class understood what the past tense of the verb ‘choose’ is through asking the appropriate question and soliciting the needed response.

Did the New Deal work Why or why not Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Did the New Deal work Why or why not - Essay Example Hence, prompted intense debates that persisted during the New Deal’s implementation. However, the New Deal eventually realized its goals giving the president during then a firm base meant to response to his critics’ opinions boldly while citing the then improvement of economic sector in all aspects including people’s lives. The New Deal despite at its inception and during implementation faced numerous criticisms from disbelieving opponents, it worked efficiently evident in the way it met its economic targets. As Roosevelt stated, â€Å"substantial gains well known to all of you have justified our course (Roosevelt, â€Å"Relief, Recovery, Reform and Reconstruction†)†. In this case, gains encompassed numerous and varied improvements that characterized then economy besides heightening people’s welfare. The president was even elaborative in defending his strategy with statistics though hesitantly to mention because those whom he was telling espe cially his opponents knew much about them. They encompassed gain in â€Å"average weekly pay† and reemployment of numerous people especially by private sectors, hence his strategy not only was economic-focused but also touched on citizens’ lives. ... this led to reducing incidences of bankruptcy and uncertainties, which the state together with its industrial firms earlier experienced due to economic unpredictability. In this case, Walker’s sentiments aimed at arousing his audience’s thoughts concerning what used to be the norm in comparison to the economy after implementing the New Deal whose benefits they could measure and experience. Therefore, this acted as a wakeup call for the citizens and especially critics of the then idea to see huge federal’s amount of money that had gone into stabilizing the economic and emerged successfully. This was in alignment with the New Deal intentions, which many before its inception thought was ineffective. New Deal’s emergency gave birth to the rise of varied the then emergent agencies aimed at heightening citizens’ welfare irrespective of their respective political persuasions. According to Mooney, â€Å"†¦.the legislation passed in the first â€Å"Hu ndred Days† of the Roosevelt administration created an array of new federal agencies intended to organize the economic recovery (Mooney, 96).† Agencies in the entire framework of the New Deal comprised varied aspects whose intentions were citizen-centered, for instance, WPA. Since, each state’s economic progress is the measure of citizens’ welfare and ability to offset daily bills satisfactorily without compromising regime of the day’s financial goals. Therefore, through strategy the state not only managed to help the people but also met their respective goals through establishment of agencies, though critics seemed too â€Å"blind† to notice them. The inception and taking over of New Deal contrary to numerous debates successfully managed to change

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Essay - 2

Critically analyze how successful the British government's use of Spending Reviews has been as a way of making government more - Essay Example This essay seeks to critically analyze the success of British government in using spending review in the execution of government strategies. The labor government has been using spending reviews from 1998 to the year 2007 to set out spending plans. The departmental expenditure limits (DELs) covers the predictable spending of the government. This includes spending on hospitals and schools. Annually managed expenditure (AME) covers the public elements that are driven by demand. Examples include debt interests and social security spending. The spending review cover three years but they occur annually. The last year of a spending review is subject to reassessment in preparation to the next spending review period. The labor government increased spending which necessitated tight spending plans between the April 2008 and March 2011. According to the treasury, the public spending was expected to fall. The fiscal projections indicated that tax receipts were set to be increase over the active t hree year period. This was the only way to meet the borrowing forecasts of government (Corsetti & Muller 2009). In the previous four years, the labor government had increased public spending. The British government predicted that total managed expenditure (TME) would be ?587 billion in the period between 2007 and 2008. This was considered the broadest measure of the government expenditure. The amount was equated to roughly 43 percent of the British national income (Floud & Johnson 2004). The previous year, just before the labor government came to power, the government has spent roughly 41 percent of the national income. This was between 1996 and 1997. This represented roughly a 2 percent increase of the national income in the gross public spending (Hills & Stewart 2009). This is equivalent to ? 28 billion in the 2007 terms. For the first two years in office, the labor government maintained the conservative spending plan. This was in accordance to their manifesto promise from 1997 to 1999. During that period, there was s robust economic performance and the public spending was seen to decline with regard to national income. The labor government based its spending plans on the comprehensive spending review prepared for the year 1998. This was buoyed by the spending reviews from 2000 to 2004. This was later affected by the economy-wide inflation which was also referred to as real terms. There was significant departmental under spending. As a result the economic performance was resilient between 1999 and 2000. The 2007 march budget increased the education spending to 77 billion pounds (Hills & Stewart 2009). This was equated to 2 percent annual average in real terms. The increment was seen to be slower than the education spending. In the overall, it was still a cut. However, this increment was expected to grow from 1999 to 2008. Over the same period of time, the average increment was 5.5 percent annually in real terms (Floud & Johnson 2004). The plans of education spending led to a spending fall in the national income (Giudice & Kuenzel 2012). The labor government manifesto had committed to increase education spending in the 2005 election. During the period the labor government remained in power, the spending increment in education sector was supposed to be maintained. However, this had an impact in the ability of the British government to deliver on other aspects of education in the United Kingdom (Corsetti & Muller 2009). The 2006

Business Process Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Process Management - Assignment Example as an overall aim of controlling and monitoring the organization’s processes while seeking to enhance effectiveness of its workflow (Perficient, Inc 2014, p. 1). Moreover, organizations abhor BPM with an aim of enhancing its capacity to adapt to the numerous changes in the business environment. Indeed, Business Process Management has been an effective methodology in ensuring that the organization responds to challenges in the business environment in an efficient, cost-effective, and reasonable manner (AIIM 2014, p. 1). To enhance the implementation of Business Process Management, organizations must integrate information technology and management. Notably, BPM has been very fundamental in setting out the methods, techniques, and tools that organizations must use in designing, controlling, implementing, and analyzing effective business processes (AIIM 2014, p. 1). As such, it is clear that Business Process Management has an optimal goal of fostering communication and establishing rational business process that guarantees the overall success of the organization. Most importantly is the fact that for any business to succeed, it must rely on business process management, which equally relates to people change management. Indeed, we can establish that business process management entails people, applications, documents, people, and various sources of information. Ideally, people change management relates to business process management in any organization within the business environment. It is factual that business process management entails a combination of processes, technologies, and people to enhance the overall performance in the organization and boost customer value (Perficient, Inc 2014, p. 1). People change management relates to the people’s perception on organizational change in a business environment. Indeed, business process management allows the management to design and implement people solutions that relate to the environmental and organisational culture

Second Language Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Second Language Acquisition - Essay Example This enables a tutor to use the same technique either in learning or making then learn new things. Schulze (2003) points out that a tutor should understand most comfortable way in which a learner can acquire new knowledge. Additionally, acquiring a new language may be a requirement in the classroom and a tutor should be able to understand the learn preference of the learner. The concept of universal grammar may be useful in the way in which the universe shares in the same language and understanding. However, acquiring and implementing effectively universal grammar may be a difficult task due to the difficulties that might be experienced enabling all people to adapt new and common language. In the modern teaching practice learners adopt new cultures. For this reason, they have diverse languages. A tutor has a responsibility of ensuring that there are no language barriers in the classroom setting By implementing a universal grammar the teaching practice could be changed significantly. The teaching practice could permanently eradicate the language barrier in the system. Relating to the compilation of Cook (1985), a universal language may equip tutors with the opportunity to embrace a more diverse teaching environment. Education has been globalized which has made it a more language affiliated sector. For this reason, tutors should be enabled to handle learners from diverse cultures In my teaching practice, universal grammar may be an important inclusion in the system. On many occasions the practice encounters students with different first and second languages. For this reason, a tutor should be able to understand the most preferred language by students. Cook (1985) continues to argue that making a student understands a universal language at a young age may be an important possession in the future when they seek education. In the article, Vivian Cook raised issues on the will and ability of a learner to learn a second and third language. In addressing

The Impacts of Managerialism on Human Service in Hong Kong Essay

The Impacts of Managerialism on Human Service in Hong Kong - Essay Example The paper tells that the public sector adopted different strategies like quality audit, strategic management, quality assurance, internal audit, and performance pledges linking performance with outputs in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of working institutions in Hong Kong. For the past few years, the management system on human service in Hong Kong underwent unprecedented transitions due to the challenges presented by the worldwide tides of human resource management and market trends. Analytical suggestions depict that, these transitions have negatively affected the quality of human service management and given rise to the increasing consumerism as well as intense institutional competition. Worst of all, these changes have led to the diluted sense of commitment and purpose of employees towards their working ideas. With this sense, management on human service and marketing trends has presented advent opportunities for organizations to use these experiences and encoun ters to demonstrate how they can turn crises and threats in this sector to positive opportunities for development and growth. With reference to this journal, Hong Kong institutions can use good management positive perspectives to increase choices and opportunities to motivate human service, increase employee efficiency, enhance performance, generate additional resources for experimentation and innovation. It should be borne in mind that, as people must be cautious about the negative impacts of management on human service in Hong Kong, they must also conceive this as an opportunity to strengthen organizational capabilities of human service in order to revitalize the core values of good management and strive for social justice and betterment. A review of education and market reform in Hong Kong From the year 2009 to 2010, the government of Hong Kong had presented a review of implementing a new system of senior secondary education. This section will give a review of educational and soc ial service organizations reforms and discuss issues arising from good management approach incorporated in the reform. The growing impact of globalization affected educational development worldwide. Due to the need to maintain the countries’ competitiveness in the global marketplace, governments around the globe start reviewing their systems of education and policies and initiated different educational reforms in order to enhance the global capacity of their countries’ manpower and thus improve their competitiveness. Such reforms affected Hong Kong’s educational system due to economic rationalism and management. The economic rationalism focused on promoting productivity and growth of the economy and pursued greater efficiency as well as the development of a competitive production culture. On the other hand, the managerial approach focused on objectives of achieving maximum efficiency in educational reform by creating impacts of change that required the governmen t of Hong Kong to bear the costs of good management within the education sector.

Existentialism and Rebt Essay Example for Free

Existentialism and Rebt Essay During a lifetime, most individuals question the meaning of their existence at one point or another. Existential therapy aims to help individuals find purpose, have better defined goals, and live life to the fullest. Existential therapy takes into account cultural, social and political values of the client. It attempts to help the client live more deliberately, while accepting life’s unpredictable challenges and contradictions. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) is complementary to existential therapy by providing techniques to help clients make changes once their awareness is increased through existential discovery. Existential therapy and REBT integrated approach to counseling can provide successful results by combining individual meaning with reasonable thinking. This empowers clients to take control of their lives. The first step in the therapy process is to help the client become aware of what changes need to be made in order to live a more fulfilling and satisfying life. This is achieved by examining one or more existential themes. In his book Existential Psychotherapy, Irwin Yalom describes four major themes that permeate existential psychotherapy: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. In the first theme, death, here are two major ideas that play key factors in therapy (Yalom, 1980). First of all, death and life coexist. Even though physically they are clearly separated, psychologically they exist simultaneously. Death is a natural part of the cycle of life, and as one dies, another is given an opportunity to experience life (Kaufmann, 1975). Death is a realistic threat and a part of our daily lives. Every day we are alive, we are closer to death. Frankl (2006) believes that â€Å"if there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering. Suffering is an ineradicable part of life, even as fate and death. Without suffering and death human life cannot be complete† (p. 67). Nothing in this world lasts forever. It is only natural for humans to see death as a part of life that is unavoidable. The awareness of death has a significant impact on life and â€Å"Although the physicality of death destroys man, the idea of death saves him† (Yalom, 1980, p. 30). Awareness of death allows individuals to live life more fully, authentically, and appreciate how truly precious life is. Authenticity is one of the main concepts of existentialism and is defined as being genuine, true to one’s feelings and beliefs, aware of self and surroundings, and ability to successfully deal with issues related to existence (Sharf, 2008). People come to appreciate life more, exist mindfully and purposefully. Nietzsche wrote: â€Å"He that consummates his life dies his death victoriously† (Kaufmann, 1975, p. 129). Those who live a complete and happy life are less likely to be afraid of death because they have experienced life to the fullest. A potential threat of life be taken away makes it more likely for people to appreciate and enjoy life. Without suffering how does one know pleasure? For example, someone with cancer who previously has taken life for granted may have a greater appreciation for life after beating the illness. In such cases, people feel the urgency to take pleasure in life’s every unique moment and relish the simple joys while they still can. Very often people do not value things until they are taken away or are threatened to be taken away. The second idea is that death anxiety constantly affects the way people experience their life. In addition, most anxiety comes from issues related to death and decreasing anxiety is one the major goals of psychotherapy. Anxiety can stem from many issues, such as control or fear. Fear of death is one of the significant motivators in our society. We constantly come up with new ways to avoid death by building safer vehicles, wearing protective gear, inventing new medical treatments and procedures. Self preservation is a natural instinct and anxiety related to the end of our life is an unavoidable reality. There are many reasons why individuals are afraid of death: inability to take care of dependents, pain and sadness that loved ones will feel, or fear of the afterlife. But one of the most common reasons is the fear of nothingness and loss of self (Yalom, 1980). Death anxiety can manifest itself in many different ways (Yalom, 1980). One’s feeling of missing exciting events or the desire to control the surrounding world, demonstrate this manifestation. These unhealthy thoughts help individuals ease fear of death by dealing not with the real and terrifying source of anxiety, but indirectly, through more socially acceptable actions. Many people protect themselves from death anxiety by denying it. Yalom (1980) discussed two ways that accomplish this goal: the ultimate rescuer and personal specialness. Both ideas lead people to feel that they will not be affected by misfortune like others might be. The ultimate rescuer is a type of defense mechanism leading people to believe that someone will come into their life and save them from their problems. An example of this would be a person with severe financial problems needing money to take care of health problems believing that someone or something will bring the needed money and the situation will work itself out. Personal specialness involves the belief that one is in a way different from others and therefore immune from the hardships of life. Personal specialness can be seen all around us: a healthy woman thinking cancer will never happen to her, couples believing there is no way they can have an autistic child, or a teenager driving recklessly believing that there is no way he will get in an accident and die. The awareness of finiteness enables people to appreciate the surrounding world at a much deeper level and find what it is they are meant to contribute to the world. The second theme of existential psychotherapy is freedom. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Individuals who are responsible are conscious of the fact that the world is not working against them. They come to realize that their experiences are the outcomes of their own decisions. Some people may feel that their environment, their unconscious mind, or genetic make up is working against them. Existential theory takes into consideration that these sometimes uncontrollable factors have an effect on events, but do not completely determine them. Frankl (2006) wrote regarding his experiences in a concentration camp: Every day, every hour, offered the opportunity to make a decision, a decision which determined whether you would or would not submit to those powers which threatened to rob you of your very self, your inner freedom; which determined whether or not you would become the plaything of circumstances, renouncing freedom and dignity to become molded into the form of the typical inmate (p. 66). In extreme situations as this, freedom represents psychological separation from a difficult situation. In this case, a person has inner freedom to choose how he feels and what he thinks. His physical freedom and material possessions can be taken away, but his thoughts, feelings, his self, cannot. People have the freedom to make any decision they choose, are responsible for these decisions and have to be able to face the outcomes. Yalom (1980) wrote that â€Å"To be aware of responsibility is to be aware of creating one’s own self, destiny, life predicament, feelings, and if such be the case, one’s own suffering† (p. 218). Having the freedom to control one’s own destiny and â€Å"own the insight that you and only you construct your own life design† can be a heavy burden to bear, but once individuals become aware of their power and accept the challenge, they can make significant improvements and live more authentically (Yalom, 1989, p. 38). Simple awareness may not be enough for change to take place. One must be willing and committed to address the negative aspects of life and become responsible for adopting new behaviors. People must accept responsibility for their lives and decisions they have made; otherwise, growth and positive change cannot take place. The third theme of existential therapy is isolation. Yalom (1980) discusses three types of isolation: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and existential. Interpersonal isolation involves separation of self from others. Many factors can contribute to such isolation, such as personality, culture, or physical location. In this case the person does not have a social support network, is not involved in healthy relationships and may feel cut off from other people. Intrapersonal isolation takes place when a person represses certain events, separates part/parts of the psyche or no longer has pronounced personal opinions and beliefs. Yalom (1980) sums up intrapersonal isolation by saying that it â€Å"results whenever one stifles one’s own feelings or desires, accepts â€Å"oughts† or â€Å"shoulds† as one’s own wishes, distrusts one’s own judgment, or buries one’s own potential†. Lastly, existential isolation refers to the feeling of being alone in the world. Regardless of how many friends or family members one has and how closely they are involved together, the person is still isolated and has distinctive experiences of the surrounding world. This may be considered a pessimistic view of life, but it is hard to deny that each person is one of a kind, whose true feeling and experience only they can know. Isolation can be seen as a representation of individuals’ uniqueness. Even though isolation is a part of life, intimate relationships are vital to a fulfilling life. Frankl (2006) wrote â€Å"†¦love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire†¦The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may find bliss†¦in the contemplation of his beloved† (p. 37). Genuine and loving relationships, where both individuals are actively involved, provide means to deal with existential isolation and help people find a sense of self. The final theme of existential therapy is meaninglessness. Many people struggle with the idea of what the meaning of their life is. People need a reason to wake up every day, go to work, do their chores, and repeat the cycle over and over again. Lack of goals, hope and purpose, can lead to stress, depression, and even suicide. It is a natural human desire to search for order, patterns, and explanations in the world. This need for organization raises the ultimate question of why and for what one lives. The quest for the meaning of life is divided into two groups of thought: man creates meaning and man is in search of meaning. The first idea is non spiritual and is based on the fact that there is no prearranged meaning and people create their own reason to live. The second way of thought regarding meaning of life is spiritual. It states that meaning is predetermined by a higher power and is something that a person needs to find. Frankl (2006) wrote â€Å"Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life to carry out a concrete assignment which demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus, everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it† (p. 109). Regardless of the origin of meaning, it helps people truly live and keep going. As discussed earlier, the themes of death, freedom, isolation and meaninglessness are used to build self-awareness in clients. Following the point when the client is committed to modify behavior, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) concepts and techniques are incorporated to make lasting changes in the client’s life. REBT therapists’ goal is to â€Å"help clients to give up their demands for perfection and to strive to develop constructive self-acceptance as well as acceptance of others† (Walen, DiGiuseppe, Dryden, 1992, p. 14) by overcoming their irrational beliefs. Irrational beliefs are unreasonable, do not represent actual events, commonly involve â€Å"black and white† thinking, lead to anxiety and prevent people from achieving their goals (Walen et al. ,1992). Within an existential theme of death, a client who has severe death anxiety and constantly avoids participating in various activities in order to avoid potential dangers, would first be guided to examine the reasons for death anxiety, and the irrational belief of death threat would be challenged by the therapist. There are six principles of REBT (Walen et al. , 1992). The core idea of the theory is that â€Å"we feel what we think† (Walen et al., 1992, p. 15). External factors do not cause people to feel a certain way, but rather people’s internal perceptions and interpretations contribute to the destructive emotional and behavioral reactions. The next principle is that irrational thinking causes the majority of emotional distress. Irrational thought patterns such as â€Å"musts†, â€Å"shoulds† and exaggerations can create extreme anxiety in individuals and make them feel out of control. The third principle states that by changing thinking patterns, the person can overcome anxiety causing feelings. Another principle discusses various factors that affect ways of thinking. According to Sharf (2008), Albert Ellis took into account biological and social factors that affect human development and susceptibility to develop irrational beliefs. Ellis believed that people have inborn drives to think irrationally and react to the environment in certain way. People are also strongly affected by their interpersonal relationships. Ellis found that if others perceive the person as worthy, the person is more likely to perceive himself as worthy, too. Our society as a whole contributes to this way of thinking by telling us that we â€Å"must† and â€Å"have to† do things a certain way. For example, parents telling kids to eat everything on their plate. This promotes the belief in children that if they do not finish a meal, they have failed. In adulthood, this can lead to obesity and other health problems, as well as irrational patterns of thought related to food. The fifth principle encourages clients to focus on the present. People may become â€Å"stuck† in the past and previously used thinking and coping patterns. By doing so, they are not able to leave behind destructive habits and move towards healthier ways of dealing with issues. Finally, REBT has an optimistic view and promotes that people can change. With hard work and determination, irrational and self-defeating thoughts can be reduced and lead to a more satisfying life. REBT uses a three part model to help clients overcome their issues: ‘A’ as activating event or adversities, ‘B’ as belief and ‘C’ as consequences. ‘A’ is the perceived unfortunate event in the person’s life which spurs self-defeating reactions. ‘B’ primarily includes believing, thinking, and also emoting and behaving in relation to ‘A’. C is characterized as the destructive consequences of ‘B’. According to Ellis (2002), many clients find it difficult to understand the ABC model as they wrongfully believe that ‘A’ directly causes ‘C’. It is important for clients to understand that their beliefs contribute significantly to the emotionally destructive consequences. It is important for individuals to focus on the adverse event and experience the entire range of emotions that occur as a result. Clients are encouraged to focus on specific thoughts that caused negative emotions, such as perceived ‘musts’ and ‘shoulds’. Then, they are instructed to replace damaging thoughts with healthier ones and work to pinpoint which thoughts contribute to positive versus negative emotions. This technique allows the client to better control their thoughts, leading to more functional emotions and behaviors. It is important to help clients understand that thinking, emoting and behaving frequently happens simultaneously rather than individually. If a client is upset with a loved one, he might be feeling hurt, thinking that he is being ignored, and behaving angrily by raising his voice all at the same time (Ellis, 2002). Clients are encouraged to honestly and openly experience feelings, accept their existence and how they influence clients’ lives (Ellis, 1997). Sharf (2008) discusses Ellis’ belief in the importance of concentrating on the long-term goals, which he calls responsible hedonism. REBT believes that enjoyment is a significant part of life, but that many individuals focus on short-term pleasure, such as substance abuse, rather than concentrating on the long-term enjoyment of living a healthy life. Humanism is another core concept of REBT. Each person is viewed as a whole and goal-oriented being. Clients are encouraged to have Unconditional Self Acceptance, which includes assets and flaws. They are taught to value themselves because they are alive, regardless of the mistakes they have made, their socioeconomic status, intellectual abilities or the type of feelings they experience. Existentialism and REBT concepts have several common characteristics, which can make the use of these two therapies together more effective than individual use. This integrated approach provides an â€Å"existential framework that balances the appeal to reason with the unique human tendency to discover individual meaning† (Hutchinson Chapman, 2005, p. 146). According to Ellis (2002), there are seven main ways in which existential therapy and REBT practices are similar and therefore complement each other in achieving change in clients. First of all, both theories accept the fact that anxiety is a normal part of life. Moderate existential anxiety is what keeps people alive. The problem occurs when humans become overly concerned with certain life events and become neurotic. Second, existential theory believes that people are able to rise above potential and existing unfortunate situations. REBT also believes that people can choose to think about difficult events in such ways that do not cause distress. The third similarity is that both theories agree that it is vital to â€Å"directly and firmly show†¦clients the error in their ways† (Ellis, 2002, p. 253). Clients need to be taught skills in order to make changes to destructive thoughts and behaviors. Clients are ‘free’ to change, but might be unable to do so without concrete techniques. Another similarity is that both theories incorporate the idea that individuals have the freedom and power to be in control of their destiny. Ellis (1997) wrote: â€Å"[choice]†¦is one of the main advantages of being human: you can choose, usually, to think one thing or another† (p. 38). People have the ability to decide and control how they think, and consequently how they feel or behave in various, sometimes extremely difficult situations. They can choose to feel depressed, helpless and hopeless or take charge of a situation and focus on what they can control. The goal of purposeful living contributing to a more meaningful and fulfilling life can be seen in existential therapy and REBT. A meaningful life helps individuals become more self-actualized and increase personal awareness. With increased awareness and meaning, people can better control self-defeating thoughts and overcome existential conflicts. The next idea that existential therapy and REBT share is that there is no absolute truth. Each person’s experiences are subjective and unique occurrences. Every individual knows what is true for him only and it is difficult for people to come to an agreement regarding what is true (Kaufmann, 1975). Additionally, both theories focus on the present. It is important to work on problematic behaviors that are happening today. Past and future affect the person, but do not determine the reality. REBT techniques of staying calm and rational can help clients work logically on the issues of meaninglessness, isolation a nd death. The final similarity relates to the therapist client relationship. Existential and REBT therapists aim to be fully present with the client. They strive to empathize, relate and experience the world through the client’s eyes. Psychological health is subjective and depends on the person’s life style, culture and many other factors. However, there are a number of characteristics that can be used to define psychological health. In regard to existential theory, Sharf (2008) considers that â€Å"to be truly human, individuals must be aware of their own being-in-the-world†, which involves realization of one’s personal value, destiny, and responsibility (p. 151). Considering existential theory and REBT, a psychologically healthy person lives rationally, authentically, purposefully and accepts the uncontrollable life events. Authenticity is one of the main characteristics of a psychologically healthy person. Authenticity includes meaningful existence which allows individuals to feel alive, genuine, aware and fully present in the moment. Healthy individuals are honest with themselves and are able to accept their freedom to make positive choices, accept the outcomes of their decisions, and successfully cope with unanswered questions of their existence. Genuine and meaningful relationships with others are a significant part of the person’s life and one is able to maintain a healthy relationship without losing a sense of self. Avoidance of feelings that one ‘has to’ or ‘must’ do certain things is also vital. Psychologically healthy individuals do not overreact, overgeneralize and otherwise examine situations logically and rationally. These individuals are tolerant of difficult or undesirable situations, exhibit low frustration levels, focus on long-term goals, live purposeful and meaningful lives. The increased state of psychological health can take a long time and requires commitment and patience from the therapist and the client. According to Yalom (1989), the first step to increased psychological health is assumption of responsibility. In order for the client to change behavior patters, he must first accept that his current position is due to his own actions. For the client to change, therapist and client must find specific issues and tensions that play into the client’s life. A significant part of the therapeutic process is to facilitate the client to accept the contradictions and challenges of human existence. Therapist assists the client to set goals and find purpose in life, while accepting and rationally dealing with the obstacles that the client might have to face in the process. The main goal is to empower the client to realize his full potential, accept personal freedom, and be more aware of thinking, emoting, and behaving patterns. Clients increase personal awareness and start living authentically, with an ability to communicate effectively with others and understand the true self. In addition, clients explore what is important to them and how they can achieve what they want in life. In the process of working through life’s everyday challenges and experiences, clients explore deeper issues having to do with humanity in general, such as death, isolation, and meaning. Clients learn to better control self-defeating emotions, thoughts and behaviors. They start thinking more lucidly and rationally, which gives them the ability to experience life to the fullest. There are a number of methods and techniques to help clients improve psychological health, authenticity, and life satisfaction. Existential therapy and REBT agree that each person has a unique perception of reality. In existential therapy, an important strategy is to accept the world through the client’s eyes and allow the client to guide the course of therapy. Once the path of questioning is determined, the therapist uses Socratic dialog to help the client come to his own conclusions and decisions. This technique is a component of both existential therapy and REBT. It involves questions that help the client come to an understanding of a problem or situation or make a decision. Socratic dialog is used â€Å"to prompt the discovery of life purpose and meaning at a spiritual level†¦[as well as] challenge the inflexible shoulds and musts, absolutistic demands, self-downing, and catastrophic beliefs† (Hutchinson Chapman, 2005, p. 151). Such ways of questioning also contribute to a ‘buy-in’ from the client and improves self-discovery information retention (Walen et al. , 1992). Existential therapy and REBT take into consideration the past and future, but therapeutic change takes place in the present. By focusing on the present, the client is helped to continually self-actualize, experience his personal existence, and work through the issues preventing authentic existence. The main goal of REBT is to dispute the client’s irrational beliefs. The ABC model discussed earlier is the tool used to change the client’s dysfunctional thinking, but in the actual therapeutic process two more elements are added: ‘D’ as Disputation and ‘E’ as new effect. Once the activating event is clearly outlined, the therapist points out to the client his irrational beliefs which led to the undesirable consequence. Disputing involves detecting, discriminating and debating irrational beliefs. The therapist outlines and questions the client’s irrational beliefs, helping the client understand the destructive thinking patterns. Now the client is ready to adopt a more functional way of thinking, by replacing irrational beliefs with appropriate thoughts, therefore reducing unpleasant feelings about self and others and start living a more fulfilling life. Existential discussions can help clients discover personal freedom to change their state of existence and find more pleasure in life. Such self-awareness can make the disputing process easier by providing the client with the power and freedom to overcome self-defeating thoughts (Hutchinson Chapman, 1992). A genuine therapeutic relationship is a vital factor in existential therapy. The therapist strives to be authentically caring and validate the client’s feelings, thoughts and experiences. The client must feel comfortable expressing himself and allowing the therapist into his innermost thoughts and feelings. In order for this to happen, the therapist must communicate to the client that the client and his feeling and thoughts are fully accepted. A strong relationship also makes the client more likely to follow the therapist’s advice and trust the REBT disputing process. Although existential therapy and REBT are complementary in many ways, the integration has a number of limitations. The process counts on the client to be fairly insightful and self aware. Someone, whose intellectual abilities are not as strong, may not benefit as much from therapy. Past experiences of the client are taken into consideration, but are not actively explored. This may limit the insight achieved by the therapist and client, therefore slowing down improvement. Additionally, this integrated approach is more targeted towards individual therapy, so family systems techniques would need to be incorporated in order to accommodate families and couples. Existential therapy and REBT have many common objectives and share a number of underlying concepts. Although this integrated approach to counseling is somewhat directive, the client’s concerns and personal goals are in the center of the therapeutic process. Therapy is based on leading the client to self-discovery, authentic and rational existence. By combining themes and techniques of existential theory and REBT, clients gain the benefit of examining multifaceted existential themes with the addition of empirically supported REBT techniques. My interest in the integration of existential therapy and REBT originally came from personal beliefs and experiences. Congruent with existential theory, I have often questioned the purpose of my life and whether human beings are interconnected or isolated. I relate to the spiritually oriented existentialism and have always believed that every person has a certain calling; the difficulty only lies in finding what it is. Consistent with the ideas of REBT, I many times find myself and people around me overreacting, overgeneralizing, and otherwise making inappropriate statements and having irrational thoughts. By becoming more aware of my own existence, thoughts, beliefs and actions, I will be able to help my clients come to similar understandings and lead more fulfilling, purposeful, and authentic lives. My philosophical inclination, my strive to understand other people’s points of view and my focus on the present will provide a healthy and successful environment for clients to achieve their therapeutic goals. References Ellis, A. , Harper, R. (1997). A Guide to Rational Living. Chatsworth: Melvin Powers Wilshire Book Company. Ellis, A. (2002). Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Integrated Apporach. New York: Springer Publishing Company Inc. Frankl, V. (2006). Man’s Search For Meaning. Boston: Beacon Press. Hutchinson, G. T. Chapman, B. P. Logotherapy-Enhanced REBT: An Integration of Discovery and Reason. Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy, Vol. 35, No. 2, 145-155 Kierkegaard: Dread and Freedom. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Kierkegaard: Authority. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Kierkegaard: Truth is Subjectivity. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp83-120). New York: The New American Library Inc. Nietzsche: The Portable Neitzche. In Kaufmann, Walter (Eds) (1975). Existentialism from Dostoevsky to Sarte (pp121-133). New York: The New American Library Inc. Sharf, R. S. (2008). Theories of Psychotherapy and Counseling: Concepts and Cases. Belmont: University of Delaware, Thomson Brooks/Cole. Walen, S. , DiGiuseppe, R. , Dryden, W. (1992). A Practitioner’s Guide to Rational- Emotive Therapy. New York: Oxford University Press. Yalom, I. (1980). Existential Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books. Yalom, I. (1989). Love’s Executioner: Other Tails of Psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.

Liverpool: History and Cultural Values

Liverpool: History and Cultural Values 1.0 History of Liverpool Liverpool beginning was a humble origins city and it as a tidal pool next to the River Mersey in northwest England. The name of Liverpool was evolved from liter pol and it meaning that muddy pool or puddle. Thus, from early until now it has developed and grown to become the choice for visitor to visit as one of the most famous cities in United Kingdom. Liverpool as a rich city in world history and many architecture and entertainers such as singer, actor, football player and others has been produced (Lambert, 2015). The port of Liverpool was founded by King John in 1270. Recently the English conquest the Ireland and John and it also needed another port to send some people and supplies across to the Irish Sea. King John also divided the land of Liverpool into plots called burgages to let people could built houses on it. Besides, he also invited people to some Liverpool and live it. After that, there are probably around 1,000 populations live in Liverpool on the 14th century. Most of the people live in Liverpool which is farming, fishermen, craftsmen with tradesmen such as butchers, carpenters, bakers and blacksmiths. Besides, in the Middle Age, some of wine from France was imported through the Liverpool however Ireland was the main trading partner with Liverpool. Hides and skins were imported from Ireland and Liverpool also exported the iron and wool (Localwiki, 2009). In the 16th century, Ireland was still the main trading partner with Liverpool and Liverpool also started to develop the reputation for trading port. Other than that, in the 16th century and early 17th century, the port of Liverpool also gets the benefited when the number of English troops was garrison into the area prior and it was to put down the rebellions when shipped to Ireland. At this time, Liverpool was growing and the population will probably reached around 2,500 by the time of civil war in 1642 (Localwiki, 2009). Furthermore, in the 18th century, the first dock was built in the Liverpool since 1715. In the previous of Liverpool, all the ship was just simply tied up by the store and the port was grown busier on it and no longer enough. After that, there were four dock was built in the same century. Besides, the third largest port in the country behind the Bristol and London was grown by Liverpool. Since it nearest port to Manchester and Liverpool also benefited from the grown of industry. In 1776, the American War of Independence was started and it also disrupting the Liverpool’s trade. Besides, the American privateer attacked merchant shipping from British trading with the West Indies and also capturing cargoes and the ships (Lambert, 2015). For the next century, all the Liverpool’s amenities was improved and many impressive public buildings and structures appear throughout the town such as Philharmonic Hall built in 1849, the Central Library built in 1852, St Georges Hall built in 1854, William Brown library built in 1860, Stanley Hospital built in 1867 and Walker Art Gallery built in 1877. Thus, the Stanley Park was opened in 1870 and Sefton Park was built in 1872. Other than that, in 1880 the Liverpool officially becomes a city. Besides, at the same time the population has increased beyond 600,000 (Lambert, 2015). In the 20th century, during World War II, Liverpool was represented an obvious target both as an active manufacturing centre and as a strategic port. Besides, it was also become Britain‘ssecond bombed city. Thus, almost 4,000 people were killed and more than half of the city was reduced to rubble. Furthermore, in the later 20th century, Liverpool was suffered a severe nationwide recession in 1970’s and 1980’s and it also rioting on the streets and high unemployment in the same time. After 1980’s, the city was started bounce back and all the dock areas would be redevelopment and new growth with invigorated (Johnson, 2015). Lastly, in the present future, Liverpool was still thriving and in 2001 The National Wild Flower Centre was opened. Then in 2008, Liverpool was the European Capital of Culture. Other than that, Joe Anderson was the first elected mayor of Liverpool in 2012 and today Liverpool’s population was beyond 465,000 (Lambert, 2015). 2.0 Reason of chosen city For the reason I choose Liverpool city because it was the world-class tourist with more galleries and museums anywhere outside of London. The city knows as a Beatles’ hometown and it is also designated UNESCO World Heritage City. Besides, Liverpool has some city’s greatest cultural institutions such as architecture, world-class music, theatre, art and others. People those who live in Liverpool love to attend the bursting cultural event and they also took part as their cultural activities. From grass-roots through to large-scale events, there is something for everyone in Liverpool and the wider City Region (Merseyside, 2015). There are many attractions in the city and it is also a place to visit when travel to the Liverpool. The attractions included The Beatles Story, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool World Museum, Open Eye Gallery, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), The Museum of Liverpool, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Walker Art Gallery and other s (The Culture Trip, 2015). The most impressive in Europe is Liverpool’s collection of museum. The Beatles Story is one of Liverpool famous band in the world and it is also immensely proud to be birthplace in the city. Albert Dock is an iconic museum set place for The Beatles Story and it also let the visitors on â€Å"times, music and an unforgettable journey into the lives of The Beatles Story†. Other than that, The Bluecoat described as Liverpool’s creative hub and it also presenting world-class performances in visual art, live art, literature, dance and music. In short, The Bluecoat is one of the pinnacles in the city as a contemporary arts scene. Liverpool World museum, the Museum of Liverpool, Merseyside Maritime Museum, International Slavery Museum and others are located around the Albert Dock and this all are the most famous museum for people visit (Visit Liverpool, 2015). Furthermore, Tate Liverpool also one of attraction in city and it is top ranking art gallery and museum in the United Kingdom. Inside the Tate Liverpool has 16th century until today artworks for permanent collection displays. This is practitioner most excited to the temporary display providing the most advanced exhibitions. Besides, Tate Liverpool also use talk, film screening and others to held the fantastic educational events to adults and children. Tate Liverpool just the one of gallery in the city and still have other gallery to attract people going for it such as Open Eye Gallery, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Walker Art Gallery, and others (Visit Liverpool, 2015). In addition, the most impressive in Europe is Liverpool’s Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. It has been promoted as one of the UK’s most forward-looking music organizations. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic is performance the world-class orchestral as well as chamber and choir music concerts. The organization wants to train the talent and also support their musical careers (The Culture Trip, 2015). This is the reason why I choose the city and there are many attractions for me to look for itto understand their city’s culture and value. Liverpool is one of the famous city in Europe and also has many areas that different with other city. 3.0 The Significance of the City Liverpool is significance and international standing history city as well as it is contemporary and historical cultural achievements in the field of sport and music to celebrated by global. Other than that, Liverpool is also an eminent historic role in international seaport from early 18th century to early 20th century for outstanding universal value. This is proof that the role of surviving urban landscape (Green, 2015). In the period from early 18th century to early 20th century, the fundamental for human society had been changed by worldwide. For these changes, Liverpool has played major role with it especially to the New World and it also through to involve in development of world trade, the growth of the British Empire, the Industrial Revolution and the mass movement of people. Thus, Liverpool also described as pioneering city and made it an international leader in the field of dock technology to development of innovation for tradition. Besides, it includes the transport systems, port management and building construction methods for the tradition of innovation development (Green, 2015). On the other hand, Liverpool is integration and complete urban landscape which is comprises many heart of Liverpool city. It also provides the city coherent evidence and tangible of significance and historic character. Thus, the nomination site contain architectural legacy and it also has cultural collections and historian’s rich cultural legacy (Green, 2015). In the 21th century, the city is at the forefront of urban renaissance and contains many successful and pioneering in the historic context for urban renaissance. The inscription nomination is an important step in the continuing regeneration of the city (Green, 2015). 4.0 Cultural Culture Values Every country had their own culture and value by citing real and especially Eastern and Western country are totally different in cultural and value. The different cultural and value included language, communication, custom, religion, concept of face, group orientation and others. All of this can different the Eastern and Western country cultural and value. In this assignment, I will compared the differences between Liverpool and Malaysia in their cultural and value. Liverpool is one of the United Kingdom’s cities which are the cultural and value will follow the United Kingdom. Language The language in United Kingdom basically does not have official language constitution but the main language will be English. This is because most of the populationgot 70% spoken English and thus it becomes facto official language. It also got other local language such as Irish, Welsh,Cornish, Gaelic, Ulster Scots and British Sign Language. Much immigration would like go to the country find works or get better life so immigration naturally brings a lot of foreign language from all over the world. On the other hand, in Malaysia, there are three languages which are Malay, Chinese and India because Malaysia is multiracial country so basically the three languages will be use for each resident in country. But the official language would be the Malay language and it is also translates as â€Å"Malaysian Language†. The main language was introduced by National Language Act 1967. Most of government official and academics will revertto the Federal Constitution used in Malay version which is â€Å"Bahasa Melayu† (Kwintessential, 2014). Communication Style The communication style for the United Kingdom is direct communication and understatement as well as it is interesting mix communication style. When United Kingdom people communicate with other people will see as equal to themselves in class or rank. The United Kingdom is direct but modest. In Malaysia, the communication style is relying on non-verbal communication such as facial expressions, tone of voice, body language and others to maintain harmonious relations. This communication style tends to be indirect and subtle. Malay people won’t make the direct statement and they will hint at a point to talk with people because they feel that sometimes direct communication will might lead the person lose face. Besides, silence is also important element of Malaysian communication. They will do any pause before responding the question that means they would consider their respond carefully (Kwintessential, 2014). Gift Giving Etiquette When United Kingdom people exchanges gift with their family and friends, they will giving on birthday and Christmas only. The gift not to be so expensive but it also tries to find something that recipient’s interest. If people want visit other people home, it normally prepare a box of good chocolate, a good wine or flower to the person. Then, the gift is always opened when received. For the Malaysian people because there are three races in the country so every gift for the race will be different. For Malay people, they never give alcohol, do not give the toy dog and pig to children, do not give anything made by pigskin, avoid white wrapping paper as it symbolizes death and mourning and others. This is because the Malay cultural is different so everyone must respect to it. Besides, if want give the food for Malay people must be â€Å"halal† food. â€Å"Halal† word mean that permissible for Muslims. Other than that, if the gift giving to Chinese people and it is re fused before accept mean that resident is not greedy and it is also their traditional and cultural. Chinese people also emphasize the colour meaning which is black, white and blue mean in mourning and red, pink and yellow mean that happy. For the India people, they also emphasize the colour because they feel that different have different meaning such as red, green, yellow or other bright colour can bring the good fortune. If anyone want give the flower to India people as a gift, avoid give the frangipani because this flower they used in funeral wreaths. In short, this three race have the same feeling that the gift is generally not opened when receiving to represent they respect the giver (Kwintessential, 2014). Meeting and Greeting In the United Kingdom country, the residents have their own meeting and greeting. The common form of greeting is shake hand when first meet up and avoid prolonged eye contact because it will makes people feel uncomfortable. Besides, they also introduce a younger people to the elder people and lower status person to higher status person. When two people are similar in rank and age, they will introduce the one you know better. On the other hand, in Malaysia, the greeting in social context will depends on which ethnicity person to meeting. In general, most of Malay people will aware that shake hand is normal but for their cultural would slight different. Malay people could not be shake hand with heterosexual and they just only can shake with homosexual then after shake hand they must placing their hand on their heart represent they respect the person. For the Chinese people shake hand will be light and prolonged. Thus, Indian can shake hand with homosexual and when introduce with hetero sexual they just can smile and nodding the head is usually sufficient (Kwintessential, 2014). 5.0 Conclusion In conclusion, we can see that the history of Liverpool from early 14th century until the present future and understand how the Liverpool become the famous city in England. In the history, we also can know that much architecture had been built in different dock and every of architecture has their own story. Liverpool can be said that is no one knows about it to evolve until today famous city in England. All this is their Liver historical experience. Besides, there are also some attraction for me to interest know about their city and cultural value such as The Beatles Story, The Bluecoat, Tate Liverpool, Liverpool World Museum, Open Eye Gallery and others. All of this is their attraction place for people to visit and also enjoy their local customs. This is because Western country has totally different cultural with our Eastern country and this is chance to let us know about the Western country cultural and what the different with our country. It can improve our knowledge too. Lastly, the cultural and culture values would be different like what mention in above and different ethnicity of person have their own different cultural and also everyone must respect for each cultural.

Financial Accounting Standards Board Framework Analysis

Financial Accounting Standards Board Framework Analysis Introduction The accounting conceptual framework has been criticized for not providing an adequate basis for standard setting. This inadequacy is evidenced through the FASBs standards becoming more and more rule-based. Nevertheless, no empirical evidence has been gathered to support the criticisms of the conceptual framework. We analyzed the five qualitative characteristics of accounting information from the conceptual framework in conjunction with an individuals intention to use/rely on financial statements. Using structural equation modeling, we found that only one qualitative characteristic, reliability, affected a persons intention to use financial statements. Additionally, it appears that the greatest factor that influences whether an individual rely on financial statements is their familiarity with accounting. Based on our findings, it appears that not only does the conceptual framework need to be altered, but it also needs to be changed to help create principle-based accounting standards t hat are useful to all people, regardless of their background. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been criticized for not requiring firms to report information that is interpretable and useful for financial statements users (CICA, 1980). The FASBs conceptual framework is the core in which all accounting standards are derived. Therefore, the accounting conceptual framework must embody a set of qualitative characteristics that ensure financial reporting provides users of financial statements with adequate information for decision making. The U.S. financial accounting conceptual framework was established between late 1970s and early 1980s. Statement of Financial Accounting Concepts (SFAC) No. 2 (1980) indicates that there are five main qualitative characteristics of accounting information; understandability, relevance, reliability, comparability, and consistency. Nature and Purpose of the Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework was formed with the intention of providing the backbone for principle-based accounting standards (Nobes, 2005). However, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently criticized the accounting standards setting board for becoming overly rules-based, which paves the way for the structuring of transactions in the companys favor (SEC 108(d)). Critics of the framework have stressed that the move towards rule-based standards are a consequence of inadequacies in the accounting conceptual foundation. Nobes (2005) argues that the need for rule-based accounting standards is a direct result of the FASB trying to force a fit between standards and a conceptual framework that is not fully developed. A coherent and strong conceptual framework is vital for the development of principle-based accounting standards and the progression towards convergence in international accounting standards. However, researchers are unaware of any empirical evidence that supports the criticisms of the current conceptual framework. Additionally, none of the critics have looked at the conceptual framework from the most important viewpoint, the users perspective. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to empirically analyze the adequacy of the conceptual framework, from a users perspective, in relation to an individuals reliance on financial statements for decision making. We developed a survey instrument to analyze an individuals intention to rely on financial statements using Ajzens (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior. We found that the reliability characteristic of the conceptual framework represented the only significant dimension of a persons attitude affecting their intention to rely on financial statements. However, the understandability characteristic was approaching significance. Within the context of the theory of planned behavior, social pressures was not significant influence on the intention to use/rely on financial statements, yet familiarity with accounting was found to significantly influence intention. The conceptual framework and potential financial statement users intentions can be analyzed within the context of Ajzens (1991) Theory of Planned Behavior. Ajzen (1991) indicates that empirical evidence suggests that we can determine an individuals intention to perform a behavior through analyzing their attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Within this perspective, we adapted Ajzens (1991) theory of planned behavior to an individuals propensity to rely on accounting financial statements. The purpose of this study was to provide an empirical analysis to the criticism against the FASBs conceptual framework. Our overall results suggest that the current conceptual framework does not adequately align the objectives of financing reporting with the users of financial statements. Nevertheless, available findings have some interesting implications for the conceptual framework and future standard setting. Reliability is the only qualitative characteristic that has a positive statistical significant relationship with intention. The accounting profession is facing a choice between reliability and relevance in financial reporting, as there is an inherent trade-off between reliability and relevance (Paton and Littleton, 1940; Vatter, 1947). Reliable information possesses the characteristic of objectivity and verifiability, which is associated with historical cost accounting. Relevance, on the other hand, pertains to any information that will influence the users financial decision. Many times the most relevant information is often current or prospective in nature. Thus, we cannot have accounting information that maximizes the characteristics of both relevant and reliable because relevant information is not always verifiable. We would have expected to see relevance as a significant factor in users intention to use financial statements since the recent accounting standards have moved toward fair value accounting measures, which are considered to be more relevant than reliable information (Ciesielski Weirich, 2006). However, our results show that reliability is a significant factor. The current accounting curriculum could be the cause of our results since it is rooted in Paton and Littletons historical cost approach, which focuses on reliability of information. In the context of the Theory of Planned Behavior, we found that familiarity to be a statistically significant factor to an individuals intention to use financial statements. Thus, as an individual becomes more familiar with financial statements, he or she is more likely to have the intention to use or rely on them when making decision. An ANOVA analysis provides further support for this as it indicates that intention to use or rely on financial statements is significantly different between accounting majors and non-accounting majors. This provides evidence that accounting could be becoming too difficult for individuals who are not proficient in accounting to understand. It appears that the movement towards rule-based accounting standards could be a contributing cause of this disparity in intention. That is, the accounting standards have become so technical upon their execution that the average reader of accounting can no longer discern the main objective of each financial statement element. This finding is troubling to accounting since it contradicts the primary objective of accounting, which is to provide useful accounting information for decision making. Accounting information should be useful for all people who want to use it rather than only being useful to those who understand it. Additionally, under no circumstances, should accounting information provide an advantage to individuals who happen to be experts within the field. Accounting should be a tool and not a barrier At the-present, the accounting profession is grappling with a problem, which it has identified as the need for a conceptual framework of accounting. This framework has been painstakingly developed over centuries, and it is merely the professions task to fine tune the existing conceptual framework because of the need for continual development due to changing conditions. This conceptual framework has never been laid out in explicit terms; consequently, it is continually overlooked. A conceptual framework has been described as a constitution, a coherent system of interrelated objectives and fundamentals that can lead to consistent standards and that prescribes the nature, function, and limits of financial accounting and financial statements. For many accountants, the conceptual framework project is difficult to come to grips with because the subject matter is abstract and accountants are accustomed to dealing with specific problems. In resolving those problems, accountants may unconsciously rely on their own conceptual frameworks, but CPAs have not previously been called on to spell out their frameworks in systematic, cohesive fashion so that others can understand and evaluate them. It is essential that a framework be expressly established so that the FASB and those evaluating its standards are basing their judgments on the same set of objectives and concepts. An expressly established framework is also essential for preparers and auditors to make decisions about accounting issues that are not specifically covered by FASB standards or other authoritative literature. It is considered that if the conceptual framework makes sense and leads to relevant information, and if financial statement users make the necessary effort to fully understand it, their confidence in financial statements and their ability to use them effectively will also be enhanced. No one who supports the establishment of a conceptual framework should be laboring under the illusion that such a framework will automatically lead to a single definitive answer to every specific financial accounting problem. A conceptual framework can only provide guidance in identifying the relevant factors to be considered by standard setters and managers and auditors in making the judgments that are inevitable in financial reporting decisions. A Classical Model of Accounting: The Framework Expanded Historically, the particularized information, which constituted the emergence of accounting, was embedded in a framework for control of human behavior. With the advent of exchange replacing a sustenance society, and with exchange ultimately producing a private economy, accounting derived its second, and in modern times considered its most important, function as a planning instrument. The classical model simply states that behavioral patterns do exist in the structural development of accounting; that is, given a stimulus there will be a response which is direct reaction (an expected reaction) to that stimulus. One can relate this model to the classical model in economics, in which supply and demand for a commodity react in an expected manner due to a change in price. Figure 3 is a geometric illustration of the classical model. The special features of the model are: (a) Stimulus (S) = Demand; Response (R) = Supply (b) Equilibrium (E) = Stimulus = Response (c) Environmental Condition (EC) = Price (d) Accounting Concept (AC) = Product A Test of the Validity of the Model If the classical model does exist in accounting, the historical observations (see table I) should then bear testimony to its existence. The evidence to support this model is purely historical. However, no parallel should be drawn between this thesis (stimulus/Response) and Toynbees (1946, 88) line of inquiry: Can we say that the stimulus towards civilization grows positively stronger in proportion as the environment grows more difficult? Consequently, the criticism directed at his work should not be considered even remotely as applicable to this inquiry (Walsh 1951, 164-169).On the other hand, only in the extreme can the accusation leveled at Kuhn [1962] be directed here, that the conceptual framework (classical model of accounting) as presented may subsume too many possibilities under a single formula (Buchner 1966, 137). More appropriately, this study is undertaken along the lines suggested by Einthoven (1973, 21): Accounting has passed through many stages: These phases have been l argely the responses to economic and social environments. Accounting has adapted itself in the past fairly well to the changing demands of society. Therefore, the history of commerce, industry and government is reflected to a large extent in the history of accounting. What is of paramount importance is to realize that accounting, if it is to play a useful and effective role in society, must not pursue independent goals. It must continue to serve the objectives of its economic environment. The historical record in this connection is very encouraging. Although accounting generally has responded to the needs of its surroundings, at times it has appeared to be out of touch with them. The purpose of this line of inquiry is to put into perspective concepts which have emerged out of certain historical events. (In this treatise, accounting concepts are considered to be interlocking with accounting measurement and communication processes; thus, whenever the term concept is used herein, it is to be understood that accounting measurement and communication processes are subsumed under this heading.) These concepts collectively constitute, or at least suggest, a conceptual framework of accounting. The classical model is postulated as follows: For any given environmental state, there is a given response function which maximizes the prevailing socio-economic objective function. This response function cannot precede the environmental stimulus but is predicated upon it; when such response function is suboptimal, the then existing objective function will not be maximized. In a dysfunctional state, a state in which environmental stimulus is at a low level a level below pre-existing environmental stimuli, disequilibrium would ensue. In any given environment, the warranted response may be greater or less than the natural or actual response. When environmental stimuli cease to evoke response, then the socio-economic climate will be characterized by stagnation as the least negative impact of disequilibrium conditions, and decline when such environmental stimuli are countercyclical. Stage 1 In this period, (1901 to 1920) the environmental stimulus was corporate policy of retaining a high proportion of earnings [(Grant 1967, 196-197); (Kuznets 1951, 31); (Mills 1935, 361,386-187)]. This period is the beginning of corporate capitalism. The term corporate capitalism is used because it emphasizes the role in capital formation which corporations have ascribed to themselves. Hoarding of funds by corporations has reduced the role and importance of the primary equity securities market. The resource allocation process has been usurped by corporations (Donaldson 1961, 51-52, 56-63). The implication of such a condition is accentuated in the following statement: It is the capital markets rather than intermediate or consumer markets that have been absorbed into the infrastructure of the new type of corporation. (Rumelt 1974,153). The hard empirical evidence of this condition was revealed by several tests of the Linter Dividend Model, which maintains that dividends are a function of profit, and are adjusted to accommodate investment requirements [(Kuh 1962,48); (Meyer and Kuh 1959,191); (Brittain 1966,195); (Dhrymes and Kurz 1967, 447)]. Given the new role assumed by the corporation in capital formation, the investment community (investing public) became concerned with the accounting measurement process.The accounting response was verifiability (auditing) to demonstrate the soundness of the discipline. Productivity of existing measurements had to be verified to satisfy the investors and creditors. The Companies Act 1907 required the filing of an audited annual balance sheet with the Registrar of Companies [(Freer 1977, 18); (Edey and Panitpadki 1956, 373); (Chatfield 1956, 118)]. Thus, auditing became firmly established. The function of auditing measurements is the process of replication of prior accounting. Accounting is differentiated from other scientific disciplines in this aspect of replication. Replication is a necessary condition in sound disciplines; however, replication is generally undertaken in rare instances. In accounting, on the other hand, replication is undertaken very frequently for specified experiments business operations at the completion of the experiments business (operating) cycle. These experiments business operations, cover one year; at the end of the year, the experiments are reconstructed on a sampling basis. Auditing is the process by which replication of accounting measurements are undertaken. Publicly held and some privately held corporations are required to furnish audited annual financial statements which cover their business activities on an annual basis. Stage 2- This period, (1921 to 1970) witnessed the reinforcement of corporate retention policy. This condition shifted the emphasis of the investor to focus on the Securities market in the hope of capital gains, because of the limited return on investment in the form of dividends. Indubitably, investors concern was shifted to market appreciation through stock price changes reflecting the earnings potential of the underlying securities (Brown 1971, 36-37, 40-41, and 44-51). With the securities market valuation of a companys share (equity) inextricably linked to the earnings per share, the emphasis is placed on the dynamics of accounting as reflected in the income statement. The Companies Act of 1928 and 1929 explicitly reflect this accounting response by requiring an income statement as a fundamental part of a set of financial statements [(Freer 1977, 18); (Chatfield 1974, 118)]; Although an audit of such statement was not explicitly stipulated, it was implied. The accounting response of this period is extension of accounting disclosure [(Chatfield 1974, 118); (Blough 1974, 4-17)]. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent market failures constitutes the environmental stimulus. In the U.S.A., the Securities Act of 1933 and then the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 were enacted, providing for a significant involvement of the government in accounting. Stage 3- This period is characterized by the social awareness that business as well as government must be held socially accountable for their actions. Business can transfer certain costs to other segments of society, thus business benefits at the expense of society; and government can not only squander hard earned dollars but through its policies affect adversely the welfare of various segments of society. This awareness is epitomized in the thesis posited by Mobley [1970, 763]: The technology of an economic system imposes a structure on its society which not only determines its economic activities but also influences its social well-being. Therefore, a measure limited to economic consequences is inadequate as an appraisal of the cause-effect relationships of the total system; it neglects the social effects. The environmental stimulus of corporate social responsibility evoked the accounting response of socio-economic accounting a further extension of accounting disclosure. The term socio-economic accounting gained prominence in 1970, when Mobley broadly defined it as the ordering, measuring and analysis of the social and economic consequences of governmental and entrepreneurial behavior. Accounting disclosure was to be expanded beyond its existing boundaries beyond the normal economic consequences to include social consequences as well as economic effects which are not presently considered (Mob1ey 1970, 762). Approaches to dealing with the problems of the extension of the systemic information are being attempted. It has been demonstrated that the accounting framework is capable of generating the extended disclosures on management for public scrutiny and evaluations [(Charnels, Co1antoni, Cooper, and Kortanek 1972); (Aiken, Blackett, Isaacs 1975)]. However, many measurement problems have been exposed in this search process for means to satisfy the systemic information requirement of this new environmental stimulus [(Estes 1972, 284); (Francis 1973)]. Welfare economics, as a discipline, has always been concerned with the social consequences of governmental and entrepreneurial actions, but the measurement and communication problems are, and always have been that of the discipline of accounting (Linowes 1968; 1973). The Conceptual Framework: A Continuing Process Presented above, the stimulus/response framework exhibiting structural adequacy, internal consistency and implemental practicality has demonstrated, unequivocally, its effectiveness over the centuries. The systemic information of financial accounting is the connective tissue of time in a financial perspective. The systemic information of managerial accounting is non-connective, but rather reflects events in a decision-making perspective. This can be best illustrated in the table below: (Draw a table) The process of concept-formation is a special type of learning. The formation takes time and requires a variety of stimuli and reinforcements. The process is never fully determinate for even when the concept is well, it can suffer neglect or inhibition and it can be revived by further reinforcement or modified by new stimulation (Emphasis added.) (Meredith; 1966, 79-80). A body of concepts and interlocking measurement and communication processes (types of information stocks and flows; constraints on information allowable values and methods of measurement; media of communication quantitative and qualitative) has been developed over the centuries. This set of concepts and interlocking measurement and communication processes has emerged as responses to specific stimuli at specific points in time to satisfy specific information needs. It is this body of concepts and interlocking measurement and communication processes, which is subject to amplification and modification that constitutes the conceptual framework of accounting. Possibly, with other modifications or amplifications deemed necessary, the conceptual framework as presented above can serve as an expressly established framework to enable preparers and auditors to make decisions, which would conform and be upheld, about accounting issues that are not specifically covered by FASB standards or authoritative literature. A conceptual framework is necessary because in the first place, to be useful, standard setting should build on and relate to an established body of concepts and objectives. A soundly developed conceptual framework should enable the FASB to issue more useful and consistent standards over time. A coherent set of standards and rules should be the result, because they would be built upon the same foundation. The framework should increase financial statement users understanding of and confidence in financial reporting, and it should enhance comparability among companies financial statements. Secondly, new and emerging practical problems should be more quickly solved by reference to an existing framework of basic theory. It is difficult, if not impossible, for the FASB to prescribe the proper accounting treatment quickly for situations like this. Practicing accountants, however, must resolve such problems on a day-to-day basis. Through the exercise of good judgment and with the help of a universally accepted conceptual framework, practitioners can dismiss certain alternatives quickly and then focus on an acceptable treatment. Over the years numerous organizations, committees, and interested individuals developed and published their own conceptual frameworks. But no single framework was universally accepted and relied on in practice. Recognizing the need for a generally accepted framework, the FASB in 1976 began work to develop a conceptual framework that would be a basis for setting accounting standards and for resolving financial reporting controversies. The FASB has issued six Statements of Financial Accounting Concepts that relate to financial reporting for business enterprises. They are: _ SFAC No. 1, Objectives of Financial Reporting by Business Enterprises, presents  goals and purposes of accounting. _ SFAC No. 2, Qualitative Characteristics of Accounting Information, examines the  characteristics that make accounting information useful. _ SFAC No. 3, Elements of Financial Statements of Business Enterprises, provides  definitions of items in financial statements, such as assets, liabilities, revenues, and  Expenses _ SFAC No. 5, Recognition and Measurement in Financial Statements of Business  Enterprises, sets forth fundamental recognition and measurement criteria and  Guidance on what information should be formally incorporated into financial statements  and when. _ SFAC No. 6, Elements of Financial Statements, replaces SFAC No. 3 and expands  its scope to include not-for-profit organizations. _ SFAC No. 7, Using Cash Flow Information and Present Value in Accounting Measurements, provides a framework for using expected future cash flows and present values as a basis for measurement. At the first level, the objectives identify the goals and purposes of accounting. Ideally, accounting standards developed according to a conceptual framework will result in accounting reports that are more useful. At the second level are the qualitative characteristics that make accounting information useful and the elements of financial statements (assets, liabilities, and so on). At the third level are the measurement and recognition concepts used in establishing and applying accounting standards. These concepts include assumptions, principles, and constraints that describe the present reporting environment. First Level: Basic Objectives As we discussed in Chapter 1, the objectives of financial reporting are to provide information that is: (1). Useful to those making investment and credit decisions who have a reasonable understanding of business and economic activities. (2). Helpful to present and potential investors, creditors, and other users in assessing the amounts, timing, and uncertainty of future cash flows and (3). about economic resources, the claims to those resources, and the changes in them. The objectives therefore, begin with a broad concern about information that is useful to investor and creditor decisions. That concern narrows to the investors and creditors interest in the prospect of receiving cash from their investments or loans to business enterprises. Finally, the objectives focus on the financial statements that provide information useful in the assessment of prospective cash flows to the business enterprise. This approach is referred to as decision usefulness. It has been said that the golden r ule is the central message in many religions and the rest is elaboration. Similarly, decision usefulness is the message of the conceptual framework and the rest is elaboration. In providing information to users of financial statements, general-purpose financial statements are prepared. These statements provide the most useful information possible at minimal cost to various user groups. Underlying these objectives is the notion that users need reasonable knowledge of business and financial accounting matters to understand the information contained in financial statements. This point is important. It means that in the preparation of financial statements, a level of reasonable competence on the part of users can be assumed. This has an impact on the way and the extent to which information is reported. Second Level: Fundamental Concepts The objectives of the first level are concerned with the goals and purposes of accounting. Later, we will discuss the ways these goals and purposes are implemented in the third level. Between these two levels it is necessary to provide certain conceptual building blocks that explain the qualitative characteristics of accounting information and define the elements of financial statements. These conceptual building blocks form a bridge between the why of accounting (the objectives) and the how of accounting (recognition and measurement). Qualitative Characteristics of Accounting Information Choosing an acceptable accounting method, the amount and types of information to be disclosed, and the format in which information should be presented involves determining which alternative provides the most useful information for decision making purposes (decision usefulness). The FASB has identified the qualitative characteristics of accounting information that distinguish better (more useful) information from inferior (less useful) information for decision making purposes. In addition, the FASB has identified certain constraints (cost-benefit and materiality) as part of the conceptual framework. These are discussed later in the chapter. The characteristics may be viewed as a hierarchy. Decision Makers (Users) and Understandability Decision makers vary widely in the types of decisions they make, how they make decisions, the information they already possess or can obtain from other sources, and their ability to process the information. For information to be useful there must be a connection (linkage) between these users and the decisions they make. This link, understandability, is the quality of information that permits reasonably informed users to perceive its significance. To illustrate the importance of this linkage; assume that IBM Corp. issues a three-month earnings report (interim report) that shows interim earnings way down. This report provides relevant and reliable information for decision making purposes. Some users, upon reading the report, decide to sell their stock. Other users do not understand the reports content and significance. They are surprised when IBM declares a smaller year-end dividend and the value of the stock declines. Thus, although the information presented was highly relevant and re liable, it was useless to those who did not understand it. Primary Qualities: Relevance and Reliability Relevance and reliability are the two primary qualities that make accounting information useful for decision making. As stated in FASB Concepts Statement No. 2, the qualities that distinguish better (more useful) information from inferior (less useful) information are primarily the qualities of relevance and reliability, with some other characteristics that those qualities imply. Relevance To be relevant, accounting information must be capable of making a difference in a decision. If certain information has no bearing on a decision, it is irrelevant to that decision. Relevant information helps users make predictions about the ultimate outcome of past, present, and future events; that is, it has predictive value. Relevant information also helps users confirm or correct prior expectations; it has feedback value. For example, when UPS (United Parcel Service) issues an interim report, this information is considered relevant because it provides a basis for forecasting annual earnings and provides feedback on past performance. For information to be relevant, it must also be available to decision makers before it loses its capacity to influence their decisions. Thus timeliness is a primary ingredient. If UPS did not report its interim results until six months after the end of the period, the information would be much less useful for decision making purposes. For information t o be relevant it should have predictive or feedback value and it must be presented on a timely basis. Reliability Accounting information is reliable to the extent that it is verifiable, is a faithful representation, and is reasonably free of error and bias. Reliability is a necessity for individuals who have neither the time nor the