Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Symbolization of the River in Huck Finn essays

The Symbolization of the River in Huck Finn essays The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn has been widely recongnized as a great American novel. The book has many features which have helped sustain it over the years, but among the most important is the Mississippi river which carries Huck and Jim upon a winding path through a series od adventures. The river symbolizes many important aspects intrical to the novel's theme. These aspects include God or some other higher power, Huck and his irrepresible nature, and the change of characters in the novel as well as society in general. First and foremost the river symbolizes the novel's protagnist, Huckleberry Finn. The Likeness between the two is startling as one begins to examine the common trait. According to T.S. Eliot the most striking similarity that the two share is that like the river, Huck can not be contained (470). Throughout the course of the novel the river is constantly at flood, and all other powers pale in comparision to its awesome current. Evidence of this is found throughout Huck and Jim's journey in the form of swept away houses and smashed steam boats. Hucks personality is much the same. No matter how many times "respectable folk", like Miss Watson or Aunt Sally, try to civilze Huck or curb his extreme personality, Huck always breaks free and returns to his roots. Those of a poor, brazen country boy who speaks his mind regardless of the consequences. Huck refuses to compromise what he is and the principals for which he stands for the sake of others. Huck like the river will not except the bo undaries, rules, and practices which govern the rest of the world. A second comparrison which demonstrates this symbolization would be the fact that throughout the novel both Huck's path and the path of the River are circular in nature. T.S. Elliot put it sysnctally when she said; "Like Huckleberry Finn, the River its self has no beginning or end. In its beginning it is not yet...

Monday, November 4, 2019

The 2012 Olympic Games in Britain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The 2012 Olympic Games in Britain - Essay Example It is a global event and it attracts a lot of world attention, which is an avenue for prosperity for the host country. The most profound of this sporting event is that it features summer and winter sports where the well-molded and crafted athletes from around the globe gather and showcase their superb talents (Davis, 2012:41). This has been a culture of late, a stage for the outstanding talent. Since the times of BARON PIERRE DE COUBERRTIN (the founder of the initial Olympic committee), the games have evolved into accommodating numerous changes. This will bring new visitors to Britain who probably would not have come. As a result, it will open new visitors markets, which is to greater extend what United Kingdom dreamed of (Great Britain Parliament House Committee, 2010:71). Hosting the Olympic Games in London will bring with it the inspiration merits, support and subjects for thousands of clinical and scientific studies. This is expected benefit because most of the overlooked legacie s of these games give avenues for scientific research in science and medicine (Thornton, 2011:4). All eyes will be glued as the biggest sporting event on the planet will kick starts at its grounds. With 26 performances to pass through our eyes, with 10,500 multi-talented athletes, they form useful experimental subjects (Houlihan and Green, 2011:113). This is so because modern sport and medicine have of late enjoyed a close relationship. These are great avenues for Britain scientists to put into practice their knowledge since the athletes volunteer to be examined because of their competitiveness This gathering is expected to bring out one of the busiest summers in the history of the England nation (Houlihan and Green, 2011;151). Moreover, the London economy is set to convey out its most sophisticated transport system, which in-deed is expected to be the crandle of running wheels in the entire Europe (E.S.R.C., 2010:09). Again the world is set to be fed with yet another new architectu ral design of the recent times as the games will take place in the magnificently designed venues and the Olympic parks across London and around the United Kingdom (Davis, 2012:77). This is for sure, all good news since the economy will be expected to tap from this source. As the festival progress by, the England nation is set to host and accommodate all this visitors. The welfare of all the Olympic ticket holders not to mention their security will whole-handedly be in the hands of the host. It is all in the care of the London government to bring out and unleash its deep sitted level of services in order to gain (Davis, 2012:45). In addition, the country will again benefit by exposing its culture to the world. As expected, there would be hostels and campsites. Luxury hotels are set to be, food and ancient traditions and all forms of travelling (Thornton, 2011:17). London and United Kingdom have a great range of things to show to the attending and spectating world and benefit a lot. W hether the country will profit from these events, is all left on how the organizers have planned. It is now a question of how the games can be sustained in terms of the environmental impact and the dire need of the United Kingdom government to deliver a long lasting legacy and benefit at a variety of scales. As scheduled, almost all the Olympic proceedings should be held within the London locality (E.S.R.C., 2010:13). The country been part of the organizers will try to provide profitable grounds for

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The effect of domestic law in international courts and tribunals Essay

The effect of domestic law in international courts and tribunals - Essay Example The paper tells that the international court is to apply â€Å"judicial decisions and teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as subsidiary means for the determination of rules of law†. The development of law with regards to the consultation with domestic law is ambiguous and an extent cannot be declared as such. However various pleadings brought before the ICJ are replete with myriad references to legal literature and case laws. In this regards it is noteworthy that the proceedings of international courts and tribunals are often replete with judicial decisions as well as juristic writings. These are discussed below in greater detail as per their influence on the proceedings of international courts and tribunals. During the proceedings of international courts and tribunals, the decisions of international courts and municipal courts as well as publications of academics can be referred to. These references are not as sources of law but rather as means to recognise various laws established through other sources. The actual practice of the ICJ is not to refer to domestic decisions but even then the ICJ does invoke its own previous case laws. International law does not recognise the rule of stare decisis. The decision of any international court or tribunal has no binding force of any kind except that recognised by the contesting parties. Such recognition is only valid for the particular case under consideration as per Article 59 of the statute of the ICJ. ... teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations† serve as beacons for â€Å"subsidiary means for the determination of the rules of law†. Although the works of various prominent jurists are not considered as source of international law but they are considered indispensable to developing rules that are sourced from custom, treaties as well as general principles of law even those derived from the decisions of domestic courts. Such principles are accepted practice for the interpretation of international law in various cases. One such case that was utilised by an international court was the decision by the United States Supreme Court in the Paquete Habana case (175 US (1900) 677 at 700-1). 2. Conclusion Conclusively it can be said that the decisions of domestic courts are considered by international courts and tribunals but this practice is limited when compared to other sources of international law. The varying legal principles in use by different na tions restrict the use of decisions made by domestic courts in international law. â€Å"Does the Court need to consider in order for a rule to be established as customary, if there must be absolute conformity and practice with the rule or is it enough that there is a general consistency†. Do you agree with this statement? 1. Introduction When international law is considered it must be kept in mind that rules can be established as customary even if there is only general consistency with the rule and not absolute conformity. It must also be noted that absolute conformity is not possible when considering international law because states hold their interests supreme. Moreover nations cannot be forced to accept decisions taken under international law and instead international law is practiced through wilful

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Legislative and Ethical Issues COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN THE DIGITAL PowerPoint Presentation

Legislative and Ethical Issues COPYRIGHT PROTECTION IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT - PowerPoint Presentation Example This type of convergence leads to innovation and tight competition that is beneficial to everyone. However, some rules require review in order to cater for the new technological developments and policies (Ogawa 2006). New growth types will be generated by a digital market that is genuine and benefits will be registered at all European Union sectors of economic (Mazziotti 2008). The e-commerce growth rate is skyrocketing nationally but it is still marginalised in the retail trade of Europe and this hinders online services development (Solovay & Reed 2003). The deficiency of knowledge about the applicable rules, rights conferred and opportunities offered by digital economy enhances their reluctance (Blythe 2011). The difficulties associated with transactions across the border such as deliveries, dispute resolutions and payments discourage business people from accepting the internet advantages to purchase or distribute their services and goods (Ogawa 2006). Digital single market therefore has a long way to go before achieving its complete potential. Objectives that are geared towards growth potential of online services and commerce must be set up (Solovay & Reed 2003). Their boosting at the European level needs action that is concerted and firm as stipulated in the Digital Agenda for Europe (Tian 2008). This commission is dedicated to working along with stakeholders in order to achieve the set objectives. Most of the initiatives outlined in this commission have been adopted (Perritt 2001). Peer-to-peer networking is making use of computers that are relatively powerful, are personal and their computing tasks are beyond those of the client (Campbell & Woodley 2002). The current personal computer has a large memory, very fast processor and a large hard disk, not all of which are used when browsing or e-mailing (Ogawa 2006). This computer acts as a server and a client (a peer) for several applications. The features of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Twister Party Essay Example for Free

Twister Party Essay Do you have the game of Twister sitting on your shelf collecting dust or buried in your basement gathering cobwebs?   It’s time to dust it off and revive an old party classic.   Twister is back and better than ever if you have the right mindset and group of friends to play along.   With several newer versions of the old game now available, you can even learn to dance as you play this all time favorite.   However, if you haven’t even played the basic version of the classic game, here is all you need to do for you and your college buddies to have a fun and entertaining evening.    You need to get the right group of friends together, play the game correctly, have the right mindset! Twister players come in all shapes and sizes, but they have one thing in common.   They all love to play the game. Find out which of your friends enjoy playing.   Those who say that they don’t, ask them to consider or at least to come over and watch and hang out while a group of more willing participants play.   By the end of the night, they should be hooked and ready to play.    If not, you at least have someone who can be the spinner, or if you have the dance version, the person who watches to see who messes up, â€Å"the judge†.   The right group of friends will enjoy playing whatever form of Twister you choose and will probably even be willing to come up with new twisted versions of the game.   Having a group of friends who are ready and willing to play is the first step in playing Twister.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Once you have your group of friends gathered, let the fun begin!   Playing Twister is very simple.   One player is the spinner, and he or she will spin the spinner.   The spin board has right hand, left hand, right foot and left foot on it with different colored circles, similar to the board.   Each player starts at a home row and then must do what the spinner calls out. For example, if the spinner lands on right hand and a red circle, the players must all place their right hands on a red circle.   You cannot share circles and sometimes circles are far away, so this game involves some stretching and sometimes compromising body positions and contortions. The first person to get stuck or who is not able to move or who falls down loses.   Players continue to â€Å"twist† their bodies all over the plastic mat until the best player is left standing, or rather sprawled across the board.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to fully enjoy your night of Twister, you must have the right mindset.   If it is a game of skill you seek, make sure you stretch before hand so you are nimble and able to reach those hard to contort to positions.   If you are using the dance version, brush up a bit before hand and make sure you’re warmed up before beginning, but remember, it’s all about fun   and skill, unless you’re in it for cash.   Then it’s cutthroat!   If you’re playing something more risquà ©, be sure you feel comfortable in such a position and that you are ready for this type of action.   You know that it get’s pretty close and tangled in a game of Twister!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The game of Twister is making a comeback, like many old toys and games.   This old classic is still a party favorite and you can revive it with your friends and have wonderful Twister parties if you have the right group of people, know how to play, and have the right mindset.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Shares and Business Law: Allotment and Registration

Shares and Business Law: Allotment and Registration Question 1 There are many things that Jim will have to consider but there are three main steps that he will have to follow. Most of the authority for issue of shares come from the articles of association (table A) with rest being contained in the Companies Act 1985. First he and the company would have to decide to issue the shares and set the terms of issue. Secondly, some person or persons must agree with the company to take the shares. Third, in implementation of that contract, those persons must take the shares and be made members of the company. Section 80A of the Companies Act 1985 provides that direction shall not exercise any power of the company to allot shares in the company or rights to subscribe for, or convert into, shares in the company unless they are authorised by the company in general meeting or by the company’s articles. Any authority, whether given in the articles or by resolution must state the maximum number of securities which can be issues under it and the date at which the authority will expire. Contravention of the section does not affect the validity of any allotment made[1] but any director, who â€Å"knowingly and wilfully† permits it, is liable to a fine[2]. Jim will have a choice of various methods whereby the companies securities can be offered to the public. Here we can see that he has engaged the services of an issuing house. The next thing Jim would have had to consider would have been whether or not there were any pre-emptive rights that is where there circumstances that existed that meant that existing shareholders rather than the general public should be offered the shares first[3]. This did obviously not arise here as Jim was a sole trader. Jim will then have to make a decision as to the price at which the securities should be issued. This is a difficult decision to arrive at as if the shares are set to low so that the issue is heavily over-subscribed, the company (and holding house) will be unhappy were as if they are set too high so that much of the issue is left with the underwriters it is they that will be uhappy Next Jim will have to deal with Allotment and Registration of the new share issue. The process of becoming a shares holder is a two-step one, involving fist a contract and then registration of the member. The processes of agreement and registration will be achieved with little formality and without the issue of allotment letters. If someone wants to become a shareholder and the company wants him to, he will be entered on the register and issued with a share certificate. Allotment does not make a person a member of the company. Entry in the register of members is also need to give the allotee legal title to the shares. Section 22(2) says explicitly that a person â€Å"who agrees to become a member of the company and whose name is entered on the register of members is a member of the company[4]† Question 2 In addition to compliance with the detailed provisions that are contained in the listing rules, s80 (1) of the Financial Services and Marketing Act 2000, implementing Article 21 (1) of the Listing Directive, adds an important â€Å"sweeping up†, requirement that the prospectus submitted to the FSA â€Å"shall contain all such information as investors and their professional advisors would reasonable require and reasonably expect to find† for the purpose of assessing the financial position of the issuer and the nature of the securities on offer: â€Å"Those who issue a prospectus, holding out to the public the great advantages which will accrue to persons who will take those shares†¦ and inviting them to take shares on the faith of the representations therein contained, are bound to state everything with strict and scrupulous accuracy and not only to abstain from stating as fact that which is not so, but to omit no one fact within their knowledge, the existence of which might in any degree affect the nature, or extent, or quality of the privileges and advantages which the prospectus holds out as inducements to take shares[5]† To determine whether or not the information that a rival cafà © chain had commenced legal proceedings against the company alleging that the design of its outlets and products infringed their intellectual property rights should have been disclosed in the prospectus to Zara s80(4)permits regard to be had not only to the nature of the issuer and of the securities but also to the nature of the persons likely to consider acquiring the securities, the knowledge which their professional advisers may be expected to have and to information already in the public domain by virtue of its publication under statutory or regulatory requirements. We are not made aware of any information about Zara’s advisers however the information is not information that is required to be in the public domain as a claim has been brought not actually heard. If the claim had been heard at court and been successful then it may fall in the public domain, therefore on this basis it is information that should hav e been disclosed in the prospectus. The next question that falls to be addressed as to whether Jim and JZ Horgan were persons who were responsible for the prospectus and this can be determined by reference to regulation 13 of the Public Offers of Securities Regulations.[6] The persons responsible are: The issuer (the company) The directors of the Issuer Each person who has authorised himself to be named, and is named, as having agreed to become a director, whether immediately or at a future time: Each person who accepts , and is stated as accepting, responsibility for, or for any part of, the prospectus Each other person who has authorised the contents o f the prospectus or any part of it: and The offeror of the securities and its directors where It is not the issuer It can therefore be seen that both Jim an JZ Horgan will be persons who are responsible to Zara and may therefore be required to indemnify her. JZ Horgan and Jim are responsible for the prospectus and are liable to pay compensation to any person who has acquired any of the securities to which it relates and suffered loss as a result of any untrue or misleading statement in it or of the omission of any matter required to be included under the Act or regulations[7]. The provisions do not require Zara to show that she relied on the misstatement in order to establish a cause of action, but she must be able to show at least a casual link between the misstatement or omission and the loss will have to be proven. Zara has said that she would not have bought the securities had she known about the action brought by the rival company. The loss is of course the one million pound that has been paid by the company and the resulting decrease in the value of the shares. As regards the bank, irrespective of their knowledge they will still be liable. This is because the statute does not require the maker of the statement to have â€Å"assume d responsibility† towards the claimant. Therefore Zara will be entitled to be compensated for the loss that she has suffered from. JZ Horgan and Jim could raise a defence. The defences that are available to them are contained in schedule 10 and regulation 15 and they provide persons responsible for the misstatement or omissions with â€Å"exemptions†. They will be able to escape liability if they can satisfy the court (a) that he reasonably believed that there were no misstatements or omissions and that he had done all that could reasonably be expected to ensure that there were not any and that, if any came to his knowledge, they were corrected in time or (b) that the plaintiff acquired the securities with knowledge of the falsity of the statement or of the matter omitted. Where the statement in question is made by an expert and is stated to be included with the experts consent, these rules are applied to the belief that the expert was competent and had consented to the inclusion of this statement. It is unlikely that JZ Horgan and Jim will be able to establish that either these exemptions apply and there fore will be considered to be liable to pay compensation to Zara. It should be noted that if for any reason this action to recover damages failed for any reason then Zara would be able to seek compensation against JZ Horgan and Jim in three other ways. The first would be damages at common law. The common law provides civil remedies for misrepresentations which have caused loss to those who have relied upon them[8]. Zara may well also have the common law option of her right to rescind the contract. The common law allows , in certain circumstances , claimants to rescind a contract entered into as a result of misrepresentation whether that misrepresentation is fraudulent , negligent or wholly innocent. Such a right would be actionable against the company only as the company is the person with whom Zara entered the contract with. The final alternative option would be to make a claim for breach of contract. The advantage of establishing this would be that the misrepresentee would have a claim in damages to be established to be assess on the contractual basis, rather than the tortious basis. Therefore Zara may be able to claim for heads of damages such as the loss of the expected profit on the shares. Question 3 Jim’s obligation under s80 (1) of the Financial Services and Marketing Act 2000, implementing Article 21 (1) of the Listing Directive, that the prospectus submitted to the FSA â€Å"shall contain all such information as investors and their professional advisors would reasonable require and reasonably expect to find† is a continuing obligation. Under s81, if after the preparation of a prospectus but before dealing in the securities begins there is any change significant for the purposes of making an informed assessment, the company must submit to the FSA a supplementary prospectus for approval. If the company is not aware of the change, it is not required to comply with the obligation, but any person responsible for the prospectus who does know of the change is under a duty to notify it to the company. To determine whether or not the information that the company has just settled an intellectual property claim for  £1million and that a profit warning is just about to be made should have been disclosed any purchasers of the securities s80(4)permits regard to be had not only to the nature of the issuer and of the securities but also to the nature of the persons likely to consider acquiring the securities, the knowledge which their professional advisers may be expected to have and to information already in the public domain by virtue of its publication under statutory or regulatory requirements. We are not made aware of any information about the purchasers advisers however the information is not information that is required to be in the public domain as a claim has been brought not actually heard. If the claim had been heard at court and been successful then it may fall in the public domain, therefore on this basis it is information that should have been disclosed in the prospectus. The next question that falls to be addressed as to whether Jim and JZ Horgan and now the company were persons who were responsible for the prospectus and this can be determined by reference to regulation 13 of the Public Offers of Securities Regulations.[9] The persons responsible are: The issuer (the company) The directors of the Issuer Each person who has authorised himself to be named, and is named, as having agreed to become a director, whether immediately or at a future time: Each person who accepts , and is stated as accepting, responsibility for, or for any part of, the prospectus Each other person who has authorised the contents o f the prospectus or any part of it: and The offeror of the securities and its directors where It is not the issuer It can therefore be seen that the company will be liable as the issuer of the securities. The company is liable for the misleading and or omission of information and are liable to pay compensation to any person who has acquired any of the securities to which it relates and suffered loss as a result of any untrue or misleading statement in it or of the omission of any matter required to be included under the Act or regulations[10]. The provisions do not require the purchasers to show that she relied on the misstatement in order to establish a cause of action, but she must be able to show at least a casual link between the misstatement or omission and the loss will have to be proven. The loss is of course the one million pound that has been paid by the company and the resulting decrease in the value of the shares. The Company could raise a defence. The defences that are available to them are contained in schedule 10 and regulation 15 and they provide persons responsible for the misstatement or omissions with â€Å"exemptions†. They will be able to escape liability if they can satisfy the court (a) that he reasonably believed that there were no misstatements or omissions and that he had done all that could reasonably be expected to ensure that there were not any and that, if any came to his knowledge, they were corrected in time or (b) that the plaintiff acquired the securities with knowledge of the falsity of the statement or of the matter omitted. Where the statement in question is made by an expert and is stated to be included with the experts consent, these rules are applied to the belief that the expert was competent and had consented to the inclusion of this statement. It is unlikely that the company will be able to establish that either these exemptions apply and therefore will be considered to be liable to pay compensation to the purchasers of the shares. It should be noted that if for any reason this action to recover damages failed for any reason then the purchasers would be able to seek compensation against the companyin three other ways. The first would be damages at common law. The common law provides civil remedies for misrepresentations which have caused loss to those who have relied upon them[11]. The company may well also have the common law option of her right to rescind the contract. The common law allows , in certain circumstances , claimants to rescind a contract entered into as a result of misrepresentation whether that misrepresentation is fraudulent , negligent or wholly innocent. Such a right would be actionable against the company only as the company is the person with whom the purchasers entered the contract with. The final alternative option would be to make a claim for breach of contract. The advantage of establishing this would be that the misrepresentee would have a claim in damages to be established to be asses s on the contractual basis, rather than the tortious basis. expected profit on the shares. In consideration of whether or not Jim will be liable to those purchasers himself the principle of limited liability should be considered. The principle of limited liability stipulates that a director/shareholder will be limited in personal liability to there shareholding, therefore on the face of it would seem that Jim is not personally liable. However, it should also be considered whether or not Jim had the actual authority to issue the shares. The reason that this question arises as when he originally issued the shares he was acting a sole trader, this is of course no longer the case and reference should therefore be made to the companies articles. If he was acting outside of his authority and not as an agent of the company it could be that he could be held personally liable for any loss which these shareholders have suffered from. Bibliography Legislation Companies Act 1985 Financial Services and Marketing Act 2000 Misrepresentation Act 1967 Public Offers of Securities Regulations Cases Derry v Peek (1889) 14 App Cass 337 Hedley Byrne Co Ltd v Heller Partners Ltd [1964] A C 465 New Brunswick and Canada Railway Co v Muggeridge (1860) 1 DR SM 363 Re Nuneaton Football Club [1989] BC L C 454 CA Books Bailey E, Groves H, Smith C , (2001) â€Å"Corporate Insolvency Law and Practice†, 2nd Edition, Butterworths Cheffins B, (1997) â€Å"Company Law: Theory Structure and Operation†, Clarendon Press Davies P, (2002) â€Å"An Introduction to Company Law†, Oxford University Press Davies P, (2002) â€Å"Gower and Davies Principles of Modern Company Law†, 7th Edition Sweet and Maxwell Griffin S , (2000) â€Å"Company Law: Fundamental Principles†, 3rd Edition, Harlow Press Hicks A Goo, (2001) â€Å"Cases and Materials in Company Law†, 4th Edition, Blackstone 1 Footnotes [1] S 80 (10) The Companies Act 1985 [2] S80 (9) The Companies Act 1985 [3] See Ss89 to 96 The Companies Act 1985 [4] See RE Nuneaton Football Club [1989] BC L C 454 CA [5] Per Kindersley V C in New Brunswick and Canada Railway Co v Muggeridge (1860) 1 DR SM 363 [6] SI 1995/1537 as amended [7] S90(1) and reg 14 (1) [8] See Derry v Peek (1889) 14 App Cass 337 ; The Misrepresentation Act 1967; Hedley Byrne Co Ltd v Heller Partners Ltd [1964] A C 465 [9] SI 1995/1537 as amended [10] S90(1) and reg 14 (1) [11] See Derry v Peek (1889) 14 App Cass 337 ; The Misrepresentation Act 1967; Hedley Byrne Co Ltd v Heller Partners Ltd [1964] A C 465 The Man Who Bombed Karachi: A Memoir by Admiral SM Nanda The Man Who Bombed Karachi: A Memoir by Admiral SM Nanda The book by Admiral SM Nanda, The Man Who Bombed Karachi: A Memoir, is an autobiography by an Indian Naval officer who retired as the Chief of Naval staff (CNS) and is often remembered for his most remarkable and vital role played during the planning and execution of maritime operations which led to the historical victory of India over Pakistan during the 1971 conflict. The author, who was the then CNS during the 1971 conflict with Pakistan, is the most qualified person to bring out the various aspects of the successful operations carried out by the Indian Navy on both the Western and Eastern theatres during the conflict. The book brings out a structured narration by the author of his childhood at Manora Island off Karachi where he was born. The initial chapters of the book, takes the reader from his childhood to the youth of the author at Minora, where he studied, and on completion of his high school, worked at the Port and Pilotage Department prior joining the Royal Indian Navy (RIN) and commissioned as an acting sub lieutenant in the Royal Indian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RINVR) on 11 Oct 1941. The author gives a detailed account of his experiences during his distinguished career in the Navy, which lasted 32 years and also about his subsequent tenure as the CMD of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). The reader gets firsthand information on the Royal Indian Navy Mutiny which is brought out in great detail in Chapter 3 of the book while narrating the authors tenure at the Signal School, HMIS Talwar, at Bombay. The book also provides brief account of the authors experiences with eminent personalities while he visited various countries during his tenures onboard various Naval ships. Chapter 9 of the book gives an insight on the evolvement of the nations capability in ship building, as the author narrates the numerous hurdles which he had to face as the Managing Director, Mazagon Docks, and how he successfully accomplished the assigned tasks. The book also provides numerous achievements of the author during his tenures as the Flag Officer Commanding Indian Fleet (FOCIF) and FOC-in-C West.   Transformation of a single day celebration of the Navy day to a weeklong Navy Week celebration consisting mega events including review of the Indian Fleet by the President of India in 1969 is one among them. On page 158, the author states that, 45 warships, Indias first submarine (the Khanderi), five Coast Guard ships and eight merchant ships were on parade during the fleet review on 28 Dec 1969. The reader could be confused after learning that the Indian Coast Guard was formally constituted only on 01 Feb 1977. The book narrates in detail, the evolvement of the 1971 conflict with Pakistan, the elaborate preparation planning and execution of the Naval power during the conflict and how effectively these culminated in the victory of the nation thereby rendering Navy a formidable force which was neglected till then. Chapters 12 to 15 of the book take the reader deeper into the conflict which offers interesting reading even to a layman with the help of simple, clear sketches and photographs. The sea battle which was fought in both Arabian sea and Bay of Bengal are discussed in detail with interesting narrations. In the section Way ahead, towards the later part of the book, the author also brings out suggestive measures for the future Indian Navy. It is felt that, the book has largely succeeded in providing a deep insight to the achievements of Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda(Retd.) PVSM, AVSM. The reader however may derive a feeling that, the author has also endeavored, to a certain extent; to clarify certain details pertaining to his reputation, especially his post retirement life.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Essays --

Accounting is used as a tools to inform investors and other stakeholders about management’s performance. However, accounting standards permits management to use judgment in financial reporting methods for some accounts as they have best knowledge of its business so it can choose accounting alternatives that suit their business. With ability to choose its preferable reporting methods, estimates and disclosure, this flexibility creates opportunity for managers to distort earnings in which they adopt accounting methods that do not truly reflect firms’ financial status (Healy and Wahlen, 1999). In addition, due to the fact that management has better access to firms’ business transactions and operations than stakeholders do and auditing and monitoring system are not always effective, these lead to an information asymmetry problem which increases earnings management opportunity. For example, they can alter some information and do not disclose all the information to the stakeholders. This essay will first describe the definition of earnings management and its evolution. Then, the proxies used to detect earnings management will be illustrated. Next, the motives for earnings management and its effect on financial reporting process will be discussed. Subsequently, it will turn to the impact of debt financing on earnings management. Finally, this paper will examine the factors that may constrain the degree of earnings management. Definition of earnings management and its evolution Many researchers has given different earnings management definitions. For instance, Healy and Wahlen (1999,p.368) states that ‘Earnings management occurs when managers use judgment in financial reporting and in structuring transactions to alter financial repor... ...orts (Houqe et al., 2012) Also, the adaptation of widely-used accounting standards, for example, IFRS, may help prevent management from manipulating financial information and, therefore, improve the quality of earnings because such standards require managers to provide a true and fair view of its report and may help reduce the earnings management activities. Houqe et al. (2012) conclude that the adoption of mandatory IFRS increases the quality of earnings in the countries that provide strong protection for investors. However, there is some controversy if accounting standards would reduce earnings management. Tendeloo and Vanstraelen (2005, cited in Houqe et al., 2012) and Lin and Paananen (2009, cited in Houqe et al., 2012) find that after adopting IFRS, firms in Germany recorded more discretionary accruals and those accruals are lowly-correlated with cash flows.