Bullying and Harassment Among the Lgbtq Youth Essay Example for Free

Bullying and Harassment Among the Lgbtq Youth Essay Adolescence is a difficult stage in life because it is a time for many when social status is seen as very important and self-esteem can be fragile. One’s social status can directly affect one’s self esteem and overall happiness. Unfortunately, many of those who possess a higher social status in middle and high school use it against those who are deemed socially inferior to them, whether that is due to race, attractiveness, intelligence or sexuality. In other words, the adolescents at the bottom of the social pyramid are often subjected to bullying and harassment from their socially â€Å"superior† classmates. Bullying and harassment have become a widespread problem in schools all around the United States and have proved to have serious implications, such as problems in academics for those who are victimized by bullies. Victimization from bullying and harassment can be linked to lowered self-esteem, anxiety, depression, avoidance of school, and suicide (Hawker Boulton, 2000). Unfortunately, one of the most victimized groups of students subjected to bullying and harassment is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and queer youth. According to the National Youth Association, 9 out of 10 LGBT students have experienced harassment while at school. It also states that LGBT teens are bullied two to three times as much as straight teens. These high rates of bullying may explain why more than one-third of LGBT kids have attempted suicide (Hawker Boulton, 2000). Specific harm aimed towards LGBTQ community, known as gay bashing and gay bullying can be defined as verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived by the antagonist to be gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered. This also includes those who are actually heterosexual but may appear to be non-heterosexual due to stereotypes. The three main types of bullying the LGBTQ youth is most subjected to are verbal harassment, physical assault, and cyber bullying. The first main type of bullying, verbal harassment may be hard to detect because it leaves no physical proof, but rather mental and emotional trauma. However, it is still a popular and damaging tactic used by bullies to hurt the LGBTQ youth everyday. In fact, according to River’s study in 1996, it is the most popular tactic among bullies. Also, according to bullyingstatistics.org, many victims of verbal bullying experience lowered self-image, and can have lasting effects in emotional and psychological ways. This type of bullying can lead to low self-esteem, as well as depression and other problems (Hawker Boulton, 2000). According to River’s study in 2001, many LGBTQ adolescents report being exposed to verbal harassment and stigmatization. River’s recent survey shows that 82% of the LGBTQ youth in schools are subjected to verbal slurs (Rivers 2001). According to another study from the Mental Health of America in 1998 on verbal abuse, students hear anti-gay slurs such as â€Å"homo†, â€Å"faggot† and â€Å"sissy† about 26 times a day, which would be about once every 14 minutes throughout their school day. Anti-gay language used on a regular basis in school settings is creating an unfriendly and unwelcoming atmosphere for the LGTBQ students, which may be causing them to be isolated and socially withdrawn (Swearer, Turner, Givens, Pollack, 2008). Although not all anti-gay slurs heard in school are meant to be malicious, it is still hurtful for the gay youth to hear. Many adolescents who use gay slurs may not be homophobic, but more ignorant to LGBTQ issues. Obviously not all homophobic name-calling is directed at young gay and lesbians. For example, researchers found that terms such as ‘‘gay’’ and â€Å"homo† are often used to refer to anything unmasculine or ‘‘uncool’’ (Duncan, 1999). Regardless of intention, the constant degradation of these words causes a hostile and uncomfortable environment for the LGBTQ youth (Thurlow, 2001). Homophobic slurs such as â€Å"That’s so gay,† or â€Å"no homo,† are popular among adolescents and often go unpunished due to the heteronormative atmosphere dominating schools (Thurlow, 2001). Many students may feel hesitant to speak out against anti-gay slurs out of fear of being persecuted themselves. In the U.K. a series of surveys commissioned by Stonewall reported that as many as 93 percent of young gay, lesbian and bisexual people who are ‘‘out’’ at school suffer verbal abuse (Thurlow, 2001). It is evident that it is not a coincidence the LGBTQ youth face the most harassment of any minority at school. Along with verbal abuse, LGBTQ youth also experience physical violence in schools across the country everyday. Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s sociologists such as Joyce Hunter thought that much of the physical abuse happening towards the LGBTQ population stemmed from the stigma and fear that came from the AIDS epidemic that was spreading rapidly among the gay community in that time. In a study as recent as 2003, 60% of LGBTQ youth had reported being assaulted physically due to their sexual orientation (Chesir-Taran, 2003) These phy sical actions towards the gay and lesbian youth has caused many to fear going to school. In fact, many LGBTQ students avoid school in order to escape the physical harassment. This drop in attendance has detrimental effects on the student’s academics (American Educational Research Association). According to StopBullying.gov, since LGBTQ students are more likely to avoid school they are at a higher risk for decreased academic achievement, including lower GPA and standardized test scores—and school participation. They are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out of school as well. LGBTQ youth that have been subjected to physical harassment, or youth perceived†¨as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, are more are also more likely smoke, use alcohol and drugs, or engage in other risky behaviors (Rivers 2001). This also causes lesbians, gays or bisexuals to be twice as likely as their peers to be depressed and think about or attempt suicide (Russell Joyner, 2001). This high rate is physical abuse may be one of the reasons why the American Educational Research Association reported that LGBT teens are 3.3 times more likely to think about committing suicide than heterosexual teenagers, as well as three times more likely to actually commit suicide. These victims of physical abuse also have higher rates of unexcused absences from school (American Educational Research Association). According to the social comparison theory, anti-gay violence, such as hates crimes tend to occur due to heterosexuals wanting to make a distinction between themselves and homosexuals. Meaning that the bullies are not acting on their own, but in a group. Some research implies that heterosexuals preform violence upon homosexuals to create a negative evaluation of LGBTQ’s, which in return creates a larger separation between homosexuals and heterosexuals. In other words, heterosexuals wants to make a clear distinction between themselves and homosexuals, and therefore violence is used to create this differentiation (American Educational Research Association). Since the LGBTQ is such a small minority group in most schools it is easy for heterosexuals to make the homosexuals the out-group, whereas other heterosexuals benefit from in-group biases and tr eatment (Herek, Berrill Berrill, 1992). What is so important about the social comparison theory and gay violence is that violence is one of the most effective and obvious way to create a differentiation between the in and out-groups. Interestingly, Herek Berill found that most crime related violent acts usually only involved one victim and one perpetrator, however when these violent acts were considered hate crimes, especially among gays and lesbians, the number of perpetrators averaged around four. Herek Berill also found in their research that boys are at a high risk for being both the perpetrator and victim, most likely due to bullies wanting to assert their sexual superiority and masculinity over homosexual boys (Herek Berill, 1992). In contrast to being pushed into lockers or being called homophobic slurs while walking down the hallway to class, LGBTQ students are subjected to a new form of harassment nowadays, which takes place outside of the classroom, and more specifically on the Internet. According to stop bullying.gov, Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place via electronic technology. This includes devices such as cell phones, computers, social media sites, text messages, web chat, and websites. O ne reason that this type of bullying is on the rise is because as technology advances, adolescents become more exposed to it, while adults become more disconnected. This discrepancy in culture between adults and adolescents causes many parents to become unaware of what their children are doing on the Internet, which may put them at a risk for being harassed, or even preforming the harassment (Keith Martin, 2005). One of the most recent and well-known cases of anti-gay cyber bullying is the story of Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers University student. Clementi was a victim of cyber-bullying because his roommate, Dharun Ravi, spied on his make-out sessions with a hidden webcam and outed him online. This caused Tyler Clementi to kill himself by jumping off the George Washington Bridge in 2010.Studies show that LGBTQ youth who are bullied online were more likely to have skipped school, to have detentions or suspensions, or to carry a weapon to school (Ybarra, Diener-West, Leaf, 2007). In this same study, the majority of the participants who admitted to being the perpetrators of cyber bullying attributed anonymity for feeling more comfortable harassin g others online due to the fact they had little fear of repercussions or of being traced backed to crime. This leads aggressors to threaten, harass, or abuse others and to even assume a new persona or character online (Ybarra et al, 2007). The victims in this study reported that they felt more helpless when they were attacked via the Internet, than in classroom. One student from another study related to cyber bullying stated that said that she felt like there was no point in telling an adult about cyber harassment because there is no proof who actually did the bullying, simply because the perpetrator could easily say, â€Å"that wasn’t actually me, it was someone pretending to be me† (Keith Martin, 2005) Although one study found that cyber bullying is the least common type of bullying (Wang, Nansel Iannotti, 2010,) the fact that these cyber bullying victims feel as though they cannot seek help or end the victimization may explain this study found that these students had the highest rates of depression and helplessness. Some studies, such as one in 2003 say that the high rates of suicide and depression among LGTBQ youth are proof of internalized self-homophobia (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). In other words, the LGBTQ youth are so exposed to homophobia that it has caused them to become self-hating and prejudiced against their own-selves. Hiding in the closet, not fitting in, and living in fear has caused a melting pot for self-hatred, and self-embarrassment. Findings from this research stated that those who are considered to be experiencing self-hating are at a higher risk for reckless and self-destructive behavior. The findings from this research even go as far as crediting the high rates of AIDS among gay communities to self-hatred. The results state that many gay men fail to use protection due to a subconscious belief that they feel guilty for being queer and are unable to deprogram the negative stereotypes they receive for being queer. The same researcher also found that high rates of might be due to high drug addiction rates among queers that may be brought on by self-hatred (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). Although the recent suicides and murders of LGBTQ youth such as the death of Matthew Shepard in 1998 are unwarranted and tragic, they have started paved the way for protection of all students institutionally, regardless of sexual orientation. Promptly after the death of Shepard the organization known as PFLAG implemented 150 chapters in the U.S. schooling system (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003). These chapters helped raise press for non-discriminatory policies in schools, support straight-gay alliances, donate LGBTQ literature to libraries, and to train teachers in crisis interventions. GSA clubs in schools have been credited as one of the major factors in helping teenagers create openly gay lives with peers and relate and support them (van Wormer Mckinney, 2003) According to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, there are over 3000 gay-straight alliance programs in high schools across the country. Van Wormer Mckinney describe harm reduction principals as a guide produced by the U.S. Department of Education and Justice to minimize violence against students. Recently, the state of Massachusetts was the first state to enforce teachers to discuss homosexuality as well as heterosexuality in age-appropriate ways to prevent students from feeling left out. According to the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network, there are three different federal laws protecting LGBTQ students from bullying and harassment in schools. The first type of law that prevents bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students is known as the Enumerated Anti-Bullying Laws. The states that have implemented this specific law include: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. With this law LGBTQ students can feel safer at their schools and know that these laws will protect them and there will be repercussions for those who do not follow them. The second type of law protecting LGBTQ students is known as the non-discriminatory law. The following states have implanted this non-discriminatory law: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. With this law implemented LBGTQ students cannot not be denied basic fundamental rights, and are guaranteed the same opportunities as heterosexual students. Unlike the first two laws, the third law may harm or stigmatize LGBTQ students. This is because this law bans LGBTQ students from receiving extra or special protection, even though it is proven they are at a higher risk for being harassed and bullied. No promo homo laws, local or state education laws that expressly forbid teachers from discussing gay and transgender issues. The states that allowed this law to be implanted are: Alabama, Arizona, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah. Apart from the government and organizations pushing for protection of LGBTQ youth in schools, public figures have also reached out to the young gay community to remind them how important they are. In 2010 the famous gay author Dan Savage created the â€Å"It Gets Better Campaign,† in response to the suicides of teenagers who were bullied because they were gay. The website consists of LGBTQ people posting videos directed towards others struggling with their sexuality and who might be contemplating suicide. According to Savage, the website was an overnight success with a claim of 30,000 video entries between 2010 and 2012, including videos from celebrities and respected public figures, such as Barack Obama. This campaign is helping to raise awareness of the injustices and prejudices plaguing the American school systems, which are having detrimental effects on the LGBTQ youth. Another recent and popular campaign that has been gaining much attention recently is known as â€Å"The Trevor Project.† This non-profit organization is also helping raise awareness of the recent LGBTQ youth suicides and according to the gay affiliated magazine, The Advocate; the organization offers the â€Å"Trevor Lifeline,† which includes a telephone number, which will connect people with suicidal thoughts to professional counselors. Because the LGBTQ youth is such a small minority in schools across the country, it is to no surprise that they are at the highest risk of being subjected to bullying and harassment in school. This harassment includes, verbal abuse, physical assault and cyber bullying. Therefore it is no surprise studies that were previously mentioned show that 9 out of 10 LGTBQ students have reported some sort of bullying in school. With the extremely high rates of depression, fear and suicide among the gay youth, it is important that there is a social reform implemented across the country, especially in the schooling system. Regardless of personal opinion and beliefs on homosexuality, everyone deserves to feel safe and happy in their classroom. Thanks to anti-discriminatory and anti-bullying laws implemented in some states, many LGBTQ youth have been working towards equality. However there is still much progress needed. With positive organizations such as â€Å"It Gets Better,† and â€Å"The Trevor Project,† hopefully the rates of bullying, harassment and suicide among the LGTBQ youth will drop, allowing these young students to witness history for themselves and their queer allies. As Ellen DeGeneres once wisely said, â€Å"Things will get easier, people’s minds will change, and you should be alive to see it.† References Scholarly Research 1. Jing Wang, Tonja R. Nansel, Ronald J. Iannotti, Cyber and Traditional Bullying: Differential Association With Depression, Journal of Adolescent Health, Volume 48, Issue 4, April 2011, Pages 415-417, ISSN 1054-139X, 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.07.012. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X10003435) Keywords: Cyber bullying; Traditional bullying; Depression 2. Thurlow, Crispin, Naming the â€Å"outsider within†: homophobic pejoratives and the verbal abuse of lesbian, gay and bisexual high-school pupils, Journal of Adolescence, Volume 24, Issue 1, February 2001, Pages 25-38, ISSN 0140-1971, 10.1006/jado.2000.0371. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140197100903713) 3. Rivers, I. D’Augelli, A.R. (2001). The victimization of lesbian, gay and bisexual youths. In D’Augelli, A.R. Patterson, C.J. (ed.) Lesbian, gay and bisexual identities and youth: Psychological perspectives, New York: Oxford University Press. pp.199-223. 4. Russe ll, S.T. Joyner, K. (2002). Adolescent sexual orientation and suicide risk: Evidence from a national study. American Journal Public Health, 91, 1276-1281. 5. D’Augelli, A. R., Pilkington, N. W., Hershberger, S. L. (2002). Incidence and mental health impact of sexual orientation victimization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youths in high school. School Psychology Quarterly, 17, 148-167. 6. Herek, G. M., Berrill, K., Berrill, K. T. (1992). Hate crimes, confronting violence against lesbians and gay men. Sage Publications, Inc. 7. Ybarra, M.L., Diener-West, M., Leaf, P.J. (2007). Examining the overlap in Internet harassment and school bullying: implications for school intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(6 Suppl 1),S42-50. 8. Van Wormer, K. , Mckinney, R. (2003). What schools can do to help gay/lesbian/bisexual youth: A harm reduction approach. Adolescence, 38(151), 409-501. 9. Keith, S., Martin, M. (2005). Cyber-bullying: creating a culture of respect in a cyber world. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 13(4), 224-228. 10. Chesir-Teran, D. (2003). Conceptualizing and assessing heterosexism in high schools: A setting-level approach. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 267–279. 11. Hawker, D. S. J., Boulton, M. J. (2000). Twenty years’ research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: A meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 41(4), 441-455. 12. Vaillancourt, T., Hymel, S., McDougall, P. (2003). Bullying is power: Implications for school-based intervention strate- gies. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 19, 157-17 6. 13. Swearer, S. M., Turner, R. K., Givens, J. E., Pollack, W. S. (2008). â€Å"You’re so gay!† Do different forms of bullying matter for adolescent males? School Psychology Review, 37, 160-173. 14. Duncan, N. (1999) Sexual Bullying: Gender conflict and pupil culture in secondary schools. London, RoutledgeNon-Scholarly Research 15. Tyler Clementi, a gay Rutgers student, was a martyr to cyber-bullying; his roommate, Dharun Ravi, spied on his make-out sessions with a hidden webcam and outed him online. (2012, March 19). National Review, 64(5), 10. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA282583085v=2.1u=vol_b92bit=rp=ITOFsw=w 16. Stonewall. (1999, 21 April). Stonewall News: 77% of Gay Pupils Suffer Homophobic Bullying. Available (03/06/99) at 5http:www.stonewall.org.uk/news 17. Gay bullying. (2010, November 07). Retrieved from http://www.nyaamerica.org 18. StopBullying.gov. Home | StopBullying.gov. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2012. 19. American Educationa l Research Association (2011, October 12). Education research shows LGBTQ-identified students at higher risk than straight-identified students. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 7, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com ­ /releases/2011/10/111012151507.htm 20. Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (2008). 2007 National School Climate Survey: Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT Students Harassed. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from

A Ratio Analysis Of WH Smith

A Ratio Analysis Of WH Smith As a public limited company majority of the funds available for WH Smith to operate at any point in time is provided by owners in form of share capital and several forms for capital reserves and retained earnings. But for the purpose of this analysis, share capital will be referred to as funds provided by owners, which was  £35million for both 2008 and 2009. However it is important to note that the total equity increased from  £161m in 2008 to  £188m in 2009. The main reason for this was in increase in the retained earnings from  £329m in 2008 to  £365m in 2009. FUNDS PROVIDED BY CREDITORS Non -current liabilities (including trade and other payables, tax obligations, bank overdrafts and borrowings and short-term provisions) added up to  £303m in 2008 and  £281m in 2009, while non-current or long-term liabilities amounted to  £24m in 2008 and  £25m in 2009. Thus, total liabilities and accrued payments reduced from  £327m in 2008 to  £306m in 2009. This is largely due the fact that  £25m bank overdrafts were drawn in 2008 while no overdrafts were drawn in 2009. This means WH Smith is relying mainly on retained earnings and share capital as the major source of cash for the business year. PROFITABLITY Profitability measures the profit margin of the business (WH smith) in a financial year. In this analysis however, the profitability of WH Smith will be calculated and compared for the 2008 and 2009 financial years by relating pre-tax profit as a percentage of sales; and also pre-tax profit as a percentage of fixed asset. This can be represented using the formula below: CONCLUSION WH Smith has improved its profit margin by a small percentage of 0.5% in 2009 from 5.62% to 6.12% as a result of more sales in higher margin categories such as confectionery and books. This means that out of  £100 sales the company made  £5.62p in 2008 and  £6.12p in 2009. Fixed assets generated 4.57% more profit in 2009 than in 2008, which signifies a more efficient use of capital and fixed assets. Thus we can conclude that the company is being managed well despite stiff competition from other large companies such as Borders and the prevailing economic circumstances. GROWTH Turnover Increase total sales reduced from  £1352m in 2008 to  £1340 in 2009 Profit after tax increased from  £59m in 2008 to  £64m in 2009 Total fixed assets reduced from  £247m in 2008 to  £232m in 2009 CONCLUSION From the above point we can conclude that total sales and total fixed assets have reduced considerably between 2008 and 2009, whereas, profit after tax has increased. This signifies that WH Smith is not focused on growth at the present (due to the prevailing economic conditions), rather they are focused on consolidation and profit maximization (which in essential in the survival of any business especially in the short run). This was done by getting rid of unused or unnecessary fixed assets e.g. properties, plants and equipment was reduced from  £177m in 2008 to  £163m in 2009 and utilizing the available resources efficiently. TRADING PERFORMANCE The performance analysis of any company does not carry adequate validity without making reference to the performance of other companies in the same sector, because a comparison of its performance must be measured against that of its competitors. Trading performance is calculated by using the gross profit as a percentage of share holders funds: Earnings per share for 2008 and 2009 were 35.3p and 41.3p respectively. Please refer to page 9 of the financial statement for details. CONCLUSION In an industry where demand and sales are greatly influenced by consumer income and demographics, the performance of WH Smith will depend largely on the marketing strategy and their ability to offer specialized products at lower prices. In 2008 WH smith had a return on share holders fund for 2008 was 47.20% while it was -1.93 for Amazon.co.uk ltd for the same year. At the end of the financial year, earnings per share went up 17% from 35.3p to 41.3p LIQUIDITY Current ratio also known as the working capital ratio measures the amount of cash available to a business in form of stock and creditors and is referred to as the working capital. WH Smith has been able to increase its level of liquidity from 0.8 in 2008 to 0.93 in 2009. This increase could be attributed to an increase in the bank balance from  £22m in 2008 to 47m in 2009 however, not a large proportion of resources were tied up in stock during the same period as inventories only increased by  £4m from  £147m in 2008 to  £151m in 2009. However, WH Smith was able to increase its ability to meet short-term obligations and settlement of a major proportion of their current liabilities. It is important to note however that the ratio of current assets to current liabilities is still less than 1, this means that WH Smith still needs to improve on these figures further by reducing the total current liabilities or increasing their total current assets. Although it is widely believed that a reasonable current ratio should fall between 1.5:1 and 2:1, given the prevailing economic conditions in this period, we can safely conclude that WH Smith is doing exceptionally well. Also, the liquid ratio reveals that a large amount of resources are tied up in liquid form, which could affect the companys performance in the long run if the sales is not improved upon. SAFETY Gearing Gearing measures the relationship between a companys capital employed and its long time liabilities. It gives us an idea of any companys ability to pay back its long term liabilities. However, the acceptable gearing ratio for most companies is 50%, but the lesser the better. It is calculated as follows: WH Smith has been able to reduce the gearing of the business 1.81% from 14.90% to 13.29% and the gearing ratio for both 2008 and 2009 is almost at zero, this means that WH Smiths propensity to generate profit and returns on capital employed is high. Therefore, shareholders can expect some dividend at the end of the business year. Also, the business will not have to struggle to service long term liabilities (e.g. loans with interest) especially in bad years. EFFICIENCY This is also known as return on capital employed and is used to measure how effective a business has used its available resources to generate profit within a certain period. It is usually represented by the formula below: It can be deduced from the above figures that WH Smith has been able to use their fixed assets more efficiently in 2009 than in 2008 by 3.3%, despite the reduction in the total amount from  £247m to  £232m. Although the efficiency of the total assets has hardly improved in the same period, with the difference being 0.7%, the most noticeable increase in efficiency is that of fixed assets which has increased by 3.3%. CONCLUSION In the year ending 31 August 2009, WH Smith recorded a total (including non-book sales) turnover of  £1,340m which was lower than  £1,352m recorded in the previous year. Pre-tax profit increased from  £76m in 2008 to  £82m in 2009. And also, earnings per share increased from 35.3p in 2008 to 41.3p in 2009 Total sales reduced to  £1,340m from  £1,352m in 2008 (where like for like sales dropped 5%, travel sales grew by 8% and high street sales also dropped by 5%). Whereas, WH Smith has improved its profit margin by 0.5% in 2009 from 5.62% to 6.12%. This improvement in gross profit margin was enhanced by tight cost control and a reduction of the total fixed assets. WH Smith has also been able to increase its level of liquidity from 0.8 in 2008 to 0.93 in 2009. This increase could be attributed to an increase in the bank balance from  £22m in 2008 to 47m in 2009. Although a substantial amount is still tied up in stock, which could be a problem in the future. Therefore, WH Smith needs to come up with sale strategies that will quickly clear up the stock. In 2009 however, WH Smith was able to increase its ability to meet short-term obligations and settlement of a major proportion of their current liabilities. Although, WH Smith still needs to improve on these figures further by reducing the total current liabilities or increasing their total current assets. WH Smiths propensity to generate profit and returns on capital employed is very high with gearing being reduced by 1.81% from 14.90% to 13.29%, and also, the gearing ratio for both 2008 and 2009 is almost at zero, this means that shareholders can expect some dividend at the end of the business year even in bad years (Dividend per share increased to 16.7p in 2009). Also, the business will not have to struggle to service long term liabilities (e.g. loans with interest) especially in bad years. Finally it is worthy of note that WH Smith has been able to employ their fixed assets more efficiently in 2009 than in 2008 by 3.3%, despite the reduction in the total amount from  £247m to  £232m. RECOMMENDATIONS WH Smith is doing very well given their financial performance in the past year despite the prevailing economic circumstances. It is important to note that a large proportion of WH Smiths profit in the 2009 financial year was generated from the travel business (which includes outlets in train stations, airports, highway service stations etc.) where total sales increased by 8% driven mainly by new business wins and acquisitions. Therefore, WH Smith should focus on setting up more travel shops in areas not yet covered. Competition to sell the highest number of bestsellers is tough, as high-street bookshops are being undercut on price by supermarkets and online booksellers. Publishers appear to be offering supermarkets and online booksellers the highest discounts on their highest-profile books, allowing lower prices to be offered in these outlets. -Isla Gower ed. 2008, marketing report, pg1 Another important area that WH Smith should focus on is the online book sales, which makes companies like Amazon.co.uk ltd a major competitor. Although WH Smith already sells books online, there should be more marketing and promotion in this area, which would eventually lead to a market expansion if harnessed properly. Also, the digitization of books through the use of e-books has made remote downloads and print-on-demand possible, and this has remarkably reduced the cost of production and can easily put booksellers such as WH Smith out of business.

Ethics And Scandals In Financial Reporting Accounting Essay

Ethics And Scandals In Financial Reporting Accounting Essay Integrity is of utmost importance for a successful career in business and finance in the long run. Some believe that the world of finance lacks ethical considerations. Whereas the truth is that such issues are prevalent in all areas of business. The business environment in much of the world is reeling from the revelation of several financial scandals in the past few years. The optimism of the turn of the century has been replaced by scepticism and distrust. It will be discussed as to how we landed ourselves in this situation, what is being done to correct it, and what the future holds for us. Though Enron has been used as the poster-child for this purpose, breakdowns in accounting and corporate governance in Enron as well as in other companies will be discussed. Some companies that have encountered financial reporting problems will be discussed along with the role of auditors (including Andersens role in Enron), the regulatory environment, some of the causes of the problems, and the current and possible future outcomes. Ethics and Accounting Ethics (maintaining true and fair statements) is a key part of financial reporting. For shareholders to trust a company with money, they must feel confident in the companys financial reporting. Financial reporting presents all data relating to the entitys  current, historical and projected health meaning investors and shareholders rely upon the available financial data for making informed and educated decisions. To help entities comply with business regulations and maintain financial reporting, shareholders can trust the existing organizations designed to watchdog different aspects of the accounting world. Primary among the organizations are the Securities and Exchange Committee (SEC), Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). These three bodies together ensure financial reporting is fair, reliable, and available to all investors. The specific importance of ethics in business and in financial reporting is to inspire and ensure public and investor confidence in companies. Without a strong code of ethics, and adherence to that code, individuals may not be certain their investments are secure. Accounting professionals must have a strong ethical and moral reasoning as their decisions regarding financial reporting can have major consequences for individuals as well as corporations and entire nations. Ethics in the business environment are more than just issues that relate to accounting; because ethical practices can and will cross boundaries from business practice in to what a company may ask its accounting professionals to do in financial record-keeping and recording. The many recent scandals involving accounting fraud generally began at the CEO and made their way down into the financial records. Before the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, various financial abuses such as WorldCom, Enron, and Adelphia Communications plagued the American public and affected economic health of the entire nation adversely. Most of these frauds stemmed from unethical accounting practices instituted at the highest levels of the corporations, but carried out in the financial reporting practices of public accounting firms. In December 2001, Enron, which used to be one of the worlds leading energy companies once, filed the largest bankruptcy in the history of the U.S., using the retirement accounts of thousands of American workers, to enrich those at the highest levels of the corporation. Using thousands of off-the-records partnerships to hide nearly $1 billion in debt and to inflate profits, company had defrauded shareholders of billions. Due to these scandals, President Bush and Congress were forced to take tough stance in the form of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in July of 2002. When ethics seem to be on the downfall in a society, the common man naturally turns to the government for guidance. Various crises in the history of the United States have led to creation of several regulatory bodies and laws. The three entities in the US, mentioned above, work closely together to ensure financial accounting is honest. The SEC, the FASB, and the PCAOB are each an independent entity, but they often work in cooperation in certain areas such as oversight and reporting. While these three bodies work together, they rely on cooperation from member companies and from participation from whistle-blowers in companies and public citizens. As the Enron collapse illustrated, there were systemic failures in the private-sector watchdog-groups. The SEC and the PCAOB must work closely together and include way to fast-track criminal cases. Enron and other financial reporting scandals Enron was a great symbol of widespread problem in corporate America as its rise was as spectacular as its fall. Enron, formed in 1985 when Internorth purchased Houston Natural Gas was soon being run mainly by Houston Natural Gas executives, with Ken Lay as CEO. In 1990, both Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow were hired. In 1996, Skilling became the President and COO. A meteoric rise in both reputation and stock value came by, with Enron being named as one of Fortunes most admired companies in 2001 and its stock price peaking at $90.56 a share as on August 23, 2000. Much of the companys success was credited to the financial wizardry of Fastow. However, companys fall was just around the corner, with Skilling resigning in August of 2001. This was followed by a $1.2 billion write-off, and the beginning of an SEC investigation in October. By December, Enron had declared bankruptcy and the share price was $.26 per share. If Enron had been a lone case, concern would have dissipated quickly and confidence in capital markets would not have plumped. But it was not so. Before Enron, there were companies such as Waste Management and Sunbeam not significant by themselves, but they should have acted as a warning of what was to come. After Enron the disclosures kept coming. WorldCom was caught capitalizing expenses. While Enron was trying to outsmart the accounting and capital market regulators, WorldCom made accounting errors that even novice accounting students would know were inappropriate. A disturbing aspect of many of these scandals is the collusion among many executives. An important observation is that all of these scandals cant be attributed to one factor alone. Each one was different. Hence it can be concluded that the solution is not easy to find. There is no single accounting practice that made these entities vulnerable to executive excesses. What these scandals had in common was a culture that was pervasive in corporations. A culture had come in that made it permissible to lie to shareholders and the markets. The ends justify the means became the corporate mantra. Also, the watchdogs, the auditors had turned a blind eye with their focus just on their consulting businesses. They were not as vigilant as they should have been in audits. The auditors role in ensuring fair play Auditors are supposed to protect the public from the types of abuses that have been seen in the past. Even though financial statements are responsibility of management, the shareholders hire auditors for the protection of their interests and to add credibility to financial information provided by the firms. To be credible, auditors need both expertise and integrity. Expertise assures if there is a financial reporting irregularity, the auditor has the capacity to discover it. Integrity assures that auditors will disclose any irregularity they may find. These two qualities are essential. They are also multiplicative that is if either is missing, other has no value. It has been found that both were missing in many cases. Expertise was missing as audits had come under cost cutting measures of firms. This happened often at the cost of quality. Integrity was gone when auditors forgot that the first allegiance of a professional is to the public. Seldom did auditors betray management for the benefit of the public. Hence, even if they did discover reporting problems, rather than reporting them to the public they often helped management devise ways around the reporting problems. Auditors fell into this position (probably not because they were incompetent or unethical but) because of the cultures in major accounting firms. Andersen, Enrons auditor, is a classic example. There were good auditors who got caught up in an economic struggle leading to undue focus on revenue generation. An audit firm having the highest reputation for competence and integrity compromised on its values as that was the only way its partners thought to be economically competitive. In the more recent Satyam case in India, the fraud started at the top level management and reached the financial records. The role of Pricewaterhouse, Satyams auditor, is also controversial in the said scandal. Causes of financial reporting problems The regulatory environment had not changed suddenly then why did the financial reporting problems surface at the time, is a question to be pondered upon. There are many reasons, not one that dominates. It was a confluence of circumstances that opened eyes to the problems. The bursting of the bubble economy was a major reason these financial abuses came to light. When everything was seemed bright, nobody questioned companies financial reports. In accounting the lack of relevance of historical cost accounting and even the basic traditional accounting framework were being discussed. The new economy was not to last forever. And when it did not last, investors began to ask tough questions. For many of the questions, there were no answers only denials and cover-ups. In the auditing profession, audits had become loss leaders. The balance sheets and income statements had lost value, so auditing of the statements was not important. Thus, many audits became hasty and more of a formality. No one was willing to pay for quality audits, so many audit firms believed there remained no sense in competing on the basis of quality. Cost drove audit decisions. Lower cost even with lower quality was the norm. The passivity of corporate boards was also a contributor. This was worsened by the growing number of complex financial transactions, most of which were beyond understanding of board members, who had gained their experience before such instruments came into being. Even a former accounting professor heading Enrons Audit Committee, a person of utmost integrity, had difficulty understanding the implications of the companys financial manoeuvring. Finally, the biggest culprit is the corporate culture. Focus was laid on short-term gains forgetting about all long-run considerations. Also the executive scorecard became focused on salary. Many players had become greedy executives, investors, and attorney, among others but more than that was the need to compete on the basis of compensation. Implications for accounting educators The perpetrators of most of financial reporting scandals are former students, graduates of accounting or MBA programs. So educators must ask themselves: What are they doing wrong and what must they do to fix the problems? The first obvious reaction is to emphasize ethics in business and accounting curricula. This is important. Educators in a business ethics class can not dissuade someone who is inclined to commit a fraud from doing so. But it is also true that most perpetrators did not at the onset set out to commit a fraud. They simply got ended up on a slippery zone. Also, the most disappointing aspect about most of the scandals is the number of people who, (though not personally involved) knew what was happening and still did nothing. Exceptions to the rule are some courageous whistle blowers, many of whom were products of university accounting programs. Thus, the focus of ethics classes should be to recognize and analyse the situations that can lead to compromise on ones ideals and values, and to promote the reporting of inappropriate behaviour. This can be best done in context because ethics issues come up in context, with you imagining yourself in the real situation. It is easy to go into an ethics class and give the answer that the instructor wants. It is an altogether different thing to put ones self in a case situation with conflicting pressures, and determine the appropriate action when ethics is only one of the many factors impacting your decision. Conclusion The accounting profession is in the middle of a challenging time. A reputation gained over years and decades can be lost in a day. Accountants were thought of as persons of high integrity working at an uninteresting job. In the current scenario the job has gotten more interesting, but at the cost of their reputation for integrity. It is essential to win back the trust of the public and maintain their belief in the importance of accounting. The road to restoring integrity of accountants today is a long one. The job will neither be quick nor easy, with the new series of financial reporting scandals that have come up.

Kant Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utilitarianism is a consequential perspective, in that, a decision in based on the effects it ----will have on society and what it will generally lead to. Also, the utility or usefulness of an action is determined by the amount of happiness that will result. Therefore, no action in itself can be deemed wrong; consequence alone are the important matter. Using this principle, one should consider the possible results of each potential action.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One clear flaw of the utilitarian perspective is there that there seems to be a lack of the concept of justice. Their moral principles would justify doing experiments on a single man with no friends or family. The justification would still exist in a case in which the experiments would cause a man to die, yet benefits occurred because substantial medical knowledge was obtained. There also seems to be no intrinsic value placed upon human life, yet the value is placed upon the happiness of the greatest of people.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Utilitarianism follows one of two categories; act and rule. With Act Utilitarianism, all possible actions are considered and one must determine which action would yield the most happiness or benefits for the greatest number of people. However, with act utilitarianism, there really is no way of determining if the right choice of actions was carried out. Also, there is no clear way to be certain on what the results of the actions will be. For example, there is no way to be sure that a severely impaired infant will not recover enough to live a better life that what was predicted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, acting morally doesn’t mean acting omniscient. A reasonable effort must be made to get relevant data to predict the possible consequences of all actions involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another form of utilitarianism would be rule utilitarianism. This moral standard suggest that an action is right if it follows a specific rule that has been structured and validated while keeping the principle of utility in mind. A rule utilitarian would not concern themselves with the utility of specific or individual cases, but would follow a set of particular rules. One would not have to go through the process of calculations involved in determining maximum utility, but a particular rule would... ...th Ross’ ethics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even in the case involving Alice Nuvo and her not wanting treatment my moral intuition came into play. Under most circumstances, my position is strictly to say that human life can never be allowed to pass if there is a reasonable means of preserving it. However, there can be no rules for me to follow because I find exceptions to this, and the case of Alice Nuvo would be such a case. I ruled that her autonomy surpasses any medical judgment. If she wants to be allowed to live out her life with her family and inevitably die, it should be her choice. Especially in a case such as this, I really have no way of reviewing my actions and seeing what rules I followed or what past cases I referred to. Once again, my moral intuition lead me to decide for her autonomy. However, moral intuition does not instantly occur when deciding on a case. There must be careful review of every aspect, action, and possible consequences before your moral intuition can decide upon anything. Af ter reviewing my decision scenarios, and taking into account the beliefs of utilitarianism, Kant’s ethics, and Ross’ ethics, I. without a doubt, that I am a follower of Ross.

The Problem of Feminism in Female Art Essay -- Essays Papers

The Problem of Feminism in Female Art A review of the world’s great artists conjures familiar images: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel; Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night; Pablo Picasso’s The Tragedy. There are many more, of course: Monet, Moya, Warhol, Rembrandt, Kandinsky. What is immediately noticeable, however, upon any brief study of art, is the significant absence of women as heralded artists—not only in our ancient pasts, but even today, amongst valiant efforts for gender equality. The question â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists?† has been debated since the 1970’s, when historian Linda Nochlin released her book of a similar name. In the decades that have followed, the number of women pursuing education and careers in the arts has risen drastically; more women than ever are attempting to make a living as artists. Yet feminists are not satisfied: despite the growing numbers of women in the art world, female artists’ attempts at recognition have been dramatically less successful than those of their male counterparts. Feminist artists have been working since the women’s movement to create some kind of forum for women’s art in a history dominated by â€Å"good ol’ boys.† Yet the political stereotypes which surround feminism have caused some female artists to disassociate themselves with the concept. More and more women are choosing to delve into a profession where their work will very much remain subdued, and where their individual contributions will likely remain unheralded. This increase, certainly, is a hard-fought victory for women; the increase indicates increased awareness and opportunity for women artists. However, some contemporary female artists argue that feminism’s effort to reach the propr... ...onal interview. 22 Mar. 1998. Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art and Society. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc, 1990. Crowell, Susan Elizabeth. â€Å"Reflections on a Feminist Aesthetic.† Studio Potter 20 (1991): 89-98. Dworkin, Andrea. â€Å"Feminism, Art, and My Mother Sylvia.† Social Policy, May/June 1975. â€Å"Guerrilla Girls.† [Online] Available. http://www.guerrillagirls.com, (assessed March 22, 1999). Mayer, Monica. â€Å"On Life and Art as a Feminist.† [Online] Avaliable http://web.ukonline.co.uk/n.paradoxa/mayer2.htm, N. Paradoxa 1.9, 22 Mar. 1999. Morse, Marcia. â€Å"Feminist Aesthetics and the Spectrum of Gender.† Philosophy East and West 42 (1992): 287-296. Strawter, Lisa Marie. Statistic compilation. [Online] Available. http://libweb.sonoma.edu/special/waa http://libweb.sonoma.edu/special/waa, (assessed March 22, 1999).

Do Animals Have Language Essay

†Language is the method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way†(1) Language is humanity’s way of communicating with each other, there are over 6,500 different languages spoken around the world. Every language is communicated by two or more people. Every person can have a combination of languages. It all depends on what that person chooses to do. Some individuals believe that there is no communication without language. But many like myself, beg to differ. As I believe there are numerous ways to communicate, whether it is by speech, symbols or sound. A few might argue that speech and sound are the same thing, to me they are completely different. Yes we need to make sounds that represent the letter that make up the word, but in some languages the sounds are the words. For example the Xhosa language; spoken by approximately 7.9 million people of the South African population, it is a tonal language. I believe that animals communicate using the same technique. I see that certain animals have a specific sound for their specie. For example a dog’s bark, a cat’s meow, and the whale’s songs. They are all a series of sounds, to each other they are understood. Upon being put in the right sequence they convey the message to the other members of that specie. It is a language they use, that we cannot comprehend. The languages present here in Earth are very detailed and elaborate, because humans have a very complex life, they need a lot of words to make sense of it. Animals live very simple lives, needing to communicate when in danger, or directing others. That is why their languages are probably much more simpler than ours. Other animals communicate through dance, and movements. I consider this a language of its own, as these dances create symbols, and symbols are a language. This is still considered using language as a method of communication. So yes, I do believe animals have a language, through sounds. Although those language are most likely very simple, they are their way of communicating with each other. (1):http://www.google.com.sa/search?hl=en&safe=active&sa=X&biw=1280&bih=596&q=language&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&ei=TbpMUMmDL4fvsgbWsYC4BA&ved=0CB0QkQ4

Deviance, Labeling Theory, Secondary Labeling and their Effects On Society

Deviance can be defined as anything that flouts social norms and values. As an example we can take the Ten Commandments, that other than being a religious document is also a set of regulations to assist in creating a comfortable social climate for all people in a social environment. Simple laws such as not to steal, commit adultery, murder or abuse, are set in order to make sure that all involved are protected from possible harm. When one individual decides to break these regulations the balance is out of kilter.In this essay we will define and explain the terms: deviance, secondary deviance and labeling theory and attempt to ascertain their importance and effects within a social stratum. Deviance is, as mentioned above, a conscious disregard for the norms and values specifically designed to protect the public. Deviance is often seen in terms of juvenile delinquents who by means of deliberate or forced action break the laws that protect the public or community. Deviance takes its for m in a number of ways that are socially relevant such as drug abuse, rape, murder, theft and armed robbery.The father of labeling theory, Howard Becker believed, however, that sufficient rehabilitation of said criminals leads to another set of problems altogether. â€Å"Being a â€Å"criminal† becomes a person's master status. It controls the way they are identified in public. Others do not consider their other statuses — that of spouse, parent, or worker — only that they are first and foremost a criminal. † In this instance, as Becker believes the identity of the person becomes that of a criminal immediately after they are found guilty and have a criminal record.The person therefore undergoes an identity change and a moral crisis. The concept of self becomes divided by the Me and I being shifted from an integrated whole, to two very different people. One person is the ‘inherent good’ and one is the ‘public bad’, yet they are the same person. If one looks at crimes such as gang violence, one sees a specific stigma, one of fear by the public and another of status by those involved. The need to belong becomes greater than the need to be right. Those that grow up without an effective social purpose (ie.Those that do not have parents or grow up in inefficient parental guidance) search for meaning elsewhere. Those that are not seen as acceptable by their general environment will almost certainly find acceptance in a gang or crime syndicate. This is because it grants them some degree of importance and power. These individuals derive power out of others fear. In terms of other abuses of status, rape is a particularly devastating form of deviance where debate surrounding public labelling can be touchy to say the least.A crime of this nature, regardless of the age of the perpetrator is one that is on the increase today. Theoretically, justice should seek to curb violent and deviant behaviour, but as Becker believes, it often undermines the rehabilitation process because once the individual has been labelled as a criminal they tend to be seen as such years after the punishment has been served and inhibits their ability to earn a decent, respectable income once they have left prison. It makes sense that when a convicted criminal applies for a job after they have served their sentence, the label of ‘criminal’ is already recorded.Naturally, the prospective employer is dubious as to whether to employ them or not. In relationships too, it becomes difficult for a spouse, friend or family member to trust the person again, leaving the convict alone and jobless. There is an immediate loss of self esteem, social concept, self-concept and value to society. Becker and his fellow symbolic interactionists believe that this is a self-fulfilling prophecy which is nearly impossible to break. More importantly, is the consequence of this labelling.As an example, we could use 11 September 2001, otherw ise known worldwide as Ground Zero, to illustrate a social problem such as labelling is responsible for. After the Twin Towers bombing, it became known that the perpetrators were Muslim fundamentalists and possible al-Qa’ida insurgents. Once this became known, Muslim mean were searched at airports and appeared to be discriminated against by general public. This is neither party’s fault in the end, as fear is a defence mechanism that the public drew up in order to protect themselves from further threat.Also apparent though, is that not all Muslims are potential mass murders or are genocidal. The same becomes apparent on another macro-level with the Germans and Adlof Hitler. That not every German is a Nazi may momentarily have escape some families of victims. The real problem, however with labelling of deviants, is that since they are unable to regain social status and unable acquire employment, they are forced back into deviant behaviour. This is termed secondary devian ce. The self-fulfilling prophecy as mentioned before becomes apparent.With no job or social support, theft seems to be the first port of call in order to survive. In order to do this, the person may be forced to join another gang and the snowball starts to roll. It is extremely difficult to re-integrate a criminal with a record back into society, so where does the answer lie. If it were possible to change the attitudes of the general public, it could be the difference between an integrated society and a dysfunctional one. Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that the individual will choose to keep their name clear after they are released.In conclusion it can be seen that deviance, secondary deviance and labelling are all integral parts of societal functioning, but don’t necessarily yield any solution to the growing trend of deviant behaviour among juvenile delinquents. The process remains as follows: due to some fate of upbringing the person in initiated into a deviant form o f behaviour; they are labelled delinquents, criminals and rehabilitants; they are unable to change their status due to criminal record, so they revert to deviant behaviour in order to survive. It would seem that the only appropriate solution or cure for this deviant culture, lies in the upbringing.