Different parts of the oriental world

Different parts of the oriental world have been mentioned as the probable locality of the first appearance of the plague or pestilence known as the â€Å"black death,† but its origin is most generally referred to China, where, at all events, it raged violently about 1333, when it was accompanied at its outbreak by terrestrial and atmospheric phenomena of a destructive character, such as are said to have attended the first appearance of Asiatic cholera and other spreading and deadly diseases; from which it has been conjectured that through these convulsions deleterious foreign substances may have been projected into the atmosphere.But while for centuries the nature and causes of the black death have been subjects of medical inquiry in all countries, it remained for our own time to discover a more scientific explanation than those previously advanced. The malady is now identified by pathologists with the bubonic plague, which at intervals still afflicts India and other oriental lands, and has in recent years been a cause of apprehension at more than one American seaport. It is called bubonic – from the Greek boubon (â€Å"groin†) – because it attacks the lymphatic glands of the groins, armpits, neck, and other parts of the body.Among its leading symptoms are headache, fever, vertigo, vomiting, prostration, etc. , with dark purple spots or a mottled appearance upon the skin. Death in severe cases usually occurs within forty-eight hours. Bacteriologists are now generally agreed that the disorder is due to a bacillus identified by investigators both in India and in western countries. The first historic appearance of the black death in Europe was at Constantinople, A. D. 543. But far more widespread and terrible were its ravages in the fourteenth century, when they were almost world-wide. Of the dreadful visitation in Europe then, we are fortunate to have the striking account of Dr. Hecker, which follows.The name â€Å"black death† was given to the disease in the more northern parts of Europe – from the dark spots on the skin above mentioned – while in Italy it was called la mortalega grande (â€Å"the great mortality†). From Italy came almost the only credible accounts of the manner of living, and of the ruin caused among the people in their more private life, during the pestilence; and the subjoined account of what was seen in Florence is of special interest as being from no less an eye-witness than Boccaccio.Text The nature of the first plague in China is unknown. We have no certain intelligence of the disease until it entered the western countries of Asia. Here it showed itself as the oriental plague with inflammation of the lungs; in which form it probably also may have begun in China – that is to say, as a malady which spreads, more than any other, by contagion; a contagion that in ordinary pestilences requires immediate contact, and only under unfavorable circumstances of rar e occurrence is communicated by the mere approach to the sick.The share which this cause had in the spreading of the plague over the whole earth was certainly very great; and the opinion that the black death might have been excluded from Western Europe, by good regulations, similar to those which are now in use, would have all the support of modern experience, provided it could be proved that this plague had been actually imported from the East; or that the oriental plague in general, whenever it appears in Europe, has its origin in Asia or Egypt.Such a proof, however, can by no means be produced so as to enforce conviction. The plague was, however, known in Europe before nations were united by the bonds of commerce and social intercourse; hence there is ground for supposing that it sprung up spontaneously, in consequence of the rude manner of living and the uncultivated state of the earth; influences which peculiarly favor the origin of severe diseases.We need not go back to the ea rlier centuries, for the fourteenth itself, before it had half expired, was visited by five or six pestilences. If, therefore, we consider the peculiar property of the plague, that in countries which it has once visited it remains for a long time in a milder form, and that the epidemic influences of 1342, when it had appeared for the last time, were particularly favorable to its unperceived continuance, till 1348, we come to the notion that in this eventful year also, the germs of plague existed in Southern Europe, which might be vivified by atmospherical deteriorations. Thus, at least in part, the black plague may have originated in Europe itself.The corruption of the atmosphere came from the East; but the disease itself came not upon the wings of the wind, but was only excited and increased by the atmosphere where it had previously existed. This source of the black plague was not, however, the only one; for, far more powerful than the excitement of the latent elements of the plagu e by atmospheric influences was the effect of the contagion communicated from one people to another, on the great roads, and in the harbors of the Mediterranean.From China, the route of the caravans lay to the north of the Caspian Sea, through Central Asia to Tauris. Here ships were ready to take the produce of the East to Constantinople, the capital of commerce and the medium of connection between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Other caravans went from India to Asia Minor, and touched at the cities south of the Caspian Sea, and lastly from Bagdad, through Arabia to Egypt; also the maritime communication on the Red Sea, from India to Arabia and Egypt, was not inconsiderable. In all these directions contagion made its way; and doubtless Constantinople and the harbors of Asia Minor are to be regarded as the foci of infection; whence it radiated to the most distant seaports and islands. To Constantinople the plague had been brought from the northern coast of the Black Sea, after it had depo pulated the countries between those routes of commerce and appeared as early as 1347, in Cyprus, Sicily, Marseilles, and some of the seaports of Italy.The remaining islands of the Mediterranean, particularly Sardinia, Corsica, and Majorca, were visited in succession. Foci of contagion existed also in full activity along the whole southern coast of Europe; when, in January, 1348, the plague appeared in Avignon, and in other cities in the South of France and North of Italy, as well as in Spain.The precise days of its eruption in the individual towns are no longer to be ascertained; but it was not simultaneous; for in Florence the disease appeared in the beginning of April; in Cesena, the 1st of June; and place after place was attacked throughout the whole year; so that the plague, after it had passed through the whole of France and Germany, where, however, it did not make its ravages until the following year, did not break out till August in England; where it advanced so gradually tha t a period of three months elapsed before it reached London. The northern kingdoms were attacked by it in 1349; Sweden, indeed, not until November of that year, almost two years after its eruption in Avignon. Poland received the plague in 1349, probably from Germany, if not from the northern countries; but in Russia it did not make its appearance until 1351, more than three years after it had broken out in Constantinople.Instead of advancing in a northwesterly direction from Tauris and from the Caspian Sea, it had thus made the great circuit of the Black Sea, by way of Constantinople, Southern and Central Europe, England, the northern kingdoms and Poland, before it reached the Russian territories; a phenomenon which has not again occurred with respect to more recent pestilences originating in Asia. We have no certain measure by which to estimate the ravages of the black plague. Let us go back for a moment to the fourteenth century.He not only protected the Jews at Avignon, as far as lay in his power, but also issued two bulls in which he declared them innocent, and he admonished all Christians, though without success, to cease from such groundless persecutions. The emperor Charles IV was also favorable to them, and sought to avert their destruction wherever he could; but he dared not draw the sword of justice, and even found himself obliged to yield to the selfishness of the Bohemian nobles, who were unwilling to forego so favorable an opportunity of releasing themselves from their Jewish creditors, under favor of an imperial mandate.Duke Albert of Austria burned and pillaged those of his cities which had persecuted the Jews – a vain and inhuman proceeding which, moreover, is not exempt from the suspicion of covetousness; yet he was unable, in his own fortress of Kyberg, to protect some hundreds of Jews, who had been received there, from being barbarously burned by the inhabitants. Several other princes and counts, among whom was Ruprecht of the Palatin ate, took the Jews under their protection, on the payment of large sums; in consequence of which they were called â€Å"Jew-masters,† and were in danger of being attacked by the populace and by their powerful neighbors. These persecuted and ill-used people – except, indeed, where h

SWOT analysis for Nurses and Health care environments Essay

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats in a health care environment. SWOT – for management, mentoring and nursing Hospital nursing swot analysisA SWOT analysis is a tool that can provide prompts to the managers, clinical leads, nurse tutors, nurse mentors and staff involved in the analysis of what is effective and less effective in clinical systems and procedures, in preparation for a plan of some form (that could be an audit (CQC), assessments, quality checks etc.). In fact a SWOT can be used for any planning or analysis activity which could impact future finance, planning and management decisions. It can enable you (the management& clinical staff) to carry out a more comprehensive analysis. Definitions of SWOT †¢Strengths – Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on (or be an enabler to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Weaknesses – Factors that are likely to have a negative effect on (or be a barrier to) achieving the clinic’s objectives †¢Opportunities – External Factors that are likely to have a positive effect on achieving or exceeding the clinic’s objectives, or goals not previously considered †¢Threats – External Factors and conditions that are likely to have a negative effect on achieving the clinic’s objectives, or making the objective redundant or un-achievable. Before starting any planning or analysis process you need to have a clear and SMART goal or objective. What is it that you need to achieve or solve? Ensure that all key stakeholders (relevant to the issue being explored) buy into this objective or goal. Then undertake a PESTLE analysis (or PESTLE in Clinics), this will provide you with the external factors (OT). Use the PRIMO-F model to ensure all internal factors are considered Conducting a SWOT analysis in a clinical environment One of the most effective ways to conduct a SWOT analysis is not in isolation, but with a team effort. When the goal is shared, then a brainstorming session can be run. Ensure than when running such a session it is facilitated by a person not involved with the content – this is best with an independent person. If budgets do not allow this – then talk to another establishments head, and arrange a contra deal. Do this activity in a number of phases: 1.Share the goal 2.Data collection (no filtering or comments – record verbatim) consider all areas of PRIMO-F 3.Take a break of at least 1 hr 4.Filter, sort and analyse into the 4 areas – SWOT – be critical and SMART avoid ambiguous statements or ideas at this stage 5.Prioritise the elements Have a second session where the planning phase takes this data and puts it into a realistic plan. IMPORTANT TIP – do not hide or underestimate threats or weaknesses – if you ignore them or underplay them now they will come back to haunt you at some stage – probably when they can do most damage! The goal of any session like this is not necessarily to neutralise any weakness or threat – that is impossible – but to have it on your radar – and where possible take avoiding action. To some extent it is all about risk. What sort of tasks and issues can this be used for? At its most complex and comprehensive, it can be used for business planning, however it is also of value to solving localised issues and challenges. An Example of a nursing based SWOT We will use an example of a nurse working within a primary care clinic who want to improve the relationship with their patients. TASK 1.Define the goal and measurable outcomes – i.e. to have less than 50% of patients spending one hour waiting for treatment 2.Consider the current activities you have in place to encourage patient-partnerships within your clinic. 3.Complete a SWOT analysis, identifying your current strengths and realistically appraising your current weaknesses. This can only be done involving other nurses, doctors, support staff and patients. 4.From the current analysis identify factors which could be improved 5.Identify opportunities that could be created 6.Put a plan and set of measures in place. The clinic identified the following objective: †¢To improve parent-partnership by encouraging patients to visit the clinic and become active members of the community. †¢Outcome – to have less than 50% of patients waiting more than one hour for treatment Currently, the clinic holds an open day once each year. It uses this as a way to encourage patients to visit the clinic and engage with clinic staff. The following is the initial SWOT Analysis. Strengths †¢Highly-skilled clinical staff. †¢History of successful Open day events †¢Clinic has a strong ethos of openness, sharing and commitment to increasing patient confidence †¢Patients wanting to get involved †¢Local charities willing to participate Weaknesses †¢Nurses not available to meet patients often enough †¢Current open days events not increasing voluntary activity †¢Not enough staff time to plan more events †¢Staff not clear of their role in the patient relationship †¢Narrow focus on open events not partnership activities †¢Services too stretched for additional activity Opportunities †¢Active volunteer committee willing to plan and organise events †¢Patients active in the clinic’s Patient Participation Project can be asked for their opinions and suggestions. †¢Head Nurse is willing flex clinic times to free up clinical staff time †¢Use patients to contribute to practice delivery Threats †¢Confidentiality is at risk †¢Patient coercion to do things they do not wish to do The next step is to develop a plan with interested stakeholders SWOT Analysis templates for Nursing, clinics & health care SWOT Analysis Template/ Worksheet – use these templates to start your SWOT process SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (organisation name or product/ service/ project)Clinic/ establishment/ organisation Background/ situation ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________(usual business partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________ ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing (communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations (day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Weaknesses (PRIMO-F) †¢People (nurses, patients, CLINICAL GOVERNANCE TEAM etc) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Resources †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Innovation & Ideas †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Marketing(communications) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Operations(day to day running) †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢Finance †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ E X T E R N A L Opportunities †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ SO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WO Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Threats †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ ST Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ WT Alternatives / Strategies †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ †¢___________________ Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 2 SWOT Analysis on ____________________ (Clinic/ establishment organisation name or product/ service/ project)Background/ situation__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ (usual operational partners, relationships, channels to market, assumptions etc†¦) Date PESTLE completed ____________________ Date of SWOT Analysis ____________________v INTERNAL Under each of the PRIMO-Ffactors list the relevant strengths and weaknesses.List the Opportunities and threats from your PESTLE analysis below.Then considering the combination of these factors generate some options or alternative strategies for action. Strengths Weaknesses E X T E R N A L Opportunities SO Alternatives / Strategies WO Alternatives / Strategies Threats ST Alternatives / Strategies WT Alternatives / Strategies Try our organisational SWOT analysis tool for free NOW – Or return to our main SWOT analysis page SWOT Analysis Template / Worksheet for Nursing/ Clinical Environments 3 SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and threats Date Company/ Department name Internal Factors Our Strengths Ways to exploit Our Weaknesses Ways to reduce External factorsOur Opportunities Ways to exploit Our Threats Ways to reduce

WorldCom Accounting Failure

This research paper will seeks to discuss accounting failure at WorldCom by trying to understand the nature of fraud committed, the perpetrators who caused the failure, the lacking controls that may have caused all these problems and the intentions of the perpetrators as would be revealed by the extent and frequency of manipulation done in the financial reports of the company. This paper hopes to find the lesson of the story for the guidance of people who may be involved the same way or the other. . Analysis and Discussion 2. 1 Brief background of the company. WorldCom was part the Telecommunication Company before its name it was eventually named to MCI in 2003, Inc after several events including its merger with LDDS and later with MCI Communications as part of its strategy to get out from bankruptcy caused by the scandals that the company went through. MCI, Inc was purchased by Verizon Communication and now part of Verizon Division. What happened at WorldCom, what caused them to commit fraud? WorldCom’s stocks were used as means to enrich its chief executive officer (CEO) Ebbers and other officers basically from finance and accounting departments at the expensed of many investors by making the company’s to look more profitable than what is real. The fake profitability has caused the price of the company’s stock to rise significantly but only to be used by certain people to take advantage with malice against the investors. As to what caused them to commit fraud may be clearly blamed on the apparent greed of these people for more wealth with of the involvement of many of officers or from another point of view, by the laxity of the system of control that allowed things to happen so easily. As to which is more believable would be subject to analysis in the following sections and subsections. 2. 1. b. What kind of fraudulent accounting practices were used to manage earnings, describe the specifics of how it was accomplished? The two fraudulent practices could be classified into two. The first one the underreporting of â€Å"line costs† by capitalizing them rather than recording as expenses for the period and the second one is inflating or overstating the revenues. In accounting profitability is measured by the excess of revenues over expenses every period. The company in effect deferred the recognition of the expenses so that company appeared more profitable that what is real when expenses are recognized properly. The other fraudulent practice is therefore logical and would have the same effect as the first since inflating or increasing the revenues would cause to the company’s profitability to look better. Each of the fraudulent practice is described in detail below. The overall objective of efforts was to keep reported line costs to approximately 42% of revenues which is far from having actually reached levels in excess of 50%, and to maintain in its report to investors double-digit revenue growth when the truth is that actual growth rates were so much lower substantially. People became rich because of the frauds including the company’s CEO Bernard as derived from the increasing price of his shareholdings with the company. The start of the fraudulent accounting was found to be 1999 when the company wanted to paint a good financial condition contrary to what the company was actually in after the downturn in the telecommunication industry shortly after WorldCom has acquired MCI in 1998. By painting a different picture investors were plainly deceived into investing. 2. 1. b. 1) Underreporting ‘line costs’ (interconnection expenses with other telecommunication companies) by capitalizing these costs on the balance sheet rather than properly expensing them The first fraud committed is the reduction of reported line costs, which represents the company largest category of expenses. It is a good thing its internal audit personnel were the ones which alerted about improperly transfer of $3. 852 billion from line cost expenses to capitalized a ccounts during 2001 and the first quarter of 2002. It was latter announced by company about the additional line cost accounting fraud which when combined with the first $ 3. 8 billion would total at $6. 412 billion in improper reductions to line costs. These and other manipulations of line cost caused fraudulent jumping up of pre-tax income by over $7 billion. The fraud actually started as line cost adjustments in the form of accruals in 1999 and 2000 but when it was not possible to make more large accruals, the next scheme as to capitalized or defer 2001 and 2003 operating line cost as assets . Capitalizing will cause the assets to be bigger than actual and would also make the financial structure of the company which would make it attractive to investors while improving its profitability position because of understatement of expenses that would bloat the income. Line costs could be defined charges for carrying a voice call or data transmission from one point to anther point which represents the company’s largest single expense from 1999 to 2001. Being the largest, it was in reality approximately more than 50% of total expenses. This was taken particular focus by company management and other parties particularly outside analysts to find out the trends by the use of ratio of line cost expense to revenue (E/R ratio) as a way to measure the trend of behaviour of the cost to revenues . The company’s manipulation in accrual could be found in releasing the same with the required analysis even it was in excess of the amount required. Even in case of excess accruals, the company did not cause them to be effected at the time of identification. What happened rather was for certain line cost accruals to have been kept as rainy day funds and managers caused only their release when needed. It appears that everything was really in the control of the perpetrators which included key accounting and finance officers since the accounting information was almost being manipulated to serve their selfish purpose as when there is a felt need to improve results. There could only be malice for this kind of behavior since accounting information as supposed to be reported because standards require them to be such. Another manipulation in the accrual as found by investigators was the release of accruals that are applicable for other purposes thus further again understating the expenses to attain the targeted level of profitability as promised to the investors by the manipulators. The inappropriate releases of had commonality in features since they appear directed Chief Finance Officer Sullivan, Controller Myers, and Accounting Yates who are incidentally part of the finance organization in the company. Another is the fact that released occurred not during ordinary or normal day to day operations but during adjustment periods after the end of each quarter and documentation are lacking and employees involved have raised concerns at time because they knew what was indeed happening to the company. The company has fundamentally worn out available accruals at the most possible means to address the needed manipulation of line costs as reported in its financial report by the end of 2000, The following quarter of 2001 and one year after in 2002, the reduction was reached $3. 8 billion from the capitalized $3. billion as directed by its Chief finance officer. It was a clear violation of company’s capitalization policy and the generally accepted accounting standards. Sullivan when asked about the violation commented that there is the plan to ultimately reduce these apparently bloated assets accounts with a hefty restructuring charge to be effected in 2002. The practice of capitalizing operating expense would produce the effect of shifting these costs to balance sheet from income statement and the effect was to bloat income and assets at the same time. Without the capitalization, there would have been losses instead of pre-tax gain as reported. Capitalization by reduction of line cost allowed the company to have E/R ratio of about 42% in every quarter while in reality the company has exceeded 50% E/R ratio. The message that it was bringing to the stock market was that the company’s have been able to sustain profitability despite the problem in the telecommunication industry. A capitalization strategy is in fact part of the internal control but was twisted by manipulators to serve their ends, and for this reason Chief Finance Officer Sullivan needed consent from a number of people from financial and accounting departments of WorldCom. The company had its General Accounting group that is based in Clinton, Mississippi, which made actual journal entries, but the system of the company allows the creation of a swell effect from the books by adjusting databases and reports from several finance-related groups. These groups include Property Accounting group which had its base from Texas which and which as tasked to tracked company’s capital assets. Due to non-passing through the ordinary capital expenditure process, the group was called to effect the capitalizations physically in its database and on its reports. Another group from Texas, called capital reporting group had also participated responsible since it was tasked to approve capital expenditures and to track the same capital spending. It was normal to have the employees within the General Accounting group since the problems on manipulation are basically done by journal entries and their adjustments that these people became concerned about the propriety of the practice causing them to express concern to each others and some even talked of looking for outside that given the risks that they were exposed to. Fortunately, something happened and the tilt of what is good eventually came to the rescue when the Internal Audit discovered the capitalization sometime in June 2002. 2. 1. b. (2) Inflating revenues with bogus accounting entries from ‘corporate unallocated revenue accounts’). WorldCom painted itself in the market as high-growth Company, and how its revenues is going to grow is a thing that should speak for a successful company. Company’s main business is to provide goods and service which are measurable by revenues. Since revenues increase was clearly critical factor of its success, WorldCom was able to convince investors what the company was above water even if market conditions throughout the telecommunications industry were not that good in 2000 and 2001. Since investors would like to make money, it would it was very easy to dupe them into believing that the company could sustain growth. Claiming to have successfully managed industry trends which on contrary were already hurting all of its competitors, the company was wonderfully deceiving people with the promises of double-digit growth rates. It would be asserted in addition to what was stated earlier, the higher the revenues, the higher also would be the profitability if all other things like the expenses are assumed equal. But the company has already bloated revenues and deliberated understated the expenses, so that the growth in profitability was indeed tremendous to attract people to invest in the company’s stocks. The manipulators behind the schemes were therefore focus on revenue enhancement. Ebbers was found by investigators intensely to have put much efforts on revenue performance, by his receiving and closely examining revenue reports which are given to him on a monthly basis by the company’s Reporting and Accounting Group. It was starting in 1999 that the company people made efforts to bloat revenues after the end of every reporting quarter to show to users of information that it was achieving high revenue growth targets that CEO Ebbers and Chief Finance Officer Sullivan had made or wanted to happen. The bloating of revenues was basically done by making adjustments between the differences of actual and â€Å"targeted revenues† and level the same as corporate unallocated revenue accounts. In simple means the company’ management announced a target in revenues to be attained and such must be attained and presented when reporting period comes that the same will require adjusting entries and level the same as unallocated. According to investigators, the questionable revenue entries found under the Corporate Unallocated accounts reached millions or tens of millions of dollars which appeared generally only in the quarter-ending month which were recorded weeks after the quarter has ended. Between Ebbers and Sullivan, it was the second one who became concerned since revenues recorded were already masking the result of the company’s operation. 2. 1. c. Who in the company perpetrated the fraud? Discuss also the fact that the corporations CEO, Bernard Ebbers, took millions of dollars in personal loans from the corporation’s funds. Very briefly discuss the outcome of the fraud and the whole WorldCom scandal, how it was discovered, what happened to the perpetrators. Ebbers persuaded the company’s board of directors to provide him loans amounting to over than $400 millions to cover his margin calls that he failed and was ousted as CEO in April 2002 by John Sidgmore. He and other perpetrators were eventually prosecuted and convicted of crimes in relation to corporate scandals. It was discovered by the internal audit group an announcement was made for the hefty understatement of line cost in the amount of more than $3 billion. This kind of fraud in additions other understatement of lines cost by capitalization and inflation of revenues caused their perpetrators caused their freedom and they are now serving the prison sentences. The fraud was the on the damaged caused to investors who lost their money because of the fake profitability and financial condition of the business. 2. 2) Discuss in detail what controls/ internal controls were missing and/or subverted in order for this fraud/accounting failure to occur. The needed controls/internal controls that were missing and/or subverted in order for this fraud/accounting failure to occur is the independence of the auditors and integrity of the officers of the corporation. The need for independent auditors to ensure reliability of the financial statements is paramount since management not independent in many instances of their engagements and the most probable thing to happen is for management to make self-serving representation in the preparation of financial statements. The practice of accounting profession where the independent auditors will have to attest to the reliability of the financial statements requires the auditor must indeed be independent, competent and with integrity. Lacking one of these requirements would really make a big difference. It appears that the auditor of WorldCom was Arthur Andersen which had involvement with Enron which also collapsed and Waste Management Company. In fact the Security and Exchange Commission had Mr Arthur Anderson convicted at lower court but said conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court sometime in May of 2005. Although he was acquitted of the charge eventually, the fact that he was already charge and convicted is a question of character which do not have a place in the accounting profession. The role of auditors between their client and the public is one vested with public interest so that auditors must have good moral character. Since the auditor should be independent the engagement must be purely auditing or attestation service. It was possible that Andersen was maintaining secretly a special relationship with the management of WorldCom thus Ebbers and company was courageous enough to do the fraudulent act as the very nose of the regulators and the investing public. Dependable information is essential to the very existence of our society. The investor making a decision to buy or sell securities, the banker deciding whether to approve a loan, the government is obtaining revenue based on income tax returns, all are relying upon information provided by others. In many of these situations, the goals of the providers of information run directly counter to those of the users of the information. The purpose of having an auditor is for attestation function or to provide assurance as to reliability of the financial statements. Arguing to have the external auditors to protect the company assets from fraud would be sounding too simple since more than the auditors the stockholders or owners of the corporation must have also the protective or preventive attitude. In addition therefore for the need to have independent, honest and competent external auditors, the company must have also the same independent and honest officers, particularly those who are members of the audit committee and those performing money related functions. The function of company officers are part of a good internal control that any normal or good company must have so that functions would be defined and duties would be segregated or separated in such way that would provide checks and balances. This system of checks and balances are part therefore of good internal control that a company must put into effect. A good internal control must also ensuring compliance with the GAAP is by having since the two are complementary. The GAAP is an external requirement to provide the needed characteristic of information to be reliable for decision making. It is faulty to argue that a company has an efficient and effective internal control over financial reporting if it not consistent with the requirements of GAAP. The underreporting of expenses and inflating of revenues are clear violations of the GAAP since GAAP works for fair presentation of financial statement which are governed by revenue recognition principles and expense recognition principles. Under the revenue recognition principles, revenues must be properly recognized when earned. The practice of inflating revenues by adjusting entries in creating corporate unallocated revenue accounts could easily be detected if there is an effort to do so since the name of unallocated accounts is very revealing but since the perpetrators are from the very people who are to ensure the reliability of the financial statements, the standard appeared to have no power over their criminal minds. But as found in the investigation, it was the internal audit which first calls for the alarm when there was a transfer of line costs amounting to more than $ 3 billion. This means that the system of internal control of the company still allows the working of revenue recognition principle to be noticed since they found that the ratio of expenses to revenue was already too low despite the transfer of big amount of expenses to assets. The revenue recognition principle could have guided them the simple minds of auditor that it was utterly impossible to have produced those ratios. To go back to internal control, it is management’s responsibility to have it in place but the people who were governed by the procedures did not all work together to protect the company assets since some are just evil while others are perhaps touched by their conscience especially the internal audit personnel who called the alarm on the transfer of more $3 billion line costs to assets. It appears that internal control must also have the characteristic of integrity as a system since if others are honest but others are dishonest, it will still malfunction because the company appeared to have two sets of values. Every practicing accountant and auditors will agree that the purpose of the internal control is to provide assurance that its financial statements are reliable and its preparation are in accordance with the accounting standards as issued by Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). Since internal control policies and procedures for the maintenance of record in reasonable detail and reflecting the same in accurate and fair manner, first and foremost, the objective must be desired by management as a goal. In the case of WorldCom it is believable to assert that the company did have internal control but its implementation was clouded by the intention of the few who wanted to enrich themselves at the expense of investors. If the company has indeed proper values that are adopted and desired by its members, the company could have surmounted the internal control’s inherent limitations for its not to have prevented or detected the misstatement of revenues and expenses. 2. 3 Discuss in detail what a forensic accounting consultant (you) would have recommended or instilled to have prevented this fraud/accounting failure. pages As a forensic accounting consultant, what was needed was independence of the auditor from management. Auditors are to maintain their independence from the client as called for by their ethical standards but the moment that there is connivance, it goes pretty sure that fraud could easily happen. The work of an external auditor is separate from that of the company ac countant or even an internal auditor. Companies must reliable financial reporting system so that information should accurate and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). One way of ensuring compliance with the GAAP is by having an efficient and effective internal control over financial reporting. Since it is management’s responsibility to do the same, the company must do the same with a sense of integrity as part of its defining values. . Since the purpose of the internal control is to provide assurance that its financial statements are reliable and its preparation are in accordance with the US GAAP must be become a necessity for the company to make it good. Internal control is policies and procedures for the maintenance of record in reasonable detail of information and should the reflection of the same in accurate and fair manner. This set of policies and procedure would provide assurance at reasonable level so that unauthorized acquisition or disposition of company’s asset that could materially affect financial statements are detected timely and prevented accordingly. Every company’s internal control has its own inherent limitations that may not prevent or detect the misstatement that must be watched. It is thus accepted by experts in accounting that projections of any effective evaluation to future periods could still have risk thus making the controls inadequate to respond to the needs for more reliable financial statements because of changing conditions as a necessary part of business and degree of compliance with establish procedures may decline as well. It is for this reason that the managements desiring to have the internal in effect must conduct its own evaluation of its existing internal control on its financial reporting. It cans use as framework the Internal Control – Integrated Framework as issued by the Committee of Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). 3. Conclusion The story of WorldCom is a story of how greed would cause damage to people and how the accounting profession could be used as an instrument to perpetrate fraud. Theoretically, accounting is considered as the language of business and that it should provide information to help users for decision making. The basic requirement of valid accounting information is that it must be accurate or truthful. This characteristic was absent in the case of WorldCom as the accounting information was twisted to serve the interest of few people. No wonder Ebbers and company have to go to jail to suffer for the accounting fraud they have committed against the investors and for other crimes which are connected to the act of fraud. The analysis revealed to have to good internal control as requirement for providing reasonable assurance of providing information that is reliable for decision making. Said purpose must be consistent in the company’s being subjecting itself to compliance with US GAAP for the preparation of its financial statements that are reliable. The company must put and serious stand on this since the standards are meant to reconcile conflicting interest of users to prevent one user from taking advantage at the expense of the other. The set of policies and procedures from the efficient and effective internal control would provide reasonable that unauthorized acquisition or disposition of company’s assets that could materially affect financial statements are detected one time and preventive efforts could be applied accordingly. In the final analysis however, between the good internal control and the people who would implement, more weight should be given in the need for integrity and honesty of people who will implement the internal control. The maker should control what it has made. By the same principle the good internal control will mean nothing if people do not have integrity and are only seeking their selfish interest at the expense of all other stakeholders. There is no cure for greed there is a way to discourage or minimize the same by threat of strict implementation of the law. The case of Anderson who became an auditor of WorldCom appears to have not resulted to his prosecution of any crime but the auditor’ case with Enron was different. However he got himself acquitted in the higher court. Government therefore has also a role to play. It has imprisoned the perpetrators of WorldCom hence it should be a warning for many who plans to cheat investors.

Teenage Bullying Ages 13-18 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Teenage Bullying Ages 13-18 - Essay Example Involvement in teen bullying can, therefore, put a person at risk of developing into a more serious criminal. Effort is thus required to suppress propagation and development of teen bullying (Hile 37). According to the recent 2010 census, the population of Oakland County in Michigan State of the U.S.A was 1,202,362. The number of families residing in the county was 315,175. Of these 13.6% were African American or Black, 0.3% Native Americans,77.3% White, 2.2% of two or more tribes, and 1.0% were of several other race. Of the mixed races, 13% were German, 7.8% Polish, 8.3% Irish, 5.1% Italian, 3.5% Latino or Hispanic, and 7.0% of English ancestry. There was an average density of 564 housing units per square mile making up a total of 527,255 housing units. The Jewish community makes up a population of 72,000 being the 21st largest Jewish community in U.S.A. (Michigan 7-11).Of the 417,115 households, 32.40% were living together with their under 18 years children. The medium income for a household and family respectively was $62,308 and $79,589 according to 2009 estimates above the state and national medium incomes. The county had a per capita income of $32,534. Those below the poverty line lay at 5.50% of the population and 3.80% of families. 6.50% aged 65 years and above and 6.50% under 18 years also lay beneath the poverty line. The mean Oakland County education was at a higher level than both the state and national averages (Michigan 17). Oakland people are a hardworking community as proved by their level of per capita income higher than the national expected per capita income. Population of Oakland County involves in economic activities including farming, manufacturing, business, engineering and teaching. The county harbors the University of Oakland (Michigan 19). There is a transport network of cutting edge technology with high speed trains connecting the cities within

The Union on the CBA Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

The Union on the CBA - Research Paper Example The researcher states that the union has failed to explicitly state in the CBA the terms of how they would raise their premiums, given the anticipated appreciation of premium rates. The researcher states that the interpretation of the union on the CBA was reasonable, given that the CBA explicitly stated that the percentage increase on the premiums to be paid by the workers, effective January 1,200, would be on the stated amounts as based from the 1999 premiums for the TOP. In this case, it can reasonably be argued that the premiums to be paid by the workers would be based on 1999 premiums; however, it is also the union’s fault that they did not clarify on whether the rates presented on the CBA were merely illustrative, or were the actual rates. In this case, The researcher states that the company also had the moral responsibility to explicitly state the terms of the CBA provision, so that there would be no confusion on its interpretation. On this specific case, it can clearly be seen that the premium payment figures stated in the CBA may be reasonably understood to be based on 1999 premiums, effective on the stated date. Because the company actually failed to explicitly state that the figures indicated in the company were merely illustrative, despite their previous practice of how premium rates would be computed, this only created much confusion between them and the union, which may lead to significant disruption of normal business operations.

Global Warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Global Warming - Research Paper Example Increased temperature creates rapid and irreversible changes on both terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Terrestrial habitats subjected to a higher temperature become drier and can no longer sustain life. Such loss of habitat affects animals and can be a precursor for extinction of some species. As temperature increases, the habitat ranges of most species shifts. The shift is healthy for these animals as it creates range reduction forcing the animals into less hospitable habitat or increased competition. The change is stressful to the animals. Some species are affected and have nowhere to go because they are forced to reach their upper limit of habitat. Habitat displacement and alteration favors only the animals that can adapt to these changes (UNEP 13). Increased temperatures affect wetland habitats. Wetlands are important habitat for fish and other aquatic animal and also serve as breeding grounds for many waterfowl. Increase in global temperature will mean a permanently drier and warmer future. Such changes will result in increased habitat destruction as the animals will have no place to live or to breed. The arctic habitats are the most affected by increasing temperatures. The ice sheet are melting, and glaciers are reducing. Animals such as the polar bears that live in these habitats are affected. Ocean acidification due to climate change result in bleaching of the coral reefs that are among the habitats with the highest biodiversity (Chen-Tung 312). Habitat destruction and alteration affects wildlife because climate change rapidly changes these ecosystems. Global warming is an example of climate change effects that along with habitat destruction and pollution can result in increased extinction rates of animals and other related species. Climate change affects both the biology and ecology of most animals. It changes the availability of resources necessary for the animals to survive. With the lack of food, water, and space, it is difficult for a

Business Plan Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Plan Paper - Essay Example In their efforts to expand investment portfolios, investors evaluate the performance of a company by scrutinizing its business plan. In this regard, organisations should prepare business plans in order to expand their capital base. Another benefit of a business plan is that it conveys the leadership styles and how the company is positioned in the market. In this way, it creates confidence among the investors by indicating the strategies that the company will emulate to retain or improve its market position (Pinson 36). In addition, a business plan indicates the financial performance of an organisation by undertaking a comparison between its forecasts and the performance in the previous years. The section below discusses a business plan of Coca-Cola bottlers Philippines Incorporation Coca-Cola Philippines is embarked on production of various Coca-Cola products such as Coke, Sprite and Coke Zero among others. Major ingredient that makes up Coke Zero, the recently launched product is Aspertame among others (Murden 25). The objective of the company is to maximize the shareholders returns while being careful of the responsibilities of all the stakeholders. In addition, the company aims at becoming a responsible firm that build and support communities. Similarly, the objective of the company is to create value for its customers. The company target consumers within the age bracket of 16 to 50 years. This is based on the fact that these consumers are focused at active lifestyle emphasizing on good health. Additionally, they aim at keeping their sugar levels at a constant level. In this regard, Coke Zero becomes a good option for them. The company undertakes its TV advertisement by use of endorsers such as Gabbie Merced, Eli Buendia and Billy Crawford. In addition, it emulates billboards especially along the roads connecting Cagayan de Oro to other cities (Juana et al 5). One

Health information research project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health information research project - Essay Example The policy is that this information needs to be conveyed to the patient before the physician releases the medical information to the authorities maintaining the computer databases. This is because the patient’s informed permission needs to be obtained for treatment (Wilson 2009). For obtaining this, the patient has the right to get the complete information about where their records are being stored. Further, they have the right to know the persons and organizations that have access to their computerized medical databases (O’Caroll et al ed 2003). 3. The AMA’s policy is that the procedures for eradicating the computerized database of inaccurate data need to be established (www.ama-assn.org).This information of purging of inaccurate data needs to be notified to the patient before the purging of data and after the completion of purging. This policy has been adopted to give the patient a chance to get a printed copy of the computerized information before it is lost completely .Further they have the right to know that their records have been eradicated forever from the computer. 4. The AMA’S policy on confidentiality of computers is that the computerized database should be online to the computer terminal only when authorized computer programs that require the computerized data are being used (www.ama-assn.org). External individuals and organizations should not be provided online access to this data. Security measures like password protection, encoding of information etc are required to control unauthorized access to the medical data according to AMA’s policy. This is to prevent the unauthorized access by any external agent to a patient’s confidential medical data. The legal basis for this is the right of privacy derived from constitution (Wilson, 2009). 5. According to AMA’s policy, when a computer service bureau erases medical data, the bureau needs to verify in writing to the

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2nd Research Paper

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2nd - Research Paper Example The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2nd The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2nd edition is the most widely used personality assessment instrument in the United States. Significant areas of use that have become typical include personnel assessment in military and air controller sectors and in research involving the normal population, among many others. From 1943 through the 1980s, the MMIP was the subject vehicle of over 10,000 books and articles (Butcher, 251). Over the course of its life the MMPI has evolved through several formats, reflecting the changes in social culture and approaches to sciences. The MMPI-2 was developed in the mid-1980s to apply across cultures, and the MMPI-A was developed for youth for youth populations from 14-18 years. The latest format, the MMPI-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF), has not yet replaced the use of the MMPI-2. The MMPI grew from the research work of psychologist Starke Hathaway (1903-1984) during the 1930s at the University of Minnesota Hospitals. Hathaway led his colleagu es, including neuropsychiatrist J. Charnley McKinley (1891-1950) and graduate student Paul Meehl, through the task of compiling data from observations of 221 mental patients in the psychiatric unit. and comparing it to a normal nonpathological population of nearly 1,500 adults. With a goal of putting together a practical and easy-to-use assessment tool, they were able to build a 504 item true-false test from which answers could be used to formulate patterns of pathological behavior.

Teen Eating Disorders Essay Example for Free

Teen Eating Disorders Essay The teenage community today is based on the views and opinions of society. Though this may seem harmless on the outside, these opinions have become the poison apple of today’s culture, tearing teenagers lives apart. Specifically, teenagers are falling to eating disorders due to the pictures and habits in the everyday community. Large billboards of flawless models, magazines with dieting tips and get-skinny schemes flood the minds of teenage girls and boys, imprinting the thought that they are obligated to look perfect. Eating disorders have very serious health risks, which can be aided by extensive treatment. Specific habits and signs can identify each disorder. The signs of anorexia nervosa and bulimia are vastly different. Girls that suffer from Anorexia tend to be perfectionists who want to control the amount of food consumed, where Bulimics tend to eat large amounts of food and purge the calories consumed. In anorexia, girls will start â€Å"Wearing baggy clothing, or clothing inappropriate for the season (long sleeves on a hot day)† (Is Your Child Showing Signs of an Eating Disorder?, PR Newswire). This is due to their need to hide the extreme amount of weight loss. Bulimics will hide their purges by spending a lot of time in the bathroom and running the water to cover the sound. Girls with these disorders are sneaky and manipulative. They will go great lengths to hide what they are doing. Although the person that is affected will be in denial these signs are easy to spot and more noticeable then they think. Some times these signs are what can save a persons life. Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia are detrimental to the human body. Anorexia can lead to dizzy spells, irregular menstrual cycles, hair loss and breakage and eventually death. Bulimia can lead to damaged teeth, rips in esophagus, sores in the mouth and eventually death as well. The health risks are beyond physical but mental as well. Girls with eating disorders almost always have another psychiatric disorder. Some can suffer from depression and anxiety. Eating disorders are often classified as a â€Å"Dual Diagnosis†. With the correct treatment, both disorders can be reversed. It is important for the patient to recognize their symptoms and realize that they are not alone in their situation. Parental support is normally the most important factor in recovery â€Å"The most important thing a parent can do is listen, says Susan McClanahan, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of anorexia and bulimia.† Treatment is the best answer and is an important step to recovery. Recovery is a slow process that needs a lot of understanding and patience. If the treatment is rushed the patient is more likely to fall back into old habits and relapse. These disorders should been taken seriously watched for in girls of all ages. The ages of teenagers affected by the disorders varies greatly. â€Å"In the United States, as many as 10 in 100 young women suffer from an eating disorder.† (The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.) Due to societies pressure for perfection, the battle with each disorder is in many cases deadly. With the right treatment, severe health risks can be reversed and the disorder will begin to fade, as the signs of a healthy individual will shine through. PR Newswire (2012). Is Your Child Showing Signs of an Eating Disorder? Journal of Business and Economics. http://aacap.org/page.ww?name=Teenagers+with+Eating+Disorders §ion=Facts+for+Families

The Concrete And Fibre Reinforcement Construction Essay

The Concrete And Fibre Reinforcement Construction Essay CHAPTER 1 Within the following dissertation I aim to study the use of Fibre Reinforced Concrete within the construction industry. Over the last decade, fibre reinforced concrete (FRC) has become widely used in different structural and non-structural applications such as pavements, floors, overlays, industrial slabs and shotcrete linings etc where the major concern is toughness and first crack in flexure. It is estimated that more than 150 000 metric tonnes of FRC has been used throughout this duration of time. Particular focus will be made as to FRC within the construction industry whilst trying to identify what the future hold for this composite material. The question will be posed at to what the general consensus is within the construction industry in regard to the use of fibre reinforcement within concrete. 1.2 Concrete and Fibre Reinforcement Concrete is a material that is very strong in compression although is comparatively weak in tension. To compensate for this imbalance in the concretes behavior, an appropriate reinforcement must be cast into the concrete to help carry the tensile loads. Two forms of reinforcement commonly used are Steel Fabric (Rebar) reinforcement and Fibre reinforcement. Steel Fabric Rebar/Mesh has been used for many years in the construction industry to reinforce concrete and is usually made of carbon steel which is incorporated with ridges to help provide a better bond and adhesion to the concrete. As the rate that both steel and concrete expand and contract is the same this assists in eliminating any possible issues relating to any early signs of cracking within the concrete which could occur if the materials expanded and contracted contradictory to each other. This will assist in enhancing the overall strengthening of the structure. Rebar comes in various lengths and thicknesses to accommodate different types and sizes of jobs. These bars can be tied together to form a grid or cage, this is extremely effective for larger projects or alternatively mesh can be delivered in a variety of standard sheet sizes to site. An exciting alternative product to the above which could be used would be that of fibre reinforcement. The idea of using a fibrous material to provide tensile strength to a material strong in compression but brittle loses itself in the mists of time; in ancient Egypt straw was added to clay mixtures in order to provide brick with enhanced flexural resistance, thus providing better handling properties after the brick had dried in the sun. Fibre reinforced concrete is a composite material which entails a cementitious hydrated paste which is mixed with small reinforced filaments for instance glass, steel, polymer or carbon fibres which come in various shapes and sizes. The multiple fibres restructure the energy within the concrete, preventing the procedure of formation and extension of cracks. This helps to increase the ductility within the concrete whilst sustaining the residual capability during the post cracking period The fibres within the concrete literally bond the sides of a forming crack together at the same time as preventing any visual damage from becoming apparent Although FRC is an application that has been used extensively throughout Western Europe and beyond, its use within the UK has been somewhat restricted to the purpose of reinforcement within industrial floors as its main application. The absence of a recognizably accepted design standard may have an influence on the situation although calls are currently being made for clear industrial guidelines to be certified. The Concrete Society Technical Report 63 concentrates on any problematic issues and provides guidance for current and future design. All information and design aspects associated with fibre reinforcement are incorporated within the British Standard Institution. BS EN 14889, Fibres for concrete Part 1: Steel Fibres Definition, specifications and conformity. Part 2: Polymer Fibres Definition, specifications and conformity. 1.3 Aim The main aim of the following theses is to investigate and evaluate the various properties and functions of Fibre Reinforced Concrete (FRC) throughout the construction industry whilst giving consideration as to what lies ahead for the future of FRC. 1.4 Objectives To provide a historic overview of Concrete and Fibre Reinforcement. To identify and analyze the various types of fibre products available for concrete reinforcement. To establish possible concrete mix performance enhancements associated with FRC. To explore the Construction Management criteria within the industry in relation to the use of FRC. To highlight the future possibilities and potential that FRC has within the construction industry whilst seeking the views and opinions of various construction professionals. 1.5 Rationale for Research There are three main reasons why this particular topic has been chosen for this theses along with the required research which has been carried out, these are: A personal interest in the material of concrete along with its various functions and applications due to work experience gained in this field. An interest in new innovations being made available to the construction market which will enhance the overall application of the material. An aspiration to investigate whilst enhancing my current knowledge on the theory of FRC 1.6 Methodology Due to the nature of the topic to meet the aims and objectives previously set out for this thesis and to establish the direction for this piece of work information has been obtained from the following sources. Primary Literature Academic Research Journals (Refereed) Conferences / Seminars (Referred) Government Publications Technical Report Papers Secondary Literature Construction Journals Construction Textbooks Library Search Indexes and Abstracts Internet / World Wide Web Library Catalogue Case Study A case study of fibre reinforcement with regard to Construction Management criteria will also be analyzed via various site visits prior and during any works being carried out. This will provide a valuable insight as to how this product is perceived whilst strengthening the case for use in the future. Questionnaire Questionnaires will also be distributed to various Professional bodies influenced by the use of FRC within the construction industry. The methodology adopted is fully discussed afterwards in Chapter 4 along with the analysis of the research findings in Chapter 5. 1.7 Chapter Overview Chapter 1: Introduction Provide a brief introduction into the areas of study which has been identified by the author whilst outlining the main aims and objectives to be achieved in order to fulfill the research criteria. Chapter 2: Background for Study (Literature Search) A review of the relevant theory and recent / current publications associated with Fibre Reinforced Concrete will be used to obtain the necessary information required to establish the Aim and Objectives which have been prepared by the author. Chapter 3: Case Study On site Case Study (tbc) Chapter 4: Methodology An evaluation of the types of research and methodology methods carried out in order to achieve the aims and objectives previously stated. This will describe how and why the chosen research methods had been adopted. Chapter 5: Data Interpretation and Analysis This will consist of an analysis of the data and information generated from the questionnaire returns using relevant diagrams, tables and text to illustrate all findings. Chapter 6: Conclusions and Recommendations All findings from the research process will be compiled and it will be observed as to whether the main outlined objectives have been realized. Recommendations will also be given on areas of further research to enhance the material within the theses. CHAPTER 2 A REVIEW OF FIBRE REINFORCED CONCRETE 2.1 History of Concrete and Fibre Reinforcement. The history of composite materials started in ancient Egypt over 2000 years ago with mud bricks, reinforced with straw fibres. (Crowther, 2009) Concrete is the second most widely used material on earth after water (The Economist, 2006) Concrete is a building material composed of cement, aggregate sand and water, often with chemical admixtures and other materials (Stanley Bond, 1999). Its modern development spans less than 200 years with 1824 being the patent date associated with the first Portland cement, according to Binns (2002), which is one of the most important milestones in concretes history. Concrete is an ever present material and its versatility, comparative cheapness and energy efficiency have ensured that it is of great and increasing importance for all types of construction throughout the world. Many structures have concrete as their principal material, albeit as a composite with steel to give either reinforced or prestressed concrete, even in those structures where other materials such as steel or timber form the principal structural elements, concrete will normally still have an important role, for example in the foundations. In its simplest form, concrete is a mixture of cement, water and aggregates in which the cement and water have combined to bind the aggregate particles together to form a monolithic whole. (Illston Domone, 2001) (Sutherland, 2009) explains that even though our knowledge and understanding of the material is far from complete, and research continues, concrete has been successfully used in many cultures and in many civilisations. It is not just a modern material; the oldest concrete discovered so far is in southern Israel, and dates from about 7000 BC. It was used for flooring, and consists of quicklime, made by burning limestone, mixed with water and stone which set into a hardened material. Fibres mixed into the concrete can provide an alternative to the provision of conventional rebar or steel fabric mesh in some applications. The concept has been in existence for many years (the first patent was applied for in 1874) and it has been used in a range of applications: amongst the first major uses was the patching of bomb craters in runways during World War 2. However, it was during the 1970s that commercial use of this material began to gather momentum particularly in Europe, Japan and throughout America. (Clark, 2007) Crowther (2009) reiterates that throughout the 1960s research by various scientists which included Romauldi and Mandel who were industrial scientists, In the 1960s, studies by Industrial scientists Romauldi, Mandel and others, created the hypothetical and experimental foundations to help realise the development of a steel fibre product which could be used to as a means of reinforcing and strengthening concrete. In the early 1970s, James Romauldi who was initially involved in establishing the creation of the steel fibre patented the philosophy of steel fibre reinforced concrete, essentially inventing a new material for use within the construction industry. Throughout the 20th century the appliance of asbestos fibre cement was extremely common and extensively utilised whilst more recently it has continued with the use of highly developed carbon fibre substances which have previously been more associated within the specialised aerospace and automotive industries. Glass fibres were introduced and research continued into harnessing the properties of synthetic fibres such as polypropylene along with various other plastic materials. By 2000, the first macro fibre, concrete was ready for production from various suppliers. (Tarmac, 2009) Fibre reinforced concrete is employed around the world on major construction projects which involve infrastructure works, tunnel linings, marine environments, pre cast and insitu walling systems, low shrinkage thin screeds, sprayed concrete applications and significant reinforcement structures. Throughout the UK, its general application is in the use of large industrial concrete floors. Characteristics which are extremely beneficial following the installation of the floors is the improved in impact resistance, this helps minimise any possible unnecessary damage where high volumes of belligerent traffic is expected. The table below Figure 2 clearly shows how concrete is affected by the addition of fibres in various application fields: Table 1 Concrete improvement by fibres Application field Strength Cracking Wear Closure systems  Ã‚  Tunnels  Ã‚   Ã‚  Sole plates / cellar walls  Ã‚   Ã‚  Sewer systems / pipes  Ã‚   Ã‚  Precast elements  Ã‚   Ã‚  Toppings / wear layers  Ã‚   Ã‚  Roads / airfield paving  Ã‚   Ã‚  Industrial floors  Ã‚   Ã‚   Ã‚  Figure 1 2.2 Types of Fibre Products used For Concrete Reinforcement Although there are numerous fibre products on the market the most commonly used fibre types are shown and discussed below giving information on the producer of the fibre, its properties, fibre content in appliance along with the effects of the fibre type within the concrete matrix. 2.2.1 Steel Fibres Concrete containing steel fibres has been shown to have substantially improved resistance to impact and greater ductility of failure in compression, flexure and torsion. (ACI Special publication sp-44) (Bentur Mindess, 1990) claim that it was throughout the early 1900s that steel fibres were first introduced into being mixed with concrete to provide the required reinforcement. The early design of steel fibres was relatively simple and consisted of a rather plain round and smooth design which was cut to the necessary lengths. Only more recently has the introduction of hooked end, indented etched roughened surface, crimped and new polygonal twisted modern fibres have been introduced whilst the original smooth fibres have mainly disappeared. More up to date fibres which are available commercially are contrived from drawn stainless steel wire or by a melting and moulding process which produce fibres which have a crescent profile cross section. (Concrete Society TR 63, (2007)) points out that steel fibres are produced by various processes as discussed above and are supplied in many different shapes and sizes as is shown below in Figure 2. They may either be straight or deformed, however most are round in cross section with diameters between 25 and 60 mm. Steel fibres have a tensile strength typically 2-3 times greater than that of traditional fabric reinforcement and a significantly greater surface area (for a given mass of steel) to develop bond with the concrete matrix. Figure 2 (Neville, 1995) points out that the configurations of fibres can be either straight, continuous-deformed, or end formed as shown previous. Initially, straight fibers were the only configuration of steel fibers available. After further investigation it was quickly learned that there bonding potential was limited which restricted there expected contribution to the engineering properties of concrete. New products were developed to increase the bond between the fibre and concrete, the two best configurations which emerged were: A hooked end, draw wire fibre and a continuously deformed, slit sheet steel fibre. It was determined that the continuous deformed, slit sheet steel fibre provided better micro macro cracking performance as well as flexural strength enhancement, whereas the end deformed, drawn wire steel fibre performed best post first crack. As a feature of steel fibre reinforcement concrete its improved ductility helps to greatly enhance the application where impact resistance is important. The characteristic of fatigue resistance within the concrete is highlighted a being increased by up to 70%. (Clark, 2007) explains that the addition of steel fibres as supplementary reinforcement in concrete minimise the possibility of spalling of the concrete surface due to any inclement temperatures or weather conditions Some of the physical characteristics of fibres directly affect key aspects of concrete performance while others are less important. The factors considered to have the strongest influence on the performance of the steel fibre in concrete are: Bond and Anchorage mechanisms (e.g. straight or deformed shape, end cones or hooked ends) Fibre length and diameter. Dosage used in concrete pours. (kg/m3) Fibre count (number of fibres per kg of fibre), which is a function of fibre size and dosage. Tensile Strength Elastic Modulus (Hannant, D 2002) outlines that fibre reinforcement in concrete act in various ways. Firstly they can remove the formation and development of cracks due to early age plastic settlement and drying shrinkage. Secondly, they may provide a degree of post cracking load carrying capacity. The mechanisms are as follows: Steel fibres, being randomly distributed in the concrete, intercept micro cracks as they form, inhibiting the tendency for them to form into larger cracks. After cracking, the fibres spanning the crack will provide a residual load carrying capacity. The capacity can be considerable, depending on dosage and the type of fibre used. Following a shrinkage case study carried out by Propex concrete systems the photos below evaluate the initial 24 hours of curing time comparing a traditional reinforced slab with wire mesh against a fibre reinforced slab. The traditional (control) slab started to crack within 3 hours whilst the fibre reinforced slab continued to perform whilst maintaining its integrity, this is shown below in Figure 3. Cracks within the concrete which occur at an early stage will only endanger the reliability whilst preventing the concrete from ever attaining its maximum performance capability. Figure 3 The explanation for this early age damage to the slab is relatively simple traditional mesh refrains from functioning until there is movement within the slab and the concrete cracks, for there to be any possibility of the fibre mesh to work the slab would have to be designed ensuring that the mesh had been placed In the top third of the slab. As has been previously mentioned there are various shapes and sizes of steel fibres which are used two examples which are used within the construction of industrial floors are shown below in Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 4 shows four different shapes and sizes of fibre products which include smooth surface, indented etched, roughened surface and round with hooked ends which are the most commonly products used in regards to steel fabric reinforcement. Whereas Figure 5 gives a more in-depth description on the bundled hooked end product. 2.2.2 Synthetic Fibres Straight or deformed pieces of extruded, orientated and cut polymer material, generally polypropylene, that is suitable for mixing in concrete. Macro fibres have a diameter greater than 0.3mm; micro fibres have a smaller diameter (ACIFC, 2007) (Concrete Societys TR66, 2007) considers that polymer fibres can be described and categorised into the following: Macro synthetic fibres which are generally greater than 0.3mm in diameter and are used where an increase in post cracking flexural strength is required. Macro synthetic fibres can be incorporated within the design of structural concrete. Micro Synthetic Fibres are relatively similar to the previously mention Macro synthetic fibres although they are smaller in size along with the inability to fulfil any structural role within any concrete design. Characteristics of this type of fibre include the ability to reduce the instance of plastic shrinkage cracking along with acting as an enhancement for freeze thaw resistance. References: Illston, J.M. and Domone, P.L.J. (2001) Construction Materials There Nature and Behavior 3rd Edition. P91. Spon Press. Sutherland, M. (2009) Concrete Engineering International Volume 13 Number 2. Summer 2009. The Concrete Society Romtech. (2009) Technical Support Products accessed 30th October at http://www.rom.co.uk/products.aspx Crowther, D. (2009) Concrete for the Construction Industry Journal Volume 43 Number 3 April 2009. The Concrete Society. Clark, J. (2007) Technical Report No. 63 Guidance for The Design of Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete. Camberley Hannant, D, Fibres in concrete A Perspective. Concrete, Vol. 36, No 8, September 2002, pp 40 43. Tarmac. (2009) Topforce Fibre Reinforced Concrete accessed 12 November at www.tarmaconline.com//0982%20Tarmac%20Fibre%20Reinforced%20Concrete%20Brochure.pdf. Propex. (2006) Propex Concrete Systems accessed 13 November at www.CS-500_Propex%20Concrete%20Systems%20Brochure_Jul%2006 (1).Pdf. Anon., (2006). Concrete Possibilities. Economist Technology Monthly. The Economist, 380 (23 September), p32. Anon., (1972). American Concrete Institute, an International Symposium: Fibre Reinforced Concrete, Detroit: ACI, 1974. (ACI Special Publication SP-44)